G4TV

If life is like a box of chocolates, mini-games are a lot like bubble gum: sweet and satisfying for a while, shortly followed by a rapid loss of potency. Viewed in those terms, WarioWare: Smooth Moves would be considered the mini-game equivalent of Bubble Yum, which chewing connoisseurs would consider high praise indeed. Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, on the other hand, is essentially a hard piece of Bazooka. After a promising launch title, the wacky warren has taken several hops backward. 

Rave On

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 offers fewer mini-games than its predecessor, which normally is not cause for concern. After all, why not separate the wheat from the chaff and focus on delivering quality over quantity? The emphasis in Rabbids 2 is also on multiplayer, with the majority of mini-games now supporting simultaneous action for up to four friends or family members. Instead of taking turns, players are treated to a faster, more streamlined game. All for fun and fun for all, right? Not quite.

Rabbids 2 features 45 mini-games divided into five "trips" or locales: U.S., South America, Asia, Europe, and Tropics. Each trip by default offers six mini-games, randomly selected from a pool of nine. Completing a trip unlocks the subsequent destination and opens up mini-games for both free play and custom matches, where players pick and choose which activities to include for their multiplayer merriment. Score 12,000 or more points in a mini-game and you'll be awarded a gold medal and an article of clothing to dress up Rayman or one of the rabbids.

Repetitive Motion Syndrome?

Now that you have a basic idea of how the game is structured, let's delve into what makes Rabbids 2’s mini-games. Those expecting a modicum of challenge should stop reading now, as every activity seems geared toward the panel on Jeff Foxworthy's game show. You'll unlock everything this title has to offer within four hours after you've cracked open the case, which includes earning gold medals for each activity. The problem is the lack of technique or skill required. Sadly, the reduced number of activities in Rabbids 2 did not result in more in-depth choices.

The actions required of you are rarely more than (1) shaking the Wii remote up and down, (2) rapidly pumping both the Wii remote and nunchuk, or (3) tilting the Wii remote back and forth. In "rolling stone," you'll run from a giant boulder like Indiana Jones by pumping both controllers. That's it. Instant gold. In both "dial R for rabid" and "office," you flick the remote up whenever a boss or theater attendant walks away, then put it back down as he enters the room. "Snail race" involves slapping a snail by shaking the remote, and "timber" consists of sawing through a tree branch by, you guessed it, shaking the remote. Again, instant gold medals.

Diamonds in the Rough

While the games include multiplayer support, few involve direct contact with your rivals. Those that do are either tag variants or delivery runs. "American football" has you running with the ball while others try to tackle you, and "hot cake" has you running to avoid being given a slice of cake. The best multiplayer game by far is "bumper cars," where you try to knock opponents off a building's roof. "RRR xtreme beach volleyball" is another standout, with players setting and spiking a watermelon in a two-on-two match. Sadly, the only other games worth a longer look are the rhythm-based songs that conclude each "trip."

The Rock Band-like music segments are the highlight of Rabbids 2, but like everything else in this game, they are too simplistic. While there are four instruments or parts to each song, all are played the same way: flicking one or both controllers like drum sticks. Since only a single motion is used in each of the six songs, the only way you'll mess up a song is if a cat runs up and pounces on your sensor bar. Yet the activities are still enjoyable to play, as it "feels" like you are actually playing an instrument and the rabbids funny take on songs like "Teenager in Love" sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks on Xanax.

Five on-rails shooting stages are also available as standalone games. Unlike those found in the first title, the sequences here feature full-motion video backgrounds of real-world places. Groups of animated rabbids will run, fly, or jump toward you, and you'll plug them full of plungers. The drawback to this Who Framed Roger Rabbit visual technique is that there is little interaction within the environments. The deliberately slow pace of each sequence also tends to discourage repeat visits, but stats such as "enemies defeated," "max combo," and "damage taken" are tracked and saved for those who want to improve their scores.

Not Worth the Bunny

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 should be a better game. It has amusing cut-scenes and some truly endearing characters. Yet apart from the costume pieces you unlock, there's nothing here to grab you for more than two trips per destination. The painfully simplistic controls and short nature of the mini-games aren't going to satisfy most players, even those who routinely fire up the Wii to play with friends. The overall package feels like a budget release masked as a full-featured game. Hopefully future installments will do a better job at balancing the fun with the funny.

Review by: Scott Alan Marriott
Video Produced by: Joel Rubin