As you probably know, Ubi Soft recently released a new Rayman game – Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc for the GameCube. The game was released exclusively for the GameCube and Game Boy Advance for the first two weeks, after which the X-Box and PS2 versions also were released. The Frenchies were once again very creative thinking up a storyline for our little arm- and legless guy. Are you ready for it? Here is how it goes…

Ever heard of the Lums? They are little, weird, red, round creatures that fly around in the Rayman worlds. In this story, André, one of the Lums, gets a bit bored and decides to go insane! He changes himself into a black hairy Lum and then starts to infect other Lums with his craziness too. Before you know it, there are black hairy Lums everywhere. And that's just the beginning, because then the black Lums start making themselves costumes out of animal hair. The costumes make the black Lums look like big hunters, with heads and all. These black, quasi-hunter Lums then arm themselves to form a big 'Hoodlum' army. The game's idea is, of course, that Rayman comes in and saves the world from these hoodlums.

The problem gets more complicated when Globox, Rayman's big blue friend, swallows André! Having André in his tummy makes Globox get very thirsty, and he begins requiring abnormally large quantities of Plum Juice. In between supplying Globox with countless glasses of Plum Juice, Rayman must find three Teensie doctors to help Globox get rid of André. You guessed it: a big adventure lies in wait for Rayman…

It shows that Ubi Soft began development of the GameCube version first, because the graphics of the game look, in one word, swell. If this game does not pull everything out of the GameCube it can, then slap me with a trout (Dutch expression!). You have to make your way through five different worlds, which all exist out of a bunch of smaller levels, which each have an enormous amount of detail - and none of the levels or worlds look alike. This creativity in the scenery adds a lot to the game. The details of the surroundings, the sparkling of the water, and the sharpness of the graphics make this game stand out in quality over many other games released for the GameCube. Also worth mentioning are the characters in the game. They look amazingly detailed and sharp. All of these features combine to make the graphical side of this game complete and almost perfect. Again, in one word, swell!

Groove Armada, as some of you may know composed the soundtrack for this game. Their music makes the game feel very hip and at the same time nicely finished off. But it's not only the music that sounds good - the voice takes have been worked on a lot also. In fact, the quality of the script and the voice acting has continued to improve throughout the Rayman series, and this game is the best of them all. The game contains quite a lot of good jokes, of which most are actually funny for even the oldest gamers. This makes the game not only suitable for kids but also for the old-timers. Sound isn't everything though…

So far we've established that Rayman 3 is innovative in graphics and sound; now we focus on the gameplay. The game requires you to jump around, collect jewels, collect power ups, free Teensies from their cage and shoot the Hoodlums. If you acquire enough jewels you unlock bonus levels, mini-games for the GBA, extra movies and some other tidbits. The power-ups give you one of the five special powers featured in this game, for a limited amount of time. These powers are Vortex, to make enemies spin; Lock Jaw, for swinging like Tarzan; Shock Rocket, to shoot off guided missiles; Heavy Metal Fist, to break through doors; and Throttle Copter, for flying. Without these powers you can simply not pass through certain areas. And once you get a power, make sure to get through the area before your power runs out – time is critical.

The game is quite focused on knocking off the Hoodlums, since there are a lot of them around. There are various tactics you can use to do this, not all of which are straightforward, which is why you start the game with a small test course in which you are taught the techniques of shooting. In short, it boils down to the fact that you are able to attack the opponent with a straight shot or with an effect. Good use of your shooting "effects" is important; you will encounter Hoodlums and bosses hidden in and behind items, so a straight shot is obviously ineffective. Good shooting requires a creative mind from the gamer, and at the same time makes the game a bit more fun to play.

To get through the game you have to find jewels, use the special powers, free the Teensies, shoot the Hoodlums, and every now and then slaughter a boss. It is pretty linear. It is not very difficult to do that over and over and after doing that for 10 hours you have completed the game. Sounds easy, doesn't it? And so it is.

As mentioned above, Rayman 3 is quite a straightforward game when it comes to gameplay, though the graphics and sound add a lot to the value of the game. The scenery looks so stunning that it tempts you to explore every corner. And the sounds keeps you hooked to the game, as it all sounds tip-top. So in the end, it does not really matter that the gameplay is not that different from other platformers. In the end the creativity and innovation make this game stand out. Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc is a whopper of a game and definitely worth buying for younger and older gamers, male and female.