What I've Been Playing Vol. 37

Rayman Legends (NSW)

 As a big fan of platformers, I've been playing Rayman Legends on the Switch and it has to be one of the most fun ones I've played recently. It's a 2D platformer where you control the titular Rayman or his friends as they navigate through levels recusing fairy-like creatures called "Tensies" while beating a wide range of enemies. The controls were solid as Rayman's punch and kick attacks were responsive, though his glide ability was a little slippery. However, it's the level design that takes the cake with its outstanding stages that were a lot of fun. Each stage often has gimmicks and enemies that revolves around it and you'll have to adjust your play-style to it. It may sound plain on paper, but the execution here is spot-on. My favorite level was "Castle Rock" where you're escaping oncoming lava while an upbeat rock tracks plays in the background as you dash through enemies while keeping up with the beat.

 The game hasn't aged a day despite it releasing back in 2013 thanks to its charming cartoony visuals. There's no VA only random gibberish sounds (though Rayman's sounds a lot like Quagmire from Family Guy), but the soundtrack does the heavy lifting with many catchy tracks gracing the levels. The Definitive Edition of the Switch packs all of the DLCs such as extra characters skins from Ubisoft's games, bonus stages ans mini-games to play, and art gallery. It took me around 5 hours to beat the base game, though it will last you a while with the content present here.

 Rayman Legends was a fun time and one of Ubisoft's more memorable titles in the last decade. It strikes the right balance between tough and accommodating, meaning anyone can pick it up and play. I haven't enjoyed a Ubisoft game this much in a while and it's a shame that we haven't gotten a new Rayman game after Legends.

Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)

 Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction marked the series' debut on the then-new PS3 back in 2007. It was an ambitious game, focusing more on a cinematic, "Pixar-like" narrative to showcase the PS3's hardware. I have a vivid memory of picking it up after school for $10 after I really liked the boxart. The duo are back for a grand adventure, this time centring on Ratchet's origins and a villain that plans on killing him. As for the gameplay, it's more of the same Ratchet and Clank formula we've come to expect. You journey to various planets, collecting a wide range of guns, shooting enemies with said guns, and levelling them up for more damage. Granted it does have flaws, namly the crap checkpoitns, lots of audio bugs, and clunky Sixaxis motion control segments that have you cutting walls by moving the controller. While Tools of Destruction doesn't change up the gameplay considerably, the gameplay loop was still as fun as ever. Couple that with the signature humor, over-the-top characters, and visuals that continue to impress 14 years later and the game is an entertaining 10-12 hour adventure. 

Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves HD (PS3)

 Sly 3 Honor Among Thieves was the final game in the Sly Cooper trilogy for the PS2 and my personal favorite in the series. Sly Cooper is back once again and this time, he must assemble a crew to steal back his family fortune from Dr. M, who holds a grudge against the Cooper family. Sly 3 retains the stealth-platformer gameplay of previous games while doubling down on the mini-game segments with you controlling RC cars, flying air-planes, and even manning a ship. Sly focuses on stealth, Bentley specializes in hacking electronics, and Murray is the brute of the squad. Sly 3 gets a reputation as the weakest of the trilogy (personally that goes to Sly 1) with the overabundance of the aforementioned mini-games and multiple characters to play as, but I feel that it made sense story-wise. 

The gameplay was good though shows its age with how clunky the platforming can be. It doesn't do a good job explaining the controls at times and that's mainly due to the poor sound mixing (some sounds are louder than others, which makes dialogue hard to listen). Still, I had great memories playing the co-op with my brother back in the PS2 days and replaying the game in HD, it's still just as fun as I remember it being. I'm hoping PlayStation does something with the series for its 20th anniversary like announcing a new game or a re-release of the HD collection on the PS4/PS5. That and I forgot to state that Sly Cooper is my favorite series under the PS roster.