@@Petronious Given I've literally started playing it just earlier today, after hearing you mention it, I sure will be curious to hear why if you do a full-review as to me, many things (especially the magician bonus-stages and the bosses) now seem way-harder than they used to. I can appreciate many of the level-revisions they've made, and the "ting magnet" is great, along with the new "flight" bonus-levels... but there are still things the game could have done with (like a map, or ability to look) and not all of the level changes are for the best. For one person's effort, of course I totally appreciate it. But honestly, I'd rather just play the PS1 version in an emulator and use save-states to work-around the irritating bits in the original game. If this one has no cheats available, I seriously wonder if I'll be able to defeat Space Mama in this version, given the ramped-up boss difficulty... 😭
Heey Ryemanni, my man, thank you so much for what you've done, I've been trying for years to play Rayman 1 again to feed my nostalgia but the whole DOS emulating became too burdensome and I gave up, but then a few weeks ago I got to know about your version and I have to say, I love it and I love you. Keep it up!
Given how zoomed-in the screen is (as they didn't reduce the size of any of the sprites) the GBA version is definitely the worst way to play the original game, unless you already know the level-layouts. Most of the music is badly compressed, too. They should have just done MIDI versions of the tracks, like on the Jaguar (or Rayman 2 on the N64) than the digitised versions of the CD tracks...
This was one of the few PlayStation games I had growing up and I don't remember ever getting very far into it because of that huge difficulty spike, but yeah, I remember LOVING the visual style of the original Rayman. I still do, honestly. To this day I think it's the best the series has ever LOOKED even if later games are arguably way better. I may have to check out Redemption one of these days though. Nice job as always, dude! I can tell a lot of love and care went into this episode!
This was the first game I ever played. I've fully completed it over 30 times. I even regularly start and finish it in one session. Nice to see more Rayman 1 content and great video!
I think I've never played any of the Rayman games until Legends because the art style of this game made me fall in love with it so much that everything they made since just looked butt ugly to me. In many ways Rayman Redemption is the follow up to Rayman 1 I always wanted, and is 100% the best way to play Rayman 1 today.
Off-topic, but seeing as he's here: love your Tomb Raider retrospectives, Steve. It's mad how for a series that was so-popular back in the 90s, you rarely find anyone on here ever mention them... Then again, you don't find that many game reviewers on here that focus on PS1 full-stop. After this channel there is mostly Caddy (when he's not doing some Peppa Pig album review, anyway!), Nitro Rad and AntDude (though he still covers a lot of Nintendo stuff too).
Ah heck yea, Rayman! I played this one with my older brother when we were kids. The music level with the white line sliding floors that made you go faster was the bane of our existence as kids hahaha
I just started this on PS3 last week and straight away used the 99 lives code. I couldn't bother after Bandland's first level and started to play Origins. I only have beaten Rayman 2 PS1 and PS2 versions and Rayman 3 on GBA. This series is weird, man. Another great video, what a perfect way to start a weekend! Thank you, Sir!
Seriously man. Ryemanni could have charged people for the right to play his Redemption game, and because of how incredibly good the product is he'd have been completely justified doing so. You pretty much echo all my thoughts with the genesis of Rayman as well. I enjoyed watching this mate!
If he was charging for it, Ubisoft would then take legal-action for sure, given only the games engine is his own: but he's still using all their original music, sprites, sound-effects and levels (albeit with some alterations). Because it's being given-away free they'll have less interest as there's no money to recoup.
Also just to let you know, in the Jaguar version, the mosquito section is a side scrolling shooter as well... for some reason they took that out of the ps1/satrurn version
Oh, just to add but: if you're going to be looking at the Rayman series, technically it would be worth including "Tonic Trouble" too, given it came out at the same-time as Rayman 2
Rayman 1 is the most nostalgic Rayman game for me since it's the first I played. Great video, it's always nice seeing more people talk about it! Btw, I should also mention regarding the walking speed and such that in the PAL PS1 version the game actually runs slower due to being in 50hz. Every other version has the correct speed at 60hz.
@@Petronious Yeah I got your point, I just wanted to clarify that it's unusually slow in the PAL version. It's something I often get bothered by myself when returning to this version as it makes the first half of the game a lot slower paced than usual. I definitely agree though that having the running ability sooner would make the game a lot more enjoyable! I think Bongo Hills is probably one of the hardest levels in the game just because you can't run or use your helicopter, which is ironic since it's one of the first ones in the game.
I bought Rayman 1 off of the Playstation Store over a decade ago, and never got around to beating it. Heck, I never even got out of the first world. I think I stopped after the rising water level, but hearing how much you have to do to beat it, I don't feel 100% terrible never getting back to it, though it did have many elements that I enjoyed (like Rayman's "YEAH!" at the end of a level). Like you said, everything just starts out a little too slowly for my tastes, and the whole "complete the game just to see the ending" hits me hard having played Jet Force Gemini last year. After doing something like that, no game gets my sympathy. Redemption looks really cool though, so I might give that a go if I ever decide to go back to Rayman 1. Great video as always, my dude!
Oh Rayman YEAH and the little jingle it does is permanently stuck in my brain after all this these years. Definitely give Redemption a try I'd say. I was floored by how good it is in comparison!
I think my main problem with Rayman 1 is that it's not just difficult, at certain parts it's straight up UNFAIR! I don't think I've heard anyone NOT bring up that aspect of percieved unfairness in regard to the controls when talking about the flying levels with the narrow corridors and spikes haha Other than that, along the years I've gradualy realized that I might like this game even more than The Great Escape lol Anyways, this was a great watch, I love how you distort the music during the irl sections!
Ubisoft have said that back in the days when they made Rayman 1, they did very-little actual play-testing. Thesedays though an emulator and save-states are your friend...
@@dftfire Yeah, I do prefer to just use the 99 lives code instead of savestating though, but them not playtesting the game enough would explain the code at least lol
Rayman was one of my first PS1 games. I got three games when I got my PS1 in like 2000, Rayman, Spyro and Jersey Devil. Loved all 3 growing up, but Rayman always scared me for some reason in the opening cutscenes, Jersey Devil scared me a but too cause everything in that game was basically this odd Halloween theme but truth be told it didn’t take much to scare me as a kid lol.
Hmm... I liked "Jersey Devil" (though their later games, Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time and Bugs & Taz: Timebusters were better) but I wouldn't have thought it was popular enough to warrant being a "pack-in title"? I don't think it ever went Platinum / Greatest Hits?
@@dftfire as far as i know it wasnt packed in with the ps1, it was just bought for me because it looked “kid friendly” which it was. I was about 6 at the time so my parents mainly bought me sports games and things that looked cute. I think maybe the most mature game i had for my ps1 was Tekken, Or maybe Final Fantasy Tactics? I had both but I don’t remember how mature,if at all, FFT was lol. I have to agree that the Bugs Bunny games were better but Jersey Devil definitely holds a special place in my heart just for its look. Scared me a bit when i was a kid but as I got older i liked Halloween stuff more and more so i started to really appreciate its aesthetic.
@@jamesfoster1583 Not sure where you're based, but if in Europe or Australia, then I'd advise anyone with a legal copy of the PAL version to download the NTSC-A (USA/Canada) version. It's more-polished, given it came out mid-1998, not late 1997, so has differences in some of the level areas, in-game cutscenes and hostages you have to free (which actually mean that the "slide" bonus-stages actually serve a point, unlike in the PAL version where you only get lives)
That Redemption shirt is the freaking best. Mark nailed the art style PERFECTLY, and seeing it on a piece of clothing just feels right. Awesome review, been meaning to watch this for way too long, so glad to finally get to it.
This game haunted me for ages because my copy was a pirated one that crashed after the second world every time so I could never finish it until about 15 years later.
I agree that it always felt like the current endgame should have been the "didn't find all the cages" version, and there should have been a better ending with a final face-off with Mr Dark if you did put in the effort to free them all. I do wonder if they ran out of time and/or storage space, which might help explain why the last three full worlds are only three levels each. I also wonder if they might have let Mr Dark get away because they were going to have you face him again in the original concept for Rayman 2 that got scrapped.
"Mr Dark Gets away before you can beat him!" And that's why you don't always trust cheat codes. there's always a catch to them. here, The fight ends prematurely, but if you do indeed complete the game as intended, you do get to beat mr.dark.
The GBA version is interesting since they removed the knock-back when you get hit. So when you get hit, you can't move for seconds. They also give you an extra hit point, which is nice of them. Sadly the port isn't perfectly, screen crunch being an issue, some graphics not looking right, and the music not having all the tunes / not playing the correct ones.
Lives and continue is fine. But... not LIMITED continues. That's what I hate. If you die enough times, that you're not allowed to even continue from the start of the level and try over again. Lives are usually for mid-level checkpoints and continues for start of level. Ninja Gaiden on NES is a good example. Hard as hell game, but at least you have unlimited continues so you can continue to play and improve.
For Rayman 3, I would recommend either the OG Xbox or the GameCube version. The X360/PS3 ports are kinda sloppy and buggy, the Windows version doesn't include the Madder music video and the PS2 version, as usual, is generally weaker than the Xbox/GameCube versions. The GameCube version has an exclusive mini-game you need a GBA and a link cable to play.
Coincidentally, I have just finished replaying Rayman 2 The Great Escape and getting 100% a few hours ago. Oh, and I, too, was "AAA." 23:08 You think Rayman booting you back to the title screen is bad? Voodoo Vince on the OG Xbox would DELETE YOUR SAVE FILE if you lost all lives. They fixed that in the Xbox One port, though.
@@Petronious If I recall right, I think if you enter a certain number of cheats on the sandcastle floor in Banjo-Kazooie, Grunty wipes your save too...
Still the best game in the franchise and 1 of the best games on the ps1 fullstop... i actually hate the newer RayMan games. The art style, the size of the sprites, the gameplay and mechanics just suck to me. It looks and plays nothing like the original ps1 game and feels like a step back when you put them side by side. They need to make another 2D RayMan game that looks and plays like the PS1/Jaguar/Saturn version
Rayman 2 is awesome (especially the Revolution version) and most of the GBA games (except the port of Rayman 1, as the screen is too zoomed-in) and Hoodlums Revenge (due to the isometric style, which mostly worked fine in the Spyro games, but I didn't like it here). Rayman 3 and Raving Rabbids on GBA are both really good, as are Rayman and Rayman 2 on the Game Boy Color.
They probably could make a 3D Rayman game thesedays that would look as-good-as the sprites in the original, too. Consoles have way-more power now. Compare how Munch's Oddysee looked to Exoddus, and then to SoulStorm now (which is rendered in 3D, but plays mostly in 2D).
Rayman 2, as good as it is, does feel a bit... odd after Rayman 1. The world is totally different, the lore is totally different, all the characters save for Rayman (and the Mosquito cameo in the first level) are different. It's practically a reboot of the franchise, despite being called "Rayman 2."
Yeah, it is odd how nothing of the events of Rayman 1 even get a passing-mention in Rayman 2. Aside from very-rare instances of Antitoons in the PS1 version of Rayman 2, none of the characters even make an appearance. I wonder if in the original 2D version of Rayman 2 if the backstory would have been referenced there?
This was an amazing review Pete 😁 Love how you've got time stamps for each part of the game you break down and talk about 😊 Rayman 1 is a charming and gorgeous game, the soundtrack is so good. But my God the difficulty of this game is so unforgiveable, I've never beaten this game because of it or gotten as far as Band Land.
Top quality video as always, usually I don't have the attention span for longer videos but you were able to keep me really invested, definitely gonna give redemption a go at some point, you really sold me on it but anyway great video and I'm looking forward to what you've got planned next.
It is kind of weird we're after this game there is not another creature like Rayman again until Origins and Legends. Which brings up the point what's so special about him if there are others like him.
They also changed The Magician to look like a Teensie, when he used to look like Rayman's species and I was surprised how sexualized Betilla looked. Well, not a complaint to be fair, just some really odd changes or Bubble Dreamer being Polokus' new look.
Great video! I love Rayman 1 a lot! It was the first video game I ever played and it's my favorite in the series currently and one of my favorite games of ALL-TIME! Can rock it out completely in about 3-4 hours with around 40-60 lives. I've gotten really good at the game over the years. Great video and a lot of fair points! Consider me a fan! (Also that's great Rayman shirt and I wish I had one!)
1st Programmer: "Ok guys we need to get rid of some assets to save some memory, any ideas?" *Looks at Rayman* 2nd Programmer: "Take his limbs." 1st Programmer: "What?" 2nd Programmer: "TAKE HIS LIMBS OFF!!!"
Like I said, Rayman is my all-time favourite gaming franchise, but this first installment.... yeah, it didn't age well (I got used to the difficulty level, though). If you can, I suggest you emulate the SEGA Saturn version of Rayman: from my experience (I played it on an original machine) it plays a bit better than the Playstation version, thanks to widescreen support and less stiff controls. As for Rayman Redemption, it's a masterpiece, plain and simple.
15:25 what version of the game is that??? I don’t remember ever seeing that before and i have the ps1, jaguar and Saturn version... is this the pc port or the remake version? :/
Looking forward to you talking about Legends (the best Rayman game) though with all the other Rayman games between it I know that won't be for a long time.
Watching your videos on the Rayman trilogy has got me thinking - since each of the games are so different, they really could have benefitted from some direct sequels, essentially using the same engine and structure as the previous game did whilst ironing out the problems (kinda like what they actually did with Rayman Legends). A second 2D game between Rayman and Rayman 2 could have brought in the changes that Rayman Redemption would eventually bring, not to mention concluding the story by seeing Rayman catch up with and finally fight Mr Dark. As you suggest in the Rayman 3 video, a third 3D game after Rayman 3 which used Rayman 2 & 3 elements could have really done the series some favours. Sadly this will always be refined to my head cannon 😢
Please for the sake of hearing you talk more about rayman, please give redemption a full review, its an amazing fan recreation and I feel like it didn't get covered by anyone nearly enough at the time of its release. Reguardless your 3 rayman videos are great and I'm guilty of at least watching all 3 about 4 times each 😅 Your contents great keep it up man! :)
I'll be honest, I don't have any plans to make a full video on Redemption but I couldn't not give it a mini review at least... As it is very very good! Glad you've liked the videos though, I may well talk about Rayman again some time!
Well just to correct you on the ending Mr dark diddnt ran off it said on the Rayman wiki he transformed into hybrid version of the boss fights in the final fight
Still... I don't think we should have to look things up on a games Wikia page (which wouldn't have been around back then too) just to get clarification on something as big as that. It could have been shown more clearly, I think.
At this point I'd say just play Rayman Redemption! 👍 Easily has the most content as it's got all the levels from the original, as well as new stuff, modern resolution and frame rate options... and a whole suite of quality of life improvements. AND it's free!
@adammiranda357 It's not on consoles as it's a fan game. I wish it were though. For consoles I'd say the PS1 version, I guess? It certainly looks and sounds nice, and the cheat codes let you skip levels if they're too difficult at least.
