Rayman 2: The Great Escape

GamePro

Regardless of whether Rayman is climbing, swinging, or hovering like a helicopter, the control never once loses its smooth, seamless feel. Rayman 2 brings the same kind of fun that you will find in other great games of the genre, while at the same time creating its own identity and following.

Electric Playground

To say that Rayman 2 impressed me would be a tremendous understatement. About the only blemish the game has is its lack of any multiplayer contests.

TotalGames.net

The camera is extremely intelligent, zooming in and panning out where appropriate to give you the best view of proceedings. On the odd occasion where the camera doesn't give a perfect shot of things, the camera buttons make fixing the view very simple. Rare has got a serious rival for the title of N64 3-D adventure game supremo!

Nintendojo

This game plays as good as it looks. Rayman himself responds perfectly to the analogue stick and it doesn’t take very long before controlling him becomes second nature, leaving you to focus your attention on the aweinspiring graphics and infinitely interesting environments. In fact, I can say with a clear conscious that Rayman 2 is absolutely THE BEST FORCED PATH 3D PLATFORMER ON ANY SYSTEM TO DATE. PERIOD.

GameSpot

From waterskiing, to swimming alongside a whale, to riding a rocket-powered horse, to flying a flaming powder keg, Rayman 2 is full of gameplay surprises. Definitely one of the best platform games I have ever played.

Nintendorks

Quite simply, it's a game you have to play if you like playing games. Its combination of old and new school elements make Rayman 2 a breath of fresh air in the flood of titles released this holiday season. Don't miss it.

IGN

Rayman 2 is a very traditional platformer that is executed extremely well. Every new level presents a new, clever challenge that will likely leave you saying, "Wow. That's really cool." Banjo-Kazooie has nothing on Rayman here. A deep, rich platformer that must be experienced.

Adrenaline Vault

Alone, the vivid colors and lighting effects are incredible, but pop in the expansion pak and Rayman's world comes to life in cartoonishly bright tones. We're treated to a luscious feast of sharp textures, cartoonish and colorful characters, and appealing indoor and outdoor environments. Given the limited capabilities of the N64 version of Rayman 2 compared to its PC counterpart, one simply has to marvel at the results.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

From the unexpected-surprise department comes Rayman 2, an outstanding platformer. [Jan 2004, p.189]

All Game Guide

While some 2D games suffer from growing pains in the process of moving to the third dimension, Rayman's world has remained tightly focused. The result is a platform game that allows for full three-dimensional movement without being bogged down with excess dead space or find-the-key "puzzles" that seem to haunt other 3D titles.

Gaming Age

Despite the overall solid control, Rayman 2 still suffers from one of the original problems with 3D games: the erratic camera. Although it manages to keep up pretty well in wide-open areas, enclosed and semi-enclosed ones frequently cause it to misbehave.

Hot Games

Each of the 3D worlds are crammed tight with interesting layouts, dazzling backgrounds and novel gameplay situations. You never are at a loss to find your next objective - the flip side is that there's little room to explore and find all the cool secret stuff found in other games of this type.