RABBIDS MONTH: Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party

This is the last time you see it. I promise.

Intro

Rayman Raving Rabbids - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 DS - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 Wii - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames

Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party - Bottom 12 / Top 13 Minigames

This is it, the (not really) chilling conclusion! The (far from) epic finale! The game to end all games (that have already ended)! The last part for Rabbids Month! When you start playing RRRTVParty, you create a profile (with an avatar, a name, and whether you're left or right-handed), and then you're brought to the main menu. There are 4 options: Solo Mode (Story Mode, actually), Party Mode, Training and World Contest. There's also two VHS cassettes on the top-right corner of the screen. The first, which gets unlocked when you beat Solo Mode, is Credits, the second sends you back to profile selection. Let's look at the Solo Mode.

New Title Cards!

I promised in my 2014 Retrospective that I would create title cards based on the reviews that were written in 2013/early 2014. If you've been following the site for a while, you might know I started using title cards sometime around October last year. I even remember my first title card; it was at the top of my review of Spy Kids 3D. Either way, I promised I would make title cards for the reviews that came out before that, so here it is: The first batch of title cards based on the early reviews on Planned All Along! Those will be added to the Title Cards section of the site, which you can view here.

CRASH & SPYRO SUPERPACK

BIG BRAIN ACADEMY DS

DESKTOP TOWER DEFENSE DS

CASTLE OF SHIKIGAMI III

YARD SALE: HIDDEN TREASURES SUNNYVILLE

TOP 12 UNEXPECTED CHARACTERS IN THE SUPER SMASH BROS. SERIES

Did you enjoy them? I'll make more in the future. Possibly in March. I'll try to get a vlog done for next week. In the meantime, keep gaming, keep having fun!

RABBIDS MONTH: Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames in Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (Wii)

Intro

Rayman Raving Rabbids - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 DS - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 Wii - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames

Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party - Bottom 12 - Top 13 Minigames

An alternate boxc cover for the game.
It looks creepier than the one used in the
preceding post.
Well, that Rabbid knows how to keep his
cool.

You asked for it (not really), here it is (anyway)! As I was reviewing Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 for the Wii, I quickly realized I liked a LOT of minigames that were in it. Whenever I make a list like this, I make three columns: Minigames I like, minigames I find meh, and minigames I don't like. The level of love or hatred for every minigame will be decided later, once every minigame has been played once. While I was playing, I found it was very difficult for me to make these lists. I would frequently cross off one title from a column and put it in another, whether it's one in the “Bad” list that winds up in the “Meh” list because I felt they weren't bad enough to deserve being on the “Bad” list, or some from the “Meh” list that found themselves on the “Good” list, or vice versa... Look, I'm just saying that making this list wasn't easy, because almost every minigame had redeeming features. They were almost all either fun to play, creative, simple or hilarious. I ended up with not enough games on the “Bad” list, a bit too many on the “Good” list, and also a few on the “Meh” list, which mean I had to pick among the items in the “Meh” list to fill the Bottom 12 list. As a result, you might disagree strongly with me on many points on these two lists. You have every right to. Just don't be a jerk about it in the comments, that's all I'm asking. Okay, let's get this party started with the worst, so that we can then move on to the best!

BOTTOM 12 MINIGAMES IN RAYMAN RAVING RABBIDS 2 WII

12. Snake Charmer (Europe)

Keep a good beat or they'll beat you!

You hold the Wiimote like a flute. You have to press the buttons as they light up on the in-game remote. In Easy Mode, there's only A and 1, but Normal Mode adds the 2 button to the mix. When you make long series without failing, you get more points. If you fail one button, the dancing snake bites the poor lil' Rabbid. It's a basic minigame, but I don't criticize it because the buttons to press are selected at random. I mean, the concept is fine, and there's a bit of funny – oh wait, that's it. It's not funny enough. I just had that revelation.

11. Spitter Sells (USA)

Well, this is quite the spitting image of impoliteness.

AKA Serial Spitter in RRR2DS. Yep, it makes the “Bottom 12” list once again. I've got to admit that it's actually better than the one in the DS version, but sadly, it seems it's still not good enough to escape my judgment. You must shake the Wii remote to build up sputum, and then rotate the Wii remote left or right to aim into the mugs of the Rabbids below. The Rabbids on the edges of the screen give more points. This one is actually better than its DS counterpart, because you don't need to wait for the victims sleeping, arguing or yawning. Nope. Just build up, aim, spit. And if you beat the high score, then you can consider yourself a graduate from Jack Dawson's School of Poor Mannerisms.

RABBIDS MONTH: Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (Wii)

By this point, you've seen it. So I'll make it smaller.

Intro

Rayman Raving Rabbids - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 DS - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 Wii - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party - Bottom 12 - Top 13 Minigames

It should be interesting to see the differences between the DS and Wii versions of Rayman Raving Rabbids 2. How about we jump into it right now?

RABBIDS MONTH: Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames in Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (DS)

Intro

Rayman Raving Rabbids - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 DS - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 Wii - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party - Bottom 12 - Top 13 Minigames

Once again, it's time to look for which minigames I like, and which ones I dislike! This time, I'm taking a look at the 36 minigames in Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, on the Nintendo DS! Take note that since many of those minigames are adapted from the Wii version, some of the minigames may come back in next week's list. So, without further ado, let's begin! As usual, I prefer to start with the negative, so I can end on a positive note.

BOTTOM 12 MINIGAMES IN RAYMAN RAVING RABBIDS 2 DS

12. Art Crime (USA, Europe, Japan)

Bunnies can't color.

The least bad minigame, mostly because the controls work correctly, there is no annoying mechanic, and it is not disgusting... but it's also unfunny. A Rabbid is making graffiti on walls, drawing Rabbids. You have to color the small zones that appear on the Touch Screen, without going over the lines too much. The closer you are to 100 points each time, the more points you get. The minigame ends once all the zones will have been colored, one at a time. It's an alright minigame... just kinda boring. And there's three of them, so it kinda feels like filler.

11. Restroom (Oceania)

LOCK THE DAMN DOOR!

A retread of “Bunnies Never Close Doors” from RRR1Wii. Doors to restrooms open and you have to close them before the Rabbid notices and plungers your face. Also, sometimes a Rabbid will pass by, but you can tap him to make him walk faster and get out of the way. This minigame works better than it did in RRR1Wii, but once again there's a problem: Sometimes, you may close a Rabbid's restroom door, but no score would be recorded. Indeed, to get points, you need to slam the doors once they're at least halfway open. Bad idea...

10. Simon (Oceania)

ANOTHER SIMON SAYS. I'm so tired of those. Thankfully, here, there are only four Rabbids, they make cute sounds, and they're easy to tap. You still have to be rather good to get the highest score, but it's nowhere as bad as the one in RRR1Wii. Still annoying that it's the same concept, though. 

Tee-dee! Waaah! Garglegle! Wain...

RABBIDS MONTH: Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (DS)

Intro

Rayman Raving Rabbids - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 DS - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 Wii - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party - Bottom 12 - Top 13 Minigames

Oh noes! The Rabbids have invaded the real world! Sure, that now gives an explanation on why so much real-life stuff appeared in Rayman's world all of a sudden in the previous game, but still... The real world! Humans are in danger! Rayman has to save them! However, they do say that knowing is half the battle, so Rayman decides that while he stops the Rabbids from doing too much harm, he can also study them to understand what they're up to. After all, such idiots can't possibly keep their plan a secret, right? Never mind the fact that they speak gibberish...

Welcome to this review of the Nintendo DS port of Rayman Raving Rabbids 2! Get ready for hijinks, minigames, slapstick, and more! But less of all that than there is in the Wii games. After all, it's not a secret, there's less space in DS cartridges and all...

Starting with the second Raving Rabbids game, there's a theme for each new installment of the series. RRR2 has the theme of traveling (since the minigames are based on practices in other countries), TV Party spoofs TV shows and movies, Rabbids In Time mocks the many eras of mankind, Alive And Kicking plays with the idea of Rabbids invading the real world for real thanks to the Kinect... RRR2 takes place in major continents or countries of the world, with lots of jokes making fun of the culture and way of life in these places.

RABBIDS MONTH: Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames In Rayman Raving Rabbids

Intro

Rayman Raving Rabbids - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 DS - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 Wii - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party - Bottom 12 - Top 13 Minigames

Following my LONG review of Rayman Raving Rabbids, I decided a review of a game about minigames couldn't be complete without me listing my favorite and least favorite minigames. RRR1 has no less than 75 minigames, which is quite impressive. Sure, 15 of those are music minigames, 12 are shoot'em-ups, and plenty of minigames have more than one version, but it's still a large number. Since this is the Rabbids we're talking about, I at least expect the minigames to be funny, crazy or creative. But mostly funny. There's a lot to look at, so let's not waste any time! Let's start off with the minigames I hated.

BOTTOM 12 MINIGAMES IN RAYMAN RAVING RABBIDS

12. Bunnies Like To Stuff Themselves (2)

I! DEMAND! PIZZA! YOU! SHALL! DRAW! PIZZA!

A bunny with a chef hat is waiting for his meal. Draw it for him with the Wii remote! On the menu today: Sausages, bananas, sandwiches, bells, bricks and other stuff that may or may not be edible! This minigame is hard because you can't be very precise. It's not easy to follow the outlines too well, unless you are insanely precise. Oh, by the way, in RRR, many minigames have sequels in which (usually) a new layer of difficulty is added to the original minigame. For this one's sequel? The item's outline flashes, disappearing and reappearing, making it even harder to be precise when drawing the line. A difficult, unimaginative minigame. Meh.

11. Bunnies have A Poor Grasp Of Anatomy

It takes a special kind of bad to suck that much at this one.

A wooden Rabbid with separate pieces for the ears, eyes, mouth and arms spins. Then the place goes completely dark except for the pieces, and you have to place them one at a time, in the correct location and angle... IN THE DARK. OooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOoooh! The result? Misplaced members. That's it. I really don't get the joke, if there's one in there. Plus, this minigame is annoyingly hard, and even in the Story Mode (where the target score for each minigame are much lower so you can beat them more easily), this game is a pain in the ass. ...It's not even funny! It's barely fun! Entertaining? Nope! Skip it.

RABBIDS MONTH: Rayman Raving Rabbids (Wii)

Intro

Rayman Raving Rabbids - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 DS - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 Wii - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party - Bottom 12 - Top 13 Minigames

The game opens on a beautiful sunny day in... uh... whatever's the name of Rayman's world. Rayman was enjoying a picnic outside with some of Globox's children (I guess that weirdo is quite the breeder). Actually, I have to admit that the baby Globoxes are rather adorable. Just wait till they reach maturity, they'll be a lot less cute. Anyway, the ground starts shaking, apples fall from the tree... the baby Globoxes are pulled underground, one after the other. And then from those same holes come out creepy white bunnies. Trying to understand what the Heck is going on, Rayman tries to offer food to one of those bunnies... but then a giant, black, Juggernaut bunny with a mask comes and grabs Rayman by the body piece, dragging him away.

There's another door on the far left, by the way.

Next thing Rayman knows, he's kicked at the center of a large coliseum, with hordes of those white bunnies watching him, ecstatic. Four doors open before him. Behind each door, a minigame. He is now forced to play the Rabbids' games. Will he ever be the same again? Will it cost him his life? Well, he's probably gonna die... of laughter!

That's the modest introduction to Rayman Raving Rabbids. No dialog, no backstory, just the most bizarre happening in a world that is already pretty strange. Were those bunnies always underground? Are they aliens? Monsters? Aliens, probably not, because then they'd need to be an intelligent life form. To see that intro, you had to pick Story Mode on the main menu and create a save file. There are other options, like Score Mode and Gallery; I'll look at those later. First, the plot.

Vlog 7: G-Anime, Rabbids Month, Retrospective and Stuff

So... another v-log. Extremely late, but it's still there. I discuss my time at G-Anime, the people I met and I show the stuff I bought there, I discuss Rabbids Month, and then I go over my February 2014 reviews.

Raving Rabbids Month: An Introduction

Hello everyone! I felt like I would be better off using all the space I could in the next reviews, so I'm doing this introduction to Raving Rabbids Month in a separate post. It's not gonna be long.

They're loud, they're stupid, they're thousands, and they're ready to run amok!
Many, many thanks to ComicFury artist LeRenardRoux for this picture!
Go check out her webcomics!

Intro

Rayman Raving Rabbids - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 DS - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 Wii - Bottom 12 / Top 12 Minigames
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party - Bottom 12 - Top 13 Minigames

Rayman's creator Michel Ancel stayed rather quiet about the creation of the Raving Rabbids. Not much happened to Rayman for a while. Then, all of a sudden, we get this odd trailer: Mr. Ancel discussing his ideas in his office, until he gets attacked by the bunnies. Then we get another trailer where an impressive army of scary-looking Raving Rabbids come out of the ground in Rayman's video game world, with creepy expressions, distorted bodies and terrifying machinery. We then see Rayman dressing up as an elderly lady, a stereotypical goth, a stereotypical disco fan, and then we see him using plenty of weapons to hurt the Rabbids... The trailer made it look like this was going to be an open-roaming Rayman Adventure where he would just go around and bash Rabbids as he liked. That sounded amazing.

The rumors say that Ancel had to scrap the original villains of what was then known as Rayman 4, and found himself having to doodle a little something that would serve as the new villain(s). So he drew a cute, if disproportionate, little bunny. The Rabbids were literally created in a rush. And they were presented this way, too: Not only were they suddenly the new villains, but they had practically no backstory (only implications that they're aliens, and that's it; even the major Rabbids have no backstories), which means they were just sneaking their way into the franchise, like it or not. The invasion was a plot point, but it was also extremely meta in the way it was presented to the gamers.

Then we found out that the new Rayman installment was actually going to be a collection of minigames, Okay, it makes a bit of sense with the previews, but many gamers still found themselves a bit angry that they didn't get their action-packed, bunny-bashing adventure. Oh well. We still got some very funny games. And as we all know, Rayman eventually split up with the Rabbids, and thus both franchises lived on as their own thing. A compromise that made a lot of people happy. By the way, if we ever get that action-packed, bunny-bashing game, it will be incredible.

But let's not be too negative. There are plenty of things to discuss about the Raving Rabbids, not just their backstory and legacy. This month, I will be taking a look at four Raving Rabbids games:

-Rayman Raving Rabbids, for the Wii;

-Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, for the Nintendo DS;

-Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, for the Wii;

-Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party, for the Wii.

I will write 1 post for each review, in which I cover the plot, the type of minigames, the multiplayer options, the bonuses, etc. Of course, in each regular review I will not have enough space to properly discuss the minigames themselves, since there is so much to cover. That's why I will use a second part to each review, in which I will list my 12 favorite and 12 least favorite minigames in that Raving Rabbids game. This is going to give me a chance to take a look at the Rabbids' main draw.

This is gonna be a LOT of work.

But it's gonna be awesome.

Join me in February. If you're a fan of the Raving Rabbids, you'll like it. If you've heard of them but you aren't a big fan, maybe I'll give you reasons to become a fan. If you hate the Rabbids, well... maybe my lists of least favorites minigames will give you more reasons to. Or maybe you'll learn to appreciate them, who knows?

Either way, don't miss any of it. This is going to be great!

Oh, by the way, if you want to hear my cheap imitation of Rabbid speech, here's a video. I basically repeat everything I said in this post, except in Rabbid speech (and subtitles), and God is it one of the stupidest things I've ever done for this site. Oh well, have fun watching it.