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...

9. Super Rabbidzz (Latina)

Then comes the trash...

Clark (remember him?) is falling off a cliff and trying to land as late as possible. But there's a problem: Lots and lots of garbage bags keep falling off the same cliff! You grab Clark to move him around and avoid the bags, 'cause if the Rabbid comes into contact with one, he'll... eat it or something (Y.U.C.K.) and drop faster. Each bag that falls all the way down gives you points, and at the end, so many bags fall at once that your score increases very fast. This game works well and is funny, but not enough to justify its disgusting premise.

8. Serial Spitter (USA)

It's spit-y this is so yucky.

Oh hey, another yucky minigame! You spin with the stylus on the touch screen to pile up carrot sputum, and lift the stylus to let go... and your Rabbid will spit right in a nearby Rabbid's milkshake. Of course, that Rabbid won't notice since he spends most of the time asleep, yawning, or getting into a heated argument with an unseen table neighbor. A challenging minigame that gets harder as the drunkard Rabbid's pauses shorten over time. Its only real crimes is to be disgusting, and maybe a bit too difficult in Score Mode. Oh, and also, pray you're lucky the Rabbid isn't yawning too often, because those are the shortest pauses and it's really annoying when he keeps doing this instead of falling asleep or yelling at an offscreen client of the bar.

7. Bunny Fighters (Japan)

Two bunnies are fighting with wooden swords (you tap the opponent to attack). When a Rabbid gets hit, it moves a step back. You control a Rabbid and your goal is to send the opponent at its end of the room, where it'll end up stepping on hot coals. Sometimes, an item will fall, and whichever Rabbid reaches it first gains its effect: A rice cake will make it bigger and stronger for a few seconds, while a potion will make it smaller and weaker, again for a few seconds. Wouldn't be so bad if the objects falling weren't at random. I often lost because a potion fell on my bunny, or because a rice cake fell on the opponent. This one relies on luck a little too much for my tastes.

Bwaaaaaahttle!

6. Cow-Bunnies (USA)

They see me ridin'
They waitin'...

A minigame that is also in RRR2Wii, but done here differently. You have to move the stylus quickly and match the movement demanded on the touch screen. It can ask to draw circles, it can ask to go up and down, it can ask to go left to right... The problem is that the minigame demands extreme speed, and even when going as fast as you can you won't always get enough points. I was never a fan of minigames that demanded more than what is humanly possible. Hey, at least it was optional to get 1,000 points on each minigame in RRR1...

5. Sandbox (Asia)

All of the NOPE

A Rabbid is... urk... lobotomizing another and demanding a certain color of “gift” icons. On the bottom screen, you have to collect 5 “gift” icons of that color, and put them in a space at the bottom of the screen. The Rabbid that is getting lobotomized on top will have a different reaction depending on the color of the “gifts”. First off, ew. Second, this minigame's idea would be fine if the icons on the touch screen didn't start moving at crazy speeds as the minigame progresses. As a result, it's too difficult to beat in Score Mode. Too bad for it. (Why call it “Sandbox” anyway? “Lobotomy” was too creepy?)

4. Bunnies' Gas (Asia)

Now we get in the minigames that either have an annoying mechanic that enrages me, or a programming flaw that makes it more likely that you'll lose. Damn glitches. In Bunnies' Gas, you have to pick up the green gaseous bubbles in a bunny's stomach and then send it up the esophagus to make the Rabbid belch. Pick up all the green bubbles, you get a good score. But don't let your bubble touch any purple bubbles, or your Rabbid won't belch as much! The purple bubbles are annoying as Hell, getting in your way and stuff... it's really bad. In comparison, I actually love the belching minigame in RRR2Wii!

3. Cleanup (Latina)

I HATE SOAP!
I mean... THESE soap
bubbles. Heheh.

Bunnyana Jones doing archaeologist work! He has to clean the dirt over an old Inca painting. He more of it he uncovers, the more points he gets when the timer hits 0. But there's a goddam mechanic here where large, sentient soap bubbles explode when touched by the stylus, preventing you from cleaning some areas. Heck, even when alive, they prevent you from cleaning some areas! And that's not even mentioning the blue bubbles that actively seek out your stylus! I HATE this mechanic, and as a result, I have deep hatred for this minigame. But it still works like it should, which isn't the case for the last two on this list.

2. Checkup (Europe)

My glasses are fine,
I need no checkup.
Especially not from a Rabbid!

A bunny plays optometrist and asks you to draw some symbols on a sheet of paper (a cross, a circle or a triangle). Then, he asks you not only to draw the right symbols, but to draw them on the right sheets, as the touch screen splits in two, three and then four sheets. Problem? Sometimes the game won't record your drawing, even if you've drawn exactly what was demanded and where it was demanded. As a result, you can lose at this game because of a programming gaffe. I seriously hate this game because that bug makes it impossible for me to beat the high score in Score Mode. Oh, but there's one minigame that is even WORSE when it comes to bad programming. It's...

1. Japanese Chef (Japan)

Food appears on the touch screen, with dotted lines. You have to slash with the stylus where the line is. Easy, you ask? Why, yes. Then the food is cut with two lines, and then three, and then four... Still not bad? Alright. What if sometimes, just sometimes, no matter how precise you were in tracing a line, it still wouldn't record as a good line? That happens VERY often in this minigame, and it's especially annoying since you only get full points if all the lines were done correctly. As a result, a glitch causes you to lose a whole lot of points, because goddammit, apparently your line is done wrong, even if it was actually right. Urrgghh... Once again, I must repeat my advice to Ubisoft: Beta-test your minigames! We like glitches when they add something fun, but we hate them when they make us lose!

CUT, DAMMIT, CUT!
WHY WON'TCHA CUT?

And now, on to...

TOP 12 MINIGAMES IN RAYMAN RAVING RABBIDS 2 DS

12. Classroom (Japan)

Well, they act just like
human teenagers!

You, as a student Rabbid in a classroom, must repeatedly tap to toss paper bals at a Rabbid teacher. When it turns around, you must stop throwing and repeatedly tap one of the other three Rabbids to pin the blame on it. The Rabbid with the most blames will get hit, losing a few precious seconds and some points. After that, the Rabbids resume tossing paper balls. Whoever reaches the highest score at the end wins. It's a fun minigame, though it isn't nearly as fun as the Wii version of itself. But it's still funny.

11. Bunny Bubble (Oceania)

Bubblegum can save your
life! Sorta-kinda-not-really.

Bubblegum might be the only thing saving this Rabbid from certain death! Blow in the microphone so that the Rabbid will blow in his bubblegum, causing the pink bubble to grow. But there are pointy edges on both sides, and if the bubble is too large it'll come in contact with the edges and pop; in this case, you have to stop blowing; the bubble will shrink and be saved. Your score increases depending on the size of the bubble, so you can't just keep the bubble small! Make it big and risk the popping, or keep it small and make no points? Oh, what a dilemma! Simple minigame, funny idea, I like it.

10. Lunch Time (USA) / Waiter (Asia)

...It manages to feel the same.

Regardless of the place...

Two similar minigames. In Lunch Time, there's the Rabbid's feet on the bottom screen. You must alternate tapping the left and right feet, so that your bunny, who's standing on a metal beam high above ground. You have to stop when you see wrecking-balls and other obstacles coming towards the Rabbid, and continue once the obstacle went over the Rabbid's crouched body. In Waiter, it's a similar idea, but your Rabbid must keep balance, since it's traveling backwards, while holding two buckets of water. And if he loses balance, he falls in the water. In both cases, whoever reaches the finish line (a gigantic hamburger in Lunch Time) wins. These two are a lot of fun.

9. McBunnies (USA) / Drive-Thru (Asia)

USA and Asia...

...are very similar, huh?

Rabbids come in the restaurant and place orders. There are Rabbids who just order, then there are impatient Rabbids who can't stand waiting, there are angry, screaming Rabbids, and then Rabbids who ask for things and look over-joyful when you give it to them. Awww. That's pretty close to my short-lived experience as a cashier at McDonalds. Heheh. You tap their orders on the touch screen. Each Rabbid has 3 orders first, but later they have 4 orders with two items each. I like this minigame because it's simple at first sight, but then the game plays tricks on you: The Rabbids' orders become silhouettes or packs of dots and you have to guess what their order is. That, or there will be multiple similar-looking items on the touch screen and you must pick the right one that a Rabbid ordered (Look at the picture on the right for an example of this). All in all, two very fun minigames. And the Rabbids make lots of sounds, and I really like to hear them.

8. Bunny Dreams (Oceania)

Oh my God...
It's full of stars!

A Rabbid is stargazing and seeing all sorts of constellations: Some that look like plungers, some that look like caps, some that look like pans... Each time, that constellation's stars appear on the bottom screen and you have to connect the dots, re-creating the constellation. But don't make any mistakes! A very cute minigame, with an easy concept. I always liked “connect the dots” games, though I prefer the ones with hundreds of dots. Still, this minigame is quite fun. Sometimes, it's hard to guess what a series of dots will become, so it can be a nice surprise when you find out, after all the dits have been connected.

7. Cookies Factory (Europe)

(More like “Cake Factory”, but whatever. The cookies are a lie!) A cook Rabbid takes cakes out of the oven. Three hungry Rabbids, too much in a hurry to wait, grab the cakes and burn their hands. There's only one solution: Blow on the cake, it'll get colder! And indeed, you do just that: Blow in the DS's microphone so that the Rabbid can eat the cake. Oh, also, once at least one player has eaten its cake, the cook Rabbid will turn around and bash the heads of the Rabbids with cakes still in their hands. Funny, easy minigame, cute concept, I like it! Though one might ask just why, exactly, the cook Rabbid doesn't chase the others away, since they keep stealing and eating the cakes...

HothothothothotHOT!

6. Lucha Libré (Latina)

Imma toss a bunneh!!!

A DS version of the cow-tossing minigame from RRR1Wii. You spin the stylus very, very fast on the bottom screen; on the top screen, a luchador Rabbid will KO another and start spinning it around. Keep going until you've picked up a lot of speed. After a while, you're asked to tap to throw the Rabbid in a “safe”, green zone (similar to the hammer-tossing event from the Olympics). When the Rabbid is tossed, the closer you are to the center of the green zone, the farthest it will go. And it is glorious. This minigame was already pretty good in RRR1, though it was physically straining. I think I prefer the DS version, since it won't cause your arms to hurt from playing it too much.

5. Look At Me (Asia)

Come on, smile for Nico!

Rabbids at their cutest! A Rabbid is sitting on a chair in a photo booth. You must spin a wheel on the touch screen to raise the chair, or press the pedal to lower it. All this time, the Rabbid looks cute. After a few seconds, the picture is taken, and if the Rabbid's head is placed correctly between the two lines (that is, if the Rabbid's whole head is seen on the picture), you get more points. And all this time, the Rabbid looks around, unsure of what's going on, and when the picture is taken, he is just adorable. Never thought Rabbids could be this cute. If they weren't screaming so much and doing so many stupid things, they'd be friggin' adorable.

4. Rabbid Bands (Everywhere!)

The music minigame, one in every location. Four Rabbids on a stage, with dots on the lower portion of the touch screen. Dots come from the top of the touch screen towards the dots, and you have to tap the bottom dot when the traveling dot comes in contact with it. Sounds complicated? Think of it as a Guitar Hero game if you has to tap the frets when they reach the line. Simple. Also, the singer hardly does anything, but when a dot comes down, you have to tap it, keep the stylus down and bring the dot back to the top of the screen to get maximum points. These minigames are all easy and fun, and the Rabbids on the stage are fun to watch. Each song is split in three "parts", and between two parts we get a short cutscene of the Rabbids playing music and singing. Also, every location has a different song. I recognized only half of them...

USA: Celebration

Europe: Smoke On The Water

Latina: Funkytown

Celebrate good times in Funkytown, come on!
And don't mind the smoke on the water!

3. I-Bunnies (Europe)

"How's the movie?"
"I'm not watching it!"

A similar minigame appears in RRR2Wii. Rabbids are at the theater, but of course they spend all the time talking on their cell phones. You blow in the microphone to make them talk. When the theater's owner (also a Rabbid, daaaah) comes in, you must press repeatedly on one of the color buttons; the opponent Rabbid with that color will answer, be caught red-handed, and will receive punishment (Like a fridge to the head!!!). The game continues until one Rabbid reaches the highest score (in Story Mode) or when the timer runs out (in Score Mode). A funny lil' minigame, which is even funnier in the Wii version, but it's also fun here. Kinda sad, though, that CPUs can call you and make you lose the minigame... But it's not too bad.

2. Bunnies Crash (Japan)

Great, I'm gonna have to
clean the window again!

The next dumbest thing Rabbids have done after setting them on fire and posting videos of it on social networks: Tossing themselves into unbreakable glass windows! You have to draw the Rabbid's outline using the stylus, which is both easy and tricky; anyone can follow the line, but it's very difficult to have even 90% of the line colored, since it's so easy to go overboard. And besides, once you've come back to where you started, you get points, and another Rabbid will take the preceding one's place, and you keep on following outlines... until you run out of time. A very funny little minigame, kind of a shame there are so few Rabbid shapes (like, only 2 or 3 different shapes). Oh well, it still makes me laugh. That's the point, isn't it?

1. Chili Contest (Latina)

First, they eat.
And then...

Four Rabbids at a table. On the touch screen, you slide red hot chili peppers (pun intended) into the Rabbid's mouth, at very high speed, until the timer runs out. On the top screen, you could see your Rabbid get redder and redder... Once the timer reaches 0, the Rabbids spit fire and take off, flying higher and higher while regaining their normal white coloration. When a Rabbid runs out of fire to spew, he stops flying... and falls. The last Rabbid still flying wins, though when that one stops flying, it'll probably be in space. In Score Mode, your score is how high your Rabbid went. This minigame is simple but you need to be quick to win, it's also very funny, creative and all-around enjoyable. I may have gotten tired of many minigames in RRR2DS, but I still laugh at this one, even if I've owned the game for years.

And then they're sent flying sky-high! Bwahahahaha!

Well, that was the list. See you around this Friday for a review of the Wii version of Rayman Raving Rabbids 2! Is it the same game? Not quite. There are MANY differences, in fact. And it will be interesting for me to show these differences. Tune in Friday!