QCF: Rayman Legends

acky colors, unintentionally subliminal adulterated themes, offbeat animation, and ridiculous character design; these are the hallmarks of the French cartoon culture. French cartoon have this unique approach with seizing certain demographics or markets to give way to license that would capitalize best in that field. The older demographic has Tintin, the younger crowd has Marsupilami, and gamers have Rayman.

Ubisoft enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance of sorts with Rayman after releasing the revamped throwback Origins back in 2011, but perceiving an ideal sequel seemed a bit ham-fisted when Origins is lauded for being charmingly simple, how do you improve on something like that? Make it a Wii U exclusive and use the shit out of that newfangled gamepad, that’s how! Though the wind shuttered out slightly from beneath Nintendo’s sails when Ubisoft decided to lift the exclusivity of the title and delay it, leaving curiosity to clamor over just how unique or definitive the Wii U version would be.

Dunking several hours into the wild platformer, the latest title to feature the floating torso with hands and feet is has set the standard on being both the model example of an improved sequel, and a must-own for the Wii U library.

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GDC 2013: Getting serious with Ben McGraw about Sully: AVSRPG

stablished genres are constantly met with the challenge of keeping things refreshing while still applying the rules and distinctions that adhere to the structure of what makes the genre what it is. One of these established genres in particular is the JRPG. For every quality and merit you could argue for these types of games, there’s another waiting to combat it. The genre has become one of the most divided between gamers for over the last 10 years, but one man, among others, wants to help usher JRPGs back into its former limelight.

Anxiously sitting at the local Starbucks caddy-corner near the Moscone, I awaited the arrival of Ben McGraw of Breadbros Games after meeting him earlier this week to discuss his current project, Sully: A Very Serious RPG. As I finish spreading the cream cheese on my bagel, we prepare to discuss one of the most promising JRPG games from the indie scene yet.

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