Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc

GamersMark (9.7 out of 10)

Games like Rayman 3 are something that shouldn’t be missed out on by any gamer. This game easily is the best platformer available for the Nintendo GameCube, and is a must buy for whatever console you choose to play it on. Go buy Rayman 3, go buy it now!

Game Chronicles (9 out of 10)

Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc is a vividly colorful and entertaining game that sets a new standard for platform games. The combination of characters, backgrounds and gameplay create a memorable game that anyone can play. The music adds immensely to the overall experience and the voice acting is top notch. There are many hidden items and pickups to find, an excellent assortment of weapons and finely crafted worlds to explore.

Jeuxvideo.com (18 out of 20)

Le bon vieux Rayman fait décidément très fort avec ce troisième opus surprenant d'ingéniosité. Le soft ne trahit aucune faiblesse technique ni aucune faille de gameplay, et se plaît à nous projeter dans un univers que l'on aurait difficilement pu imaginer aussi délirant. La version GameCube vaut d'autant plus le détour qu'elle bénéficie d'options de jeu inédites par rapport aux autres versions.

Officiel Nintendo Magazine (9 out of 10)

Riche en action, parfaitement maniable, long et toujours emprunt de bonne humeur, Rayman 3 est à découvrir de toute urgence.

games xtreme (9 out of 10)

If Rayman 3 was solely centred on the main game ie beating hoodlums, battling bosses, opening doors etc I think that I would have I found it to be repetitive and would have quickly got bored with it. However the sub games and little diversions that are thrown in break the game up and make it both enjoyable and interesting to play. It’s the kind of game that you can pick up and intend to play for a few minutes before going to bed and before you know it you’ve become absorbed, hours have passed, and the milkman is telling you to get your grappling hooks out and traverse that ravine (or maybe that’s just the milkmen that are near me…).

IGN (8.9 out of 10)

As a popular game series evolves over the years, it's no doubt bound to lose a few fans here and gain a few more there. Rayman has definitely earned his marks with gamers over the years and boasts a significant fan base to call his own. The anticipation for a worthy sequel has been running high for a long time now, so it may disappoint some gamers to learn that Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc is not as quite the perfect platforming title that Rayman 2 embodied so many years before. The levels are now smaller and slightly more puzzle-based, and sadly, the puzzles aren't going to provide a significant challenge to experienced gamers. But that aside, they're still creative, fresh, and fun -- especially the first time around, and possibly a second.

Consoles Plus (89 out of 100)

Sans révolutionner la série, Rayman 3 est à Rayman 2 ce que Super Mario Sunshine est à Super Mario 64 : pas de grosses nouveautés mais un jeu plaisant.

N-Zone (89 out of 100)

Alles fängt mit einem einzigen roten Lums an, einem kleinen Geschöpf voller positiver, heller Energie. Bereits in den vorangegangenen Versionen erhielt Rayman von diesen winzigen Kreaturen Unterstützung. Sie dienten ihm beispielsweise als Speicherpunkte oder füllten seine Lebensenergie wieder auf. Eines schönen Tages erblickt ein einzelnes rotes Lums namens André etwas so Schreckliches, dass es vor lauter Angst und der Bosheit, die es zu Gesicht bekam, schwarz wird.

64 Power / big.N / N Games (88 out of 100)

Hoodlum Havoc hat wirklich einiges zu bieten und macht streckenweise richtig Spaß. Die Charaktere sind alle liebevoll animiert und haben eine tolle Sprachausgabe. Die Level sind sehr weitläufig und bieten grafische Highlights. Es gibt darin jede Menge zu entdecken und auch mit Gegnern wird nicht gegeizt. Willst du ein spannendes und abwechslungsreiches Jump‘n‘Run erleben, musst du dich zwar noch bis März gedulden, aber dann solltest du bei Rayman 3 unbedingt zuschlagen.

Gaming Target (8.8 out of 10)

Rayman 3 will quickly go down as a love-it-or-hate-it title, and will probably even divide long standing fans of the series. The game strays from the open exploration and limited action sequences of the previous title and instead focuses on an almost puzzle-like experience comprised of combat, power ups, and timed challenges. Rayman 2’s content was almost entirely exploration-driven, and even the combat mechanics felt like they were thrown in without much thought to furthering gameplay. That game more than made up for its lack of hands on action by providing players with lush, organic, and simply breathtaking graphics to gape over and ingenious obstacles to overcome.

Computer Bild Spiele (1.63 out of 6)

Rayman ist so etwas wie der Helge Schneider der Videospiel-Helden – man liebt ihn und seine ungewöhnliche Art, oder man kann ihn nicht leiden. Ebenso genial wie verrückt führt das Spiel mit seinem skurrilen Humor durch ein anspruchsvolles und umfangreiches Abenteuer. Die vielen freispielbaren Extras und Minispiele sorgen immer wieder für neue Motivationsschübe und unterstreichen den „guten“ Gesamteindruck.

4Players.de (87 out of 100)

Glückwunsch: Rayman hat sich einen Platz neben Jump`n Run-Größen wie Mario und Sonic erkämpft. Die Weltenschöpfer von Ubi Soft spielen ihre ganze Klasse aus: Das Licht- und Farbenspiel in Wäldern, Sümpfen und Korridoren zaubert eine tolle Atmosphäre, die immer wieder zum Entdecken einlädt. Zusammen mit den witzigen Dialogen, der hervorragenden Lokalisierung und dem liebevollen Figurendesign entwickeln sich Raymans Abenteuer fast zum spielbaren Comic-Märchen - auch, wenn die Außenareale nicht die riesige Erkundungsfreiheit eines Mario Sunshine bieten. Bedenkt man jedoch die abwechslungsreichen Levels, die neuen Superkräfte und die fordernden Boss-Kämpfe, hätte es eigentlich zum Happy End mit Award kommen müssen.

Gamesmania.de (85 out of 100)

Rayman 3 bietet endlich mal wieder launige und sorgenfreie Jump´n´Run-Kost mit einer ordentlichen Prise Action. Zusammen mit der tollen Technik und dem vielen Humor ist das Spiel für jeden Genrefan ein Must-Have. Für den ganz großen Blockbuster hat es dennoch nicht gereicht, da dem Game letztlich einfach die Innovationen fehlen, Titel wie Ratchet&Clank und Sly Raccoon spielen sich einfach ein wenig frischer und unverbrauchter. Daher ist Rayman 3 kein Meilenstein des Jump´n´Run-Genres, gehört aber trotzdem in jede gut sortierte Sammlung und wird sicher viele Fans finden.

Nintendo Difference (17 out of 20)

Rayman 3 est le jeu à s'offrir sans aucune hésitation, conquis du début à la fin, les bruitages, la durée de vie ou encore les graphismes ne vous feront regretter à aucun moment votre achat. Ce jeu se doit d'être dans votre ludothèque ne serait-ce que grâce à sa réalisation générale excellente !

GameSpot (8.1 out of 10)

To sum things up, Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc is an excellent 3D platformer and is one of the best to appear on the GameCube. Though the game is rich with extracurricular features, the main quest proves to be a little too short, and the game doesn't provide quite the same level of satisfaction as its predecessor. Ultimately, Rayman 3 probably isn't the mind-blowing follow-up that fans of Rayman 2 were hoping for. What Rayman 3 does is re-create much of the same lighthearted whimsy that made Rayman 2 so incredibly enjoyable, while differentiating the action enough for the game to stand up on its own.

Gamereactor (Sweden) (8 out of 10)

Jag gillar Rayman. Han är en skön snubbe helt enkelt. Spelet håller som helhet inte samma höga klass som Ratchet & Clank eller Jak & Daxter till Playstation 2. Men för Xbox-ägarna anländer Rayman 3 likt en regnstorm över Sahara och avslutar en långdragen plattformstorka för konsolen. Även Gamecubeägare och som tröttnat på Mario Sunshine bör titta närmare på denna fransman. Likaså på plattformsspel svältfödda pc-spelare även om genren kanske inte riktigt gör sig bäst på dator. Många roliga mini-spel, härliga humor och sköna bossar i ett varierande äventyr.

GamePro (US) (3.5 out of 5)

What flag do you wear on your underpants? From its irreverent language-select screen to its impudent sidekicks, Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc is here to fill the empty lives of bourgeois gamers everywhere. Rayman resolves the metaphysical dilemma of existence and nothingness by having hands but no arms, feet but no legs, power ups that grow stale and disappear like a flower wilting in a parched vase. What manner of post-modern insanity is this? Sartre would be proud.

Eurogamer.net (UK) (7 out of 10)

There plenty to admire about Rayman 3, and for the franchise's millions of fans, it's going to satisfy their needs for limbless platforming antics. For the platforming connoisseur, you're going to be reasonably happy with it; it's pretty, it's quite a challenge, and is loaded with rewards. But you'll quickly come to the conclusion that for all its charms, it doesn't offer enough new ideas, and that its competition is just too strong. Still, for us to enjoy a Rayman game, that's a revelation in itself.

GameSpy (68 out of 100)

Generally, Rayman 3's levels are small and linear. More often than not, you'll walk into a chamber or clearing and be forced to attack and destroy enemies to receive a power-up which allows you to surmount an obstacle and then move to the next area. There's very little creativity in the gameplay and not much deviation from this plan; level design isn't quite so uninspired as to be a series of boxes connected by hallways, but only just. When they do splash out with bigger areas, often they're easy to fall down through and you'll be forced to redo already completed tasks. Paradoxically, large areas in Rayman 3 often feel both empty and convoluted.

Netjak (3 out of 10)

Rayman 3 is a bad game. Not in some Blues Brothers: The Video Game way, but in a boring pointless way. There is nothing noticeably wrong with the game but video game players should realize that there is no point of honoring these games with our time or praise. In the same breath it should be remembered for it is short-lived brilliance. Those few great levels should be modeled for Rayman 4. They should be studied in classes, repackaged and reworked into a greatest hits package. No one is kidding themselves in pretending they follow video game plots in platform games it has always been about strategy and level design. Until developers care enough to make quality games, there is no reason to purchase or dish out three stars or mark it “7/10” just because it isn’t an utter failure.