Rayman M

Development and release

Rayman M was originally separated into two projects: Rayman Tribe and Rayman Shooting Fish, which became the game's modes. It was announced in April 2001 for the PlayStation 2, and Ubi Soft launched an official website with descriptions of characters, modes, environments, and screenshots. Danny Ruiz, Ubi Soft's band manager, stated the game promised a new multiplayer experience while maintaining the franchise's production value. In 2002, producer Sylvain Constantin said he wanted to do something serious after development, having been asked to lead the driving team due to his enthusiasm for driving games. A remake, Rayman Rush, was developed by Ubi Soft Shanghai for the PlayStation, featuring only the racing mode with training, championship, and time attack modes, and supporting up to two players due to hardware limitations.

Reception

Rayman M received mixed or average reviews according to Metacritic. Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell described it as a cross country steeplechase dodgeball simulation and a manic adventure game against the clock. Nintendo World Report's Michael Cole noted that some had labeled it a Mario Party-style game, though he disagreed. Mike Orlando praised the modes as fun but criticized the game as not worth purchasing, comparing its racing to Mad Dash Racing and Running Wild.

Criticism was heavy: GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann criticized the Windows version's default controls, though he noted a game pad was the most convenient way to play; he praised the GameCube version's fit with similar games but said it didn't differentiate itself. Play's Brady Fiechter suggested it should be called Rayman Racing, calling it a multiplayer game with Rayman characters running through obstacle courses. IGN's Kaiser Hwang acknowledged it didn't live up to its predecessor's legacy, criticizing its dull sense of speed and flat-out horrible level design.

GameRevolution's Nebojsa Radakovic wrote that it did little to stimulate kart racing or action genres, though it might not be awful for a young child.