I'm not sure what to think about this. I'm assuming that they are just pulling out something that would have been in the final version and releasing it in April instead. Which doesn't really get around the fact that they delayed the freaking finished Wii U game.

But at least it is free!

Check out the video announcement here.

Oh, and this is instead of the demo. No more exclusive demo.

Source: Rayman Facebook page

URL to share (right click and copy)

Could this free challenge mode backfire? What if a bunch of people get it, and they're like.."Ehhh I've had my fill" by the time Rayman Legends actually comes out?

Ugh. They'll sell more copies now than they will in September, there's no doubt about it. So stupid.

Posted by

PogueSquadron

on: 02/19/13, 17:59

Yes, it can backfire. Jesse Schell just gave a speech at DICE and showed that demos can cut sales in half. Apparently showing trailers optimizes sales, but when you give a demo, a lot of people who would have bought the game just to experience what they saw in the trailer are now satisfied and don't end up buying the game.

Posted by

Guillaume

on: 02/19/13, 18:04

GameDadGrant said:

And as a company, if Ubi see the Wii U version not selling well, they'll feel justified in the delay and felt they made the right decision going multiplatform.

Considering that makes no logical sense, I'm going to give Ubisoft execs the benefit of the doubt and assume they won't think that.

Posted by

Jargon

on: 02/19/13, 18:05

@Guillaume Or they play the demo and hate it. Some developers are better at making games than they are at making demos.

@Jargon You're going to give Ubisoft execs the benefit of the doubt and assume they won't think something that makes no logical sense? Doesn't seem like the safest bet lately.

Posted by

Zero

on: 02/19/13, 18:07

I'm kind of conflicted on this.

On the one hand, I DO enjoy Challenge mode type stuff like this, and the concept of free, frequently-updated (daily?) content is enticing as well. On the other hand, while it may have been overly optimistic of me to assume Ubisoft would change its mind on this decision, I was starting to believe that the move had such a massive backlash that they'd have to release the game on time again. This announcement of the demo thing being in April kind of rules that out entirely, so I'm still pretty bummed.

Posted by

TriforceBun

on: 02/19/13, 18:18

Any word on whether this will have multiplayer? Because that's what made Origins fun for me and what I was really excited about for the sequel.

Posted by

Jargon

on: 02/19/13, 18:21

I think it has multiplayer. One mode they showed off as someone on the GamePad manipulating the environment while someone else (presumably) controlled the character with a Wii remote.

Posted by

Zero

on: 02/19/13, 18:29

@Zero

It is for 1-5 players.

Honestly, they're touting it as "Exclusive to Wii U", but so was Rayman Legends...how much do you want to bet Wii U will get the shaft again?

Posted by

ludist210

on: 02/19/13, 18:44

Edited:

02/19/13, 18:44

@GameDadGrant

I never planned to in the first place. Maybe this will change that.

Posted by

DrFinkelstein

on: 02/19/13, 18:53

@ludist210 I don't think it is exclusive to the Wii U at all. I think it was a mode that was in all versions that got pulled out to release early on Wii U now to shut people up, but will still be there in the final product too, on all platforms.

Even in the video, they are detailing the 5 challenge types and at the 5th one they say something like "and this is a Wii U exclusive" and I was thinking... wait, didn't you say this whole thing was Wii U exclusive? But I think they're just pulling some smoke and mirrors here. It's "exclusive" in the sense that the Wii U is the only one getting a standalone, free game. Call that game "Rayman Legends Challenge" or something. That game is exclusive to the Wii U, because the PS3 and 360 won't need a standalone challenge game, that stuff will just be a part of the main game (except the GamePad exclusive mode...)

This is what I'm expecting to happen. They're not going to want to make the PS3 / 360 owners feel screwed out of something. No way. Only Nintendo gets screwed out of extra modes.

Posted by

Zero

on: 02/19/13, 19:40

Edited:

02/19/13, 19:41

@Zero

Oh yea? Only Madden for Wii had All-Play mode!

Posted by

Jargon

on: 02/19/13, 19:49

Good point.

But I mean, do you guys agree that A. this is clearly a mode that was developed to be in the total package and B. they're not going to pull this mode OUT of the other versions just because of fan outrage?

There is literally no way that this mode doesn't make it to the other systems.

Posted by

Zero

on: 02/19/13, 19:59

@Zero

The way you're wording it makes sense. Still...this is supposed to appease people? I mean, it's a decent compromise, but we should be playing the full game at this point.

Posted by

ludist210

on: 02/19/13, 21:01

@DrFinkelstein

Really? For some reason I thought you were a platformer fan. Perhaps I was mistaken...

Posted by

GameDadGrant

on: 02/19/13, 22:21

Great, challenge mode, the one part of the game I wouldn't have played if I bought it this month

Posted by

Dcube

on: 02/19/13, 22:59

How much of the game is this going to contain?

Does Ubisoft really still think all this is better than releasing the game?

Posted by

Mop it up

on: 02/20/13, 00:29

@GameDadGrant

I'm a big platformer fan. I'm just not big on the Rayman aesthetic. Like I said, I'm willing to be persuaded. But I don't really care for the characters and how the game moves (when I played the demo for the last game anyway).

It felt... loosey goosey. Mario is tight. Precise. Super Meat Boy is beyond precise. But Rayman felt different than those games and it didn't leave a good feeling the little time I played it.

So we'll see. This certainly sounds like a good way to test my waters.

Posted by

DrFinkelstein

on: 02/20/13, 00:33

Rayman does feel 'loose' compared to Mario, but that's because it's a different play style and you move through the game differently.

I don't know how to feel about this. Uni have really messed things up, however I can't turn down something free that I know I will love.

Posted by

Cube191

on: 02/20/13, 00:44

@Mop it up

5 environments.

Five!

Posted by

Guillaume

on: 02/20/13, 03:03

I feel bad for the dev team, but I'm still going to buy the game used just to pee on it in protest.

Nah, I dunno. This is still kind of shitty. Rip a mode out of the game instead of giving us the actual game? Whatever. When it comes down to it, I don't really need to play this game right now. But the Wii U really DID need it. And I think it had a damned good chance of finding fortune and glory on the platform. All of the pieces were in place. Dry spell, Nintendo audience-friendly genre and artsyle, quality experience, tons of publicity through presentations and demos, kind of synonymous with the system itself... it's actually kind of staggering to me that Ubi didn't just release it now and then port it later. Another thing I wonder is how much attention will the media pay it later in the year? It could've been a marquee title right now.

Ah, well. Monster Hunter would've smashed its face and cut its tail off, anyway.

DrFinkelstein said:

So we'll see. This certainly sounds like a good way to test my waters.

(Psst! There's already a demo, Finko!)

@TriforceBun
I also thought that the Free Rayman social movement had a decent shot of working. This seems like confirmation that the delay is final.

What do you guys think Ubisoft will do about the Gamepad-centric levels in the final multiplatform game? Standard controller implementation? Smartglass & Vita? Remove them entirely?

Posted by

Anand

on: 02/21/13, 05:28

Edited:

02/21/13, 05:32