Rayman Raving Rabbids looking good!

[Cuddly Knife]

Scored a solid 8.3 from IGN.

Here's an interesting quote from the review:
Purists, traditionalists, conventional snobs - none of these people will be happy to read it, but Ubisoft's Rayman Raving Rabbids completely ditches the franchise's trademark platformer background. Let's be clear to avoid any confusion: there is no platforming to be found in this Wii-exclusive title, which arrives from the undeniably talented Beyond Good & Evil team, led by Rayman creator Michel Ancel. In place of those run-and-jump levels are mini-games designed around the Wii remote. There is a central storyline that sews the minis together, but make no mistake: this project is Ubisoft's deeper, prettier WarioWare. It may not follow the classic Rayman template, but Rabbids is nevertheless a welcomed addition to Wii's launch lineup for it is a fun and oftentimes hilarious game and an ideal choice for the old-school and new-school alike.

[Cuddly Knife]

The number of minis in Rabbids - 70 - is comparable to a Mario Party title, which is impressive. The difference is that the minis in Ubisoft's title are oftentimes deeper and generally more entertaining than the norm. The developer has really thought about how to use Nintendo's new controllers and it shows. During the on-rails sequences, which in our humble opinion are so good that they could be packaged into their own game and we'd buy it, you shake the nunchuk to reload your plunger gun and aim with pixel-perfect accuracy with the pointer. It flows beautifully. The elitist gamers in us hate the very concept of on-rails play, but it's done so well here that it becomes a moot point. It's just fun. And the best part is that two or more people can gun simultaneously, which makes it a great party option. The developer seems to have caught on to that because there are numerous on-rails sequences in the title. I will get this game when I get a Wii. I love on rails play, just ask me how much I love Panzer Dragoon Orta. I don't expect this games minis to be like that game, but you don't see rail-based games anymore, and I miss them.

And it gets better!

The game's sick sense of humor is constantly promoted in play situations. For instance, when you have to use the Wii remote to remove worms from the shattered teeth of a bunny's diseased mouth. Or when you have to spin the pointer around like a lasso so that you can hurl a cow into the air for no particular reason. And finally, when you must use the pointer to slam the doors of outhouses shut as they slide open while the bunnies attempt to relieve themselves. This latter sequence comes complete with appropriately disgusting sound effects of the rabbits grunting and pushing.

But...

As a mini-game fest, Rabbids delivers a surprisingly addictive single-player romp, which is not praise that can be leveled at the majority of offerings in this genre. Oppositely, though, many of the minis do not support simultaneous play for two or more players, which is a big oversight so far as we're concerned. Instead, you go in sequence. One player first and then another. In soccer, you shake the Wii remote and nunchuk to quickly run forward and then hit the A button to kick the ball; when it's in the air you guide it toward the goal by aiming with the pointer. Clearly, during a mini such as this it would be impossible to enable simultaneous play. However, even when the challenge is simply to trace on-screen outlines with the Wii remote the title will not enable simultaneous play. This is unfortunate because it somewhat diminishes the potential of multiplayer party opportunities.

[Gadfly2317]

I'm definitely picking this game up.