Rayman 3 and Rayman Advance Arrive on the North American Wii U VC Tomorrow

Hopefully Europe gets them too.

That's pretty neat. I've played a bunch of the original Rayman, but never owned it and could never beat it. Maybe now's my chance...

Nice. I'll grab Rayman 3. I've never played it. Now let's get the Switch VC going!

Could be wrong but didn't Rayman first come out for the Jaguar?

when I saw rayman 3 I thought gamecube. Both are awsome gba games though.

Oooh GBA games! Will have to get. I love playing GBA on the tv.

@amishpyrate It did, with the Playstation version coming out in the same year. I could be mistaken, but I seem to recall a magazine ad that had both versions on it.

Wow nice surprise for Wii U and a testimony to uncharted vc territory that Nintendo has yet to explore! Waiting on Switch vc news!!

@amishpyrate and PS one and Sega Saturn as well though don't recall which was first out the gate

@amishpyrate Jag came first, PS1 shortly thereafter, then Saturn, then MS-DOS.

I'd buy these on a heartbeat for Switch but don't even have my Wii U set up at this point.

Rayman 3 was great (both versions), anyone who is a fan of platforms I recommend downloading this.

If they would have done this a few months ago, yes. Probably not now. I wish the VC would open up on Switch already.

I got the original Rayman on the Saturn, I'm pretty sure it's the best version cuz the Saturn is a 2D beast. It's a good platformer, I'd like to try Rayman 3 but I imagine the gba version is pretty dumbed down.

Nice additions.

@amishpyrate Fascinating, I always thought the Jaguar port came after!

@saturn_hero ps1 version was better.My opinion of course

No excuse to give 3ds owners the short end of the stick! We've had no new VC since last year! As I posted in the forums there are 19 NES games that are exclusive to WiiU , at least 5 of those are Nintendo IPs! How about Gameboy or Gamegear?! Or how about the other Genesis 3D games?!

3DS VC still going strong? I thought it was pretty dead

Sega 3D Classics 3 please, tho

@Slim1999
This link http://www.gamezero.com/team-0/articles/head_head/rayman/
gives a pretty good description of the 3 versions sounds like there fairly close but the Saturn comes out on top, followed by PlayStation, and then Jaguar

@GameOtaku I think it's probably safe to assume that the 3DS' VC service is dead at this point. Also, M2 and Sega were the ones responsible for the 3D Genesis games, not Nintendo.

@amishpyrate Yes, it did. It was a great game by a company that I had not heard of before that...Ubisoft.

I don't have a WiiU, but it's nice that they are still getting things in VC, if not retail. I hate it when companies drop a console and forget about it overnight.

I remember when both of these games were available on a single budget-priced cartridge. Buying them separately doesn't exactly sound like the most enticing value proposition seeing as they're close to AU$10 each. I'd probably be better off buying the WiiWare port instead.

Hmm, think I'm done buying VC for Wii U. All coin will be saved toward Switch VC whenever it comes. It's the last system I'll ever need to buy VC on for sure, since it's hybrid.

@Ralizah
This is one of many reasons I think Nintendos top brass are nothing but a bunch of loons. 3ds still strong gets no VC titles , WiiU is brain dead but remaining on life support with VC injections on a irregular basis.

@rdrunner1178 the gba port is very different from the rest its the only side scroller while every other one was different if anything you would want to play the gamecube variant cause it was the game and the only one with multiplayer.

HAd both these games on GBA back in the day. Go Rayman

@JaxonH lol switch VC doesn't even exist...

I love that GBA version of Rayman, so addicting to play yet so challenging and difficult, more so than the disappointing DSiWare version.

I'm not buying anything on VC until they unveil it on the Switch. It will be so nice not having to decide which system to buy a game for or having to buy one twice. Just buy it one time and you got it at home and on the go, Brilliant!

@gatorboi352
?? I'm... well aware of that. My words:

will be saved toward Switch VC whenever it comes

It will exist, and that's where all my future VC purchases will be. Buying for Wii U seems like a waste now when I can wait and buy that same game on Switch later, and get 2 versions in one and the only HD version on handheld (and for a lot of VC, the only handheld version period).

I will probably wait until they go on sale.

The GBA version is the one with horrible music, and they made it easier than the original. If you get the DSiWare version, you'll get better music, but an even easier version. ...

The GBA version was good back in the day, since it was great to have it portable. If you're gonna be tethered to your TV anyway, why not just play a better version?

...Just get the PC version on GOG.com, or the PSOne Classic from PSN if you want Rayman 1 for real. This version isn't the optimal way to play it.

Not to be a downer, but I've 100% Switched. I won't be spending more money on the Wii U or 3DS. If they want Virtual Console money from me they need to bring it to the Switch

Only like the second and the two modern raymans. 3 was a disappointment to me. Also i have no wii u anymore.

I'm quite surprised by this. This is not the best way to play Rayman, considering the blown up sprites and downgraded music. I did like how Rayman isn't knocked backwards when he's hit, though.

Rayman 3 is a typical oddball portable Rayman game, being basically a 2D side-scrolling adaptation of Rayman 2 with some Hoodlums thrown in. At least Rayman's fists actually leave his body when he punches in this game, though. Too bad the levels gained from connecting to the GameCube version of Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc will likely be inaccessible. It's probably not a major loss; I don't think I played all of those.

@gatorboi352 neo geo games on wii... counts as virtual console
Upgraded neo geo on switch with better visuals at the same price..... doesn't count
🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃

@millarrp virtual console games go on sale? I've seen that 3 times in four years. Only once third party. Good luck with that.

@faint I agree that it's rare but I don't find the older rayman games appealing enough to get them at full price so I have no problem playing the waiting game....

@NinChocolate I thought exactly the same thing. Those sega 3d classics btw are awesome! I think sega is bringing us more glorious 3d classics. I was hoping they would jazz up shining in the darkness as a 3d classic but that was a huge wish on my part.

I can't remember if I've ever played a Rayman game for more than an hour. I have the one on Wii U but only got around to a quick play test. I really should change that, as Rayman games should be right up my street seen as I'm into retro platformers and all. Rayman 2 on the N64 looks great, I might give that one a go first.

I played so much of Rayman Advance back in the day.

There's a 10th Anniversary game pack with both on a single GBA cart, but that's probably not the version being sold here

Still fairly certain they make these choices by throwing darts at a chart of misc. Nintendo titles.

Chrono Trigger never got ported from the Wii's VC. And the Switch VC hasn't even arrived yet. The VC department continues to be one of the weakest aspects of NOA.

I tought it was the home console version of Rayman 3

Rayman 3 on the GBA is fun. Worth a download.

Rayman Advance, it's a decent port. I actually beat that version 100% but not the PlayStation version (the cages were easier to find).

Unexpected.

I really hope Europe gets them as well.

While this is unexpected and a pleasant surprise for all 6 Wii U owners, I would have jumped on this in a heartbeat if this came out on the Switch. I don't really want to purchase anything more on Wii U. I'm ready to move on.

Nice to see more Wii U VC, hope it continues for at least the remaining 5-6 months before Switch gets VC.

Rayman Advanced for me.

I'll stick to my DSi version of Rayman (as well as Rayman Legends on my Wii U), thanks.

@EarthboundBenjy I have heard that Rayman 1 is really unfair and I hate limited continues on platformers, so I want to play and easier version, at least with more continues.

Rayman 3 was the first GBA game I ever had, love this game, it was such a brilliant platformer.
Switch VC release please.

@Grawlog I'll step mah game up, playa.

Man I loved Rayman 3 on Gamecube though

@Oscarzxn
You're actually not wrong about that. The original game's difficulty was brutal and a bit unfair at times, I will agree. Especially in regards to Picture City - that area was the worst of the bunch.

If you've made your informed decision about which version to get, by all means play the GBA version. I consider it the worst version of the game because of the poor music and the fact that any large sprites are compressed and blown up, so they look like a blocky mess. I love big, beautiful and detailed sprites in games, and I love Rayman 1's soundtrack, so the GBA version is kind of a mess for me becauses it messes up both things. The camera is also a bit too zoomed in for my liking, it makes the jumping a bit awkward sometimes.
It's still perfectly playable and a fun version of the game though.

@EarthboundBenjy What about the DSi version?

@Oscarzxn

It's much much easier because they give you a ton of health points, more than any other version of the game. The music and sprites are fine, but for some reason the silver platforms in Band Land are black on the DSi.
The annoying thing about the DSi version is how it snaps a photo every time you reach a checkpoint and puts it on your file select screen. The photo never gets saved anywhere, but the camera shutter sound is loud, and will even be heard if the volume is all the way down. It's enough to put me off playing it in public. If you just want to see the game without worrying about difficulty, then it's a good version to buy for that reason.

I would like to see Rayman 2 N64 VC.

Rayman 3 is one of the finest platformers on that system. Rayman Advance is a crappy, stripped-down port of the far superior original. Just download the PSX version on PSN or the PC version on GoG instead. The DSiWare version is still available on the 3DS eShop and is pretty solid as well and has the frustrating difficulty toned down a bit by adding extra save points and a bigger health bar.

If we're getting more GBA games now (Has the N64 barrel run dry?), perhaps they can nag SEGA and Square Enix to get the Sonic Advances and Final Fantasy ports/remakes over here. Japan's had those for ages.....

I guess if enough people are happy with this it's all good, but I just wonder why they're quicker to release a GBA version to a high def console instead of the original. I suppose it's a nice quick file size but it was a game heralded in '95 for being a visual high water mark. Why would you want to play a blown-up thumbnail version?

You wouldn't take a 1920 x 1080 image into Photoshop, shrink it down to 300 x 200, then blow it back up to 1920 x 1080, so why offer up a game download that does pretty much the same thing.

I'll wait for Rayman Lengends Ultimate on Switch. Whenever that might be...

The GBA version of Rayman 3 takes me back to a camping trip during the summer of 2003. When I wasn't roughing it up by fetching wood, chopping, cooking, and laughing when Dad shattered the rear window by flippantly backing the getaway car into a tree... I was either reading The Great Gatsby or playing the game (I charged the GBA SP in car rides). Rayman 3 wasn't amazing, but 100%ing it was a great send-off to my summer.

I read The Great Gatsby by choice. Wasn't stoked. Then I had to read it again for the new semester that fall. Still not a fan!

While rayman on the GBA is a decent port, the DSiware port is a lot better and true to the original release in terms of graphics and animation.

Glad to see that all support for the Wii U hasn't dried up, but the releases will probably become few and far between by the end of the year.

Cool!

I'm sure the 3DS will be dead soon. It's about time for new handheld!