GAME-A-WEEK - THE MAW

Originally released on XBox Live Arcade in 2009, The Maw is a cute little cartoony action/puzzle game.  You play as Frank, an adorable alien captured by...er...other aliens and thrown into a menagerie of exotic species.  When the ship crashes onto an unknown planet, Frank must team up with a little one-eyed purple blob with a huge appetite named The Maw in order to escape.

AT A GLANCE - RAYMAN: ORIGINS

Ubisoft is trying to bring platforming back into the spotlight with a revival of their Playstation-era hero, Rayman.   The cartoony French mascot debuted in 1995 and enjoyed some popularity, he hasn't been seen in his own title almost a decade.   The Raving Rabbids series began as a Rayman game, but spun off into their own series, leaving Rayman behind.   Now he's back in a gorgeous retro-styled platformer that returns to the series' 2D roots.  It's been showered with accolades by reviewers and gamers alike since its release, becoming something of an underdog success story.  This week, Ubisoft put the game on sale for 50% off, and I decided to see what all the hype was about.