Rabbits are so cute and fluffy, you just want to touch and rub them…or at least you do if you are Ubisoft and one of their upcoming games is being brought to the Nintendo DS. Carrying on the tradition of bringing freaky rabbits to Nintendo consoles with interesting interactive features, Ubisoft is converting their upcoming Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 to the DS, and you’ll be touching these naughty rabbits a lot. And based on the time we spent with the game, it’s most certainly a good kind of touch.

Though Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 for the DS won’t be as party centric as the Wii version, there is still going to be a lot of games and multiplayer features for the DS title. Much like the Wii version, you can start the game off by customizing your rabbit, which you can then use through your solo or multiplayer outings. Unlike the Wii version, however, you won’t just be changing outfits, but rather you’ll be doing direct doodlings on your rabbits which will always show up. You can still outfit your rabbit with clothes, but now you have pens, colors, and erasers to make your rabbits even more you. Me? I decided to strip my bunny down to its fur, then use some blue to give him a nice Braveheart inspired face paint to really make him a threat…when he’s serving someone food? Okay, maybe it would be cooler to see my bunny involved in an epic war like in Braveheart, but that isn’t to say serving food isn’t fun, because it is.

One of the minigames has rabbits lining up, telling you what they want to eat or drink, and out of the four pictures on the screen you have to touch the right menu item they want. It is simple in concept at the beginning, but gradually it gets harder and harder as you go along. First up, you just have to match one picture to the other. After you do a couple of those correct, however, then your objects will start to be shaded, and you’ll need to pick based on the outlines. If you keep doing well and move on even further, you’ll soon find yourself with freaky mosaic pictures you’ll need to figure out to make your customers happy.

Also, much like the Wii version, you aren’t going to be strictly playing dancing rhythmic minigames, but rather doing more full song versions. Though of course you don’t have the remote and nunchuk to wave around, Ubisoft has headed for the more Ouendan/Elite Beat Agents meets Dance Dance Revolution vibe. You’ll have a line of speakers on the bottom of the screen, and as music ball notes come to the bottom, you have to tap the speaker right when it hits. It is straightforward to begin with, but things get harder, including balls you must tap and then drag upwards, which is where the Ouendan feel really comes from.

Sadly we didn’t get to play anymore of the game than that, but we were surprised at how fun and easy it was to get into, perfect for quick games on the go. We could also see the game really being a blast if you, say, run across a friend, fire it up, and there you have instant fun in a can…err…handheld.

The soundwork of the licensed music and comical grunts and guffaws of the rabbits, along with the surprisingly excellently rendered rabbits, all lead to a game that could be perfect for the multiplayer gamer on the go. Get ready to go catch some rabbits when the game hits…just don’t let them convince you it’s duck season.