[HTML1]

Fans of the Rayman series have been waiting for a sequel to 2011’s Rayman Origins since the trailer for Rayman Legends leaked onto the internet over a year ago. Although the next installment of the platforming franchise is no longer a Wii U exclusive, Nintendo enthusiasts may now have a bit of extra motivation to pick up the Wii U version.

In today’s Nintendo Direct presentation, Ubisoft announced that apparel based on the outfits of Mario and Luigi will be making an appearance in the Wii U version of Rayman Legends. As a special treat to Nintendo players, after 20 minutes of gameplay, a Mario costume will become available for Rayman, while the limbless protagonist's trusty sidekick, Globox, will gain access to a Luigi costume.

Ubisoft announced a few other platform specific costumes for the upcoming Rayman installment earlier this summer. Unlike the Mario and Luigi skins, these costumes will only be available as pre-order bonuses. PlayStation 3 users will have a chance to access an Assassin’s Creed IV costume and Xbox 360 players get their hands on some Splinter Cell threads. The earlier announcement also explained that Wii U players will have an opportunity to access a Barabara costume inspired by Aveline from Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation.

[Click for Full-Size]

In addition to access to the Mario Bros. skins, Wii U users also have the opportunity to try out a fifth playable character. The fifth player, Murfy, is available exclusively on the Nintendo Wii U GamePad. All adventures in the Wii U version of Legends offer support for up to five players, which is a nice bonus for those seeking a little quintuple action.

Rayman Legends acts as a direct sequel to Origins and starts off with the heroes waking up from a 100-year nap after the events of the last game. Legends will offer a wide variety of gameplay, from the traditional platforming action that made the franchise famous to new music and rhythm-based stages — a new feature that we thoroughly enjoyed during our hands-on time with the game.

Rayman Legends Mario

Initially, Rayman Legends was announced as a Wii U exclusive title, but those plans were scrapped in favor of a multiplatform release. Ubisoft's decision to incorporate suits based on two of Nintendo's most popular characters is a good way to provide fans with something after the game's immense delay and loss of exclusivity on the Wii U, but whether or not that'll help move the software on the platform remains to be seen.

-

Rayman Legends will be leaping onto Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and Vita on September 3rd in North America and August 30th in Europe.

You can follow Denny on Twitter @The_DFC.