Count Razoff: Difference between revisions

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'''Count Razoff Shoedsackovski''' is a boss character who appears in ''[[Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc]]''. The last descendant of the royal [[Shoedsackovskaïa family]] of maniacal hunters, Count Razoff is a tall green reptilian creature who lives in a mansion in [[the Bog of Murk]]. He bears some resemblance to a [[Teensie]], as well as to the species of [[Inspector Grub]] from ''[[Rayman: The Animated Series|The Animated Series]]''. Dressed in a red and gold outfit, he sports a shotgun which shoots arrows at any intruders that dare to enter his mansion. He is a formidable hunter, and his mansion is decorated with statues of the animals he has hunted, including [[Ugly|Uglies]], [[piranha]]s, and [[Sssssam|Sssssam the Watersnake]] from ''[[Rayman 2: The Great Escape|Rayman 2]]''.
'''Count Razoff Shoedsackovski''' is a boss character who appears in ''[[Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc]]''. The last descendant of the royal [[Shoedsackovskaïa family]] of maniacal hunters, Count Razoff is a tall green reptilian creature who lives in a mansion in [[the Bog of Murk]]. He bears some resemblance to a [[Teensie]], as well as to the species of [[Inspector Grub]] from ''[[Rayman: The Animated Series|The Animated Series]]''. Dressed in a red and gold outfit, he sports a shotgun which shoots arrows at any intruders that dare to enter his mansion. He is a formidable but extremely egotistical hunter, and his mansion is decorated with a great many paintings and sculptures of himself, as well as mirrors and ‘statues of his finest catches’ <sup>[http://raymanzone.uk.ubi.com/interviews_qa_gps_2.php]</sup>, including [[Ugly|Uglies]], [[piranha]]s, and [[Sssssam|Sssssam the Watersnake]] from ''[[Rayman 2: The Great Escape|Rayman 2]]''.


==Biography==
==Biography==
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Each member of [[Shoedsackovskaïa family|Razoff's family]] is named after a great fictional or mythical hunter. Razoff's father, Count Zaroff, is named in reference to the character General Zaroff from Richard Connell's 1924 novella ''‘[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Most_Dangerous_Game The Most Dangerous Game]’''. ‘Razoff’ is simply ‘Zaroff’ with the ‘Z’ and the ‘R’ switched, and the characters bear many other similarities. Nimrod, Razoff's grandfather, is named after [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimrod a great biblical hunter], and Artemis, Razoff's grandmother, is presumably named in reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis the Greek goddess of hunting].
Each member of [[Shoedsackovskaïa family|Razoff's family]] is named after a great fictional or mythical hunter. Razoff's father, Count Zaroff, is named in reference to the character General Zaroff from Richard Connell's 1924 novella ''‘[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Most_Dangerous_Game The Most Dangerous Game]’''. ‘Razoff’ is simply ‘Zaroff’ with the ‘Z’ and the ‘R’ switched, and the characters bear many other similarities. Nimrod, Razoff's grandfather, is named after [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimrod a great biblical hunter], and Artemis, Razoff's grandmother, is presumably named in reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis the Greek goddess of hunting].


==Count Razoff's Mansion==
==Count Razoff's mansion==
[[Image:Razoff's_mansion.png|left|thumb|The entrance to Razoff's mansion]]
[[Image:Razoff's_mansion.png|left|thumb|The entrance to Razoff's mansion]]



Revision as of 19:24, 4 January 2011

Count Razoff
Other names {{{other names}}}
Alignment Bad

Appears in R3
Location {{{location}}}
Portrayed by {{{portrayed by}}}

Sex Male
Species Unknown (similar to to Inspector Grub's race from The Animated Series; may be part-divine through Artemis)
Status Boss

Relatives {{{relatives}}}

Unlock criteria {{{Unlock criteria}}}

Count Razoff Shoedsackovski is a boss character who appears in Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc. The last descendant of the royal Shoedsackovskaïa family of maniacal hunters, Count Razoff is a tall green reptilian creature who lives in a mansion in the Bog of Murk. He bears some resemblance to a Teensie, as well as to the species of Inspector Grub from The Animated Series. Dressed in a red and gold outfit, he sports a shotgun which shoots arrows at any intruders that dare to enter his mansion. He is a formidable but extremely egotistical hunter, and his mansion is decorated with a great many paintings and sculptures of himself, as well as mirrors and ‘statues of his finest catches’ [1], including Uglies, piranhas, and Sssssam the Watersnake from Rayman 2.

Biography

Main article: Shoedsackovskaïa family

The in-game information states that Count Razoff is the son of Count Zaroff, and the grandson of Nimrod and Artemis. He also claims to hold the Chair of Cynegenics at the University of Tyr-Kainkou. He has settled in the Bog of Murk, as is his family's tradition, and he will return to his homeland only when he has captured an exotic prey. He also appears to enjoy capturing lesser creatures; several Uglies are imprisoned in his mansion, and at least one Paluchard is locked up in his dungeon. It is not known if his mansion was handed down to him from his father, or if each member of the family must have their own dwelling constructed in the region.

Each member of Razoff's family is named after a great fictional or mythical hunter. Razoff's father, Count Zaroff, is named in reference to the character General Zaroff from Richard Connell's 1924 novella The Most Dangerous Game. ‘Razoff’ is simply ‘Zaroff’ with the ‘Z’ and the ‘R’ switched, and the characters bear many other similarities. Nimrod, Razoff's grandfather, is named after a great biblical hunter, and Artemis, Razoff's grandmother, is presumably named in reference to the Greek goddess of hunting.

Count Razoff's mansion

The entrance to Razoff's mansion

Razoff's mansion is located in the Bog of Murk. It is very large and classical mansion with many statues inside including statues of Sssssam, piranhas and a statue of Razoff riding a Goaty (a scrapped character from the game). There are also several bug-like creatures called Uglies which can be found chained-up in his mansion; if Rayman frees the Uglies, they thank him by giving him Red Lums before flying away. Globox was accidentally transported to the basement of Razoff's mansion when he was separated from Rayman in the Teensie Highway. Also in the basement are a large ball and chain which Razoff attempts to kill Rayman with, a magic mirror similar to the one found in Bégoniax's house, and a Paluchard, a large plesiosaur-like creature with a hand for a head which Razoff was apparently keeping imprisoned, and who helps Rayman out in the battle by giving him Heavy Metal Fist power-ups and placing him back on the platform when he falls down.

Razoff has several statues of Sssssam the snake in his mansion, hinting that Razoff has encountered, or at least knows of, the character. Most likely, Razoff has hunted Sssssam at some point. Whether he actually killed or captured Sssssam at some point between Rayman 2 and Rayman 3 is unknown; however, it should be noted that Razoff's inherited obligation to capture an exotic prey does not yet seem to be fulfilled by the time of Rayman 3.

The room in which Razoff's telescope is housed contains a wide array of switches and control panels. Some of the equipment seen in the room is identical to that used by the Robo-Pirate invaders in Rayman 2, which suggests that Razoff may be putting some old Robo-Pirate wreckage to work. The Hoodlum vehicle Céloche, fought in the Land of the Livid Dead, also appears to be constructed from the wreckage of Robo-Pirate installations.

Razoff is last seen struggling in the grip of Bégoniax, the hideous witch who is madly in love with him. It is said that Bégoniax exacts revenge on the men who reject her love by transforming them into toads, and that she then breeds with them, producing so many tadpoles that she does not know what to do with them. This offers a clue as to Razoff's potential fate.

Minigames

Count Razoff is notable in that the player controls him in three different minigames in Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc. Excluding heroes such as Rayman and Globox, this makes Razoff the one character in the series that is controlled most often by the player.

In Razoff Circus, a first-person shooter minigame, the player controls Razoff as he practises his marksmanship, using his mansion as a shooting gallery. Since this training is meant to account for the skills Razoff displays when Rayman encounters him, it is most likely that this minigame takes place before the events of Rayman 3; however, the presence of targets depicting Rayman, Globox and various Hoodlums implies a more contemporaneous setting.

In Commando, a top-down third-person shooter, Razoff is delighted to find that his land has been invaded by Hoodlum trespassers, as this gives him an excuse to take potshots at them. The player controls the hunter as he battles his way through a small Hoodlum army. Since this minigame depicts the Hoodlum invasion, it is most likely that it takes place at around the time of Rayman 3. His gun can kill enemy Hoodmongers with one hit and Hoodbooms with three; judging by these statistics, the gun must be fifty per cent more powerful that Rayman's telescopic fist.

In Crush, the player controls Razoff's wrecking-ball as he uses it to squash an infestation of toads, which was caused by Bégoniax's spell. This minigame evidently takes place after the events of Rayman 3, and indicates that Bégoniax became vengeful when Razoff spurned her romantic advances.

File:Razoff concept art.jpg
Concept artwork depicting various designs for Razoff