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'Rare Replay': gaming classics at their best-worst
It wasn't until after I'd repeatedly pummeled an oversized rat's testicles that I realized why preserving video game history is so important. Were it not for Rare Replay, an anthology of 30 games spanning 32 years, I'd never have played Battletoads Arcade and would've missed one of the finest moments from one of gaming's most storied developers. Replay is an invaluable record of developer Rare's legacy, but it's neither complete nor perfect. Before Microsoft purchased the studio for $375 million in 2002, Rare made games almost exclusively for Nintendo. GoldenEye and the Donkey Kong Country series (arguably its biggest hits) are absent here thanks to publishing and licensing deals, while other games have been scrubbed free of Nintendo references entirely. While Replay's remastered contents are the best they'll likely ever look, games aren't movies, and visuals are only one part of the equation here. So can a slick, modern package make up for any shortcomings that result from playing decades-old games? The answer isn't so simple and it fluctuates wildly from one classic Rare title to the next.
'Rare Replay' puts 30 classic games on your Xbox One this August
It's Rare's 30th anniversary, and the game studio is marking the occasion in style: It's releasing Rare Replay, a 30-title compilation for the Xbox One. The pack includes everything from the mind-numbingly difficult Battletoads through to Banjo-Kazooie and Perfect Dark. There isn't mention of whether or not the games are getting visual upgrades or new modes, but there are 10,000 Gamerscore points up for grabs if you're playing for bragging rights. Replay arrives August 4th, so you won't have to wait long to relive the Rare games of your childhood. Check here for everything happening at E3 2015!
1UP talks turkey games
What better way to spend Thanksgiving than talking about turkeys? And by turkeys, of course, 1UP's referring to those massively-hyped titles that ultimately fizzled.We can't say we agree with all of the choices presented, though 1UP's criteria suggests that the games featured aren't necessarily "bad," but that all of them "fell short of expectations."Still, given the sheer number of games out there, there are bound to be bigger, badder turkeys hiding in the bushes. Any more main-course nominees?
Rumor: 360's next big thing is Perfect Dark 2
Update: Rare ain't talkin'. "There's always rumors going around about different games we may or may not be doing but we'd prefer not to comment on rumors at this stage," the developer told GamesIndustry.biz.Our favorite kind of rumors to post are the ones that make perfect sense to us and this nugget from Indian gaming site Game Guru is just such a rumor. Apparently, the author's "sources" are telling him that Rare is hard at work on a sequel to Perfect Dark. Apparently, in this chronological follow-up to the N64 title, Joanna Dark is, well, darker, and the game has a new built-in morality system to match.Though completely a rumor at this point, this makes a lot of sense. With no Halo (save for the RTS) title, Gears of War 2 is going to need a little help holding up the tent pole. As far as action titles go, we're not sure there's a more logical successor than Perfect Dark. And hey, maybe this one will even be fun![Via CVG]
Rumor: Perfect Dark prequel to get a new sequel
Here's the no-brainer rumor of the day: Rare will release a sequel to its million-selling shooter Perfect Dark Zero. The Rumor Mole section of the May 2007 issue of Official Xbox Magazine reports that the sequel was revealed "by way of a press release announcing the next novel in the paperback series that also mentions a follow-up to the game."We haven't been able to locate the press release ourselves, but the paperback series is an official tie-in to the series. If a sequel does come to fruition, we wouldn't be surprised. In fact, we've heard it from an official, anonymous, trustworthy source that Rare has been deep in the early development phases (pre-pre-alpha, if you will) just trying to figure out the best numerical nomenclature. Perfect Dark One is off limits, PD Zero Two is pretty meh, PD Negative One (shortened to PDNO or PD-1) could work for yet another prequel, or perhaps they'll go the Lion King route and make it Perfect Dark Zero (point) Five, or PD.5 for short.Still, we side with our Fanboy brethren: the Xbox 360 has enough shooters, Rare should focus on meeting their sequel quota with a return to platformer Kameo.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Perfect Dark Zero sequel on the way?
Seems like a good day for rumors springing from magazines, so why not add one more? This one comes to us courtesy of the Official Xbox Magazine. It seems that a recent press release regarding the next novel in the Perfect Dark series also mentioned a forthcoming sequel to the game itself. Given that Perfect Dark is really one of the only existing Rare IPs that Microsoft can leverage (Donkey Kong is out for obvious reasons), it makes sense that they would be gunning for a sequel. Perfect Dark Zero suffered from more than a few issues, no doubt brought on by a monstrous development cycle that saw the game jump from Gamecube to Xbox to Xbox 360 (the same thing that happened to Kameo, by the way). Considering these previous issues, a sequel designed from the ground up for the 360 is just what the doctor ordered. Still, with Halo 3 coming out later this year and a Gears of War sequel presumably falling in 2008, we wonder where Perfect Dark would fit.For our two cents, we'd rather see a great sequel to Kameo, as the 360 is woefully short of decent platformers. At any rate, a sequel to Perfect Dark is all but assured. The only question is when.
Splitsville for Rare
Two of Rare's founders have called it quits with the company, and the internet is all abuzz with talk of Rare ... and Nintendo. Microsoft bought Rare back in 2002, and the devs carried one of the most-hyped launch games for the 360, but it's still the association with Nintendo that lingers when people mention the company. So it's not surprising, particuarly with Diddy Kong Racing just around the bend for the DS, that people have begun to speculate about what happens now. All anyone knows right now is that Chris and Tim Stamper left Rare for "other opportunities." That doesn't begin to answer any of the questions about what this means for Rare and Microsoft, or Rare and Nintendo, or even just the Stampers themselves. What led to the departure? Rare's last few efforts, while at times critically acclaimed, have not exactly brought home the bacon, and the situation surrounding E3 2004, DS dev kits, and Microsoft's denials make it seem as though there might have been a disconnect between the development company and their new bosses. We'll keep an eye on this story as it develops -- if it develops -- and what it might mean for Nintendo.
Dead Rising makes 360s dead? [update 1]
Reports are flying, just flying across the internet about Dead Rising wrecking 360s. The symptoms are what we've come to expect: freezing, audio dropping out, graphical glitches, etc. Is it just us, or does this sound all too familiar? We're not saying it's all coincidence, but it seems like every time a popular game comes out, 360s just start breaking all over the place -- Perfect Dark, Oblivion, Chromehounds, Dead Rising, all of them seem like Xbox poison. We're willing to bet that this is more indicative of an overall flaw in our favorite console (or at least a certain portion of them.). Then again, Microsoft and various game makers haven't really made much comment either way so, who knows. Anybody experiencing Dead Rising problems (other than tiny text)? Update 1: Wow. Judging from the incredible amount of comments, this topic deserves some more discussion. Check back this weekend for more.
PDZ Map Pack One perfectly available
Following a premature announcement that temporarily left Joanna fans in the dark, PDZ Map Pack One is now perfectly available on XBLM for 500 MS Points. The new content includes four multiplayer maps: Plaza, Rooftops, Trench, and GasPlant. Fanboys, you've had a day to download. Please zero in with your impressions of the new real estate. Was it worth the price?
