I just don't understand it.  Rare is called by the interwebz quite a bit to be a a developer who died essentially and now makes run of the mill crap games.

Am I the only one who thinks differently? 

This generation they pumped out some of the best games on the console. 
        Kameo was flipping fantastic.  Quite a good game that the 360 really needs.  I guess I'd classify it as a platformer.  Very unique, innovative, and super polished.  The only downside is that it's not too long, about 10 hours, but that's not too bad in reality.  Considering I bought it for $10 as well, I can't call it a bad game.
       Perfect Dark Zero I think people in general appreciate a bit more.  To me though I felt like it was a bit unpolished and rushed feeling for a rare game, at least when it comes to the single player, but overall it was fun.  I do feel like it was a disappointment, but I think that it's mainly a cause of being caught up in between generations.  I don't want to sound overly negative about it as it was great, but it should be darker and feel tighter I think.  Build on the spy aspect for the sequel more so and it should be great.  
      Viva Pinata and 2 just weren't for me.  Very polished and unique, but it's just too stressful for me.   I can definately realize that it is a good game.
      And then Banjo.  Oh Banjo.  You sure did disappoint!  You didn't just copy the formula for your 10 year old game and instead made one of the most innovative and funn(i)est games for the 360.  Oh, such a disgrace.

Seriously, what gives?  Why do people hate on Rare for doing what people ask for so often-- highly polished and very innovative and well thought out games?  It just doesn't make sense.  I personally think people hate on Rare because they just want generic.


Upcoming, they probably have some huge titles on the horizon.  There's probably PD2 and Killer Instinct 3 and then undoubtly, whether into those or seperate, they're working on a Natal game.

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I think that Rare's best work was back in the SNES/N64 days.  Nothing I have seen from them on the 360 (including the games you mentioned) has matched what they were producing in the late 90's/early 00's.

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Perhaps there's a lot of jealousy because while Rare continues to make innovative and fun products, the big names like Nintendo have come up dry with 95% of their recent product being either gimmicky garbage or the 44th re-hashing of the same unoriginal story?

The sale of Rare to Microsoft has also sparked a huge amount of blind bashing by people who haven't even tried any of Rare's newer games. You'll find lots of "Stupid Microsoft stealing Rare from Nintendo" and "Rare was better with Nintendo, Microsoft sucks" postings if you look around. The reality from what I've read (which admittedly isn't much, so I don't know if this is totally accurate) was that Nintendo wanted to close Rare down to save money, but decided on selling them instead. So really it's all the decisions of the former parent company, not the "thieves." I'm quite certain this is the biggest root cause of Rare being ignored/bashed in recent times nonetheless.

While the general opinion may be that they produced their best products for the Nintendo 64/SNES, I think that's because that was in a time when innovation in the industry was at its peak, with 3D games still being a novelty and thus allowing for a large amount of exploration and experimentation in 3D-based gameplay and, in the SNES's case, pseudo-3D graphics (Donkey Kong Country). Not because of the brand put on the system they made games for.

 Zen Like Calm wrote:

I think that Rare's best work was back in the SNES/N64 days.  Nothing I have seen from them on the 360 (including the games you mentioned) has matched what they were producing in the late 90's/early 00's.

Really?  I thought they've been consistent.   And now they're much more consistent (remember, they made a bunch of crap (s)nes games and then on the n64 stuff like mickey mouse racing, etc.

Perhaps it's because where as they use to be a bit more generic and making games for the most popular genres before and now they're making very unique and innovative titles for genres that aren't that popular?   Probably a good theory.  I bet if they were to make a Perfect Dark 2 (and this time it won't get caught between generations) and a Killer Insinct 3 everyone would say they got "it" back as shooters are hugely popular and even fighters are--> they made a huge comeback and are contuining to in 2009.

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One small problem: There are TOO MANY of those. Rare should continue to make unique titles in my opinion, even if people don't try it out because they *assume* they won't like it, even if they probably will.

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 Femix Zn wrote:

One small problem: There are TOO MANY of those. Rare should continue to make unique titles in my opinion, even if people don't try it out because they *assume* they won't like it, even if they probably will.

I'd personally like a new platformer, perhaps a conker sequel, and Perfect Dark 2.  They should just build on the stealth spy aspects more so.  Have a system for acrobatics and whatnot. Shooting should be there still, but a second, not last or first, resort.

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I think Rare is hard to market, and Microsoft hasn't risen to that challenge.

They innovate with each game, and their marketing does not communicate that innovation.  For example, I think Banjo's vehicle-building is the best example of the marriage of a user's creativity and succeeding in gameplay in this console generation, but LittleBigPlanet usually gets all the credit for that, even though its creation and gameplay elements are mostly independent.

I personally love their art style, but I could also see how it would turn people away.  For example, I didn't buy the recent Bionic Commando 3D game because I just couldn't get over how much I hated the art style.

I think they're totally the right people to be working with Natal, as they understand how to take a user being creative and turn that into a deep, polished game.

Rare made the 360 avatars and dishes out all the avatar props and clothes. But they should have kept the same formula from the old banjo games, what made them fun, unique and the reason why the newest installement to the banjo series isn't selling.

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It's because Rare used to be godly and their not anymore.
Kameo, PDZ, Nuts and Bolts, and Viva Pinata don't compare to DKC 1-3, Banjo Kazooie and Tooie, DK64, Jet Force Gemini, Diddy Kong Racing, Conker, Goldeneye, and Perfect Dark.

I agree with the OP. IMO Rare has made some of the most creative games on the 360 to date.

 areacode wrote:

I agree with the OP. IMO Rare has made some of the most creative games on the 360 to date.

Yes, Rare has made some of the most creative games for the 360. Sadly, creativity today isn't what people like. Just look at Bungie. They made the same game three times, made it a fourth time in a different game genre, and then a fifth spinoff game, and even a 6th they jst recently annoounced. Sadly, I'm guilty for owning all but the fourth and sixth... (Preordered ODST AKA 5th for Sergant Johnson as a playable char and for Reach AKA 6th beta.)

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Nowadays Kids don't play games with Bears, Birds, Squirrels & Pinatas anymore.
They all just want to be cool and play COD and Gears.

I like Rare!
BK & VP are awesome even if you get dumb comments when you have it in your played games list.

Simple fact, wrong developer on the wrong console.

The fact that the major audience on the 360 enjoys shooting games with violence hurt Rare a lot, a very small minority enjoy their games.

In my honest opinion, Rare was at its prime in the Nintendo years, they pushed out great titles almost every year and they never disappointed, ever.

I played most of their games pre-Microsoft era and I loved them, but when they were bought I didn't see the same spark of nifty titles again. Played Kameo, beat it, wasn't impressed, too short and it just felt like a watered down Zelda.

Making Banjo Kazooie into a build vehicle game was just wrong, the mechanics could have been used on a real sequel, but thats the problem they didn't make a sequel and instead used a popular character for an experiment and it didn't went very well either.

The biggest mistake in my opinion from Rare is that they say platforming is dead, didn't Mario Galaxy prove its not?

Wouldn't surprise me if Rare went the same way Ensemble did and be completely shut off by Microsoft.

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^ I agree.

Rare have produced some exceptional games for Microsoft over the past 3-4 years. Problem is, no one buys them.

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 B0NAV0X wrote:

Rare have produced some exceptional games for Microsoft over the past 3-4 years. Problem is, no one buys them.

Nobody wants to take risks nowadays. They just keep on sticking with the same franchise with no changes being made to them... I mean come on. At LEAST rent it from GameStop or something... I mean, for crying out loud, you can make a F'king walking MECH in this game! (If you know how of course...) I did try my hand at making one, but I could only get one of the feet to function correctly. It's either because the game favors left over right, or forward over reverse, or possibly a mixture of the two. (Maybe if I reverse the feet...)

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 Femix Zn wrote:

 B0NAV0X wrote:

Rare have produced some exceptional games for Microsoft over the past 3-4 years. Problem is, no one buys them.

Nobody wants to take risks nowadays. They just keep on sticking with the same franchise with no changes being made to them... I mean come on. At LEAST rent it from GameStop or something... I mean, for crying out loud, you can make a F'king walking MECH in this game! (If you know how of course...) I did try my hand at making one, but I could only get one of the feet to function correctly. It's either because the game favors left over right, or forward over reverse, or possibly a mixture of the two. (Maybe if I reverse the feet...)

Nope, its just Rare is producing the wrong games at the wrong console. Everyone knows the Xbox 360 is a console for teens and young adults (and some older too), they don't want to play games about gardening or jumping around collecting musical notes.

Rare is playing a fine violin to a crowd that likes rock, this is why even though some of us like their games are still not being sold well.

Tell you the truth, Microsoft bought Rare thinking they would be a hot developer on their system like they were with Nintendo, it hasn't been like that at all.

Most of the people who made Rare famous were with the company during the Nintendo era, after that they parted ways and formed new companies or worked for other people.

People need to stop blaming the consumers and blame the company, it isn't their fault their making games for an audience that basically doesn't exists on the 360.

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Honestly, I think that both opinions are correct. Though the part about the age thing is a false statement. The Banjo-Kazooie series is an adult game with a childish disguise. I'd give you the link to Banjo Kazooie Rated E?, but I'm too lazy to dig it up right now.

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 Nameloi wrote:

 Femix Zn wrote:

 B0NAV0X wrote:

Rare have produced some exceptional games for Microsoft over the past 3-4 years. Problem is, no one buys them.

Nobody wants to take risks nowadays. They just keep on sticking with the same franchise with no changes being made to them... I mean come on. At LEAST rent it from GameStop or something... I mean, for crying out loud, you can make a F'king walking MECH in this game! (If you know how of course...) I did try my hand at making one, but I could only get one of the feet to function correctly. It's either because the game favors left over right, or forward over reverse, or possibly a mixture of the two. (Maybe if I reverse the feet...)

Nope, its just Rare is producing the wrong games at the wrong console. Everyone knows the Xbox 360 is a console for teens and young adults (and some older too), they don't want to play games about gardening or jumping around collecting musical notes.

Rare is playing a fine violin to a crowd that likes rock, this is why even though some of us like their games are still not being sold well.

Tell you the truth, Microsoft bought Rare thinking they would be a hot developer on their system like they were with Nintendo, it hasn't been like that at all.

Most of the people who made Rare famous were with the company during the Nintendo era, after that they parted ways and formed new companies or worked for other people.

People need to stop blaming the consumers and blame the company, it isn't their fault their making games for an audience that basically doesn't exists on the 360.

ok heres my big problem, m$ is a sumthing billion dollar company dat can buy a country if it wants to. so why do they only have like 3 developers? rare, lionhead and turn 10. they are waaaaaayyyy bigger than ea and could buy any and all developers if they want, i bet they could buy sony then shut them down if they so please. they certainly could of bought biowar 2 keep mass effect. why are they so stingy when it comes to their game side. they are too happy that COD4 and rock band sell better on  xbox, they dont care about making games themselves. stop with the netflix and bullsh1t GTA xclusives and MAKE real exclusives. they arent dedicated unlike sony which is starting to get their sht 2gether. sumtimes i feel like selling my xbox and getin a ps3

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Every 6 weeks Rare employees and Microsoft employees get together for a knife fight to the death. True story.

I think Rare's making great games still. Yes, the games on the SNES/N64 were awesome, but if they made a game EXACTLY like that now, it'd be judged as crap. Rare was great because they were innovative, but now that they're still being innovative and coming out with new games, they're crap? How does that work? If they made a game exactly like Banjo Kazooie (the original) now on the XBox 360, it'd be bashed for a lack of depth and being too simple. Face it, Rare's still got it, but people are taking nostalgia over common sense right now, and it's not working.

 I Gashnor I wrote:

I think Rare's making great games still. Yes, the games on the SNES/N64 were awesome, but if they made a game EXACTLY like that now, it'd be judged as crap. Rare was great because they were innovative, but now that they're still being innovative and coming out with new games, they're crap? How does that work? If they made a game exactly like Banjo Kazooie (the original) now on the XBox 360, it'd be bashed for a lack of depth and being too simple. Face it, Rare's still got it, but people are taking nostalgia over common sense right now, and it's not working.

Then why don't they do it? your making an assumption out of thin air.

Hey! wasn't Rare the guys that said platforming was dead? well what a surprise, Mario Galaxy proved them dead wrong. They took a different direction with Nuts & Bolts, and look how positive its been...

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Once again, both true and untrue. Platforming is dead on the Xbox 360, but not for Nintendo. Nintendo knows how to keep old-style gaming fresh, and they've done a good job. Besides that, it's MARIO. Of COURSE it's gonna sell good...

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 Femix Zn wrote:

Once again, both true and untrue. Platforming is dead on the Xbox 360, but not for Nintendo. Nintendo knows how to keep old-style gaming fresh, and they've done a good job. Besides that, it's MARIO. Of COURSE it's gonna sell good...

Just a fact, I don't think platforming has ever truly existed on the original Xbox or the 360, this console is cursed to be the home of FPS forever, and this shows by how many are released each year.

Not all Mario games are good, or sell good, but then it is Mario, platforming is synonymous with it.

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I never said if they made a Platformer it would be bashed, I said if they made a game identical to the original BK. That game was used because it was the "prime" of Rare's life. If they made a game like that, it'd be bashed. They're keeping up with the next gen and keeping things fresh. I gave Nuts N Bolts a positive review, let my manager borrow it, he loved it, he didn't play the original games, started there and loved it. Too many people are judging Nuts n Bolts based on nostalgia towards the old games, not off of how unique it is. There's still a lot of platforming in NnB, just not in the traditional sense, but there's still a ton there, and I enjoy it quite a bit. And yes, Mario Galaxy worked on the Wii, but it's the Wii, it's an old school idealistic console. Platformers could work well on the XBox 360, but Rare's catering to their audience on the new console. Look at Kameo, it didn't do great, so Rare used that to say that Platforming is dead on the XBox 360. If they made a new one now, it might work well, but based on their previous experience, even the best of platformers won't work well on the XBox 360 due to it's audience.

People tend to under rate this game because it appeals to fans and children. 

 Femix Zn wrote:

 areacode wrote:

I agree with the OP. IMO Rare has made some of the most creative games on the 360 to date.

Yes, Rare has made some of the most creative games for the 360. Sadly, creativity today isn't what people like. Just look at Bungie. They made the same game three times, made it a fourth time in a different game genre, and then a fifth spinoff game, and even a 6th they jst recently annoounced. Sadly, I'm guilty for owning all but the fourth and sixth... (Preordered ODST AKA 5th for Sergant Johnson as a playable char and for Reach AKA 6th beta.)

Bungie didn't make Halo Wars. Ensemble made Halo Wars.

what the heck is rare abot this game.

Rareware LTD in Twycross, England is responsible for the creation of the game.

 Nameloi wrote:

 Femix Zn wrote:

 B0NAV0X wrote:

Rare have produced some exceptional games for Microsoft over the past 3-4 years. Problem is, no one buys them.

Nobody wants to take risks nowadays. They just keep on sticking with the same franchise with no changes being made to them... I mean come on. At LEAST rent it from GameStop or something... I mean, for crying out loud, you can make a F'king walking MECH in this game! (If you know how of course...) I did try my hand at making one, but I could only get one of the feet to function correctly. It's either because the game favors left over right, or forward over reverse, or possibly a mixture of the two. (Maybe if I reverse the feet...)

Nope, its just Rare is producing the wrong games at the wrong console. Everyone knows the Xbox 360 is a console for teens and young adults (and some older too), they don't want to play games about gardening or jumping around collecting musical notes.

Rare is playing a fine violin to a crowd that likes rock, this is why even though some of us like their games are still not being sold well.

Tell you the truth, Microsoft bought Rare thinking they would be a hot developer on their system like they were with Nintendo, it hasn't been like that at all.

Most of the people who made Rare famous were with the company during the Nintendo era, after that they parted ways and formed new companies or worked for other people.

People need to stop blaming the consumers and blame the company, it isn't their fault their making games for an audience that basically doesn't exists on the 360.

I'm an adult and I actually like games about collecting animals and gardening, or jumping around and collecting notes or coins.

 McHumpy wrote:

I'm an adult and I actually like games about collecting animals and gardening, or jumping around and collecting notes or coins.

Yes I like them too, doesn't change the fact that were a minority on the console though.

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