Rare and thier rare releases

Oh Rare how I love you. Well more Loved.
Back in the good old days when you where Nintendo's bitch and known as RareWare you used to do so many good games.
GoldenEye, Banjo-Kazooie, Jet Force Gemini, Donkey Kong 64.
Oh god just thinking about them brings back good memories. Just jamming in my room playing games when I was meant to do homework. Those where the days. And that's only some of the games as well.
But ever since Microsoft bought them they just went crap. They only released one good game. Conker. Live and Reloaded. And that was only ok because it was a re-make of a game they made when they were in partnership with Nintendo, Conker's Bad Dur Day.


















All in all the games that have come out of Rare recently, where not crap, aren't anything to write home about.
Viva Pinata anyone? Nothing better then raising up some paper animal that are going to have the sweet knocked out of them. Or how about some Perfect Dark Zero. Zero was for originality btw.

I've just heard (well more taken notice) that they are planing to release a sequel to Banjo-Kazooie. I don't have a clue what to except. I loved the originals, I felt they really pushed the N64 to the limit. But I'm worried. Like I've just mentioned. It seems that the original Rareware crew either jump ship or just didn't put the same amount of effort into their games when the joint Microsoft.
They've already stepped away from the traditional platforming game by introducing some sort of vehicle building thingy. I'm not sure at all. But I do like the art direction they are going with it. Banjo always looked quite blocky in the N64 games. He still does now, but this time its on purpose, but this time he looks blocky outside of game play as well. Heres a piccy of a now and then both in game and out (it will properly explain it better then I will):





















Banjo and Kazooie on the box cover then... ...and how they look now.


I prefer Banjo back then but I like Kazooie as she is now (yes Kazooie was and is a girl). But the new design is explained by the developers as a necessity. Something how they wanted to keep the original style of the game. Well the original in game style. Again a piccy will better explain it:















Now I can see what they are getting at. I played the game more then looked at the box. And banjo was very blocky before. But that was to be excepted. What do you except with only so many polygons? Supposedly there are meant to be thousands of polygons on the new Banjo's left nose alone.
But here I am talking about the two banjo as if they are different ones. They are one and the same. The game is set 10 years after the last outing on N64. The same amount of time between releases in the real world. This also means that Rare can't do do there signature "Push back the release date" that they are famous of. Maybe that's why the games they have produced for Microsoft have been not the best they could of been.
Then again it could be just me.
I am and I'm not looking forward to this new incarnation of the Bird and Bear duo. I am because as I've said, I loved the originals. I'm not because of Rares latest track record. If it turns out to be good then one game I would like to see them re-do is Jet Force Gemini. But I'll talk more about that game in another post.
Ice Koobs