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"All Rared up..."

Getting well over 7 months now since the rumour began, since Rare first release their little Christmas card that has created rumours about hatred towards Nintendo, Activision and Microsoft and whilst I’ve said many things in the past this is my final and definitive opinion on the subject.

The initial spark was created by Rare’s all so friendly Christmas card with mascot Mr. Pants dressed in Christmas gear. At the back of the card there was a Gamecube, a Gameboy Advance, An X-box and a PS2 and this was apparently a subtle hint that Rare are going Multi-format. What rubbish, an empty Christmas tree if the oh so tiny Gamecube and GBA was all that was under it, Rare’s artists sent this to gaming websites so familiar gaming objects are placed under the tree… what’s the problem here exactly? I’m not going to comment on the my friend said that his friend who works for Activision was in discussion about buying out Rare because it is pointless instead I’m going to fast forward it all to the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3).

The rumour mill began to turn again when Rare didn’t really show, where was Perfect Dark 0, this is a perfect time to show the game or maybe even a brand new Conker/Banjo or Killer Instinct title? What makes it worse current titles such as Kameo: Elements of Power and Donkey Kong Racing weren’t there either and were in fact removed from Nintendo’s release list. In fact to add more to the tidal wave of rumours Nintendo’s announced a new Donkey Kong game (Donkey Kong +) that isn’t being made by Rare!!! Whilst some people may run around chanting “The end is nigh” I know full well if Rare hadn’t sent that card 5 months prior, no one would’ve battered an eye lid. Meanwhile they did, and so I will try and bring those Armageddon scaremongers down to earth, just for a minute. One plausible reason for Rare’s almost absence has been commented upon recently, Internet. Nintendo’s Internet plans are being kept very secretive, now Mario Kart could be one but lets look at the absent Rare titles. Perfect Dark 0, how can you top Perfect Dark’s multiplayer, make it ONLINE! How about Kameo? Well the chances of a Pokemonline aren’t looking too good, after all how many children play online gaming? But Kameo is a more mature Pokemon game, an Online one would be perfect and with the ability to raise your animal in Donkey Kong racing an online option could well be planned.

So could these games be absent due to Nintendo’s desire to keep their online games under wraps? Well I’m going for the more likely reason. Starfox Adventures was there in full force and will probably be the only Rare title to be released this side of E3 2003 and is one of Nintendo’s big titles of the year. Why would Nintendo or Rare at that matter try and overshadow it? Imagine if a new Perfect Dark game was announced by Rare, Starfox? WHO CARES!!!! Why announce another major title like Conker if you don’t want it to grab the headlines? It is Nintendo’s biggest software line up, Mario, Metroid and Starfox… Nintendo don’t want to overshadow these with games set for a late 2003 release. Those can wait for next year and you have to remember that Starfox was really being pushed at E3 and yeah there was little else from Rare but there was no multi-format announcement either! So what about Donkey Kong +, the game with the connectivity to the GBA. Donkey Kong games be it racers or Platformers are made by Rare bar the original barrel jumping adventures that shot Shigeru Miyamoto to super stardom. And that style of game is exactly what is being made, it is Nintendo being at their retro best and not only would a game like this be pointless for Rare to make but Nintendo have made it before, as they say if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Rare’s jammed packed schedule will be hard enough for them to cope with as it is and the addition of a small game like this isn’t exactly what they need. Donkey Kong + is Nintendo’s attempt to sell the Gamecube to GBA connection again, the fact Donkey Kong is in it at all is simply to sell copies.

So now 7 months down the line I’m getting fed up of worrying weather or not Nintendo’s best second party developer are going multi-format or not. Just when I felt I can relax and look forward to Rare’s future releases some guy will say something that’ll prompt stupid magazines like XBM that can “finally reveal” that Perfect Dark is coming to the X-box. Do they never learn you shouldn’t put rumours on the front covers of your magazines, you’re putting other third party magazines like X-gamer and NGC to shame! So are Rare going multi-format? No, unless they tell me otherwise.

Dringo.

Actually more than 2 it was who left the Goldeneye team, i said it was 2 before but it wasnt it was 2 MAJOR members including the head designer David Doak.

Sibs wrote:
quite a few of the people who
> developed Goldeneye decided they wanted to form their own company to
> develop games, and they went on to make Timesplitters,


Strafex wrote:
> Quite a few...
>
> If quite a few means 2! :-D


erm...

*Sibs respectfully declines to commment...*

But still the fact remains that people in Rare could have gone off to join Free Radical Design if they fancied going multi-format.

And all those PlayStation magazines made it sound like half of Rare had joined Free Radical Design... 'From the makers of Goldeneye...' and all that about Timesplitters...

Sibs wrote:
>
> Also, we mustn't forget about Free Radical Design (one of the factors
> I think has been sorely missing from the 'Rare going multiformat'
> rumours) because after Goldeneye, quite a few of the people who
> developed Goldeneye decided they wanted to form their own company to
> develop games, and they went on to make Timesplitters,

Quite a few...

If quite a few means 2! :-D

Apparently Nintendo itself, "As with" Starfox Adv' are involved with the production of Kameo.

phew. thankgod it was just a rumour

Elite Chaos wrote:
> Last I heard Rare arent making DK racing and Kameo anymore?

Err... that's bollards. They're both still in production.

Last I heard Rare arent making DK racing and Kameo anymore?

SMÉAGOL wrote:
> Nice comments Dringo, twice ; )
> I made my "own" comments regarding the Rare matter felt at
> Cube-Europe, under my old SR Username of Wolfhound for all to see : ).

Heh, I saw that, and Dringonimator's too.

Nice comments Dringo, twice ; )
I made my "own" comments regarding the Rare matter felt at Cube-Europe, under my old SR Username of Wolfhound for all to see : ).

I didn't know the first few FF were made by Nintendo aswell. Wow, they are such a class company - the king of RPGs.