Microsoft, You Stripped Rare Of Its Soul, Talent, and Great Developers, It’s Time To Let Them Go
By: Furious Francis – owner & editor- in- chief
(Win Assassin’s Creed 3 contest here)
A lot of you guys might be too young to remember, but at one point Rare used to be the Retro or Naughty Dog of the gaming industry. Rare made classics on the Super Nintendo like Donkey Kong Country and Killer Instinct. Innovative, moving, and graphically superior to 99% of the other SNES games. Rare defined the mid 90′s for graphically enhanced Super Nintendo Games. Rare was not done there though. Rare somehow followed up Donkey Kong and Killer Instinct with a game that defined console first person shooters, 007 GoldenEye on the Nintendo 64. Local multiplayer was popular in the late 90′s but GoldenEye redefined local multiplayer and proved consoles can do first person shooters just as good as PCs. No way Rare could top GoldenEye on the N64 right? Hell Yeah they did. Rare followed up GoldenEye with Perfect Dark that introduced multiplayer bots on a console game. The customization, level of depth, and sheer amount of content packed into Perfect Dark on the N64 made it one of the greatest shooters of all time. Bots in multiplayer are common now, but back in 1999/2000 it was unheard of. I was blown away to say the least. Here is the funny thing, I’m not finished with what Rare accomplished when Nintendo owned them. Banjo-Tooie & Kazooie anybody? How about Conker’s Bad Fur Day? The list goes on and on. It seemed like Everything Rare developed turned into gold. The name “Rare” was very fitting, Rare truly earned that name. However, something evil or some would say sinister happened. In 2002, Microsoft decided to purchase Rare for $375,000,000. Wait, I’ll write it again, $375,000,000! This was the beginning of the end of the Rare we all knew and loved.
It started out with Perfect Dark Zero on the Xbox 360. Uninspired, boring, and soulless. Perfect Dark Zero did not live up to its predecessor. The controls were a bit of a mess too, which was surprising for Rare game. It’s been all downhill since that game. These days Microsoft has Rare making Kinect crap and Avatar stuff. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Microsoft, why did you guys do this to Rare? WTF is Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts? Nobody wants to play that crap. Give us a real Banjo game. So for the next round of consoles, Microsoft please sell Rare or let them go. Microsoft has proven they can’t develop their studios as well as they used to. Bioware and Bungie are gone, out of Microsoft’s clutches. Now it’s time for Microsoft to let Rare go and be the company they used to be. Maybe if Rare goes independent again all of former talent that left the company will return. It’s too bad it came to this Microsoft, but your time with Rare should have been up long ago. When current and former employees start doubting their own abilities and questioning their bosses leadership, it’s time for a change. How should Microsoft go about letting Rare leave?
Well first, Microsoft should test the market for Rare. Microsoft should see if Nintendo would take them back. Nintendo has Retro, who at this point, is 100x better than Rare so that might be out of the question. Rare has developed their casual game making skills so maybe they are doomed to stay in that space? I don’t see the benefit of Rare staying with Microsoft. What has Rare accomplished since joining Microsoft? What award winning games have they made like Donkey Kong Country, Killer Instinct, and GoldenEye? None, none at all. Microsoft stripped Rare of their heart and soul. Its time Microsoft realizes it’s over. There is nothing Rare can do for Microsoft after they have been sapped of their creative juices and talent. Any developer can make Kinect and Avatar shit. I understand Microsoft has a business to run but at this point Microsoft needs to do what’s best for Rare and the gamers. Rare staying with Microsoft is clearly not the answer.
What do you guys think? Remember when Rare was great? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
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I couldn't disagree with you more. They may have not released any games that have won a ton of awards, but Rare's Kinect games have been selling well, making Microsoft money. Why would they let that go, what kind of business sense is that? No, it's not time for Microsoft to let Rare go, it's time for gamers to let Rare go.
What gamers should do however is supporting the group of former Rare employees that are trying to get the team that made Banjo Kazooie back together in order to make a spiritual successor to it, in hopes that they will form a studio new studio that can give that same quality experience that Rare once delivered.
Any developer can make Kinect games that sell. Rare isn't some super team that can only make good kinect games for Microsoft. Microsoft could easily sell Rare and get some other team to do it. Come on, These are the same guys who made Killer Instinct, Banjo, Goldeneye, Donkey Kong Country, some of the greatest games of all time and this is what there doing now? Its pitiful.
you right. and thats all there is to it.
Yeah, this kinect shit is horrible. Rare used to be one of the greatest companies ever….. now they just suck
You are a fool. Rare was incredible and Microsoft destroyed them. The author of this article could not be more correct. Anyone who disagrees is painfully ignorant, and we should steer a wide course around them.
Rare went from Goldeneye to kinect sports….. enough said
Rare is definitely in the top 3 of big companys that got run down by the Redmond suits who think they still know it all.
Rare needs to go solo or go to the likes of Nintendo/Sony's 1st party studios that are allowed to experiment more with new ideas other than lets create this game where we spawn & shoot people with new maps and lets make that race game from last year again guys ! YEAAAAAAAA
Unfortunately, most of Rare's true talent has moved on or under lived their golden age.
Thank you MS for my dead brick
Thank you MS for charging me to play online and use my free services
Thank you MS for no KI
: (: (
But this is the age we live in
LOL. Couldn't have said it better myself
So true to the point it makes me sick they haven't made one hit since joining Microsoft when I was a kid all I had to see was that golden R and it was being bought how do you go from making the donkey kong country to 007 golden eye to now making avatar items Microsoft sucks let them go I beg of you
Im right with you. Its a slap in the face of gamers everywhere. That Golden R meant quality. It meant awesome. Micosoft is horrible for what they did to Rare. Im even considering not buying their next console cause of this.
actually banjo kazooie nuts and bolts and viva pinata were great. the problem isn't they made those games instead, its that they don't make real games at all anymore.
kinect crap is crap and has been since the start. avatar stuff is worthless, it probably takes a day for a competent programmer to make an avatar item.
Personally, I blame perfect dark zero on the fact that it was a new console, and probably a little rushed. baring that, the games the real games they make are great, viva pinata was fun and unique, banjo nuts and bolts was freaking awesome.
Yes we need a new perfect dark, and banjo kazooie sequel, we all loved conquers bad fur day as well and it IS microsofts fault, but it didn't start when they bought them out, it started when MS started focusing on kidnect and avatar garbage.
Well said, but Microsoft needs to set a better example for them. But I honestly feel Rare needs to be let go from Microsoft.
Kameo and Viva Pinata were both great games. If you didn't buy them then shame on you.
Those were good games not great. Nobody is going to put Kameo or Viva Pinata in the same league as Killer Instinct, GoldenEye, Donkey Kong Country, Conkers' Bad Fur Day, Diddy Kong Racing, or Perfect Dark. I see what your saying but its like compairing Michael Jordan to Paul Pierce there both good but one is clearly on another level.
I have to disagree…. Rare were one of the greats, games a lot of us played, loved and enjoyed. The sad truth is that the majority of the ttalent that made Rare had left long before Microsoft bought them over. Like a lot of games companies it is not the name that makes the game but the people behind it. If those people are no longer there you cannot rely on a name to make a game great. Rare had their day like a lot of companies had. No one stays at the top forever. Even Naughty Dog are starting to lose their edge. Let's hope for more fresh ideas and creativity from all teams and not just rely on those that used to be great.
Thats not 100% true. Rare had talent leave when Microsoft took over that a fact. Rare made great games like Conkers Bad Fur day in 2001 and was bought in 2002. Click on the link in the article where it talks about an ex-employee saying this wouldn't have happened to Rare if they were under Nintendo's control. Many employees have stated they left because of Microsoft.
The owner and editor-in-chief of a media website should 1) understand headline capitalisation 2) realise that the opening paragraph of a story should not be more than 23 words (that's what us journalists are taught in university. It's literally the first lesson of the first class) and 3) understand that you have to be precise with facts.
Nintendo only owned 49 per cent of Rare. That is not "owning them"(companies are not people, BTW, it should be "owning it"). That is "having a large stake in the company"
But more than anything else, the editor-in-chief of a website should understand that a journalist needs to be able to write properly before they even comprehend trying to articulate an opinion piece.
This article is yet another textbook example of why games journalism is in the doldrums.
Read the article and stop worrying about capitalisation. Seriously the opening paragraph shouldn't be more than 23 words? Dude this isn't journalism class. Nintendo owned 49 percent of Rare…. and your point? That was 49% more than Microsoft owned before they runied Rare. The opinion piece gets the point across just fine. You just don't agree with it and are trying to be a smartass to voice your displeasure. I'll put it very basically, Microsoft purchased Rare, then Rare's games started to suck. By editor-in-chief Furious Francis.
@ Jamx…
Did u really just say that Naughty Dog is losing their edge? Seriously?
That is the stupidest shit ive ever heard.
Last of Us says hello!
Yeah I don't know what he's smoking.
Rare started to suck before Microsoft bought them, this article tends to forget the crap jobs they did for the gamecube which is the same reason they got sold. The main developers who were the brain of rare left after the perfect dark 1 was created
Ummm please list the "crap jobs" Gamecube games they made? Cause they only made one. Star Fox Adventures. Gamecube came out in 2001, MS purchased them in 2002. Not much room there for Gamecube games buddy.
My first love for Rare goes back to the 80's with RC Pro A.M. on the Nintendo Entertainment System! Yeah, I'm Ol'Skoo! But I agree with this 100%, I haven't seen or played any good game from Rare when Microsoft bought them out, but If Nintendo brings them back will Rare start making hits again? I don't think so, only because most of the talent is gone. I'm hoping that Rare will get it together…
Fond memories of that golden 'R' appearing on my 480i tv (que sound effect)… DK and KI were the pinnacle of SNES technology (save the Super FX2 endowed Yoshi's Isl.) With a meager CPU, comparatively weaker then even the Genny's 68000, these game tapped every chip in that grey box and bled it dry, a truly amazing achievement. Goldeneye 007 (and to a lesser extent, PD – as it asked too much of the humble N64) saved the N64 from complete dominance by Sony's wonder child in my eyes. Truly sad to see they've not been able to thrive creatively on Microsucks platform. As the Stamper Bros. and other key staff members have departed, Rare is Rare in name only. Even there logo has become a butchered mess. The answer? Announce KI3. We all want it. Let Rare go buck wild, and hell, put out an arcade model to boot if only for publicity. The 'R'eal gaming community WILL support you with our greenbacks and help foster your return to glory.
Microsoft never owned BioWare. They were actually independent but they had relations with Microsoft (Just like Insomniac with Sony).
Basically what im saying is Bioware's games were not on any other system. Microsoft published the games. So while they might have not legally owned them it was very close to it. But, I see what your saying.
I think you are all mistaken Rare killed themselves you have been mentioning triple A games from the Snes and N64 era where are the triple A games from the gamecube era so before you blame microsoft look at what triple A titles they released for gamecube and i dont think you will name many and then tell me who killed rare.Sorry about reposting i had to edit something and you cant edit your previous post.
Rare killed themselves? Rare was bought by Microsoft in 2002. They didn't have anytime to make any games for the Gamecube. The Gamecube came out in Fall 2001. Rare finished their last Nintendo Game with Conkers' Bad Fur day for the n64 in 2001. Its to my understanding they were put right to work on Viva Pinata and Kameo games for the Xbox 1 then moved to Xbox 360
You are all forgetting Rare's 1st piece of trash that went to MS after the buyout on the original X-Box…….Grabbed by the Ghoulies……and the last game they worked on for Nintendo before it was cancelled due to the buyout was Donkey Kong Racing.
Get your facts straight – Unreal had bots 2 years before Perfect Dark.
Unreal was on PC right? The article is talking about console shooters.
To the Author:
Learn about business, get your facts straight…This is a long-ass diatribe that sounds like an intelligent 6th grader wrote it. LOL, I suppose that is perfect for online media for the masses, but at least get your facts straight. There are so many stupid and thoughtless statements in here that I had to stop reading and post this halfway through.
Please inform me then.
I find your article to have extremely flimsy logic, with your logical basis all around the fact that a development studio switched companies. First of all, Microsoft does have have a reputation of being "evil mega publisher". They may have put some restrictions on Rare as a second party company, but that's expected of any publishing entity. I bet Rare was under similar pressure from Nintendo. I also think that Rare may have just lost their touch. Entities change, and some for better or worse. In regards to Kinect games, Kinect is new technology that has very limited development. Trying to make a Kinect game is harder than a traditional console game. You have completely new tech, new design practices to learn, UI is even a completely new beast. I imagine being one of Microsoft's main Kinect developers isn't the easy job it has been made out to be.
I just look at the facts. Under Nintendo's supervision Rare made Donkey Kong Country, Killer Instinct, GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie, and Conkers Bad Fur Day.
Under Microsofts supervision Rare has failed to make one game better or as good as Perfect Dark. The proof is in the pudding. Why did so much of Rare's top talent leave the company? Why do they constantly question Microsofts leadership? Now the great Rare, the company that made GoldenEye, is now making Kinect Sports.
What a load of bollocks this entire article is.
I particularly disagree with this idiot saying MS can't develop good 1st parties, when he doesn't even know what that is.
Bioware were never an MS first party, MS published the game, and therefore owned the publishing rights, Bioware went multiplatform to make more money, as the franchise garnered incredible success on the 360 and PC.
So that was a dumb comment by the author.
Bungie didn't want to make Halo anymore, but didn't want to leave the fans hungry, so they sold the rights to the IP to MS, MS created 343i, again, there was no deterioration of the quality of the games in this process.
Turn 10 are another example, Forza 2, 3 and 4 all have 90+ metacritics.
RARE's Banjo game on the 360 was actually good, you have no idea what you're on about. I agree I would like more RARE titles, and maybe MS did contribute to RARE making fewer games for the core, but to say MS can't control devs? LOL, bullshit to the nth degree.
Let's take a look at Sony, they closed Sony Liverpool, Zipper Interactive (makers of SOCOM and more), have had several games with ridiculously long dev times (GT5, KZ2 and The Last Guardian come to mind), and the latter isn't good, dev times over 3 years are bad and don't mean better games, case in point is that GT5 had a metacritic of 84, mediocre compared to Forza's 90+ standard.
Of course, because MS re-allocated (not even closed down) RARE we must call them evil, when Sony closed a crapton of studious they have, as well as ''losing'' Insomniac. I say ''lose'' because it's wasn't a loss, they wanted more money and went multiplatform, but this author considers devs going multiplat with quality games a loss, as he illustrated with the Bioware example.
All in all, you're a hypocrite.
This article is talking about Microsoft not Sony. Here are the facts.
1. Rare made some of the greatest games of all time before they were purchased by Microsoft. (Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye, Perfect Dark)
2. Since being purchased by Microsoft Rare has not made 1 game better or as good as Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie, and GoldenEye
3. Much of Rare's top talent left the studio because they did not like the direction Microsoft was taking the company
4. Rare, now a mere shadow of their former self makes crappy Kinect and avatar shit for Microsoft.
- These are the facts and Microsoft sucks ass for doing this to Rare.
This article is horse manure. Three points need to be made clear here:
1, Rare is a company for profit, they're in it for the money so if they do well then there's no evil being done and no need to feel sorry for them;
2, the quality of Rare games was down the hole during the GameCube days when they were bottlenecked with Starfox Adventures, M$ had nothing to do with the quality of their future games. In fact, Microsoft saved them by purchasing the company and paying for their jobs again. Mostly, it's Nintendo's fault that they went batshit and it all revolves around Dinosaur Planet/Starfox Adventures. Nintendo refused to greenlight a few projects, others went sour, their work on Dinosaur Planet for the N64 was recycled by Miyamoto's order into a Starfox game (you can tell by the last boss, WTF ANDROSS?) Because Rare was strangled by Nintendo, they couldn't make them money either so they were an expense that, in Ninty's eyes, needed to be sold off.
3, This article is focused on franchises and companies instead of the minds and hands that support and work at the companies and create the franchises. Anybody sorry how much Diablo III sucked by trying to live up to all the hype it generated? Have a look at Torchlight II, worked on by ex-Blizzard developers that worked on Diablo II. Everybody loved Goldeneye right? Anybody play Timesplitters? That was a good game. And Kinect sports aren't all that bad, it's just been resented by you lot because it's Rare behind the wheel, and for those that are interested it's been led by the same guy who worked on Diddy Kong Racing and Jet Force Gemini, both great games.
When Rare was under Nintendo's wing they made better games plain and simple. Rare didn't spend much time in the "Gamecube Era" Microsoft purchased them in 2002. Gamecube came out in 2001. Up until 2001 Rare was still developing Nintendo 64 games. They didn't have much time to do anything in the Gamecube era.
Look at what your saying dude. The team that made GoldenEye, Perfect Dark, Killer Instinct, and Donkey Kong Country is now making Kinect Sports and Avatar clothing….. seriously, Kinect Soports aint all that bad? What the hell are you smoking? Compaired to the games I listed above Kinect Sports is a flaming piece of crap.