web analytics
June 20, 2015   E3 2015, E3 Microsoft, PlayerEssence Original Content, Xbox One   40 Comments

Is RARE back? RARE’s Chris Davies Thinks so with RARE Replay & Sea of Thieves | E3 2015 Interview

Rare Replay IE3 MS

I had the fortunate opportunity to speak with RARE’s Chris Davies about RARE Replay and Sea of Thieves for Xbox One. Is RARE having a rebirth this year on Xbox One? Find out straight from the source at E3 2015 in this interview. Subscribe to PlayerEssence for more awesome E3 2015 coverage

Author: Francis@PE (18682 Posts)


, , , , ,
  • dead fanboy

    Rare is back in making actual games not Kinect stuff especially under the leadership of Phil Spencer.

  • ActivesiN

    this is awesome, glad to see Rare making strides to coming back to form
    Rare Replay is an awesome bundle, Nintendo fans should be happy this exists but I guess since its not on Wii U some of you guys just want to cry instead lol

    Great Interview Francis

    • Max Patterson

      My problem though is that they’re relying on nostalgia. If they wanted to really prove themselves they’d create a new Banjo game or Battletoads game not just re-release them.

      • john smith

        Rare Reply is pure fan service in case you haven’t figured that one out. Sheesh!

  • Marc Duarte

    They show one game that looks promising and Rare is back from the dead? Don’t make me laugh. It’ll take a lot more than that to match the greatness of classics like Goldeneye and Banjo-Kazooie. I played both to death collecting/unlocking everything, so I know how high they set the bar. Without the original talent that made Rare great back in the day, the chances of them ever reaching that bar again are pretty much zero. The sun has long since set on Rare. They’re now nothing more than a shell of their former self. Accept this truth and move on.

    • http://playeressence.com/ PlayerEssence

      Lol, cause Sea of Thieves is already out right? And Rare Replay sucks. 30 games for $30 is horrible. Let’s wait and see. I work in the industry to cover games, so how about you move on while I cover them.

      • Marc Duarte

        I never said Rare Replay sucks. All I said is that it’s going to take a lot more than one decent game for the Rare brand to be revived. Don’t be putting words in my mouth please.

        Since we’re on the topic, I fail to see anything impressive about taking a bunch of games that already exist and packaging them up for sale. Now if Rare actually made all of them while they were with Microsoft, then you’d have something to boost about. And the only reason why they’re so cheap is probably cause of M$ eating up the cost. Everyone knows they’ve got plenty of money to throw around in order to try to dominate the videogame industry, since they clearly lack the talent to do so on their own merit, like Nintendo.

        • http://playeressence.com/ PlayerEssence

          And who said anything about the “RARE brand being revived”? All I said in the interview is they are back to making games the core gamer will enjoy.

          If you listen to the interview, you’ll see RARE Replay has a bunch of cool features like Snapshot challenges, online leaderboards, unlockables and more. It not just a simple collection of games.

  • Matthew Wesley

    I’ll answer your (rhetorical) question Francis… No, RARE is not back.

    • http://playeressence.com/ PlayerEssence

      We’ll see about that 😀

      • Matthew Wesley

        10 years of Kinect games and Perfect Dark Zero, Banjo Kazooie Nut’s and Bolts, Conker Live and reloaded (those latter 3 made before the mass exodus of the talent of RARE Ware); in which the quality of those games are a far cry from what they had in 1995-2000… I’d say the odds of you being right are equal to you winning big against the house in vegas. It could happen, but not F’ing likely.

        • http://playeressence.com/ PlayerEssence

          And whose fault was it they had to make Kinect games? Don Mattrick and the old leadership. Phil Spencer is doing things differently obviously. I’m not saying RARE is going to be as good as they were back then, I’m saying they are back to providing some games the core gamer will enjoy.

          That’s what people don’t understand because of their pure distain for RARE in this interview. NOBODY, me or Chris Davies said “RARE is back to where they were in the N64 era”

          So I don’t know why you are assuming I said that or it was implied. However, its FACT that RARE is back to providing gamers a core experience with RARE Replay and Sea of Thieves.

          • Matthew Wesley

            I’m paraphrasing here but “… it’s FACT that RARE is back to providing gamers a core experience with RARE Replay and Sea of Thieves.”

            This is the crux of your position, and since it is the linchpin of your argument (not an emotional argument but a debate argument), I’ll rise to the challenge of debunking it.

            RARE Replay is a collection of old RARE games, correct? Who worked on those games and are they still with the company? I already know the answer to my rhetorical question (an old debate tactic- always know the answers to your questions), no one. So we have a studio with a proven track record of mediocrity (of the last decade, because I’m liberally giving them their 2001-2004 run of games, bad as they were) releasing relatively good games from back in the day… made by more talented developers… when the Studio was better operated (i.e. not owned by Microsoft). Essentially speaking, RARE is plagiarizing the work of better developers (I am aware of the fact that RARE- the Studio owns the ip’s, I mean in spirit) who no longer work at RARE in order to regain their place as a great 2nd party- no, first party developer, because Microsoft owns them now. It feels cheap, like a hack artist using someone else’s work to promote themselves- oh wait, that’s exactly what it is.

            Second, Sea of thieves? Seriously? Francis, after the critical eye you gave StarFox Zero, a game that’s being made on a custom engine, you’re giving a pass to a game using Project Spark assets? Really? It looks good, even when it looks like a slightly more refined version of the micro transaction laden Project Spark Pack-in game, Chronicles? Come on, man! If you seriously feel that way, fine, but we are entitled to being skeptical after a decade (actually- 11 years) of crap from them. It’s only obvious- would you let a crackhead, who had been on crack for 11 years in your house? Even if they’ve promised they were going straight multiple times, and every time they lied and stole money out your wallet, stole your stuff and sold it for crack (in this analogy- the Crack Head is RARE)? Come on man, you don’t trust someone who has screwed you over multiple times just because they say the right things and a few tentative actions! The proof is in the pudding Dude!

            *This is a spirited debate and writing it is laborious (I write so much in grad school and running my business I don’t want to do it talking about my hobby) let’s debate it. You pick the time and we’ll do it over Google plus.We can hit Fallout too.

          • http://playeressence.com/ PlayerEssence

            Red Fox, we can just agree to disagree then. I think RARE bringing back the games we knew and loved is good. Maybe they can learn a few things. And Sea of Thieves looks promising. Let’s not jump to conclusions here.

          • Matthew Wesley

            Jump to conclusions… you jumped to conclusions on Star Fox Zero (“The game looks average”)… a game being made by a studio with a track record of awesome (Platinum) games in conjunction with Shigeru Miyamoto (does the man need an introduction)… but ME jumping to conclusions about a game being made by a studio (RARE) that has made less than stellar games for 10 years is taboo?! RARE (a Studio that has been bad for years- Pre Don Mattrick) can get a pass, but Platinum/Nintendo (Platinum was the Talent at Capcom in regards to their action games and Nintendo combined with Shigeru = Magic) get’s strictly critiqued? That seems unequal to me… but what the hell do I know, I’ve been playing Rare games for almost 25 years.

          • http://playeressence.com/ PlayerEssence

            Ok Red Fox. OK. I’ve seen and Played Star Fox. It looks average it plays ok, but needs work.

  • PRIMUS

    Playtonic is the real Rare.

    • http://playeressence.com/ PlayerEssence

      Playtonic is Playtonic and Rare is Rare.

      Just like Monolith Soft or Mistwalker are not the real Square Enix. Monolith Soft is Monolith Soft and Mistwalker is Mistwalker.

      • Matthew Wesley

        I disagree… the people who made the RARE games that people love are now at Playtonic. The same thing with Monolith Soft and Mistwalker in regards to Squenix. A studio/business is not a name, it’s the people in it. Once the people who have the technical know how are gone- that company isn’t what it was. Names the same, but the product is different. I refer you to this article:

        http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-08-who-killed-rare

        and this article:

        http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wiiu/xenoblade-chronicles-x/0/0

        On the second article, don’t read the interview, but read the staff descriptions… notice something? The people who used to work at Squaresoft making some of their (Square Soft’s) games are at Monolith Soft… heck, the battle coordinator is the same guy who made Chrono Triggers battle system. It’s no coincidence that Squenix can’t make a good rpg to save their life after people like this left. You made an earlier comment that the game (Pirate’s Tale… or whatever the name is) looks better than the Kinect games they’ve been making… fair enough, but I’ve sneezed things into handkerchiefs that looked better than the Kinect games Rare’s been making. Your excited about Rare… fair enough, but let us have our skepticism… RARE (as they’ve been under Microsoft) has earned it.

        • http://playeressence.com/ PlayerEssence

          Once again Playtonic is Playtonic and RARE is RARE. I don’t call Mistwalker Square Enix, and I don’t call Monolith Soft, Square Enix.

          • Matthew Wesley

            Francis… you can call it whatever you want, if the talent that gives a company its signature style leaves and the subsequent output of the company is drastically inferior after the fact- that company, despite its moniker, it is not what it once was. It’s akin to that old philosophical question, “If you have a ceremonial knife, but it has had over 70 percent of it replaced with newer parts as pieces of it fell prey to time, is it the same knife?”… I’m saying no, you’re saying yes.

          • http://playeressence.com/ PlayerEssence

            So what you’re saying is its ok to call Mistwalker and Monolith Soft Square Enix, despite those companies being uniquely their own?

          • Matthew Wesley

            They are uniquely their own, but THEY ALSO contain the talent that made those great Square Soft RPG’s are there at those studios, not at Squenix. Is it coincidence that Squenix can’t make a decent console rpg when the people who made those games aren’t there. The essence of that company is gone, so is it the same that it was? Aside from all of that, I never said they were Squenix, I called them Square Soft, and for all intents and purposes, the people who made those critically well received games (FF1-6, Chrono Trigger, FF7-10 [subjective but I’ll be lax in including it], and Xenosaga, Xenosaber when they initially left) ARE Square Soft- those people, that talent doesn’t exist at Squenix, so is it the same company? Once again, I ask you this question, if you have a crown and you’ve replaced 70 percent of it, is it the original crown? If it doesn’t retain the original properties of the original- it isn’t.

          • http://playeressence.com/ PlayerEssence

            Like I said, we’ll agree to disagree. This is going nowhere to be honest

          • gaugheyad_lives

            So I leave for a few days and return to find this? Instead of listening
            and taking anything that I said to you to heart you’ve decided to
            completely ignore me and dig your heels in even deeper.

            Another
            “article” with a “question” in the title. Whenever there’s a question in
            the title you always know the answer is NO. It’s CLICKBAIT… again.

            Why
            are you doing this? Why are you so obsessed with pushing your narrative
            and in being right? You do know that you’re driving people away that
            are willing to be honest and forthright with you and surrounding
            yourself with nothing but “yes” men, right? Is that really what you
            want? Apparently it is because that’s what you’re doing.

            If
            someone doesn’t agree with you you’re response is to tell them to get
            lost. No discussion. No admitting that you could be wrong. You’re right
            and they’re wrong because it’s your site. Well, then you need to be
            honest about that and tell people from the get go that you only want
            people who will support you unconditionally to be a part of it. Acting
            like you want to be inclusive and then telling people who don’t agree
            with you to get lost. You really don’t see the problem with that?

            Your
            inability to accept criticism has reach astronomically idiotic levels.
            What is so wrong about being wrong? Or… is it all about the money now?
            You’re principles collapse as soon as you start seeing $$$ or
            something?

            I moved to this site a couple years ago from
            goNintendo because I was sick and tired of the clickbaiting and
            constant, pointless Nintendo bashing there. Someone pointed me here from
            there directly. I read some of the articles, read some of the
            discussions, and realized that yes, this was a much better community.
            And everything was fine… for a while.

            Then this community
            started falling apart because the one running it decided to start following in the footsteps of some other far
            more unsavory sites. Was it out of pride? Greed? Fear? I don’t know. I
            was here when the fervor over you supposedly censoring people was going
            on. If you’re afraid of that happening again then you can’t maintain a
            community at all. By having a site in the first place you’re putting
            yourself in the cross-hairs of any idiot out there that decides they
            don’t like you for whatever reason.

            Whatever it is, you’re either
            letting it ruin this site or you’re finally letting your true colors
            show. I don’t know which it is. I do know that this was a great site for
            quite a while and then all of a sudden you started becoming very
            antagonistic towards anyone who wasn’t willing to toe your line.

            NO, Rare is not back.
            NO, x86 has nothing to do with the Wii U not getting 3rd party support.
            NO, you are not always right.

            I
            don’t know if you’ve been going through some serious personal problems
            or what but you’re tearing your own site apart. If you’re interested in
            actually discussing what’s going on then I’m here for you. But right
            now…

            You need to take a BIG step back and look at your actions
            over the past several months. If you can see yourself honestly you’ll
            realize that something is wrong.

            No, I’m not returning to your site, that can’t happen the way things are right now. I’m just giving you some advice.

          • http://playeressence.com/ PlayerEssence

            OMG, not this dude again. Please do not let the virtual door hit you on the way out. I don’t care if you come to my site or not. But I do find it funny that you say that I need to look over my action when you called Jturner a “Moron” over his honest opinion.

          • gaugheyad_lives

            If you want to talk face-to-face I am available today but if you act aggressive I’ll cut you off in a heartbeat. If you’re so interested tell me where, when, and how. You need a good talking to.

            Right now I don’t have any communications software on my computer since I tend not to chat with people. I’ve had too many bad experiences to worry about it. However, since you want to talk so badly I’ll download and install whatever you prefer.

            Just let me know.

          • http://playeressence.com/ PlayerEssence

            1. Don’t threaten me on my own site.

            2. I gave you multiple opportunities to talk to me, but I’ve seen how you talk to people on this site. You called JTurner a moron, to be honest, that was an asshole move, and you know it. So don’t talk to me about “acting aggressively”
            3. I need a good talking to? Cut the BS dude, This “TALK” will just turn into a big argument if there is no focus.

            So you can download Google Plus or sign up for an account. We can talk about x86, RARE, how I address users on the site, how you think I’m pushing a narrative just by talking with my users.

            We’ll bring on Shadow Fox Infinite and Shokio for this discusion about tech. And I’ll set the date and time. We work on my time, not yours dude. I got a lot of E3 coverage to do. So lets set a tentitive date for July 4th

  • Emufred

    Well what else was the guy supposed to say?

    No were not making a coming back? Microsoft shot down most of our ideas?

    He has to unconditionally stay positive or he gets canned

    Sorry but this is PR.

    • http://playeressence.com/ PlayerEssence

      Did you watch the interview? He actually never said RARE is making a comeback at all. I said that.

      There is nothing PR about his reponses to be honest. RARE Replay is exactly what he said it is. I played it for about 20 minutes with various games. Why should he not be positive about RARE Replay or Sea of Thieves? Everyone at the show loved RARE Replay and Sea of Thieves looks a heck of a lot better than the Kinect stuff they were doing.

  • CapableTie

    30 games for $30 is pretty impressive. I hope RARE pulls through with their new game, I will stay cautiously optimistic about it.

    • Mythosa

      I actually think it looks fairly good. Not sure about pirates… Little late to the party. Would be better if it were space pirates. On my RAREdar though 😛

  • Max Patterson

    Yeah no, anyone can port old games to a system and Sea of Thieves just looks meh.

    • Prütsa

      agreed.

    • CapableTie

      One dollar per game puts virtual console prices to shame. I hope it does well, they deserve it with that kind of value.

  • TheBowelsOfTrogdor

    You know, after Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was released, I always wanted a pirate game without a nonsense story. Just pirates being pirates.

    I honestly did not expect RARE to be the one to take on that task. Sure, there have been games like it in the past, but they all had glitches galore. And as much as I don’t like the direction RARE has been in since Microsoft’s acquisition, one thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that their games at least work right out of the box.

    So for what it’s worth, I should thank RARE. It’ll be a long while before I upgrade to Windows 10, but I’ll definitely keep an eye on this game.

    • john smith

      The whole “Microsoft destroyed Rare” thing is has gotten old. Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero, Viva Pinata, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and bolts, Conker: Live and Reloaded are all great games that were on the 360 and now Sea of Thieves and Rare Replay. Rare are just fine the way they are.

      • Matthew Wesley

        Noticed you left out that sea of Kinect games and grabbed by the ghouilies eh?

        • john smith

          I listed Rare games that I played on the 360 that were enjoyable. So what, Rare did some shitty little Kinect games big whoop! Don’t see how that tarnishes their ability to make great games. If Sea of Thieves proves anything it’s that Rare are back to being Rare and that’s good for everyone.

          • Matthew Wesley

            Which RARE… Donkey Kong Country 1,2, and 3, Killer Instinct 1 and 2, Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie, DK64, GoldenEye and Perfect Dark, Jet Force Gemini and Dinosaur Planet RARE? Because that RARE is gone and it is never coming back… ever. You can have and keep Kameo, PDZ, Viva Pinata (I like that game and it’s sequel… but that game was made by RARE original team), Nut’s and Bolts, Conker Live and Reloaded (it’s censored dude!) and Kinect *insert name* RARE. They’re all yours… I won’t hog that studio from you.

            *I’m digging the Max Headroom Pic, it’s awesome.