During the very early days of gaming, Rare was one of those gaming developers that everyone seemed to enjoy playing games from and rightly so. Originally, they made games for Nintendo platforms which was a very successful run with original games and licensed ones (the latter of which are not part of this compilation for obvious reasons) and then moved over to Microsoft who as we all know, didn't really do them any favours later on. After many years of being out of the gaming scene, Rare return for their 30th anniversary and give us this compilation of 30 of their many games which also include some during their time as Ultimate Play The Game. So let's get on with what could be, a very long review so do bear with me:
These games are in no particular order and keep in mind that Rare have done countless games and these are just 30 of their huge library of games. The reviews of each game will be in bite sized chunks so if you're after a more in depth review of them, check out other gamers' reviews of the games.
Jetpac
So of all consoles that you may have heard of, one that is quite unknown to many of us, is the ZX Spectrum. This would be where Ultimate Play The Game (now known to the world as Rare) would kind of begin their series of games on old computer platforms and the first of these games, is Jetpac. A straight forward game about building rockets to get out of sticky situations with some side scrolling platforming gameplay thrown into the mix. As one of the company's earliest games, I admire their good attempt at the game, but playing it felt a bit frustrating with all these enemies scattered around and its not very user friendly if you're going into this with little to no gaming experience. 5/10
Atic Atac
Next up is a flip screen game in which you play one of 3 types of presumably medeval classes such as a knight or a wizard and you're tasked with finding a key. Seems simple enough and I actually did find some enjoyment in this for however little this game is. Its again, not easy, but there is some imagination thrown in. Just wish it could've had more expansion thrown in. 6/10
Lunar Jetman
So the sequel to Jetpac is next to be reviewed by yours truly and its a very different game from before. You play as the astronaught from before and your tasked with finding and destroying alien bases, but you also have to defend yourself from said aliens. Its sounds straight forward at first, but going into it, its once again, not easy. But it builds upon the side scrolling from the first game so I'm grateful for that. Now if it could have some work done on the difficulty front, then I'd be very happy. 6/10
Sabre Wulf
This one is really confusing and I spend a lot of time getting lost. Its mean't to be a game about escaping this jungle of sorts and defending yourself from enemies as you go. Which would be fine and all, if there was some kind of map to go with it. But this developer I'd say at this point, was still learning so yeah. 5/10
Underwurlde
So we now move onto the sequel to the game above which again, is all about survival, but this time, we're in some kind of hell where you only die if you fall from a great height. That part I like as it means that any enemy can't kill you, but can still be an annoyance at certain points which doesn't help, but hey, what can you do. It also has some frogger like jumping action so thats good. Not a strong sequel, but it does build upon the things that the last game had and made it better where it can. 6/10
Knight Lore
The third game in the Sabreman series, see's our hero trying to find ingredients to make a potion to help get this curse that he has somehow managed to get where he turns to a werewolf at a full moon (fortunatley unlike Sonic, this actually does work). The game this time is a 3D like game with puzzles and obstacles to tackle while you find these so called ingredients. It is a dramatic change from what the previous games have given us, but it is kind of fun and less stressful than the last 2 games and it was also widely regarded as a revolutionary game at the time of its release because of how it manages to depict a 3D enviroment which couldn't be done at the time because of the technology so great work there. 7/10
Gunfright
So the last game of Ultimate Play The Game's library of games that is in this compilation, comes in the form of a western in which you play as a sheriff tasked with finding outlaws and putting them in jail. It builds upon the 3D environment set in the game above and features its own shooting gallery as well as some humorous things as well (something of which would be a staple in many of Rare's games). Its fun, but can also be a bit annoying at times. 6/10
Slalom
Now I'm actually quite surprised that for a game on a Microsoft platform to have a game that is a port from its original release on a Nintendo platform (but obviously removing anything that is to do with Nintendo as a result of). So Ultimate the Game just weren't happy with their own games so the founders then formed the company Rare and it would go on to make a number of great games for Nintendo and Microsoft platforms and make a place in the hearts of gamers everywhere. Their first game during the Nintendo era as well as their first game under the Rare title, is a simple, snow skiing game in which you ski down a mountain avoiding as many obstacles as you can. It was fun and often made you think under pressure which I like. A great start for Rare I have to say. 8/10
R.C. Pro-Am
So after making a number of platforming games and a game with shooting and a game in the sports genre, Rare would then have a go at the racing genre and given that this came out way before Mario Kart, it was actually OK. The racing side of things feels very reminiscent of LEGO Stunt Rally which I played well before this game in which its shown from an angle. Not really anything to be excited about as its just racing with some customization thrown in (though quite limited due to Nintendo's limitations at the time). 5/10
Cobra Triangle
Now this is a game with variety. You control a speedboat and are given a variety of missions to take on, each being all to do with the speedboat and what one can do with such a water vehicle. This includes things like races, taking out mines, protecting swimmers and of course, taking on that sea monster on the game's cover. Its a lot of fun and further improves on 3D gaming using old graphics. 8/10
Snake Rattle 'n' Roll
One could argue that this is a case of what would happen if Centipede was good and was able to gobble up things like Pac-Man. That is pretty much what this game is. You play as the head of a snake and you gobble up objects to gain weight so that you can ring the bell at the end and move on to the next level. I like how Rare was able to combine the ideas of Centipede and Pac-Man together and it works really well here. Just wish the film Pixels could be better because they are both in it.7/10
Digger T. Rock
Now I don't quite understand MB being part of this game, but its nevertheless another one for Nintendo. So you play the role of a miner who digs his way through levels using anything that miners can use to get through places, with many enemies to tackle along the way. Its actually a pretty good game that has good visuals and pretty decent gameplay and its noted for how the character dies when he loses a life in which he slowly decays, leaving only his helmet and skeleton behind. 8/10
Solar Jetman
The third game in the Jetman series is another difficult one, but for very different reasons than before. In this case, you travel to different planets and use some kind of pod to find things to help your ship get to other planets. There are however, difficulties in doing this as you ahve to deal with the gravity on the planets and enemies that lurk in the caverns. If a pod is destroyed, the astronaut inside will come out. So yeah, its a difficult game, but if you love to cheat, there are cheat codes out there that can unlock all planets so that you can get through the game with ease. 7/10
Battletoads
But of course, in most cases, people would only get Rare Replay for their Battletoads, their Banjo-Kazooies and Conker and now we come to game that I have wanted to play for a very long time and I get the chance to do just that. So Rare wanted to make a game that could be used as a means to market toys and other merchandise, leading the game to become a franchise. The idea would sound a lot similar to a certain team of ninja turtles, but its toads instead of turtles. Battletoads is another game with variety where every level is something different. One level could be just battling enemies on the surface in a 3D like environment, whereas the next would have you go down a rope and the next would have you do a bit of racing. There is a lot of fun to be had here and I can see why Rare wanted to make a marketable franchise so bad and it paid off. 9/10
R.C. Pro-Am II
So its been a little while, so Rare decide to release a sequel to their racing game which after playing it, makes it be a lot similar to the first game, just with more tracks to race on than just the one and more easy to navigate menus for customization which is less limited than it was before and I like that. I think Rare may never be able to make a decent quality racing game, but this one I will say is fun where it can be. 7/10
Battletoads Arcade
So now we come to Rare's first game to originally be an arcade cabinet and has been made for this compilation. While the original game was good, Rare admitted that due to the limitations of the NES, that they couldn't really see their vision as they wanted it to be. So then came along this and it manages to be a great arcade game with some added humour and Mega Drive like graphics to make it all the more fun to enjoy and its great. 9/10
Killer Instinct Gold
Of all the games in this compilation, Killer Instinct while a good side scrolling fighting game, is the weakest of the lot because of its dated graphics and I guess, clunky controls. Its in no way a bad game, but I think Rare could've picked a better game of that series to go in this compilation because its just not as good as people would've wanted it to be. 4/10
Blast Corps
Games where its all about causing destruction is something that I enjoy, a lot and I wish there were more games like that because the Kinect would've done so well if the majority of games for it, were actually games that brings some of the gamers dreams to come true. In the case of Blast Corps, its not a Kinect game because it was a Nintendo 64 game before it got ported. But its all about destruction so I'm all for it. You control these many different vehicles as you go through a number of missions and do endless destruction as you go as and when needed. Its fun, can have some clunky controls at times, but its fun nevertheless. 9/10
Banjo-Kazooie
The best way to describe this game is think Super Mario 64, but with a bird and bear in the place of Mario, a female bear in the place of Peach and a witch in the place of Bowser. Welcome to Banjo-Kazooie. A game where you play as our titular heroes as they travel to rescue Banjo's sister from the clutches of Grunt the witch who wants to look beautiful and captures Banjo's sister to do just that. In the game, you learn a variety of moves that uses both characters to their full potential and collecting puzzle pieces, music notes and skulls is key into defeating the evil witch. But where the Super Mario 64 elements come in, is that you go into paintings which require puzzle pieces to do some platforming and finding all you need to get one step closer to the witch. Its actually pretty fun in the long run, but keep in mind that despite this being originally a N64 game, it will be running as an Xbox Live Arcade game and unlike most of the games listed here, its a separate game from Rare Replay, but it can still be launched from that game and this is only the first of these games to do that. 9/10
Jet Force Gemini
So for a while, Rare wanted to make a third person game with a sci-fi theme going into it. At the time, a third person game was unheard of and this game came around featuring that very thing. Being a Super Mario 64 meets Metroid game, it has the free roaming nature of the former with a sci-fi theme similar to the latter as well as taking inspiration from many popular films at the time of its release such as Star Wars, Alien and even Stargate. There's these 3 characters, a boy, a girl and their dog. Together, they make up the Jet Force Gemini team with their one goal to stop the evil Mizar and his hoards of drones from presumably conquering the galaxy. There's plenty of good stuff in the game, but there's a lot of bad stuff in it as well, such as fish food doing nothing more than to feed the fish with and the fact that you have to save every tribe member to get a 100% completion which can be hard work. Nevertheless, this game has its good moments and the art and presentation of the game look great. 8/10
Perfect Dark
Considered to be the spiritual successor to Rare's GoldenEye game (sharing many gameplay elements of that game), Perfect Dark is Rare's attempt at doing an espionage game with a leading female protagonist called Joanna Dark (voiced by Rare composer and voice actor Eveline Fischer) who is an agent for the Carrington Institute. In the game, she takes on a number of missions in the hopes of stopping a conspiracy by rival corporation dataDyne. Its basically you're average first person shooter with plenty of guns to use and some combat as well. It also features a multiplayer element as well. I got to be honest, I think this game is a good one for its time, but you actually start the game with no direction of where you need to go which makes things a little difficult especially if you don't have access to a walkthrough of the game. But when you do get to get going, it then just carries on from there. 7/10
Banjo-Tooie
Because Banjo-Kazooie was such a huge success for Rare, the idea of a sequel would be a no brainer and sequel is what we got. So Grunt has returned from where the heroes sent her and is out for revenge against them. To do this, she alongside her sisters, use some kind of big ray gun to destroy Banjo's world and so its up to our heroes to stop them. in my opinion, this is another one of those sequels done right. The levels are bigger, the stakes are higher and the challenges are harder. Unfortunately, Rare wanted this to be a very big game, but due to time restraints and the limitations that the N64 had, they can only go so far. But despite that, it is a very well made game that builds upon what made the predecessor great and make it even better and Rare did just that. 9/10
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Of all the games in this compilation, Conker's Bad Fur Day was the one that I really wanted to play more than anything else. Its basically what would happen if Banjo-Kazooie was made for mature audiences. The adult humour, the pop culture references and even the Great Mighty Poo make this game a gem as well as a cult favourite. Nintendo being a family friendly company were quite sceptical of this game, but ultimately saw its potential, advertised it and the game became a huge hit and got itself a cult following and even got a remake on the original Xbox. While we are waiting for the true sequel to this game (sorry Big Reunion), this game is a great one. You play as Conker who just wants to get home, but a number of things take place which have him collect money and start to drift off from getting back home. But little does he know that the king of the land wants Conker to be his table leg. Its a fun game and very funny too and perfect for film buffs and nerds everywhere and fans of Family Guy and South Park too. 9/10
Grabbed by the Ghoulies
The only game in this compilation to originally come from the original Xbox and also the first game to be published by Microsoft following their acquisition of Rare. The game is basically a child friendly horror surivival game in which you the player are tasked with rescuing your girlfriend from this mad professor who sends out a number of supernatural beings to take you down. Its a game that borrows elements from the Hanna-Barbara cartoons and also serves as a change of pace from what Rare normally make in their games.. You defend yourself from these beings and progress into the house to save not only your girlfriend, but other victims as well. Its an OK game with controls that will need time to get used to, but does have a fun element in there too. 8/10
Perfect Dark Zero
So after the success of the first game (from what I've been told anyway), Rare then began work on the second game which would serve as a prequel to the original game, but the premise would remain the same regardless. Unlike the first game, this one actually tells you what to do from the get go and while it was supposed to be a game for 5th gen platforms, it still looks pretty good on the Xbox One. Hard at times, but its OK for the most part 8/10
Kameo: Elements of Power
Originally serving as a launch title for the Xbox 360, this game follows the titular character Kameo as she attempts to stop her evil sister Kalus and the troll king Thron from doing evil shenanigans while also finding the 10 elemental warriors, return them to the Wotnot Book and gain the ability to become each of them, if she is to save her world from the forces of evil. Its an ok game that explores the many elements that one guardian can have to give to our hero and its fun which is important. 8/10
Viva Piñata
So all you Animal Crossing and Sims fans out there. This game is for you. After spending many years making platforming games and games tailored to the hardcore gamer, Rare then decided to have a go at making a game for the casual audience and this is what we got. A game which has you create a garden to attract animals that are called Piñatas and you have to make the garden as beautiful as you can and wipe out any rubbish that is left behind. And well that's the game in a nutshell. Well I mean you do get to give your garden objects like homes for the piñatas as well as seeds for it. Its not really the sort of game that I would play all the time, but if your thing, then go for it is all I can say. 8/10
Jetpac Refuelled
So after 24 years, Rare decided to make a remake to one of their very first games during their time as Ultimate Play The Game for a new generation of gamers which also includes the original game. The game has an overhaul of HD visuals and the gameplay of building a rocket and finding fuel to move to other planets while dealing with enemies, remains the same for the most part. It also has a multiplayer element as well as leaderboards and achievements (all are a first for the series). If I'm being honest, I find this game to be a big improvement over the original because of the difficulty being toned down and things being made a little bit more easy. Its also quite fun too. 9/10
Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
So there's not much to say about this game. Its basically the same as the first one, just with more Pinatas to discover and the whole idea of rebuilding the database that was keeping tabs on the Pinatas. That's pretty much it. I was expecting something better, but hey, if you're a casual gamer, then you'll find some enjoyment out of this, like you may have done with the first. But personally, its not for me. 5/10
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
So after eight years following what happened in the second game, Banjo becomes overweight, Kazooie is playing video games and Grunt is now just a head. The trio meet after so long and are about to fight until a being who calls himself the Lord of Games (L.O.G.) comes and has them be put up to a challenge whereby whoever wins, gets to rule the land that they came from. But realising that the 3 characters are in no fit state to battle, L.O.G. gives Grunt an artificial body and brings Banjo back to good health. Instead of their own powers and abilities, L.O.G. gives our heroes some new ones to replace those which come in the form of riding and making vehicles, using the force in some form and going all Super Mario Sunshine/Galaxy on us. Yeah this is basically those two games, but with Banjo and Kazooie in the place of Mario. Its visually stunning, its full of break the 4th wall jokes all around and its more fun than the first two which is great 9/10
So just when you think its all over, think again. Not only do we get to play all these great games, but through the means of getting achievements, you can delve into the bonus content which explores Rare's history and background as well as the making of some of our favourite games and games that were never released, among other stuff too. Unlike most compilations, this is one of the few I like because it gives you a reason to play the games and go through them for as long as you can if you want to know more about Rare. It even borrows some elements of NES Remix too. 9/10
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