February2022
Rumour A "Certain Super Spy" Could Return Within The Next Few Weeks
The name's...
Apparently, a "certain super spy" could be making a return in the coming weeks. This is according to VGC editor and former Playtonic Games writer Andy Robinson, who shared a message over on Twitter. While it's unclear who exactly this spy could be, one obvious guess is James Bond. Some have also referenced SNK's '90s release The Super...
Video Ex-Rare Staffers Kev Bayliss And David Wise Are Sharing Their Secrets On YouTube
Music and art combine
Not so long ago, we reported on the news that former Rare staffers Kev Bayliss and David Wise had formed 'Salmandos', an "exciting new project" that celebrates their careers in the industry. As part of this, the pair have created DK Creations, a YouTube channel that sees them sharing their secrets and generally looking back on...
January2022
News N64 Classic 'Blast Corps' Finally Gets The Official Merch It Deserves
Clear a path to the Fangamer store!
Those of you old enough to recall the early days of the N64 may well remember Blast Corps, a unique action title by Rare that sees you clearing a path in front of a runaway nuclear missile carrier. It's one of the more unique offerings in the N64 library, but it's also a game that seems to have been cruelly...
News Xbox Studio Rare "Immensely Pleased" About Banjo-Kazooie's Arrival On Switch
We've waited almost 24 years...
It was a bittersweet moment yesterday when Banjo-Kazooie arrived on the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack service. As fantastic as it is to see the UK developer's iconic duo return to a Nintendo platform after so long. It's now been nearly 20 years since Rare was acquired by Microsoft, and almost 24 since the...
News Banjo-Kazooie Is Available Now On Switch Online's Expansion Pack
Rare's iconic duo return
Update [Fri 21st Jan, 2022 01:45 GMT]: Banjo-Kazooie has now been added to NSO's N64 Expansion Pack service. Enjoy! Original article [Wed 19th Jan, 2022 01:30 GMT]: Xbox isn't the only one that has some exciting announcements to share this week. Nintendo (with the cooperation of Rare and Microsoft, we guess...) has just...
Video Here's A Graphics Comparison Of Banjo-Kazooie Running On Switch, Xbox And Nintendo 64
The bear and bird are back!
Banjo-Kazooie is being added to Nintendo's Switch Online 'Expansion Pack' service this week, and if you were wondering how it compares to past releases, YouTube channel GameXplain has uploaded a side-by-side comparison of the Xbox, Nintendo Switch and original Nintendo 64 version. Although there are fewer differences...
News GoldenEye 007 Is Getting A Digital Release On Xbox
Could a Switch release be happening soon?
It looks like Rare's seminal N64 shooter GoldenEye 007 is finally getting a digital re-release - but sadly not on a Nintendo system. True Achievements has picked up a new achievement list for the game, with 55 achievements adding up to a 1000 gamerscore. Some of the achievement images have leaked, too:...
December2021
Quick Beats Grant Kirkhope On How Batman Inspired Banjo-Kazooie
"I’ve used [those chords] a gazillion times, it’s in everything I write"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling...
News Banjo-Kazooie Is Getting Jiggy With Nintendo Switch Online In January
That's it, that's the tweet
Update: Nintendo of Europe and Nintendo of America have now tweeted the news, too. Guh-huh! Nintendo's official Japanese Twitter account has confirmed that Rare's N64 classic Banjo-Kazooie is joining the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack in January 2022. There's no exact date giv
November2021
News NES Classic Battletoads Is Getting A Physical Re-Release, But Only In Japan
Columbus Circle is launching a new version today
Battletoads is one of Rare's most beloved games from the NES era. An attempt to create a media brand that could rival the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Battletoads mixed platforming with side-scrolling combat, and is famous for its unforgiving difficulty level. It spawned several sequels (including a...
Random Forget Sealed Retro Games, It's Empty Boxes That Are The Hot Ticket Item Now
"Flat GoldenEye boxes could be the next form of currency"
There's been a lot of drama surrounding graded retro game sales recently, with many people claiming the whole thing is an elaborate scam. However, it would seem th
October2021
News N64 Classic GoldenEye 007 No Longer "Banned" In Germany, Could A Re-Release Be Coming?
Review process actively requested by "one of Nintendo's European partners"
Rare's legendary Nintendo 64 shooter GoldenEye 007 is believed to be stuck in licensing hell, but there's been a very exciting development in Germany that has now got fans wondering if it could finally be making a return. According to a number of sources, the game is no...
News Guh-Huh! Grant Kirkhope Has Released A Banjo-Kazooie Remix Album
And you can stream it right now
Banjo-Kazooie composer Grant Kirkhope has revisited the score for the N64 classic in a new album entitled Banjo Kazooie Rejiggyed. Comprised of 10 tracks, the album puts a new spin on classic tunes from Rare's 1998 3D platformer. You can listen to it on Spotify, Deezer,
September2021
News Banjo-Kazooie Is 'Coming Home' To A Nintendo Console Via Switch Online
Bayonetta's great and all, but B-K's back baby!
You could be forgiven for missing the biggest news buried in the latest Nintendo Direct — the real megaton that turned it into the finest 40-minute presentation Nintendo has ever assembled. No, we're not talking about a gameplay reveal for the elusive Bayonetta 3 or the long-awaited
August2021
Feature The Inside Story Of Mockumentary Sequel 'Bringing Back Golden Eye'
And it's all for a good cause
Rare's seminal N64 shooter GoldenEye 007 is coming up to its 25th birthday, and for a whole generation of players, it remains a pivotal experience in their gaming lives – a fact that was playfully acknowledged by Jim Miskell's 2017 'mockumentary' Going For Golden Eye, which focused on the fictional Golden Eye World...
Video Check Out This Fan-Made Remaster Trailer For Banjo-Kazooie
It looks good enough to play
Although Rare technically re-released an improved version of Banjo-Kazooie during the Xbox 360 generation, there are still many fans out there who have been wondering for many years now what a full-blown remaster of the first title would look like. YouTuber Project Dream has been working on a video series called...
News GoldenEye 007 Speedrunner Grabs A New Record With A Sneaky Trick
Licence To Skill
It may be almost 24 years since GoldenEye released on the N64 but, in the intervening decades the game's dedicated community of speedrunners has continued to challenge themselves to come up with the fastest times on various levels, blazing through enemy gauntlets as quickly as possible to create new World Record times. Regarded as...
June2021
Random This Penny Has Diddy Kong Engraved On Abe Lincoln's Shoulder
Diddy Kong 'graving
Well, here's a story to fill your random Nintendo ephemera quota for the day: someone has micro-engraved Diddy Kong onto a 1 cent coin. You know, as you do. As shown off by @VolksDK on Twitter, a friend (later identified in the Twitter thread) used a process known as 'ion milling' which apparently strips layers of atoms and...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #86 - Battletoads
Let's not be Rash
Welcome back to Box Art Brawl, our semi-regular retro box art poll to decide the best regional variants from two or more territories. Last time went on an epic JRPG Dragon Quest in celebration of the series' 35th anniversary. Following a spirited duel between North America and Japan, it was the caricatured beast from the East that...
May2021
News F4F Reveals Banjo-Kazooie Mumbo Jumbo And Crocodile Banjo Statue
Pre-orders are now live
Update [Wed 12th May, 2021 04:55 BST]: Following on from last week's teaser, First 4 Figures has now officially revealed its Mumbo Jumbo statue and a Crocodile Banjo one. Pre-orders are now live on the official F4F website. The Mumbo Jumbo statue will be available as a standard and exclusive edition. Crocodile Banjo can be...
March2021
News Rare Gives Us A Side-By-Side Comparison Of Banjo-Kazooie's amiibo And Totaku
Who wore it better?
Last week saw the arrival of three brand new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate amiibo. For many, the highlight of the lot was the release of Banjo-Kazooie - you know, the Microsoft-owned character. While we think the overall design of this particular amiibo is already fantastic, Banjo's creator, Rare, has now gone one step further,...
News "Going For Golden Eye" Is Getting A Sequel This Year, And It Will Be Free To Watch
Grant Kirkhope is supplying the music
Back in 2018, we had the absolute pleasure of watching an independent UK movie by the name of Going for Golden Eye (yes, the space is deliberate). Pitched as video gaming's version of Spinal Tap, it followed the fortunes of a group of people who were keeping the memory of the N64 title GoldenEye 007 alive, and...
February2021
"believe it or not"
Last weekend, Rare's cancelled Nintendo 64 project Dinosaur Planet was leaked online. It surprised many, including Kevin Bayliss - a former Rare employee who now works at Playtonic Games. With all the memories flooding back, in his words over on VGC, Kev has now revealed how the original star of the game was actually intended to...
News Rare's Cancelled N64 Project Dinosaur Planet Has Been Leaked Online
Take a trip back in time
Just weeks after GoldenEye 007 XBLA was leaked online, Rare's other cancelled project Dinosaur Planet has now appeared on the internet. This title started out during the Nintendo 64 generation around 1999, was cancelled for this system, and eventually resurfaced as Star Fox Adventures on the GameCube. You can read about how...
News Youtooz Is Releasing Official Banjo-Kazooie Figures, Pre-Orders Open Next Week
Tooty and Bottles, too
Banjo-Kazooie hasn't been sighted since Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but that hasn't stopped the famous bear and bird from getting merch and more on a regular basis. If you've not already got a collectible based on this iconic duo sitting on your shelf, you might be interested in the Youtooz creation of this character dating...
