Rare News Articles
Thursday19th Aug 2021
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...
Monday16th Aug 2021
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...
Monday28th Jun 2021
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...
Sunday6th Jun 2021
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...
Wednesday12th May 2021
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...
Wednesday31st Mar 2021
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,...
Tuesday9th Mar 2021
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...
Wednesday24th Feb 2021
"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...
Saturday20th Feb 2021
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...
Tuesday16th Feb 2021
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...
Tuesday9th Feb 2021
News Nintendo Executive Blocked Remake Of GoldenEye 007, Says Former Rare Dev
There was "one guy" who didn't approve of it
It was a rather historic moment in the history of video games last week when Rare's cancelled XBLA remake / remaster of GoldenEye 007 was leaked onto the internet. The game nobody thought would see the light of day was finally released, even if it wasn't official. Following this, discussions immediately...
Wednesday3rd Feb 2021
News No, Nintendo Is Not Solely To Blame For The Cancellation Of Goldeneye's XBLA Remake
A long-standing rights issue prevented this happening, it seems
You might've seen that GoldenEye 007 has been back in the news lately. We've known for a long time that Rare planned an Xbox Live Arcade remake of the acclaimed shooter and, courtesy of Youtuber G
Saturday30th Jan 2021
Video A Full Playthrough Of GoldenEye 007's Cancelled Remake Has Leaked Online
Includes bonus multiplayer footage
The glory days of GoldenEye 007 appear to be a thing of the past on all fronts - with the 2007 Xbox Live Arcade remake of Rare's iconic Nintendo 64 shooter seemingly stuck in licensing Hell. While we likely won't ever get our hands on the game via an official release, as of today, we can at least get a better idea...
Monday25th Jan 2021
News New Letter Details Why Donkey Kong 64's Innovative "Stop 'N' Swop" Feature Was Removed
"We must ask that you remove this feature"
Stop 'N' Swop was undoubtedly one of the N64's biggest mysteries, and even now, we're still learning new things about it decades later. With six coloured eggs and an ice key scattered across Banjo-Kazooie, it was designed as a means of unlocking special content in the sequel, Banjo-Tooie. It was never used...
Wednesday20th Jan 2021
Video 27 Years Later, Early Donkey Kong Country Concept Sketches Are Revealed To The World
Rambi, Kremlings, and other characters also shown
Back in the '90s, Rare had quite a reputation for being secretive about its internal practices. Though it has opened up significantly since being acquired by Microsoft, it's one of the reasons why we get interesting stories still
Friday15th Jan 2021
Random This Zoomed-Out Speedrun Of Snake Rattle 'N' Roll Shows Cool Behind-The-Scenes Secrets
A Rare pleasure
We've all played classic NES platformer Snake Rattle 'N' Roll, haven't we? Of course we have. But, just in case, here's some background. As one of the earliest games developed by Nintendo superstars (and makers of Banjo-Kazooie), Rare, Snake Rattle 'N' Roll is all about getting two snakes - named Rattle and Roll - to eat enough...
Tuesday12th Jan 2021
News Arcade1Up Is Releasing Its Very Own Killer Instinct Arcade Cabinet
Includes Killer Instinct 1 & 2, Battletoads and Battletoads & Double Dragon
Arcade 1Up - known for recreating classic arcade cabinet titles such as Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam - has revealed a cabinet for Rare's 1994 release, Killer Instinct. This is the same game that was ported to the Super Nintendo a year later - although there are notable...
Wednesday30th Dec 2020
Random Dust Off Your Wii U, It's Time For Some Banjo-Kazooie And Blast Corps
Update: Maybe not...
Update [Wed 30th Dec, 2020 10:00 GMT]: Nintendo has updated the release schedule on its Japanese website and sure enough it was a mistake. Sorry folks! "Banjo-Kazooie's Adventure" and "Blast Dozer" have been posted as Wii U software delivered on December 30, 2020, but they will not be delivered. We apologize for the...
Friday30th Oct 2020
News Banjo-Kazooie Composer Posts Remixes For Halloween, With A Full Album Coming
Banjo-KazooiEP
There are myriad spooky levels throughout the history of video games, although one of the best has to be Mad Monster Mansion from Banjo-Kazooie (officially known as The Best Video Game Of All Time™ around these parts — when this writer's around, at least). Composer Grant Kirkhope recently put out a remix of that level's creepy...
Tuesday6th Oct 2020
PSA It's Diddy's Kong Quest, Not Diddy Kong's Quest
But you already knew this, right?
Towards the end of last month, Nintendo added even more classic games to its Super Nintendo online service. The highlight for most was Rare's 1995 release Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. As happy as Nintendo is to see everyone enjoying this absolute gem once again, the company's official UK Twitter...
Monday5th Oct 2020
Random Diddy Kong's Creator Is Publishing Drawing Tutorials On YouTube
Watch Kev Bayliss work his magic
Kevin Bayliss is a name that will be instantly familiar to anyone who considers themselves to be a hardcore Nintendo fan; not only was he responsible for the visuals in many of Rare's classic NES titles, he worked as a character designer on games such as Killer Instinct, Battletoads and Donkey Kong Country – in...
Sunday4th Oct 2020
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel #62 - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
A Kong time ago...
Welcome to Box Art Brawl, the video game cover contest that pits regional variants against each other in a fight for your vote. Last time we observed a thrilling duel between Okamiden North American / European cover and the Japanese variant. Ultimately, it was an easy victory for Japan with over 70% of your votes going to the...
Wednesday23rd Sep 2020
News Fangamer's Talking Conker Plush Comes With Brand New Voice Lines, Pre-Orders Now Open
Need a drinking buddy?
Rare's heavy-drinking squirrel is getting his own Fangamer plush with brand new voice lines recorded by Conker himself, Chris Seavor. You can order the Conker Talking Plush right now for $32 USD or your regional equivalent. This official Conker plush, designed by Versiris, is about eight inches tall when seated. It features...
Tuesday11th Aug 2020
News GoldenEye 25 Shuts Down After Cease And Desist From 007 IP Holder
"No, Mr Bond, I expect you to stop work immediately"
GoldenEye 25, a fan-made effort to resurrect the classic N64 shooter from Rare, is to shut down following a cease and desist request from MGM/Danjaq, the rights holder for the James Bond media franchise. The aim with the Unreal Engine 4 title – which was inspired by the cancelled XBLA HD remake...
Saturday8th Aug 2020
News Rare Celebrates Its 35th Anniversary
Making games since 1985
The iconic UK-based developer Rare this month celebrates its 35th anniversary. For any Nintendo fan, arguably its best years were around the time of the N64 generation when it released one hit after another. We're talking Banjo-Kazooie, the first-person shooter Perfect Dark, Diddy Kong Racing, and how could you forget the...
Thursday28th May 2020
Rumour Buster No, Rare Didn't Almost Make Games For The PlayStation During The N64 Era
"Our belief was that we could make better games if we focused on one platform"
Back in the '90s, Rare was a real powerhouse developer for Nintendo platforms. As one of the earliest western studios to support the NES, it produced a string of titles and would later throw its weight behind the Game Boy and SNES – culminating in the groundbreaking...
Friday22nd May 2020
Random Recoil In Horror At The Tale Of The Troublesome QA Tester And The Soiled Rare T-Shirt
"Oh my god! There's s*** on my shirt! I can't believe it!"
Perfect Dark turned 20 recently, as you'll know if you read our exhaustive history of the game's creation. Our good friends over at Eurogamer have done a similar piece, speaking to the people who made this amazing game happen. One of those people is Steve Malpass, who also sha
"We could have dynamic responsive scores that react to the gameplay environments"
Former Rare composer David Wise is responsible for some of the best soundtracks ever heard in a video game, and for the longest time, he was the company's main resource when it came to creating music for its NES, SNES, Game Boy and N64 output. He's been speaking to US...
Sunday17th May 2020
News Perfect Dark's Joanna Dark Was Based On Winona Ryder
"She had this great pixie haircut"
It’s been said in the past that Perfect Dark protagonist Joanna Dark was modelled on historical figure Joan of Arc, but we've been speaking to the guys behind the game and they've put us right on that score – and have revealed exactly who inspired the design of the famous secret agent. “I think that’s the...
Random Someone Recreated GoldenEye 007's Intro With Animal Crossing Avatars
The name's Horizons, New Horizons
One game we haven't seen recreated or at least referenced in Animal Crossing: New Horizons yet is Rare's legendary Nintendo 64 first-person shooter, GoldenEye 007. Admittedly, it's probably a tough one to replicate in a lifestyle simulator, but Twitter user @SkyhawkJD found an inventive way to pay tribute to the...
