Rare News Articles
Tuesday20th Nov 2018
Video Family Guy Pays Respect To GoldenEye 007 On N64 With Suprisingly Accurate Skit
"Almost James Bond"
Rare's 1997 Nintendo 64 release GoldenEye 007 is considered as one of the greatest games of all-time. Not only did it provide Nintendo fans of this era with mature-themed gameplay, but it also gave the FPS genre on consoles some much-needed recognition. It was so influential, it spawned its own PC mod and has basically become...
Thursday11th Oct 2018
Random This Unreal Version Of GoldenEye 007 Aims To Recreate Rare's Iconic FPS
Releasing in 2022
Rare's beloved 1997 Nintendo 64 classic GoldenEye 007 might be stuck in licensing limbo, but that won't stop the modding community from trying to revitalise the iconic first-person shooter. For years now, GoldenEye: Source - a fan mod available through Valve's Steam service - has allowed players to live out their old-school...
Friday5th Oct 2018
Random Banjo-Kazooie And Conker Are Being Added To The Totaku Collection
Retro-inspired
If you were around during the years of the Nintendo 64, you'll no doubt remember Rare's foul-mouthed squirrel Conker and the beloved bear and bird duo, Banjo-Kazooie. To help you remember the glory days of these iconic characters, the Totaku Collection is adding the characters to its officially licensed figurine line. Both the...
Tuesday28th Aug 2018
Exclusive Here's What King K. Rool's Creator Thinks Of His Appearance In Smash Bros. Ultimate
"I couldn’t have done a better job myself!"
Nintendo stunned everyone when it revealed that Donkey Kong Country villain King K. Rool would be part of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster, but it might come as a surprise to learn that the man who created this iconic baddie was just as shocked as the rest of the world. Former Rare designer Steve...
Wednesday25th Jul 2018
Random Mexican Speedrunner Completes Turbo Tunnel In Battletoads With Bag Over His Head
Superhuman
The NES classic, Battletoads, is notorious for being a tough game. Despite this, that hasn’t stopped Piotr Delgado “The Mexican Runner” Kusielczuk from becoming an expert at it. He’s previously completed the game with one hand, and for this particular run, his goal was to complete the legendary turbo tunnel with a bag over his...
Saturday7th Jul 2018
News Pre-Orders For Banjo-Kazooie Statue By First 4 Figures Can Be Validated On 10th July
A rare opportunity for $429.99
Last December, First 4 Figures revealed it was collaborating with the iconic UK developer, Rare, to release a new line of collectibles based on the Banjo-Kazooie and Conker game series. Fast forward to several months later and the first statue in this new line - Banjo-Kazooie - has now been unveiled. Sporting...
Thursday24th May 2018
Random Childish Gambino Sampled Donkey Kong Country And David Wise Definitely Approves
Aquatic Ambiance is still relevant
Childish Gambino's latest track might have captured the zeitgeist in 2018, but back in 2012 the man otherwise known as Donald Glover took inspiration from a very different source. Much to the delight of veteran VGM composer David Wise, who recently discovered the track 'Eat your Vegetables' uses a looped sample...
Thursday26th Apr 2018
Events Birmingham City University To Celebrate The Impact Of Rare And Other Midlands Games Studios
A certain bearded Nintendo Life staffer is going to be there, too
The Midlands might not be the most exciting area in the UK but it has a rich video gaming history; not only is it the birthplace of Rare, one of the most iconic NES, SNES, Game Boy and N64 developers of all time, but it is also home to the likes of Codemasters, US Gold, Core Design,...
Monday9th Apr 2018
Random Here's What Donkey Kong Country Would Have Looked Like With Classic Kong
Alternate timeline monkey business
When Rare was given the chance to work with one of Nintendo's most famous intellectual properties, it created one of the SNES' truly classic 2D platformers. However, Donkey Kong Country not only gave Kong a new lease of life; it gave him an entirely new look which has become the accepted template ever since. What,...
Thursday22nd Mar 2018
News Xbox's Phil Spencer Is Still Open To Banjo And Kazooie Appearing In Super Smash Bros.
Rare is also open to giving IP to third parties
As we all know, Rare used to be a solid partner for Nintendo. During the N64 years, Nintendo held a significant stake in the UK firm, which created seminal games like Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007, Blast Corps, Perfect Dark and Donkey Kong 64. It was also the company responsible for the N64...
Tuesday13th Feb 2018
News Rare's Local Video Game Store Is Closing Its Doors After 24 Years
The changing nature of games retail claims another victim
The way we buy games is changing, with digital sales slowly but surely taking over from physical. That means the landscape of games retail is gradually shifting, and all stores - from the big to the small - are feeling the pinch. With that in mind, we're sad to report that UK store Extreme...
Monday12th Feb 2018
News A Hat In Time Developer Confirms The Time Travel Platformer Won't Leap Onto Switch
The indie Kickstarter success passes on Switch
We're so used to hearing about developers and publishers falling over themselves to bring their games to Nintendo Switch, we're often a little take aback when we hear those that definitively won't be. A Hat In Time - which released on PC, Mac, PS4 and Xbox One at the tail end of last year - is one such...
Wednesday17th Jan 2018
Random GoldenEye 007 Mockumentary Aims To Be The Spinal Tap Of Video Games
Focuses on "deluded, cringe-inducing elite GoldenEye players"
An indie British film company is aiming to create the video game equivalent of Spinal Tap with Going For Golden Eye, which is described as "a love letter to the heyday of the N64 and the rivalries of couch multiplayer". Created by Woodhouse Pictures, the film focuses on the...
Tuesday16th Jan 2018
Rumour A New Perfect Dark Game Is In Development, But Rare Isn't Involved
And it's not for a Nintendo system, obviously
Reports are surfacing online about a potential new entry in the popular Perfect Dark series, which began life on the Nintendo 64. According to the rumour, Gears of War studio The Coalition has been tasked with reviving the franchise, which is now owned by Microsoft following the purchase of IP holder...
Friday12th Jan 2018
News GoldenEye 007 With Mario Characters Is The Crossover We Never Knew We Wanted
It's-a-me, a-Bond!
Official development for Nintendo 64 may have ended over 15 years ago, but that hasn't stopped the impassioned modding community from keeping its library of memorable 64-bit hits alive with new updates and improvements. Rare's influential shooter, GoldenEye 007, remains a huge fan favourite, so of course one talented user has...
Tuesday2nd Jan 2018
News N64 Classic Diddy Kong Racing Gets Unreal Engine Makeover
CryZENx once more gives us a look at an alternate reality
In a parallel universe where Nintendo didn't sell Rare to Microsoft, the Twycross-based industry giant would have continued to fully support Nintendo's hardware generations up to current day. In such a reality, perhaps Nintendo would be teasing us with a full remake of Rare's beloved...
Friday8th Dec 2017
News This Playtonic Art Could Be The Closest We'll Get To Seeing Banjo-Kazooie And Switch Together
Former Rare artists celebrate their Nintendo past
To celebrate the long-awaited release of Yooka-Laylee on Switch, Playtonic's artists have been paying tribute to their past connection with Nintendo. As you know, Playtonic's core team is made up of former Rare staffers who worked on some of the company's most famous NES, SNES and N64 era titles...
Monday4th Dec 2017
News First 4 Figures Is Working On Banjo-Kazooie And Conker Collectables
A Rare collaboration
First 4 Figures has revealed that it is collaborating with Rare to produce a series of figures based on Banjo-Kazooie and Conker. No shots of the actual figures have been shown so far, but the company has stated that it is an "honour" to be working with these two highly-esteemed gaming legends. There's no release date for...
Tuesday21st Nov 2017
Music Rare And iam8bit Are Releasing Battletoads And Conker's Bad Fur Day Soundtracks On Vinyl
Preorders opening soon
Rare may not be under Nintendo's wing anymore but the UK studio is responsible for some amazing 8, 16 and 64-bit titles such as Battletoads, Donkey Kong Country and Banjo-Kazooie, to name just three. Now, the company is teaming up with iam8bit to produce vinyl soundtracks for three of its classic games: Battletoads in...
Tuesday19th Sep 2017
News Donkey Kong Country on SNES Gets the MSU1 Digital Audio Enhancement Treatment
It's on like hi-fi Donkey Kong!
Rare's phenomenal Donkey Kong Country was quite the game changer in late 1994, not only giving an extra edge to the Super Nintendo in the 16-bit console war but also becoming one of the most cherished games in the entire SNES library. Despite the fancy ACM graphics, one of they key features that still resonates with...
Monday18th Sep 2017
Random Modders Turn GoldenEye 007 Into Goldfinger 64
We expect you to be impressed!
GoldenEye 007 is one of the N64's most beloved titles; as well as introducing an entire generation of players to the joys of FPS deathmatches it sold by the bucketload and established its developer Rare as one of the UK's most talented codeshops. Fast forward to the present, and industrious modders have taken...
Tuesday5th Sep 2017
News The Latest Game From The Stamper Brothers Feels Like A Donkey Kong Country Sequel
And it could be coming to Switch
FortuneFish - the studio founded by former Rare owners Tim and Chris Stamper, along with Tim's son Joe - has released a test version of its new music-based platformer on iOS which calls to mind the classic days of the legendary Donkey Kong Country studio. Kroko Bongo: Tap to the Beat! is billed as a rhythm...
Monday4th Sep 2017
Random Cringe-Inducing Diddy Kong Racing VHS Promo From 1997 Gets Restored
With Trent Tillman, your host
Rare's Diddy Kong Racing is one of the highlights of the N64 library, providing a racing adventure which was arguably superior to Nintendo's own Mario Kart 64. To accompany the release, Nintendo created a VHS promo tape which showcased gameplay footage alongside some rather painful live-action segments, with the...
Monday31st Jul 2017
News Hey! Pikmin Shows Nintendo Still Has A Soft Spot For Rare
A tribute to an "Enduring Partnership"
Rare and Nintendo enjoyed a particularly profitable relationship back in the '80s and '90s, with the UK-based studio creating hordes of titles for the NES, Game Boy, SNES and N64. So close was the connection between the two companies that Nintendo eventually purchased a large stake in Rare and made it a...
Tuesday16th May 2017
News Rare Treasures Aims to Chronicle the History of Rare
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Rare was a prominent part of Nintendo’s history in the 90’s, responsible for major games such as Donkey Kong Country, Banjo-Kazooie, and GoldenEye 007, though it rather famously departed from the Big N in 2002 for supposedly greener pastures with Microsoft. Still, the company holds a special place in the heart of...
Tuesday28th Mar 2017
Video Get Green With This Complete History Of Battletoads
Remembering Rash, Zitz & Pimple
Battletoads - along with Rare's back catalogue - may be owned by Microsoft these days, but NES owners will always have a special place in their hearts for Rash, Zitz & Pimple, three radical amphibians with plenty of attitude. Created at a time when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles dominated TV, gaming and toy aisles,...
Friday28th Oct 2016
Random Homemade Video Reviews Of Killer Instinct Gold Don't Get Much Better Than This
"It's a very encouraging game to play"
Nintendo Life readers should be familiar with the work of Tyler Esposito. Not only has he contributed to the site in the past, he runs the excellent YouTube channel iretrogamer.com, which showcases loads of excellent retro content as well as covering some of the home movies Esposito made with his late father,...
Saturday20th Aug 2016
News A Group Of Fans Are Resurrecting Lost Rare N64 Title Dinosaur Planet As An Animated Series
Special trailer airing today
Dinosaur Planet was supposed to be Rare's swansong on the N64, a 3D action platformer which would create a brand-new IP and push the console to its very limits. As we all know, that never happened - Dinosaur Planet was re-tooled at Nintendo's behest as Star Fox Adventures and would be released on the GameCube. It was...
Sunday14th Aug 2016
Video Digital Foundry Puts GoldenEye and Perfect Dark to the Test on N64
Also dabbles in cleaning up the visuals
Digital Foundry is one of the premier online teams for technical analysis of games and hardware, often focusing on current-generation gaming to assess performance, frame rates and more. It's now turning its eye to some retro games, too, which provides some interesting context on classics from past generations...
Thursday11th Aug 2016
Video Rare Reminisces on the Development of It's Mr. Pants
"We decided to have a menagerie of animal and bird noises to reward you"
Rare is a studio that's always been known for being one of the most prolific and beloved developers on Nintendo consoles during the 16 and 64 bit eras. Responsible for classics like the Donkey Kong Country series, Banjo-Kazooie, Goldeneye 007, and more, the studio's resume is...
