Ship shape?

Back when Rare and Nintendo were partners, it seemed as if the two companies shared an almost unspoken rivalry, competing for recognition as the premier developer of the day - especially during the N64 era.

In the latest issue of Retro Gamer magazine, several former Rare staffers have spoken about this glorious period in the company's history, and share their own opinions on this supposed competition between the Twycross-based studio and its part-owner thousands of miles away in Japan.

While the general consensus is that Rare's employees saw Nintendo as the company to emulate and beat, Conker's Bad Fur Day director Chris Seavor - who is currently hard at work on The Unlikely Legend of Rusty Pupfor Wii U and 3DS - insists that the relationship worked both ways:

Bottom line, everybody won: Wave Race 64 was originally with boats until Tim suggested Jet Skis and in Donkey Kong Country he didn't have a tie until Miyamoto added one.

Footage of the "boat" version of Wave Race actually exists, and was published prior to the release of the N64 (thanks for the heads up, Kafei2006):

Fellow Rare alumni Chris Sutherland - now part of the Playtonic team working on Yooka-Laylee - adds that Miyamoto had additional input on another classic Rare title:

The ground slap that Donkey Kong performed in the DKC series originated as a suggestion from Miyamoto.

What do you think Wave Race would have been like had it featured boats as Nintendo apparently intended? Share your thoughts by posting a comment.