-RARE REPLAY-
Developed by: Rare LTD
Published by: Microsoft Studios
Availability: August 4, 2015
Platform: Xbox One [EXCLUSIVE]
ESRB Rating: Multiple ratings ranging from “E” for Everyone to “M” for Mature
Total Gamerscore: 10.000G
Total Game Size: 11.26 GB + 38 GB for 360 games (aprox.)
Price: $29.99 US / €29.99 / £19.99 / $49.95 AU
Buy
[Rectify Gaming did one of the first Rare Replay interviews with Craig Duncan, Rare Studio Head, you can check it out in the following link: http://rectifygaming.com/rare-replay/]
30 years, 30 games, 30 bucks and 10.000G. This few words are enough to create the perfect definition of Rare Replay. 3 decades of Rare history packed into one epic collection. Sounds like the best deal ever, right? Well, in fact, it is.
Rare Replay is a massive game collection of classic Rare titles, announced and mentioned for the first time on Xbox E3 Conference 2015 (watch full conference here) and it’s exclusively available for the Xbox One. It brings a “fan-tastic” opportunity to Microsoft’s newest generation console where you can now play some awesome old-school games.
The games included in this compilation have single player and multiplayer modes and some of them are Xbox 360 backwards compatibility games.
I’ve never done a collection review before, that’s why I’ll try to keep my review focused on the “collection concept”. So, let me ask you a question…
What would be the perfect game collection?
We all know a good collection must have a fair amount of games at least, and taking that into account, it could be said that Rare Reply delivers; and that’s the first reason why you should buy it; 30 games of different genres, there’s plenty of variety and tons of hours to spend.
30 games is enough for Rare Replay to be a good collection, but what makes it reach perfection? Well, a great menu interface to allow quick starts and multiple saving slots for each game would be the first step (and Rare Reply delivers again). But not only that, Rare Reply also includes a series of challenge modes called Snapshots, which I’ll talk more about those later.
List of Games:
“Jetpac” (released in 1983, 1-2 players) – Single-screen shooter where Jetman must reassemble and fuel his rocket while fending off alien hordes.
“Atic Atac” (released in 1983, 1 player) – Top-down adventure with increased replayability thanks to randomized object locations and three different character classes.
“Lunar Jetman” (released in 1983, 1-2 players) – A return to the “Jetpac” side-scrolling formula, but with a scrolling, randomly generated landscape and much more to do.
“Sabre Wulf” (released in 1984, 1-2 players) – Classic jungle maze game and the first appearance of explorer Sabreman, tackling dangers including the vicious ’Wulf itself.
“Underwurlde” (released in 1984, 1 player) – Rare’s first true platform game. Help Sabreman survive the perils of the Underwurlde and escape through one of three exits.
“Knight Lore” (released in 1984, 1 player) – Introduction of Ultimate’s groundbreaking isometric Filmation engine. Sabreman must scour the castle for items to cure his werewolf curse.
“Gunfright” (released in 1986, 1-2 players) – A Wild West spin on the isometric style, with an improved engine and new first-person target-shooting sections.
“Slalom” (released in 1987, 1-2 players) – Rare’s first console game. Make it to the bottom of each course before time runs out while avoiding trees, sledders, snowmen and other skiers.
“R.C. Pro-Am” (released in 1988, 1 player) – Responsive racing game that inspired elements of Rare’s future racers, including speed boosts, upgrades and collectible power-ups littered around the track.
“Cobra Triangle” (released in 1989, 1 player) – Hop into a boat and power through a branching game world, completing challenges such as shooting targets, disposing of mines and defeating leviathans.
“Snake Rattle N Roll” (released in 1990, 1-2 players) – A fast-paced isometric adventure. Rattle and Roll must eat Nibbley-Pibbleys until they’re heavy enough to ring a bell and open the exit.
“Jetpac” (released in 1983, 1-2 players) – Single-screen shooter where Jetman must reassemble and fuel his rocket while fending off alien hordes.
“Atic Atac” (released in 1983, 1 player) – Top-down adventure with increased replayability thanks to randomized object locations and three different character classes.
“Lunar Jetman” (released in 1983, 1-2 players) – A return to the “Jetpac” side-scrolling formula, but with a scrolling, randomly generated landscape and much more to do.
“Sabre Wulf” (released in 1984, 1-2 players) – Classic jungle maze game and the first appearance of explorer Sabreman, tackling dangers including the vicious ’Wulf itself.
“Underwurlde” (released in 1984, 1 player) – Rare’s first true platform game. Help Sabreman survive the perils of the Underwurlde and escape through one of three exits.
“Knight Lore” (released in 1984, 1 player) – Introduction of Ultimate’s groundbreaking isometric Filmation engine. Sabreman must scour the castle for items to cure his werewolf curse.
“Gunfright” (released in 1986, 1-2 players) – A Wild West spin on the isometric style, with an improved engine and new first-person target-shooting sections.
“Slalom” (released in 1987, 1-2 players) – Rare’s first console game. Make it to the bottom of each course before time runs out while avoiding trees, sledders, snowmen and other skiers.
“R.C. Pro-Am” (released in 1988, 1 player) – Responsive racing game that inspired elements of Rare’s future racers, including speed boosts, upgrades and collectible power-ups littered around the track.
“Cobra Triangle” (released in 1989, 1 player) – Hop into a boat and power through a branching game world, completing challenges such as shooting targets, disposing of mines and defeating leviathans.
“Snake Rattle N Roll” (released in 1990, 1-2 players) – A fast-paced isometric adventure. Rattle and Roll must eat Nibbley-Pibbleys until they’re heavy enough to ring a bell and open the exit.
“Digger T. Rock” (released in 1990, 1-2 players) – 2D platformer in which Digger must find an exit switch, stand on it, then make it to the exit in 60 seconds.
“Solar Jetman” (released in 1990, 1 player) – A game built around exploration and physics; Jetman has to tow fuel and other items to his mothership.
“Battletoads” (released in 1991, 1-2 players) – Skill and perseverance required as the ’Toads take on multiple game styles to rescue Pimple and Princess Angelica from the Dark Queen.
“R.C. Pro-Am II” (released in 1992, 1-4 players) – Sequel to “R.C. Pro-Am” with a wider variety of environments, more car customization options and bonus games.
“Battletoads Arcade” (released in 1994) – First “Battletoads” game to allow all three ‘Toads to play simultaneously. Has never had a home release before “Rare Replay”!
“Killer Instinct Gold” (released in 1996, 1-2 players) – Home version of “Killer Instinct 2” with several multiplayer modes (including tournament mode) and a training dojo.
“Blast Corps” (released in 1997, 1 player) – Cult classic with a fleet of destructive vehicles (from bulldozers to robots) used to clear the path for a runaway nuclear missile carrier.
“Jet Force Gemini” (released in 1999, 1-4 players) – Interstellar action adventure that mixes third-person exploration and alien-blasting action as the last three JFG members go up against Mizar.
“Conker’s Bad Fur Day” (released in 2001, 1-4 players) – Beloved comedy adventure that mixes up genres (platformer, third-person shooting, racing) with mature humor, pop culture references and parodies.
“Grabbed by the Ghoulies” (released in 2003, 1 player) – Rare’s first Xbox game. A comic book beat-’em-up set in a haunted house filled with breakable scenery and Ghoulies of all kinds.
Xbox 360 backwards compatible titles:
“Banjo-Kazooie” (released in 1998, 1 player) – 3D platformer adventure where Banjo and Kazooie must take on the evil witch Gruntilda, who’s kidnapped Banjo’s sister Tooty and plans to steal her beauty for herself.
“Perfect Dark” (relased in 2000, 1-4 players) – A stealth shooter set in the year 2023. Players lead secret agent Joanna Dark against the dataDyne corporation as they uncover an alien conspiracy that takes her around the world.
“Banjo-Tooie” (released in 2000, 1-4 players) – Builds on Banjo-Kazooie with larger worlds, separately controllable characters, multiplayer modes and many more moves to learn.
“Perfect Dark Zero” (released in 2005, 1-4 players locally, up to 32 players online) – A prequel to “Perfect Dark” that delves into Joanna’s origins and fuses first-person shooting with third-person, cover-based combat.
“Kameo: Elements of Power” (released in 2005, 1-2 players locally or online) – A fantasy adventure focused on combat and exploration, with Kameo able to transform into ten different Elemental Warriors.
“Viva Piñata” (released in 2006, 1-2 players locally) – A magical gardening/life sim in which the player can cultivate a garden paradise, attract different Piñatas and keep them safe from Professor Pester and his Ruffians.
“Jetpac Refuelled” (released in 2007, 1-2 players locally or online) – A modern update to “Jetpac”. Assemble and fuel your rocket before blasting off to the next of 128 challenging stages.
“Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” (released in 2008, 1-2 players locally, up to 4 players online) – A more open-ended, customizable approach to the series with vehicle-based challenges set by L.O.G. (the Lord of Games).
“Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise” (released in 2008, 1-2 players locally or online) – Features new species and Piñata Central challenges, plus desert and arctic regions to visit and catch native Piñatas.
Achievements previously earned in standalone Xbox 360 releases will carry over to Rare Replay*
My Favourite Games:
I have tried every game in the collection and I can safely say that among my favourite Rare Replay games are Battletoads, Battletoads Arcade (thanks for the rewind feature addition Rare), Perfect Dark (which reminded me of Time Splitters in some way), Perfect Dark Zero, Jet Force Gemini, Jetpac Refuelled, Killer Instinct Gold (what a classic game by the way!), Cobra Triangle, Digger T Rock, Blast Corps, Conker’s Bad Fur Day and every Banjo game.
The rest of the games are okay for me, I can see myself playing anyone at anytime and having fun, but the previously mentioned games are simply the ones I most liked.
Some of the Rare Replay Features
As the -possibly- best way to introduce, Rare Replay starts with a catchy introduction song with a theatre themed presentation.
After you spend a couple of hours navigating through the easy and interactive menus (which include a short description of every game and some of the challenges) you’ll notice the amount of attention to detail Rare has put into it, in order to make this a one of a kind collection.
-Stamps Card system: Stamps are used to unlock random video footage; make sure to fill your stamp card in order to progress and upgrade your player rank! You can earn stamps by completing snapshot challenges (snapshot playlists) or milestones.
-Rare Revealed is a documentary section that include videos such as making of.., concept showcases, previously unseen and rare tunes with over an hour of footage describing the history of the studio and the development of several major games.
-Snapshots: challenges presented as short sections (mini-games of “collect a set amount of points in a set amount of time in a set scenario” style) from different games which are quite difficult at times, but completing them gives you a rewarding feeling.
The 30 games included, also provide you the potential challenge of getting 10.000G. The first time you play a game you’ll get an achievement, and watching the credits (where you can see some famous names there) will give you a sweet 30G. Easier done than said (or was it the other way around?).
Performance
During my early access playthrough, I rarely found performance issues; and most of them were minor ones, which got solved with the Day One patch. Overall, it can be said there was a solid performance and most importantly, a great and fun time spent.
Verdict
This collection feels like a complete time travel experience; you can switch between 1983 and 2008 just within a few clicks on your controller and all thanks to the great menu interface. It’s also worth mentioning the impressive presentation; great animations, music and artwork.
-Good performance; I’ve found no game breaking issues at all after the day one patch.
-Whether you like every single game or not, simply remember; 30 games, 30 bucks. You are paying only 1$ per game, and that doesn’t usually happen these days… Time to admit the price is awesome.
-Must buy for all time Rare Fans; no need to explain why!
-Great for newcomers; learn and discover some of the glorious past games, just like I did. This is a big and fun history lesson of the evolution of the videogame industry from the Rare perspective. I highly recommend you to join this incredible trip and do it as soon as you can!
“Rare Replay feels like a complete time travel experience”
I’m giving Rare Replay a well deserved 9.5/10 score
Remember folks, keep it “Rare”!
About Rare Ltd.
As part of Microsoft Studios, Rare is a first-party developer dedicated to thrilling its audience and inspiring everyone to play through innovation on Microsoft platforms.
With three decades of experience and a stable of smash hit games as enthralling and diverse as “Perfect Dark,” “Kinect Sports” and “Viva Piñata,” the company is still blazing trails with AAA showcase experiences. Rare’s latest Xbox One projects celebrate a rich 30 year heritage with “Rare Replay,” an epic collection of classics from “Banjo-Kazooie” to “Battletoads,” all while preparing to usher in a new era of gaming with its shared world adventure “Sea of Thieves.”
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