It's called "Rare" Replay because of all the rare achievements you'll get for merely starting each game once. Who bought this collection, yet still couldn't be bothered to sample the entire catalogue? Some people, I swear.
I had to break in my new Xbox Series X with a no-brainer: A collection that released on for the previous Xbox system, comprised of games that released anywhere between 1-4 decades ago. A handful of these are games that I've been meaning to play for years now, along with others where I feel like I might as well try them, since they all come bundled together. "Thirty games" is a bit misleading, seeing as the earlier third or so could be classified as, well, I think the British term for it is "rubbish." I appreciate that these titles have been preserved here, but most of them aren't fun for very long. They try to redeem that with "Snapshots", simple challenges with their own leaderboards. They're a fun distraction that can't distract me from the older games' archaic nature, I'm afraid.
The rest of the catalogue is so damn meaty that I have less reason to complain. Completing objectives in each game gradually provides you with a wealth of bonus content, including interviews, promotional materials, and even looks at cancelled projects. It's a really nice gesture for people who are interested in this company's history and lasting legacy.
The obvious complaint with this collection probably the lack of anything Donkey Kong. We don't ask who Rare was working for from 1994 to 2002 around here. It's a bit funny (and sad) to see their original N64 offerings with Xbox buttons injected into their graphics, along with removing any mention of Nintendo in general. Kinda surprised that they didn't include both versions of Conker, even if most purists would probably pick the N64 version any day. Some people have preferences, and others will probably cry "preservation." What's also bittersweet is how their history abruptly ends at Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. No comment on that game's quality (I'll give it a fair shake sometime soon), but it's definitely a downer to end their legacy on. No mention that they were enslaved into making Kinect games and Xbox Avatars after the fact, either. Maybe that one's for the best though.
I had to break in my new Xbox Series X with a no-brainer: A collection that released on for the previous Xbox system, comprised of games that released anywhere between 1-4 decades ago. A handful of these are games that I've been meaning to play for years now, along with others where I feel like I might as well try them, since they all come bundled together. "Thirty games" is a bit misleading, seeing as the earlier third or so could be classified as, well, I think the British term for it is "rubbish." I appreciate that these titles have been preserved here, but most of them aren't fun for very long. They try to redeem that with "Snapshots", simple challenges with their own leaderboards. They're a fun distraction that can't distract me from the older games' archaic nature, I'm afraid.
The rest of the catalogue is so damn meaty that I have less reason to complain. Completing objectives in each game gradually provides you with a wealth of bonus content, including interviews, promotional materials, and even looks at cancelled projects. It's a really nice gesture for people who are interested in this company's history and lasting legacy.
The obvious complaint with this collection probably the lack of anything Donkey Kong. We don't ask who Rare was working for from 1994 to 2002 around here. It's a bit funny (and sad) to see their original N64 offerings with Xbox buttons injected into their graphics, along with removing any mention of Nintendo in general. Kinda surprised that they didn't include both versions of Conker, even if most purists would probably pick the N64 version any day. Some people have preferences, and others will probably cry "preservation." What's also bittersweet is how their history abruptly ends at Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. No comment on that game's quality (I'll give it a fair shake sometime soon), but it's definitely a downer to end their legacy on. No mention that they were enslaved into making Kinect games and Xbox Avatars after the fact, either. Maybe that one's for the best though.
Shame that some games that should've made the cut didn't, The SNES version of Killer Instinct, Battletoads in Battlemanics and Ragnarok's World, GBA instalments of SabreWulf and Banjo Kazooie, Motherfucking It's Mr. Pants and have the Code Mystics Arcade ports of KI 1 and 2 included and not trapped with old versions of KI 2013. But i guess they wanted to keep it under 30 cause of the whole 30 years thing, which i dunno who cares, I'd prefer it be the most definitive it can be (without encroaching on other licenses). Otherwise a great collection of the best versions of the games to play with plenty of achievements, challenges and extras to keep you busy and hey if you buy it digitally you get GoldenEye 007 with it, isn't that nice.
Rare Replay is impressive.
While most publishers release compilations with half a dozen ROMs in a rather lazy menu, Rare has gone much further here.
There are THIRTY games, ranging from the ZX Spectrum to the Xbox 360 (which was still in production when the game was made). Some of them even have graphical enhancements (Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie and Perfect Dark) or gameplay improvements (Jet Force Gemini).
The presentation is incredible. Extremely polished. I still consider it to be the best ever made for a compilation to date, beating even the recent Atari 50.
While most publishers release compilations with half a dozen ROMs in a rather lazy menu, Rare has gone much further here.
There are THIRTY games, ranging from the ZX Spectrum to the Xbox 360 (which was still in production when the game was made). Some of them even have graphical enhancements (Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie and Perfect Dark) or gameplay improvements (Jet Force Gemini).
The presentation is incredible. Extremely polished. I still consider it to be the best ever made for a compilation to date, beating even the recent Atari 50.