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[daTRUballin]

Whenever people discuss Rare and the company's history, it's always usually about their golden age under Nintendo or debating about what the best game they developed specifically on the Nintendo 64 is, etc. We've had plenty of those types of discussions even on GAF. And while we've had some threads dedicated to Rare's time under Microsoft's ownership, we've never really had any threads about what people think is Rare's best game under MS.

Here's a quick reminder of what they've released so far on Xbox platforms.......

Xbox
Grabbed by the Ghoulies (2003)
Conker: Live & Reloaded (2005)

Xbox 360
Kameo: Elements of Power (2005)
Perfect Dark Zero (2005)
Viva Piñata (2006)
Jetpac Refuelled (2007)
Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise (2008)
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (2008)
Kinect Sports (2010)
Kinect Sports: Season 2 (2011) (co-developed w/ BigPark Studios)

Xbox One
Kinect Sports Rivals (2014)
Sea of Thieves (2018)

I personally think this has the potential to be a more interesting discussion than just rehashing the same "What's the best game from their golden era" types of conversations. Partially because the list of games is smaller and mostly because their time under MS is so controversial.

As a side note, despite Rare's quantity of output being considered more limited under MS, looking at the Xbox 360 list gives off the impression that they were still quite prolific at the time! Not just on the 360, but during their first few years at MS in general. 1-2 games per year on average. But then once the Kinect hits (especially after KS: Season 2), their output slows to a crawl with only 2 games on the Xbox One and a 4 year gap between them. And now it's been the same amount of time since Sea of Thieves' release.........Ouch.

As much as people used to (and still do) dump on Rare's Xbox and 360 offerings, I certainly wish we could have that productive of a Rare back. I'm glad they've somewhat found their footing though.

 

[Batiman]

Sea of thieves is easily the best. Nuts and bolts was good though. But it’s understandable why it gets hate.

I need to reinstall SOT for like the fifth time. Haven’t tried it since i got XSX. What a beautiful chill game.

 

[Spukc]

Killer instinct 3

 

[bender]

Viva Pinata but to be fair, I haven't spent much time with Nuts and Bolts and only played Sea of Thieves around launch.

 

[daTRUballin]

Killer instinct 3

Not developed by them.

 

[drganon]

Rare replay.

 

[Captain Toad]

Man, Rare was previously top-tier. That list....

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

This list makes me sad.

 

[TheGreatMusashi]

Despite decades of tries, Rare has only ever developed three good games.

Viva Piñata, Banjo Nuts & Bolts and Goldeneye.

Jetpack is decent.

Perfect Dark was iterative and forgettable.

Rare has that great British quality where you add googly eyes to everything and pass it off as entertainment greatness.

“We speak weird! Aren’t we fonny!”

Rare Replay really showcased how terrible a developer they are, making silly games for stupid people.

They bemoaned when Rare got purchased by Microsoft and they got put on Avatars and Kinect support.

It was for the best.

Rare gets talked about in the same vein as all those shitty weird computer consoles Britain got back in the day.

Keep it.

USA! USA! USA!

 

[Ezquimacore]

while i don't like or play sea of thieves, it's the only game that feels like it was not a waste of time.

 

[StateofMajora]

Kameo.

 

[TransTrender]

It’s like picking the least stinkiest poo.

 

[StateofMajora]

Despite decades of tries, Rare has only ever developed three good games.

Viva Piñata, Banjo Nuts & Bolts and Goldeneye.

Jetpack is decent.

Perfect Dark was iterative and forgettable.

Rare has that great British quality where you add googly eyes to everything and pass it off as entertainment greatness.

“We speak weird! Aren’t we fonny!”

Rare Replay really showcased how terrible a developer they are, making silly games for stupid people.

They bemoaned when Rare got purchased by Microsoft and they got put on Avatars and Kinect support.

It was for the best.

Rare gets talked about in the same vein as all those shitty weird computer consoles Britain got back in the day.

Keep it.

USA! USA! USA!

Wow grade S hot shit take

 

[nush]

Poll is incomplete,

 

[Ev1L AuRoN]

Sea of Thieves is the best, and that's sad...

Don't get me wrong, it's a fun game, a solid 8, but when I think of Rare, I remember the Nintendo Days when they made some of the best games in the industry. Microsoft bought the name, because the talent just gone somewhere else.

 

[Zeroing]

None! I’m sorry!!! But it’s true.

 

[Dream-Knife]

Poll is incomplete,

What is that? I'll check it out. He also forgot the Banjo-Kazooie GBA game.

 

[Spukc]

Not developed by them.

Lies

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[StateofMajora]

Microsoft bought the name, because the talent just gone somewhere else.

Actually that’s not completely true. Microsoft micro managed the hell out of rare and didn’t let them work on a number of promising projects.

Chris Seavor the creator of conker wanted to make a sequel, as well as a really cool fable esque game called urchin with a girl protagonist.

They also wanted to make another perfect dark to make up for zero but it didn’t take off.

Some egghead manager thought nobody wanted a sequel to banjo tooie so they made nuts and bolts and near the end of development microsoft pulled all other talent at rare to finish that game and after that were forced to be kinect devs…

I blame Nintendo for being ultra conservative cheap fucks more than I blame microsoft for buying the company. It’s not like the Stamper brothers didn’t give Nintendo the first purchase option.

 

[Tschumi]

Jee, not much of a list is it? But a few bright spots, Conker for me but maybe Sea of Thieves is their most successful?

 

[Oddvintagechap]

Kinect Sports legit saved Xbox 360.

Yall sleeping on the Queen. King being Wii Sports.

 

[clem84]

Rare had/have talented folks working for them but it was that Nintendo polish that helped them become a god-tier developer back in the N64 days. I thought Perfect Dark Zero was solid, so was viva pinata. Haven't played Sea of Thieves yet.

 

[Y0ssarian]

Rare replay.

 

[daTRUballin]

What is that? I'll check it out. He also forgot the Banjo-Kazooie GBA game.

I didn't forget anything. I just didn't want to include any handheld games and wanted to only focus on the console games. But yes, they did make lots of handheld games early on.

Kinect Sports legit saved Xbox 360.

Yall sleeping on the Queen. King being Wii Sports.

I also think we can safely say Kinect Sports saved Rare.

Sea of Thieves fans owe Kinect Sports big time.

 

[GHG]

Kameo and it's not even close.

It's a travesty they didn't keep the team together and make a franchise out of it.

 

[93xfan]

Despite decades of tries, Rare has only ever developed three good games.

Viva Piñata, Banjo Nuts & Bolts and Goldeneye.

Jetpack is decent.

Perfect Dark was iterative and forgettable.

Rare has that great British quality where you add googly eyes to everything and pass it off as entertainment greatness.

“We speak weird! Aren’t we fonny!”

Rare Replay really showcased how terrible a developer they are, making silly games for stupid people.

They bemoaned when Rare got purchased by Microsoft and they got put on Avatars and Kinect support.

It was for the best.

Rare gets talked about in the same vein as all those shitty weird computer consoles Britain got back in the day.

Keep it.

USA! USA! USA!

Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2.

Also, Perfect Dark had amazing MP, from the customizability, to the level design to the gun variety.

 

[Pejo]

I haven't played Sea of Thieves yet, and actually enjoyed Viva Pinata, but I will say it's probably Sea of Thieves.

 

[KRYPT83]

I've just started to play SoT and let me say what a fucking sandbox! The game is brilliant and so much fun.

 

[iorek21]

Viva Pinata is still my favorite farming/animal collection game of all time.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Other: None.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

Sea of Thieves is Rare recast into its modern online multiplayer mould. It's fun solo and super fun with mates. Seeing my son and his friends make their pirates ass drunk and puke everywhere while they're laughing and going down with their ship being attacked was too good. Next voyage kicks in and the social dynamic of one kid taking it too far by keeping that going only to get locked in the hole by his mates was just hilarious. One of many voyages and stories I've seen unfold or been a part of with them, heaps of fun.

You could sit these kids around a campfire and they'd tell story after story about their high seas shenanigans.

 

[Fredrik]

Viva Pinata is the best and still awesome to this day.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Kameo was a dope launch game for 360, I enjoyed PD for some fun too. Nuts and bolts was great in some ways. Viva piñata is brilliant.

sea of thieves is a return to form.

they made some solid games actually.

 

[Havoc2049]

Sea of Thieves is a great game and has been a heavy hitter in my multiplayer rotation since it launched. I've met a bunch of great people playing the game and I also enjoy the Souls version of Sea of Thieves, solo sloopin'.

Rare Replay should be on the list. The presentation of the collection and all the extras is excellent. The remasters of Perfect Dark and Grabbed by the Ghoulies in the collection are great.

Conker Live and Reloaded was also a great effort. The updated next gen graphics for the single player looked great and the multiplayer on Xbox Live was tons of fun.

 

[Darlingcognito]

Sea of thieves >>>>>>> Viva pinata >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> anything else.
It's a damn shame it takes so long to make a game these days.
I remember N64 years they'd have one or two games out per year.

 

[Codes 208]

Sea of thieves is their best post-kinect title but Viva pinata is their best xbox title (though i also enjoyed nuts and bolts for what it was)

 

[Kagey K]

I'm somewhere between Ghoulies, Viva Pinata, and Kameo.

All great games, that didn't get enough recognition.

 

[Magic Carpet]

The Xbox Avatars. Could be used in tons of games but I only remember 1 vs 100.
Why no MMORPG with Avatars was ever developed is a mystery.

 

[Spukc]

Sabrewolf on the gba?

 

[Rockondevil]

SoT is amazing. I started as an Alpha player and it's amazing what it is now.
I also really enjoyed the Viva Piñata games and Nuts and Bolts was a fun spin off game, if you want to call it that.

 

[Seraphym]

SoT, not my cup of tea and I have tried multiple times to get into it. Even saying that, I can recognise the quality of the title.

 

[Banjo64]

The 360 gen was great;
Banjo, Kameo, Viva Piñata in that order.

Sea of Thieves 4th.

Everything else is trash.

 

[Halo2redvsblue]

The Xbox Avatars. Could be used in tons of games but I only remember 1 vs 100.
Why no MMORPG with Avatars was ever developed is a mystery.

There was one in the Xbox Live Indie Games. It wasn't bad.

 

[AREYOUOKAY?]

Such a depressing list to look at, however I guess Sea of Thieves thanks to the Pirates of the Caribbean crossover.

 

[Saber]

Conker Live and Reloaded. Its basically the original but transformed. This game is the true concept of doing a remake just right, its a timeless masterpiece.

At same time its sad that thanks to them those games are forgotten.

 

[jigglet]

I don't know if Conker really counts.

But Conker.

 

[RoboFu]

I am just amazed they never tried to revive any of their nes hits like wizards and warriors, rc pro am , cobra triangle.. etc.
I guess they finally did make a battle toads.

 

[Honey Bunny]

Fuck I forgot they made Rare do kinect sports, motherfuckers

 

[Honey Bunny]

Sea of Thieves is a great game and has been a heavy hitter in my multiplayer rotation since it launched. I've met a bunch of great people playing the game and I also enjoy the Souls version of Sea of Thieves, solo sloopin'.

Rare Replay should be on the list. The presentation of the collection and all the extras is excellent. The remasters of Perfect Dark and Grabbed by the Ghoulies in the collection are great.

Conker Live and Reloaded was also a great effort. The updated next gen graphics for the single player looked great and the multiplayer on Xbox Live was tons of fun.

Off topic, was gun valkyrie a good game or do you just rock the avatar for the hot chick?