GAMING REVIEWS

10 Best Rare Video Games

While we’re a good distance from their heyday within the 90s, Rare remains to be rightfully thought to be among the finest builders in gaming historical past.




Today, they’re greatest identified for his or her work with Sea of Thieves, which has quietly established itself as an unbelievable open world sandbox atmosphere the place you play as a pirate crusing on the excessive seas.

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Back in 2015, they launched Rare Replay, a group of video games from their historical past that lets avid gamers make a journey down reminiscence lane and keep in mind how this legendary developer even acquired to the place they’re within the first place.

To at the present time, I’ll pop again into the greats like Banjo-Kazooie or GoldenEye 007, and I’m shortly reminded why Rare was held in such excessive regard and are remembered for extra than simply Donkey Kong Country.

In the spirit of that, let’s recap the ten greatest Rare video games which have launched thus far.


10 Sea of Thieves

Ahoy!

sea-of-thieves-skull-sky

Despite its lackluster launch, Sea of Thieves has turn out to be one of many best open world games, particularly should you play with pals.


While there are goals in place so that you can comply with, Sea of Thieves is at its greatest once you’re participating in natural content material. It’s not all the time about working off a guidelines of quests, however crusing the excessive seas and discovering out what’s ready to be found.

Maybe it is buried treasure! Maybe it is fame and fortune! Or possibly its hazard lurking in darkish caverns.

Either method, it is one heck of a time should you get the best crew collectively. Whether you are planning a treasure hunt, singing sea shanties, or fishing on the open sea, few video games might be as gratifying as Sea of Thieves.

9 Diddy Kong Racing

A Worthy Competitor To Mario Kart

(*10*)Diddy Kong Racing has Diddy Kong racing a tiger in a blue kart and star on his back along the sandy beach with water on both sides

Diddy Kong Racing DS

Released
February 5, 2007

There’s no denying that Mario Kart has had extra success in comparison with Diddy Kong Racing, however Rare’s arcade racer is greater than able to holding its personal.


Originally launched for the Nintendo 64 in 1997, adopted by a Nintendo DS remake in 2007, Diddy Kong Racing is greater than a Mario Kart clone. The solid of characters is an absolute delight, with a few of their featured video games showing on this listing.

Best of all, although, is that Diddy Kong Racing does a wonderful job of protecting the gameplay contemporary. By providing three distinct automobile sorts, each race, even when it is performed on the identical observe, feels completely different. The karts, bumper boats, and planes all deal with in a singular method.

Diddy Kong Racing’s marketing campaign additionally stands out as one thing extra in-depth than what you’d count on from a racer, providing a considerably open world to discover, uncover ranges, and fiddle in.

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8 Banjo-Tooie

Slightly Too Much Of A Good Thing

Banjo-Tooie

I do know I’m going to catch flack for this, however typically, the reality hurts: this recreation is not pretty much as good as you keep in mind. Sometimes, you may have an excessive amount of of an excellent factor.


That’s the case with Banjo-Tooie, the Banjo-Kazooie sequel that goes all-in on including to what’s arguably the right platformer.

Don’t get me fallacious; Banjo-Tooie remains to be a implausible recreation, however the largest drawback is the pacing. It’s everywhere, because of the expansive ranges and lack of focus.

It’s a testomony to how good the inspiration right here is that Banjo-Tooie nonetheless ranks as an unbelievable recreation. The core gameplay loop you already know and love remains to be right here, in addition to the intelligent writing and memorable characters. I simply want it wasn’t such a bloated expertise.

7 Donkey Kong 64

An Excellent Collect-A-Thon

Donkey Kong and his gang performing a rap song

We’re going to speak in regards to the Donkey Kong franchise lots right here, and for good purpose, however we’re beginning with what is without doubt one of the largest Nintendo 64 video games of all time.


Donkey Kong 64 can typically endure underneath its personal weight. The recreation is huge, with a roster of 5 playable characters and a seemingly infinite variety of issues to gather.

The recreation desperately wants some high quality of life updates, most notably the flexibility to alter characters on the fly with out having to backtrack to a barrel. Even regardless of these points, it is an ideal transition of the basic Donkey Kong Country video games introduced right into a 3D world.

While we’ve not seen a 3D Donkey Kong recreation since, that is not as a result of Donkey Kong 64 is dangerous by any means. If something, I’m undecided how it may be topped.

Rare discovered all the best classes from Banjo-Tooie and delivered an unforgettable expertise, full with easter eggs, unlockables, and platforming galore.

6 Battletoads

Glutton For Punishment

Battletoads wind tunnel from Rare Replay


Oh, Battletoads. The recreation all of us love however nonetheless get mad at. You know what I’m speaking about by simply taking a look at that picture. You know the ache and struggling it is induced.

Before I get on a rant, let’s speak about what makes Battletoads so nice. Its old-school beat ’em up motion holds up remarkably nicely at present, showcasing the very best of 8-bit gaming that so many trendy “retro” video games purpose to emulate.

Yes, Battletoads goes to kick your butt, however you are going to love each second of it. We’re speaking about Soulslike issue nicely earlier than FromSoftware program ever thought of growing Dark Souls.

In a method, that is what makes this recreation so good: the sense of accomplishment you get as you progress via the sport. It’s irritating, positive, however by no means fully unfair, and better of all, you may play it with a buddy in co-op.

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5 Perfect Dark

Calling Agent Dark

Perfect Dark N64 Gameplay


Since its launch, there was a contentious debate as to which Rare FPS is best: GoldenEye 007 or Perfect Dark. Both have their deserves, and Perfect Dark has the benefit of being based mostly on an unique IP, with extra content material, expansive ranges, and extra polished graphics.

As I’ve mentioned a number of instances, greater is not all the time higher. It’s a miracle that Perfect Dark even works on Nintendo 64 {hardware}, as the sport has numerous framerate points, falling underneath the burden of its ambition.

It’s a testomony to how good Perfect Dark is that many individuals can look previous these flaws. Rare proved that they weren’t content material to relaxation on their laurels following GoldenEye’s success, and so they delivered a religious successor that is nicely price your time.

4 Donkey Kong Country

Go Ahead, Hum Along With The Music

Donkey Kong riding a Rhino in a verdant jungle with Diddy Kong behind him


I keep in mind the primary time we noticed Donkey Kong Country and thought we had reached the top of online game graphics. My pals and I have been so excited to dive into the world of Donkey Kong Country, just for it to chew us up and spit us out.

Donkey Kong Country is as onerous as you keep in mind, demanding platforming precision and excellence from its gamers. However, it is not impossibly tough; as a substitute, it is an train in side-scrolling perfection. The recreation calls for excellence from its gamers.

To be trustworthy, I did not count on something much less from the group that introduced us Battletoads. If you are searching for a Super Mario game without Mario, look no additional.

From mine carts to vine swinging to rhinoceros using, it is a platformer filled with cool moments and has a tremendous soundtrack as well.

3 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest

An Incredible Sequel

Donkey Kong Country 2


One of the best online game sequels of all time, Diddy’s Kong Quest takes every part that made the unique Donkey Kong Country so nice and constructed it into one thing even higher.

The controls are improved, the extent design remains to be impeccable, and the problem is good. Nothing is just too onerous or too straightforward.

Everything works collectively in concord to ship the full package deal. The recreation’s music and ambiance do a wonderful job of matching ingenious, inventive stage design, whereas the gameplay flows naturally from stage to stage.

The recreation retains pushing issues ahead, by no means taking lengthy to mirror on what works. Instead, it introduces a wealth of latest concepts your method that maintain you entertained all through, irrespective of how typically you have performed.

2 GoldenEye 007

It Still Holds Up Today

James Bond walking away from an explosion (GoldenEye 007)


Okay, time to pound the desk for GoldenEye 007, a recreation I spent numerous hours enjoying as a baby, having fun with the native split-screen co-op, and always replaying its gratifying single-player missions (most notably Silo).

There are few console FPS video games which can be as well-designed as this. Yes, the Nintendo 64 controls held it again, however that simply reveals you the way unbelievable this recreation is that we spend hundreds of hours enjoying it with inferior controls.

The second I performed this recreation with trendy controls, it was like enjoying the sport for the primary time; it dealt with like a dream, letting the gameplay and brilliantly crafted ranges actually shine.

If you might have by no means performed the modern-day remaster, I urge you to go test it out. You will not remorse it.

1 Banjo-Kazooie

The GOAT

banjo-kazooie


One of the very best platformers of all time, and positively the very best for Nintendo 64, Banjo-Kazooie is gaming perfection.

Everyone is aware of in regards to the recreation’s intelligent writing, witty humor, and loveable characters. Yes, all of them make the sport as iconic as it’s, however the place Banjo-Kazooie shines is its stage design and gameplay.

Everything has been fastidiously thought out and deliberate, enhancing on the inspiration set by Super Mario 64. Each world is the right measurement, sufficiently big to encourage fixed exploration however small and centered to the place every part has its place and objective.

There’s no getting misplaced in expansive, huge, boring environments right here. Instead, every nook and cranny of Banjo-Kazooie’s worlds invitations you to see what collectibles are ready so that you can uncover.

I play this recreation yearly for a purpose. It’s the right platformer, and Rare’s greatest recreation ever.

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