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Rare expresses its Valentine's love with new TIP cards

by Dustin Burg { Feb 9th 2009 at 9:01PM }

Being the season of love, one of our countless admirers, developer Rare, sent over a set of scan-friendly Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise Valentine's cards, including three new Killer Instinct characters for your collection.

You can view all four new trading cards in the gallery below. Using your handy Vision camera, scan the bar code into Trouble in Paradise, then behold the magic that takes place. Warning: We have yet to scan any of the cards, so if you have an urge to invest in Ultratech or experience an unshakable infatuation with all Rare products, please, don't send your lawyers after us.

Gallery: Rare Valentine's Day Cards

Rare's Christmas card lacking Killer Instinct ... or is it?

by Ross Miller { Dec 11th 2008 at 7:30PM }

click to embiggen the holiday cheer

Rare sent over this Christmas card wishing the staff a happy holidays. Unlike last time, there's no Killer Instinct hint to be found. What gives, Rare? No Glacius The Snowkiller? Oh, wait, what's this ...

Gallery: Rare's Christmas Card 2008

Continued →

Rare 'may do something' with Killer Instinct franchise

by Dustin Burg { Nov 30th 2008 at 9:00AM }

Being the teases that they love to be, Rare studio head Mark Betteridge told Eurogamer that they're still kicking around the idea of bringing back Killer Instinct, but that the idea would have to be something uniquely special.

"Killer Instinct is an IP that is fondly remembered and we may do something with it," Betteridge admitted, "but it's a tricky market to be like the old Killer Instinct." If Rare were to bring back Killer Instinct, they'd require some sort of market "revolution", as was done with Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Let's just hope that if they were to do another KI, that it wouldn't stray too far away from the golden formula.

[Thanks, Joe]

Rare says new Killer Instinct not out of the question

by David Hinkle { Nov 28th 2008 at 8:11PM }

It's such a shame what happened with Nintendo and Rare. Remember the good old days when we loved their games? Oh, how it was wonderful to be alive.

And Rare is thinking about reviving one of those older games we love in their fighting game franchise, Killer Instinct, they've commented to Eurogamer. "Killer Instinct is an IP that is fondly remembered and we may do something with it, but it's a tricky market to be like the old Killer Instinct," said studio manager Mark Betteridge. And, even if they did revive the series, it would most likely be on the Xbox 360 and not back home on Nintendo's Wii console, like we would hope.

Who would still want to play a new Killer Instinct game?

Battletoads and Killer Instinct jokes in Nuts & Bolts

by Richard Mitchell { Nov 17th 2008 at 2:45PM }

Ah, those yuksters at Rare are at it again. After teasing fans only a month ago with Killer Instinct themed Piñata Vision cards, now they've gone and dropped pure fanboy flamebait into Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Note the image above, in which sequels to several favorite (and not so favorite) Rare franchises are mentioned, including Killer Instinct, Jet Force Gemeni, Battletoads, and Grabbed by the Ghoulies.

Now, we could live without most of them (okay, technically we could live without all of them), but we have to admit a new Battletoads would be more than welcome. Unfortunately, the text itself is relatively clear, the sequels are mentioned merely as a joke. Unless, of course, a sequel to an old franchise counts as Rare's upcoming "surprise."

We're not holding our breath.

[Via Joystiq]

Viva Killer Instinct, special cards include nostalgia

by Xav de Matos { Oct 16th 2008 at 12:15PM }

There's nothing better than a Rare treat, is there? Rare has released three special cards to be scanned into Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise that promise "a suitable Pinata approximation of whatever is pictured." The three items pictured? Killer Instinct characters Fulgore, B. Orchid and Tusk. To access the KI pinatas, print out the cards and hold them up to your vision camera.

Let's not jump the gun and think this means a new KI is on the way, kids. Rare has mentioned they don't want to go to the IP Well before -- so, I guess that means they're filthy, filthy teases.

Gallery: Viva Pinata TIP Killer Instinct cards

Viva Pinata vision cards fan the Killer Instinct flames

by Ross Miller { Oct 16th 2008 at 11:00AM }

Rare is offering an added treat for Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise -- print out one of the three currently available cards and you can get "a suitable Pinata approximation of whatever is pictured." The first three available, which is guaranteed to incite a rabid fan base -- are Killer Instinct characters Fulgore, B. Orchid and Tusk. To access the KI pinatas, print out the cards and hold them up to your vision camera.

We wouldn't take this to be an indication of a pending announcements -- the cards themselves feature the 3D models from the Nintendo 64 era -- but either Rare has something in mind or it really likes to taunt its old fan base.

Gallery: Viva Pinata TIP Killer Instinct cards

Rumorang: Killer Instinct 3 comes back ... as sheet music!

by Kyle Orland { Sep 3rd 2008 at 10:00PM }

(click image for full size)

No matter how many times Rare tries to tamp them down, rumors about a continuation of the Killer Instinct franchise continue to surface periodically. This time the rumors come from fan site MundoRare, which received the above photo of purported Killer Instinct 3 sheet music from an anonymous "someone at Microsoft."

Of course, this shot doesn't really prove anything -- that header at the top could just as easily read "ULTRA Punch Out!!" or "The MORE Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy" and work just as well. We're sure some photoshoppers out there will have their own ideas of what other big name sequels this photo could possibly confirm. What we're really interested in, though, is what this purported music actually sounds like. Anyone out there with some MIDI sequencer skillz want to help us out?

[Update: The community comes through! Check out the alleged theme as either a MIDI (thanks Dan H.) or a violin synth MP3 (via Giant Bomb)]

[Update 2: Check out this awesome remixed version of the "theme" (via NerdiestKids)]

Rumorang: Killer Instinct making a return?

by Jason Dobson { May 24th 2008 at 1:30PM }

EGM rumor-monger Quartermann has once more turned the spotlight on speculation that we've been hearing for ages that Rare is keen on developing a third entry in its combo-heavy fighting game franchise Killer Instinct. Never mind that Rare itself has denied such rumors in the past, because honestly that's exactly what we'd say if we were working on a top secret project too.

Going by the mouthful Killer Instinct 3D: Death, Destruction and Doom, the rumored Xbox 360 fighter is said to axe the previous titles' rendered graphics and button mashing in favor of 3D visuals and more robust gameplay. Still, it remains to be seen if this latest attempt rekindle interest in Killer Instinct will pan out, or if once again it will do an Ultra Combo to our heart.