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WTF: Fable characters in Sonic Racing and other oddities from alleged Sega leak

by Ben Gilbert { Sep 22nd 2009 at 1:28PM }

Among the truckloads of possibly legit megatons included in the alleged leaked minutes from a meeting between Sega of America and Sony Computer Entertainment America, a number of notable gaffes and oddities can be found. Besides wondering if "characters from [the] Rare or Fable universes" should be included in Sonic Racing, it appears that Sega may be interested in assigning all of its properties a PlayStation Home-room. Oh, and a product evaluator thought Alpha Protocol felt "barely RPG" -- final analysis: make it even more Mass Effect-y.

Additionally, the mention of PS2 games as downloadable content on PSN makes us reminisce all the way back to mid-2006 when the idea first popped up on our radar --- surely, this isn't why Sony removed built-in backwards compatibility? And either the person taking minutes was daydreaming or knows something we don't, as reference is made to "Eidos' Batman" featuring "PS3/PSP interoperability" support -- a Batman or related DC Comics PSP game then? Juicer still, that little mention comes right after talk of a project named "Vanquish" and a possible PSP iteration of the currently shelved Aliens: Colonial Marines that Gearbox Software is working on. Also, Sony is eager to check out that hopefully not-so-crappy Thor game soon (suggestion: make it less Iron Man 2-y).

The cherry on top comes in the form of what we've been calling around the Joystiq water cooler: "Sonic and the Inverted Castle." Found under the "Sonic Anniversary" subhead, the note taker jots down, "SCEA would love PSN exclusive power ups/different game modes (like Castlevania's flip it over/backwards)." Actually, we believe that's Missy Elliott who puts the thing down, flips it and reverses it, thank you very much.

Natal to be 'a union' of Microsoft and Rare's philosophies

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 25th 2009 at 5:30PM }

Despite having released a number of games on the platform, Rare's Xbox 360 franchises haven't had the fan following of your War Gears and your Halos -- the developer's design director, George Andreas, chalks this up to the fact that the "hardware is aimed at a different demographic, and so we've always battled against that." That is fairly true -- the hardcore Xbox 360 audience has little patience for anthropomorphic piñatas or bird-backpacked bears. However, Andreas has hope for the future -- a future which will see the introduction of Microsoft's full-body controller, Project Natal.

Andreas has stated Rare's interest in the new technology before, but in a recent interview with VideoGamer.com, he further explained the studio's excitement -- "it's a union of the two philosophies of the different companies, I guess," he said. Sounds like Rare's sticking to its family-friendly roots -- we suppose that rules out the possibility of Rare's secret Natal project being Gun Murder 3: The Legend of the Lost Shoot-Blaster.

XBLA Perfect Dark makes original look like an N64 game

by Randy Nelson { Aug 21st 2009 at 6:15PM }

click to enlarge

Ever since it was announced that Rare's spiritual successor to GoldenEye 007 for N64, Perfect Dark, was coming to Xbox Live Arcade, we've been wondering if it would simply see a bump in resolution (which it is). Now we also know that it's going to feature brand-new, high-detail textures and something the original release definitely didn't have: a fast, stable framerate.

Click on the above image to get an even better look at the improvements (and check the accompanying gallery for another impressive comparison shot). It's no Perfect Dark Zero, but it's still great to see the extra effort being put in for our precious Microsoft Points.

[Via Gamersyde]

Gallery: Perfect Dark (XBLA)

Rare wants to revitalize classic IP with Natal, beat world

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 17th 2009 at 11:15AM }

While most people were struck with thoughts of the future when Microsoft's motion-control apparatus Project Natal was unveiled, Rare couldn't get its mind off the past. In a recent interview with VideoGamer, 15-year Rare veteran George Andreas explained the device "gives us an opportunity to maybe at some point in the future investigate some of those older IPs."

Andreas was particularly excited about one unnamed Rare franchise which would be "absolutely phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal" if it should incoroporate Natal. He added, "I think it would be an absolutely world-beating product. But we need to explore a little bit more in that direction." Got any ideas? Our money's on Jetpac -- though we suppose a motion-controlled Conker's Bad Fur Day would have its humorous, bawdy merits. Just ... make sure the blinds are closed while you're playing it, okay?

Viva Pinata soundtrack filled with fun, out July 28

by Richard Mitchell { Jul 14th 2009 at 2:00PM }

Looks like the Nuts & Bolts soundtrack is about to get some company. Rare has announced via its oh-so-trendy Twitter that the Viva Piñata soundtrack will release on July 28. The soundtrack will be available from Sumthing Digital and Amazon. Amazon is currently taking pre-orders for the album for the price of $15.98.

We're sure there are lots of delightful, candy-coated songs on the soundtrack -- including plenty of adorable Romance Dance themes -- so we probably don't need to encourage all the piñata ranchers out there to plunk down the cash. Of course, there's really only one song you really need from Viva Piñata. Give it a listen after the break.

Continued →

Rare happy to have Molyneux raising its profile

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Jun 30th 2009 at 7:30PM }

"Once we were bought up by Microsoft obviously things have changed within the top ranks and stuff. And I think over the last few years maybe the awareness of Rare has dropped." That's according to Steve McFarlane, art director for the studio responsible for such titles as, umm ... hang on, we're just checking Wikipedia here.

Won't take a moment.

Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark, Viva Piñata and GoldenEye, it says here. Anyway, according to an interview with OXM, Rare's counting on some revitalized recognition, courtesy of new(ish) Microsoft Games Studios Europe director, Peter Molyneux. "And the idea of Pete coming in and being this new face of Rare it's a great thing for us. It's really just to get us out there a bit more," McFarlane said. Pete's a real pal, having similarly expressed a desire to foster an improved identity for Rare just a few weeks ago.

With a hit game and solid promotion, there's no reason the spotlight can't fall back on Rare, even inside Microsoft. We're fairly confident you've all heard of standouts like Lionhead and walkouts like Bungie.

Yahuh! Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts soundtrack out tomorrow

by Richard Mitchell { Jun 29th 2009 at 1:00PM }

If you're in the market for a delightfully bouncy orchestral video game soundtrack, then we've got some good news for you. Sumthing Digital will be offering the official Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts soundtrack starting tomorrow. We've sampled a few tracks and can confirm that it is most definitely delightfully bouncy and orchestral. All kidding aside, it's actually a pretty decent soundtrack, and certainly better than a lot of the other game music out there.

The soundtrack will also be available from Amazon, and can currently be pre-ordered for $13.99, nearly two bucks off the $15.98 list price. As Rare states on its website, "Nobody has an overabundance of vehicular bear music in their library right now, so this deserves a shot."

Source - Sumthing Digital
Source - Amazon

Molyneux would like to see Rare have an identity

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 15th 2009 at 9:00AM }

Microsoft's European Creative Director Peter Molyneux would like to help fellow UK developer Rare gain an identity. Speaking with GI.biz during E3, the outspoken Lionhead Studios head says he was "totally blown away" by the talent at Rare and he wants to "help them get well known." Not that the studio isn't already known -- for better or worse over the last half decade -- having developed Perfect Dark Zero, Viva Pinata and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts.

It's not exactly clear what Molyneux will do to help Rare gain an identity. Overall, Rare has been a disappointment ever since Microsoft bought it for $375 million back in 2002, never achieving the greatness it had while developing titles for Nintendo like Perfect Dark, Donkey Kong 64 and GoldenEye.

See screens, new info from XBLA Perfect Dark

by Justin McElroy { Jun 8th 2009 at 11:30AM }

We made plenty of new video game friends during E3, but, we still care about our old friends for, as the Girl Scouts remind us, one is silver and the other is gold. Why, just today we checked in on the upcoming XBLA version of Perfect Dark and walked away with a ton of new info.

Perhaps most excitingly, the game will include online multiplayer, according to the Xbox.com listing for it. Also, it's being developed by 4J Studios, which you may know from its PS3 ports of Oblivion and Overlord. Finally, we've got a few screens, which appear to indicate the game hasn't gotten too much sprucing up. What do you think?

[Thanks, Lee]

Confirmed: Perfect Dark bound for XBLA this winter

by David Hinkle { Jun 2nd 2009 at 8:30PM }

Major Nelson just confirmed via his Twitter that Xbox Live will be receiving a care package this winter in the form of Rare's Perfect Dark. Major made no reference to price or improvements to game content, aside from mentioning that the title will run in 1080p and that fans will be able to nab it this winter. And if you are a fan of Perfect Dark, keep an eye out for a free theme releasing tomorrow on Xbox Live.

[Thanks to all who sent this in!]

Xbox Live Top 10: Halo 3 maintains top spot, VOOT takes top honors on XBLA

by David Hinkle { May 5th 2009 at 11:30AM }

It's good to be the king, and no other title would know that better than Halo 3, which still reigns supreme at the top of the Xbox Live activity charts. According to Major Nelson, the latest figures show Bungie's crouching-on-dead-enemy-faces-sim beating out other fan favorites, Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty 4.

On the XBLA side, the dual release of Virtual On and Banjo-Tooie proved to be quite the alluring mix, as both titles populated the top of the XBLA list. Now if only we could get a game that combines birds, backpacks, bears, and gigantic death machines ...

Rumor: More evidence of Perfect Dark XBLA surfaces

by David Hinkle { May 1st 2009 at 3:30PM }

Remember that rumor from yesterday involving Forza 3? Well, at that same get-together in Brazil, someone apparently snapped an image of a game listing for Perfect Dark on XBLA and sent it to Destructoid. The image itself looks legit, and features the same thumbnail Rare had leaked back in early April.

That's where the story ends. This one lone image is all we have to go on right now, but based on Rare bringing its other N64 titles -- Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie -- to XBLA, we're confident that this won't be the last time we hear about the game.

[Via Gamerbytes]

Banjo-Tooie's Stop 'n' Swop feature grants fabulous prizes

by Griffin McElroy { Apr 27th 2009 at 12:30PM }

The original N64 version of Banjo-Tooie was met with near-universal critical acclaim, though some were disappointed by the cancellation of one of the title's most lauded additions -- a feature known as "Stop 'n' Swop," where special eggs located in Banjo-Kazooie could be imported into Tooie to exchange for various prizes.

Now, nearly a decade later, the feature has found its way into the XBLA re-release of Banjo-Tooie -- but this time around, the rewards are a tad more tangible. As seen in the video after the jump, an achievement, gamer pic and a Banjo-Kazooie NXE theme (as well as a few in-game cheats and items) are all up for grabs if you've got the mettle to go egg hunting in Banjo the First. And by "the mettle," we of course mean "the GameFAQs guide."

Continued →

Rare autographed Nintendo swag up for bid

by Xav de Matos { Apr 21st 2009 at 6:30PM }

Collectors, listen up: One Nintendo-loving eBay user has dug through his/her Nintendo collection and decided to give up a few rare (and autographed) collectibles. Included in the auction are four gold and black N64 controllers (won during a Star Fox tournament) signed by legendary developer Shigeru Miyamoto and ex-Nintendo president Minoru Arakawa. The auction also includes a copy of Next Generation magazine signed by Miyamoto and Arakawa as well as former Nintendo executives Howard Lincoln, Peter Main and others.

It isn't the sexiest auction available but at $21.48 (as of press time) it may be the cheapest way to grab classic Nintendo autographs... or at least a half-dozen N64 controllers.

[Thanks, Charles P.]

Rare releases new Banjo-Tooie trailer on Xbox Live

by David Hinkle { Apr 21st 2009 at 2:00PM }

The release of Banjo-Tooie is quickly drawing near, and to keep the hype up, Rare has presented a new trailer for the game. Featuring FPB gameplay (first-person birding), you'll be able to scope out some boss fights and oh man that's a freaking playable washing machine and it shoots underwear. Now that's charm you can't put a price on.

Well, actually, you can. Banjo-Tooie is scheduled for release on April 29 for 1200