Hi there,
Ignoring the fact that the subject line is contextually inaccurate, (for those less literally inclined: "wherefore" refers to "for what reason" as opposed to location,) the question remains: Where has the legendary Rare Software gone?
Rareware has a number of impressive titles under their belts. The obvious is 'Goldeneye,' which brought the first-person-shooter, at long last, to the console. Then comes its spiritual successor, 'Perfect Dark,' which perfected (ha! I am so clever) the idea. Along with creating games with extremely solid, well-rounded gameplay, Rare also did a good job of pushing the Nintendo 64 to its meager limits on the graphical front. 'Conker's Bad Fur Day' was a visual masterpiece. Though possibly undermined by the fact that more than a few polygons were dedicated to rendering copious amounts of feces, the game had the best graphics on the system by far. That's ignoring the fantastic satire on pop-culture. They were the leading designers of the time; the console equivalent to Valve.
Of late, however, the company seems to have been in decline. They had little to show for the Xbox, despite Microsoft's unfortunate acquisition of the company. 'Grabbed by the Goulies' was an unmitigated disaster. Later, the remake of 'Conker,' the surnamed Live and Reloaded, was for some odd reason, exactly that: a remake. The class-based multiplayer was just "so-so." and the campaign was just a remake of the original. (Though again, Conker has by far the best graphics on the Xbox, almost standing up next to a few next-gen launch titles.) Instead of making a sequel to satire up-to-date pop culture, they had what can only be described as a cop-out.
As far as the current generation goes, they're nowhere to be found. Perfect Dark Zero was a massive disappointment. The graphics were sub-par and the gameplay was almost identical to the original, which is not a compliment. Kameo: Elements of power was passable, and I heard Viva-Piñata was good. But other than that, what is there? Where are the graphical powerhouses and innovative shooters? Rare hasn't had a blockbuster release for two generations of gaming, nowhere near Goldeneye or Perfect Dark.
For a company with so much prestige, why is it being overshadowed?
My thoughts centered on its limitations due to Microsoft's ownership. Rareware, with there often more unique gameplay style, (ie: Piñata) would be the perfect developer for the Wii. Of course, this is impossible. Also, they are unable to release Goldeneye and the likes on the Virtual Console for the same reason. The 360, though extremely powerful, is also very standard, inhibiting Rare's potential.
What are your thoughts on the matter?
Where has our beloved Rare Software gone?
When will it return?
Ignoring the fact that the subject line is contextually inaccurate, (for those less literally inclined: "wherefore" refers to "for what reason" as opposed to location,) the question remains: Where has the legendary Rare Software gone?
Rareware has a number of impressive titles under their belts. The obvious is 'Goldeneye,' which brought the first-person-shooter, at long last, to the console. Then comes its spiritual successor, 'Perfect Dark,' which perfected (ha! I am so clever) the idea. Along with creating games with extremely solid, well-rounded gameplay, Rare also did a good job of pushing the Nintendo 64 to its meager limits on the graphical front. 'Conker's Bad Fur Day' was a visual masterpiece. Though possibly undermined by the fact that more than a few polygons were dedicated to rendering copious amounts of feces, the game had the best graphics on the system by far. That's ignoring the fantastic satire on pop-culture. They were the leading designers of the time; the console equivalent to Valve.
Of late, however, the company seems to have been in decline. They had little to show for the Xbox, despite Microsoft's unfortunate acquisition of the company. 'Grabbed by the Goulies' was an unmitigated disaster. Later, the remake of 'Conker,' the surnamed Live and Reloaded, was for some odd reason, exactly that: a remake. The class-based multiplayer was just "so-so." and the campaign was just a remake of the original. (Though again, Conker has by far the best graphics on the Xbox, almost standing up next to a few next-gen launch titles.) Instead of making a sequel to satire up-to-date pop culture, they had what can only be described as a cop-out.
As far as the current generation goes, they're nowhere to be found. Perfect Dark Zero was a massive disappointment. The graphics were sub-par and the gameplay was almost identical to the original, which is not a compliment. Kameo: Elements of power was passable, and I heard Viva-Piñata was good. But other than that, what is there? Where are the graphical powerhouses and innovative shooters? Rare hasn't had a blockbuster release for two generations of gaming, nowhere near Goldeneye or Perfect Dark.
For a company with so much prestige, why is it being overshadowed?
My thoughts centered on its limitations due to Microsoft's ownership. Rareware, with there often more unique gameplay style, (ie: Piñata) would be the perfect developer for the Wii. Of course, this is impossible. Also, they are unable to release Goldeneye and the likes on the Virtual Console for the same reason. The 360, though extremely powerful, is also very standard, inhibiting Rare's potential.
What are your thoughts on the matter?
Where has our beloved Rare Software gone?
When will it return?
