First Look: Rare Replay – Banjo, Battletoads and More

Rare Ltd. is easily one of the more memorable developers in gaming. It’s been heavily involved with a number of long-time favorites, from Goldeneye 007 to the Donkey Kong Country games to Microsoft’s recent Kinect Sports titles. However, there’s more history to celebrate with the developer than some might expect, and players will be able to play it for themselves when Rare Replay arrives for Xbox One on August 4th.

This $30 compilation covers nearly every corner of the company’s history, from its early days on the ZX Spectrum (a platform that was popular before the NES) all the way through more current titles for Xbox 360. Although not every corner of its universe is explored – both Goldeneye and Donkey Kong are no shows due to licensing – there’s more than enough here to get money’s worth from.

As one might expect, one tremendous draw in this collection is the Battletoads crew. The 1989 NES adventure that started it all for them is included in this compilation, along with the rare 1994 arcade game that was originally produced by Electronic Arts. Both games feature multiplayer action, so friends can jump in and help you squash the Dark Queen’s forces. These two are must-plays, especially for those who have been looking to finally beat these games and add them to their accomplishments.

There are other titles as well. The classic R.C. Pro Am games, both the original and the sequel, are included, along with Cobra Triangle, a thrilling adventure featuring a gun-toting boat, and Snake Rattle n’ Roll, a fun little puzzle game where you guide a snake through a 3D world. Other games from the NES era include Slalom, Digger T. Rock and, of course, Solar Jetman. 

Before that, though, players should really delve into the ZX Spectrum part of the package, which covers Jetpac, Atic Atac, Lunar Jetman, Sabre Wulf, Underwurlde, Knight Lore and Gunfright. Though most of these names don’t exactly rattle off memories along the same lines as, say, Battletoads, fans won’t want to miss them.

Moving on to more newer games in the collection, the Nintendo 64 has quite a spotlight, with both Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie, carried over from their updated Xbox Live Arcade ports, along with Perfect Dark and Killer Instinct Gold. However, the real stand-outs for this section are the underappreciated Jet Force Gemini, a space adventure with a lot of action; Blast Corps, a destructive game where you try to clear the path of a nuclear truck by any means necessary; and the profane platformer Conker’s Bad Fur Day, which should easily be at the top of any player’s list.

The rest of the games in the collection are fairly recent. Grabbed By the Ghoulies, the company’s debut effort for the original Xbox, is included, along with Xbox 360 titles like Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo: Elements of Power, Viva Pinata and its follow-up Trouble In Paradise, Jetpac Refuelled, and the Banjo Kazooie vehicle-based sequel Nuts & Bolts. For $30, it’s a pretty well rounded package, even if it isn’t entirely complete.

Each game is emulated back to its original core, save for the games that are being re-released as Xbox 360 backwards compatible titles (like the ones above). That means they’re pretty much as gamers remember them, right down to their last pixel. However, they’ll have different options that can be tinkered around with, including a CRT video setting (an old-school favorite) and being able to “rewind” progress in certain games (but not all – no cheating, Conker fans).

On top of that, there will be various Achievements to unlock, totaling over 10,000 Gamerscore points in all (though some are carried over from the Xbox 360 games – just a word of warning). There will also be Snapshots, little mini challenges for each game that play out similarly to the NES Remix challenge stages, where you complete certain tasks and unlock new ones to take on. Finally, a documentary called Rare Revealed will also be included, chronicling the history of the company and featuring footage from unreleased games. It’s a safe bet that games not in this collection, including Goldeneye, are sure to be discussed as well.

Rare Replay definitely reflects similarities to other classic collections we saw on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, including Midway Arcade Origins and the Namco Museum games. It celebrates a legacy that still holds well after more than 30 years in the industry, while at the same time providing something both old and new to play, alone or with friends. We’ll see how well this Replay holds up in just a few weeks’ time.