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Handhelds Classic Games (Games) NES (Games) Entertainment Games Hardware

Rare Working On The Nintendo DS 74

Posted by Hemos from the looking-forward-to-it dept.
Sean O'Neill writes "Ken Lobb mentioned to a GCAdvanced writer that Rare is already working on titles for the Nintendo DS. "After him mentioning that, I began to speak to him about the Nintendo DS. He loves the DS and confirmed with me that Rare does have DS development kits and that two titles are in the works for the DS."
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Rare Working On The Nintendo DS More

Rare Working On The Nintendo DS

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  • Conker (Score:5, Funny)

    by wheresdrew ( 735202 ) on Monday May 17, 2004 @06:50AM (#9172032) Journal
    I shudder to think how they'd use the touch-screen capability or voice input in a Conker title.

    (Then again, I'm curious to see how twisted they'd get with those....)

    • Re:Conker (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Pxtl ( 151020 ) on Monday May 17, 2004 @10:22AM (#9173658) Homepage
      While I enjoyed Conker, the game helped me recognise something about Rare: I don't really enjoy their games. While often clever and interesting, I think they often turn out to be not really very much fun.

      Conker is a neat game on the surface, but the problems gradually chased me away: it pushed the hardware too hard, making the game choppy and ugly (a problem that all the Rare games seem to suffer from). It was just plain ugly (again, common Rare problem) and the gameplay was painfully frustrating and often very slow. Slightly convoluted controls, slightly sticky view angles, other frustrating, clumsy little features. Thinking back to Diddy Kong racing and Golden Eye, I see the same problems.

      Of course, ymmv - I personally find the continued popularity of Goldeneye utterly perplexing for what I find to be a mediocre - if groundbreaking - FPS. Dreamcast's Outtrigger stilll stands out to me as the best console FPS ever. Goldeneye is frustratingly painful in comparison. To me Goldeneye is the Wolfenstein of the console FPS world - yeah, it was the first, but I never want to touch it again.

      Now lets be realistic - Rare's games are only really popular because of their groundbreaking natures and their hype. Donkey Kong Country (a very hyped game) for being the first large-scale rendered-graphics platformer, Diddy Racing (another hyped game) for being an adventure-kart hybrid, and Goldeneye for being the first console FPS. That, and they're always frustrating, and always very very long.

      Of course, this is the perfect element for making games *memorable* - they break new ground, so people pick them up. They take forever, so the players pour lots of time into them. Also, they're frustrating, so the players really get emotionally involved in trying to succeed. This makes the games get carved into the mass psyche of players. I've gotten lost in many Rare titles. The games are such that your life gets sucked into them, so of course you become attached. No wonder everyone loves them so much.

      But the fact I think about when I think back to them is: did I actually *enjoy* playing them? All too often, the answer is, well, no. They were more of a habit and a task, with small rewards to keep me going. But rarely actually fun. Sure, they have their moments, but they tend to be short and fleeting rewards for endless perseverance.

      Other players may have different opinions, but I've come to mine, and I'm happy with it. Microsoft can have them.
      • I see your point here, but there is a Rare game I can think of that didn't fit that category. And that game would be Goldeneye. Now, I have several N64-era Rare games in my collection. Blast Corps, Goldeneye, Jet Force Gemini, Perfect Dark, yadda yadda yadda. Of them, only Goldeneye avoided the exact problems you speak of.

        Thinking back, every Rare game I can remember had these exact problems. N.A.R.C., Cobra Triangle, RC Pro Am, Cabal, Time Lord, Donkey Kong Country, DKC2, DKC3, Killer Instinct, KI2... The
        • N.A.R.C., Cobra Triangle, RC Pro Am, Cabal, Time Lord, Donkey Kong Country, DKC2, DKC3, Killer Instinct, KI2..

          A large segment of those games aren't even really Rare games - merely ports of arcade games they did for the NES. (Example: I wonder why Midway is putting out that new NARC game, and not Nintendo?) Games like Cabal are classic because they were great arcade games - Nintendo had nothing to do with that.
      • I think the real thing that attracted people to Goldeneye is not that it was the first Console FPS, but the first MULTIPLAYER console FPS. When I think back on Goldeneye, I don't remember the long difficult single player, but of the lengthy sessions of deathmatch with friends. Even if it was only 4 people at a time, it still rocked.
      • Dreamcast's Outtrigger stilll stands out to me as the best console FPS ever.

        Wow. Never thought I would see the day when someone admitted they like Outtrigger. Do any AM2 guys even admit that?

        Not to be nasty, but after that comment I wasn't surprised you find Rare's best games to not be fun. Or suggesting that Conker was ugly (I do admit a higher framerate would have been nice, but that was a problem in every N64 game save F-Zero, IMO). You have rarified (ha ha), if not unique, tastes in gaming...
      • "Microsoft can have them."

        Microsoft can have them? What, do you work for Nintendo? Most gamers I know have at least 2 consoles (if not all 3 from this generation). I'll play Rare games no matter what the platform.

  • Microsoft Handheld (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Aelfy ( 727873 ) on Monday May 17, 2004 @06:50AM (#9172036)
    Rare are owned by Microsoft. Does this pretty much confirm that Microsoft are not considering entering the handheld market with their own console?

    I'd like to know if they (or other MS studios) are also working on PSP games. It could be significant if they are supporting Nintendo only. Tactical?

    • Re:Microsoft Handheld (Score:5, Interesting)

      by fireduck ( 197000 ) on Monday May 17, 2004 @08:21AM (#9172509)
      The weird thing about the MS purchase of Rare: Their first-post buyout game was released for the GBA [rareware.com]. In fact, on their release schedule since 2003, they have more games for the GBA than they do X-BOX (4 nintendo games to 3 xbox games).

      Given how slowly Rare release titles, MS must be in this for the long haul (it was a $375 million purchase), as it'll take years before Rare even comes close to selling that much product. particularly if they've got a significant portion of their workforce developing Nintendo handheld games...

  • Golden-Eye, please? (Score:5, Informative)

    by Hackie_Chan ( 678203 ) on Monday May 17, 2004 @06:56AM (#9172059)
    I'd kill to play Golden-Eye on Gameboy DS. I mean, seriously. 4+ players duking it out? That'd be friggin' amazing.

    • Re:Golden-Eye, please? (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Thwomp ( 773873 )
      This would certainly be a deal breaker for me but where do Rare stand? Can they release the game again, would there be issues with the Bond license and EA?

      I would love to see a DS version though.
      • Hmm... my post isn't showing up. Maybe I forgot to hit submit? Anyway, this is what I said:

        You pose an interesting question, but an easy answer would be no. Rare lost the James Bond license to EA after GoldenEye was completed (which is why Perfect Dark wasn't a Bond game). It would be much more likely to see a Perfect Dark game on the DS, because Rare owns the IP for it.

        Hmm.... that would be awesome! :)

    • Re:Golden-Eye, please? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Eluding Reality ( 691589 ) on Monday May 17, 2004 @07:57AM (#9172376)
      4+ is not even a major limit, considering that the DS supports 16 players locally (and who knows how many via wi-fi) and there are no limitations on screens and processing power as each unit handles its own
      The major limitations would be the number of characters each DS can display on screen at each time and the practical number you can have on each map without it being unplayable
      All in all it would be far better than the original multiplayer and thats saying something!
      • It supports 16 via wi-fi in a 100ft radius. I don't even think the thing HAS a cable connection. It does play gameboy games though so I hope it has a connection for playing gameboy link cable games like advance wars and connecting to the cube to play FF:CC.
        Goldeneye would be a good idea, but I think bomberman would be a better one.
    • Only if Nintendo decides to use its friggin' head for once and put some X and Y buttons on there. You can strafe with L and R but all we have for action buttons are A and B, which would cover Attack1 and Use. What about reloading and changing weapons? At least Goldeneye had some auto-aiming or you'd need dual, uh... pads. Don't get me wrong. It would definitely kick much ass, just not with the current DS spec. Damn it Nintendo. Stop shooting yourself in the foot.

      • Re:Golden-Eye, please? (Score:3, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward
        Try to keep up. The DS has X and Y buttons. We're all making fun of the PSP's battery life now.

      • Re:Golden-Eye, please? (Score:2, Informative)

        by KDR_11k ( 778916 )
        The example Metroid Prime: Hunters demonstrates clearly how FPS games are meant to be played on the DS.

        You use the dpad or buttons for movement. All aiming, weapon switching and other stuff is done with the touchscreen. Aiming is point & click, for most other things (like switch to morph ball) you have icons on your HUD which you touch to activate.

  • Not just DS titles, either (Score:3, Insightful)

    by iainl ( 136759 ) on Monday May 17, 2004 @07:13AM (#9172145)
    According to this month's Edge, Diddy Kong Pilot for the GBA has been resurrected post Nintendo-split as Banjo Pilot.

    So its definitely looking like we're on target to see more Rare releases on Nintendo hardware this year than we are Microsoft (with GBA Sabre Wulf already on shelves). Oops.

  • Perfect Dark: DS (Score:5, Interesting)

    by BigDork1001 ( 683341 ) on Monday May 17, 2004 @07:26AM (#9172218) Homepage
    No more than a few days ago I had a nice little discussion about PD:DS. It sure would be nice to see this come true.

    To this day I still play Perfect Dark quite a bit. It's about the only N64 game my friends and I still play. One thing the GC lacks is a good multi-player shooter. The EA shooters just aren't as good as what Rare has made in the past. EA has really butchered the Bond games, Golden Eye is by far the best Bond shooter.

    • Not played PD in a while so can't remember the exact name of it, but how perfectly suited is the floating spy camera thing from PD to the DS!
      From what I remember it was only really useful in one or two levels, but if they made it available in all levels it could alter the gameplay completely
    • One thing the GC lacks is a good multi-player shooter.

      Haven't played it myself, though watched it in action and it looks very fast-paced. At any rate, it's made by the same team that made Goldeneye, and seems to be highly regarded by those who played it.

      • I absolutely love Perfect Dark (but I don't really like GoldenEye, go figure). I was rather dissappointed by the Rare buyout because that would mean no PD for my favorite console, the Cube. But when I heard that Timesplitters 2 was being made by a lot of the key people behind GoldenEye and PD and that it was coming to the GameCube, I got really excited again.

        After getting and playing TS2, I can compare it with Perfect Dark. One of the things that I liked most about PD is the menu set up. Very intuitive and

    • (Probably with me) Yeah, god I hope this means Perfect Dark DS

  • Plasticky (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Is it just me or am I the only one not sold on the whole 2 screen thing? and The product pictures I have seen look really plasticky

    nick...

    • Re:Plasticky (Score:3, Insightful)

      by NanoGator ( 522640 )
      "Is it just me or am I the only one not sold on the whole 2 screen thing? and The product pictures I have seen look really plasticky"

      You don't like having an extra PocketPC'esque dedicated touch screen for interface doodads, on-line chat, etc? Sorry to be blunt, but I think it is just you. Try imagining taking the PSP on-line and tell me you wouldn't miss that screen.

      Can't comment on the 'plasticy' bit, though, other than Nintendo's stated that the design's still being worked on. The basic design is t

  • Rare too much like Nintendo (Score:3, Interesting)

    by pudge_lightyear ( 313465 ) on Monday May 17, 2004 @08:21AM (#9172508) Homepage
    Could it be that Microsoft is realizing that Rare is just too much like Nintendo (family friendly, quality over bottom line, etc.)???... or that it was really Nintendo that made Rare strong? Remember that some of their best games were Nintendo properties. It could be that Rare is better at bringing the ideas of others to life than bringing the ideas themselves.

    Perhaps this is just Microsoft making the most out of a potentially failing investment... perhaps Nintendo knew that Rare's image would be hard to re-shape... and knew getting rid of them would kill Rare... perhaps I'm just rambling.
  • First, Rare already had liscence to work with GBA titles, and given that 100 companies have received DS kits, it's not surprising that they got one too.

    Second, why is Rare news and not a bigger developer like Square-Enix, or Konami? It is widely known that the talented development team left Rare several years ago (hence talk of "the Goldeneye team" making games for various non-Rare studios). Look at the big console games Rare released this generation; Star Fox Adventures and Grabbed by the Ghoulies. Tw

    • Re:This is news? (Score:5, Informative)

      by buffer-overflowed ( 588867 ) on Monday May 17, 2004 @08:34AM (#9172595) Journal
      Square-Enix is doing 3+ DS titles and 1 token PSP title.

      Konami is still TBA/TBD for the DS and is doing 1+ PSP title last I heard.

      And yes, who cares about Rare? The only property I think they own is Conker(who has had one good game thus far), and it looks like they're wasting that by doing a mindless shooter. Nintendo retains the PD property, the Donkey Kong property, and pretty much every other bit of IP that rare used to make good games.
      • I believe that Rare retained the PD property. They also own Banjo Kazooie.

        I, personally, believe that, aside from Blast Corps, Goldeneye, and Conker weren't very impressive. I had no fun at all with Diddy Kong Racing or DK64. Perfect Dark was not as fun, or pleasing as Goldeneye. So much slowdown with an explosion, it reminded me of NES days.

        Overall, much too long of a wait for a lot of unimpressive and a few great games.
      • Who really cares about the licenses anyway? I think NOLF is proof you don't need to pay for the bond rights to make a kick-ass bond style game.
    • I think it just may be the fact that Rare is now Microsoft property and that they're still actively developing for Nintendo despite that.
    • It is widely known that the talented development team left Rare several years ago (hence talk of "the Goldeneye team" making games for various non-Rare studios).

      Do any of you anti-Rare trolls realize how big Rare is? Three people from the Goldeneye team (only one being a major creator of it) creating Free Radical does not equal the only talented people at Rare...
  • Basically all this is showing is that Microsoft does not view any strength on Nintendo's part as a thread. I would be VERY surprised to see any Rare game ever being released again for the PS2 or especially the PSP.

    It would be in Microsoft's best interests to help Nindendo get stronger on the handheld front so that Sony does not get stronger. April was the first month EVER that xbox sales exceeded PS2 sales. If MS is catching them on the console front, they certainly don't want Sony to earn revenue on a
    • I meant to say THREAT, not thread. I simply just lack the ability to read my own typing.
  • This means that the rumored Microsoft handheld device that plugs into the Xbox 2 is either bullshit or doesn't share any features with the Nintendo DS.

    Remeber that little thing about Rare being bought by Microsoft? ;)

    --

    • Possibly. Or it means that said rumored handheld isn't expected to make it to market any time near the release of the DS or the titles that Rare's developing.

      Personally, I find the prospect of a Microsoft-designed handheld to be a little scary, considering what the original XBox controller looked like.

  • I joyfully remember Rare's fantastic N64 (and even SNES) titles. But after playing StarFox Adventures, and hearing about the GBA Banjo-Kazooie (Grunty's Revenge) from a friend who played it, I find it difficult to become excited about Rare's upcoming developments.

    I do believe that somewhere in the last console generation, most of their development talent disappeared.

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