I don't want to offend any fanboys, but losing Rare to Microsoft doesn't
seem like a loss for Nintendo. Reading between the lines it appears that
Rare has been nothing but a pain for Nintendo these past few years. Perhaps
it's because Rare wants to stretch its boundaries, or whatever else. But it
shows how Rare behaves... and I don't like it.
Besides I'm not really a fan of any of their games. <gasp>
Yes, they developed many good games. Good. Not incredibly awesome. If the
N64 had had better support, support like the PSX had, I don't think anyone
would have bothered to place the spotlight on Rare as much as it was. But
since the N64 didn't have much else, well... it had Rare and they shined
brightly.
The GameCube doesn't need Rare. If Rare wants to leave, so be it. But they
wouldn't be where they are without Nintendo and if the bratty child wants to
run off to Microsoft or whomever else, good riddance. Might be good for
them to have Microsoft take over as the parent. Microsoft will squash those
within that don't want to behave.
Geoff
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 17:28:52 -0400
From: DarkBastion@aol.com
Subject: Re: [NG] Ms buys Rare
In a message dated Wed, 11 Sep 2002 3:50:16 PM Eastern Standard Time, geotay@charter.net writes:
> The GameCube doesn't need Rare. If Rare wants to leave, so be it. But they
> wouldn't be where they are without Nintendo and if the bratty child wants to
> run off to Microsoft or whomever else, good riddance. Might be good for
> them to have Microsoft take over as the parent. Microsoft
> will squash those
> within that don't want to behave.
>
> Geoff
If Star Fox Adventures turns out as well as it should, I think we will all be mourning the loss of Rare.
~Matt
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 14:58:36 -0700
From: "Dexter S." <dextersy@shaw.ca>
Subject: Re: [NG] Ms buys Rare
>
> Besides I'm not really a fan of any of their games. <gasp>
>
> Yes, they developed many good games. Good. Not incredibly awesome. If the
> N64 had had better support, support like the PSX had, I don't think anyone
> would have bothered to place the spotlight on Rare as much as it was. But
> since the N64 didn't have much else, well... it had Rare and they shined
> brightly.
>
> The GameCube doesn't need Rare. If Rare wants to leave, so be it. But they
> wouldn't be where they are without Nintendo and if the bratty child wants to
> run off to Microsoft or whomever else, good riddance. Might be good for
> them to have Microsoft take over as the parent. Microsoft will squash those
> within that don't want to behave.
>
> Geoff
Well, RARE has a tradition of making fine, if niche games. The perception of
them as a powerhouse was largely based on Donkey Kong Country, a fine
platformer boosted to status of classic by virtue of its visuals, and GoldenEye
007, which is really something.
However, since then, things have returned to business as usual of RARE, in terms
of producing good titles that is either ignored (JFG, Conker's) or just
formulaic ones (DK64).
It's too bad they are going Microsoft exclusive as I wouldn't mind playing a
Conker or JFG sequel, but I'd be interested in what Nintendo do with their cash.
Dexter
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 21:48:36 -0400
From: DarkBastion@aol.com
Subject: Re: [NG] Ms buys Rare
In a message dated Wed, 11 Sep 2002 4:58:36 PM Eastern Standard Time, dextersy@shaw.ca writes:
> It's too bad they are going Microsoft exclusive as I wouldn't mind playing a
> Conker or JFG sequel, but I'd be interested in what
> Nintendo do with their cash.
>
> Dexter
Oh man, are you kidding me? CONKER on the Xbox?! Oh LORD, that would be sweet.
Anyone play "The Thing" yet? I'm thinking about maybe getting if for the 'ol Xbox (TV comes tomorrow, when I turn 18), and so far it seems like a good game. GameSpot's good review belies its relativly low score (that is, such a praising review normally garners a higher score).
~Matt
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 18:54:55 -0700
From: "Dexter S." <dextersy@shaw.ca>
Subject: Re: [NG] Ms buys Rare
DarkBastion@aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated Wed, 11 Sep 2002 4:58:36 PM Eastern Standard Time, dextersy@shaw.ca writes:
>
> > It's too bad they are going Microsoft exclusive as I wouldn't mind playing a
> > Conker or JFG sequel, but I'd be interested in what
> > Nintendo do with their cash.
> >
> > Dexter
>
> Oh man, are you kidding me? CONKER on the Xbox?! Oh LORD, that would be sweet.
Maybe not. Nintendo I think owns the license that game and the PD.
>
>
> Anyone play "The Thing" yet? I'm thinking about maybe getting if for the 'ol Xbox (TV comes tomorrow, when I turn 18), and so far it seems like a good game. GameSpot's good review belies its relativly low score (that is, such a praising review normally garners a higher score).
>
> ~Matt
Dexter S.
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 21:04:52 -0500
From: Thraxen <thraxen@ipa.net>
Subject: Re: [NG] Ms buys Rare
> Maybe not. Nintendo I think owns the license that game and the PD.
They can keep that crap game. I'm curious to see what Rare does do on the
XBOX. They really do make some wonderful looking games (graphically), so
I'm curious to see what they do with the XBOX hardware. I just hope the
gameplay isn't crap like their recent outings.
Stryder
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 19:13:19 -0700
From: "Dexter S." <dextersy@shaw.ca>
Subject: Re: [NG] Ms buys Rare
>
> They can keep that crap game.
Well you're taking my comment out of context. you can tell Matt that as he
was the one exclaiming about it.
> I'm curious to see what Rare does do on the
> XBOX. They really do make some wonderful looking games (graphically), so
> I'm curious to see what they do with the XBOX hardware. I just hope the
> gameplay isn't crap like their recent outings.
>
> Stryder
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 21:29:03 -0500
From: "Geoff Taylor" <geotay@charter.net>
Subject: Re: [NG] Ms buys Rare
- ----- Original Message -----
From: <DarkBastion@aol.com>
To: <NGamers@lists.xmission.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 4:28 PM
Subject: Re: [NG] Ms buys Rare
> In a message dated Wed, 11 Sep 2002 3:50:16 PM Eastern Standard Time,
geotay@charter.net writes:
>
> > The GameCube doesn't need Rare. If Rare wants to leave, so be it. But
they
> > wouldn't be where they are without Nintendo and if the bratty child
wants to
> > run off to Microsoft or whomever else, good riddance. Might be good for
> > them to have Microsoft take over as the parent. Microsoft
> > will squash those
> > within that don't want to behave.
> >
> > Geoff
>
> If Star Fox Adventures turns out as well as it should, I think we will all
be mourning the loss of Rare.
>
> ~Matt
One game. Even if it turns out to be a 11 out of 10, how many more of that
caliber would Rare develop for Gamecube? Say Gamecube stays on the market
through 2005. We'd probably get four (more than likely less, but I'm being
generous) games from Rare during that time and of those maybe one that would
go on to be considered a classic. Lamenting over what may never be when
there's so much else to enjoy is senseless. Besides, Rare's best has always
come with Nintendo, if not Shigeru Miyamoto himself, as producer... the
greatest programmers are worthless without talented producers to give them
direction.
Geoff
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 22:46:09 -0500
From: "Mr. Completely" <treytable@earthlink.net>
Subject: [NG] Rare: The Full Story - IGN Insider
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
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Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Rare: The Full Story
No more rumors.
September 11, 2002 - In past months, UK development studio Rare has been =
the subject of a seemingly endless stream of rumors, all of them =
suggesting the company would break from Nintendo's wings and possibly =
join with a new publisher. Now we have the full story, anonymously =
confirmed by numerous credible, high-level insiders. The reports are =
true. We stake our reputation on it.=20
Nintendo, formerly a 49% shareholder in Rare, had the chance to purchase =
the company outright nearly a year ago, but refused, according to =
high-ranking sources. With Rare software contributions amounting to only =
9.5% of total revenues in Nintendo's fiscal 2001 year, and a miniscule =
1.5% in fiscal 2002, the publisher weighed the benefits and drawbacks of =
making additional investments in Rare and decided against it.=20
Rare went on the market. Publishers bid on the company. Activision and =
Microsoft were both interested in acquiring Rare, but it was Microsoft =
who won out and delivered the asking prices for the developer and =
Nintendo's 49% stake in it. Nintendo sold all of its shares in Rare, =
according to insiders, and the studio's second-party status was =
terminated.=20
The obvious questions then: why all of the secrecy and why haven't Rare, =
Nintendo or Microsoft made any announcements? The truth is that the =
details have not been finalized. Insiders allege that Nintendo and Rare =
are still haggling over licenses, and specifically whether or not Rare =
will be able to purchase the properties it worked on under the Nintendo =
brand, including Perfect Dark and other trademarks Nintendo holds. =
Franchises and characters created and owned by Nintendo, of course, =
including Donkey Kong, will remain in Nintendo's control. An official =
announcement, though, is not far off. The latest word is that the news =
will be made public at Microsoft's X02 Europe event which begins =
September 24 in Seville, Spain.=20
Meanwhile, sources indicate that Nintendo plans to utilize some of the =
money it made in the selling of its Rare shares to entice other =
development studios to make Gamecube software, fund new games, and more. =
The company's de-emphasized focus on a second-party model and its new =
partnerships with Namco, Sega, Capcom and others exemplifies its change =
in development philosophy, and leaves no room for an expensive =
investment in Rare.=20
Look for much more on this major news as it develops.=20
I assumed Nintendo was going to pursue Sega to fill in the void but the
last portion of the article seems to suggest that Nintendo will just
pursue a stronger 3rd party relationship with Sega(and others). Wasn't
Nintendo doing that before? What did Nintendo get out of the sell other
than extra cash? Is Nintendo taking a risk?
lloyd
On Wed, 11 Sep 2002, Mr. Completely wrote:
> Rare: The Full Story
> No more rumors.
>
> September 11, 2002 - In past months, UK development studio Rare has been the subject of a seemingly endless stream of rumors, all of them suggesting the company would break from Nintendo's wings and possibly join with a new publisher. Now we have the full story, anonymously confirmed by numerous credible, high-level insiders. The reports are true. We stake our reputation on it.
> Nintendo, formerly a 49% shareholder in Rare, had the chance to purchase the company outright nearly a year ago, but refused, according to high-ranking sources. With Rare software contributions amounting to only 9.5% of total revenues in Nintendo's fiscal 2001 year, and a miniscule 1.5% in fiscal 2002, the publisher weighed the benefits and drawbacks of making additional investments in Rare and decided against it.
>
> Rare went on the market. Publishers bid on the company. Activision and Microsoft were both interested in acquiring Rare, but it was Microsoft who won out and delivered the asking prices for the developer and Nintendo's 49% stake in it. Nintendo sold all of its shares in Rare, according to insiders, and the studio's second-party status was terminated.
>
> The obvious questions then: why all of the secrecy and why haven't Rare, Nintendo or Microsoft made any announcements? The truth is that the details have not been finalized. Insiders allege that Nintendo and Rare are still haggling over licenses, and specifically whether or not Rare will be able to purchase the properties it worked on under the Nintendo brand, including Perfect Dark and other trademarks Nintendo holds. Franchises and characters created and owned by Nintendo, of course, including Donkey Kong, will remain in Nintendo's control. An official announcement, though, is not far off. The latest word is that the news will be made public at Microsoft's X02 Europe event which begins September 24 in Seville, Spain.
>
> Meanwhile, sources indicate that Nintendo plans to utilize some of the money it made in the selling of its Rare shares to entice other development studios to make Gamecube software, fund new games, and more. The company's de-emphasized focus on a second-party model and its new partnerships with Namco, Sega, Capcom and others exemplifies its change in development philosophy, and leaves no room for an expensive investment in Rare.
>
> Look for much more on this major news as it develops.
