GoldenEye 007 Nintendo 64 Community, GoldenEye X, Nintendo 64 Games Discussion

[Kerr Avon]

If (like me) you still have an atom of hope that Rare will turn around the last decade and start making first class games again, then go to:

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-banjo-kazooie-perfect-dark-and-more-will/1100-6424597/?utm_source=gamefaqs&utm_medium=partner&utm_content=news_module&utm_campaign=hub_platform

If, you can't be bothered to click on it, then I'll post the highlights:

To begin with, the page has the title:


Microsoft: Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark, and More Will Return Eventually

), which does sound positive, even though we know better than to believe any official press release or comments.


Sadly, it's all very downhill from there:

"I think the best message to give to your listeners is we love the old IP as much as you do--please be patient because we can only build so much at a time."

Which is PR speak for "Since we get countless requests for new games based around our old IPs, such as Perfect Dark, Jet Force Gemini, Banjo Kazzooie, etc, we've decided to change our focus from Kinnect games that have nothing to do with our valued IPs, and instead make Kinnect games that have nothing to do with our valued IPs. Still, we gave you a game based around Banjo Kazooie, even if it wasn't the gametype anyone wanted, plus we gave you a Perfect Dark themed Halo, eight years ago."





"This is one of the things that I love about [Phil Spencer]: He understands the value of IP," Lobb said. "Not just in terms of let's go make a new one every year. But in terms of, 'let's go think about the portfolio and what makes the most sense at the right time.'"

See, that's why Phil Spencer gets the big bucks. An idiot like me would say "Make the games that the customer wants, like you used to do in the N64 days", but Mr Spenser obviously realises that game quality is much less important than 'thinkng about the portfolio, and seeing what makes sense at the present time" (whatever that means). He understands that quality and fulfilling your customers' wishes (which is what I and other non-corporate people want) only results in great games, great publicity, and high profits for your company, whereas Mr Spencer's method would achieve, er, what exactly?



"[Ken] Lobb also teased that a new Perfect Dark could, if it ever does get made, be a more story-driven game that dives into who Joanna Dark is. He also suggested that it might not even be a shooter, as Microsoft already has the shooter space covered well with the Halo and Gears of War franchises."

This, all joking aside, shows exactly why Rare are so mediocre now. Having Halo and GoW does NOT cover the 'space shooter' market well. There is room for more than two games in a genre (and GoW isn't even in the same genre, it's a THIRD person shooter), there is always room in any genre for another GOOD game, and Perfect Dark is a slower paced FPS anyway than Halo, so it's not a direct competitor, and even if it was, then so what? It should still exist.



I can't be bothered quoting more (not much more was said, anyway), but basically it said nothing positive. Remember when Rare were renowned for quality, and were the talk of gamers all over the 'net as well as amongst your friends? When now do you hear of anyone talking about how great Rare is, about how they're looking forward to Rare's upcoming games, about how Rare are up their with the best of the best?

And that interview gives you a good idea why.

[Ami]

Even if they do return the games we so dearly loved. It won't be as good as the old ones.

[mistamontiel]

'IPs' being ..?
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[HackBond]

mistamontiel wrote:

'IPs' being ..?

Intellectual Properties.
In short, games series.

For example: Banjo-Kazooie is an IP owned by Rare, Donkey Kong is an IP owned by Nintendo
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[Kerr Avon]

Ami wrote:

Even if they do return the games we so dearly loved. It won't be as good as the old ones.

Yep. That is 99.999999% likely to be the case, as most of the presumably very talented and dedicated people who made Goldeneye/Perfect Dark/Banjo 1 and 2/Conker/etc seem to have left Rare (even the Stamper brothers, who before they created Rare were working as Ultimate: Play the Game, which to some people were the best software house on the ZX Spectrum), plus Rare is a different environment now then then - in the N64 years, each team working on a game was keen to make a better game than the other teams, and they were largely left alone by the bosses and allowed to experiment in what might make the games better. And deadlines were a lot more lax, too. But apparently Microsoft are much more controlling, with the "It MUST be done this way, don't add anything else, don't experiment, and make sure it meets every deadline".

So yes, it's probably unrealistic to expect Rare to ever get back to anywhere near as good as they were in the Nintendo years. But it's nice to dream.

[PaRaDoX]

Old Rare is dead, people. This 'new' Rare is a hollow shell of it's former shell.

[MRKane]

When I imagine the present Rare offices it's a whole line of people tied to chairs getting whipped by assorted slave drivers. EA, Ubisoft, Square Enix, they're all taking the same path into a lack-lusture chanceless scheme.

Guess the good news is that the indy market is fantastic at the moment
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[EternallyAries]

Even though Rare is quite the dead company in my eyes. They still hold a fantastic line of iconic list of games. I for one would kill for a Battle toads game, like not even joking. Loved the original one (Even though the hours I spent playing it and never being able to beat it once) It was a fantastic experience and it would be even more enjoyable to see the toads in action in today's consoles. Conker may one day return in his own game and hoping to god he does. It would be fantastic to play as the squirrel and wreck havoc on the amazing detailed world. And honestly, this might be stupid of me to even mention such, but I would love to see another Banjo game. Starting off where they left off from the terrible Nuts and Bolts game and bring back in the collectathon and maybe just maybe give Gruntilda some extra few pounds.

MRKane wrote:

Guess the good news is that the indy market is fantastic at the moment

Not sure if you ever heard of the new game that still in the works. Called A Hat In Time. Game pretty much takes bits and pieces from games like Super Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie and even Legend Of Zelda Wind Waker graphics. It looks honestly amazing for a indie game. You should go check it out sometime if you're interested.

http://hatintime.com/
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[Wreck]

The majority of my N64 games were made by Rare, and they're all fantastic. But do I even care to play any game made by them since then? No, I don't. Even the IP's they do have aren't producing quality in the recent generations. And talk of making a new Perfect Dark that isn't a First-Person Shooter? Maybe they're better off, since whatever they put out will be barely passable garbage. All the good staff left, and Microsoft has sucked the life out of whoever remains. But hey, so long as they're selling Kinnect games, who cares?
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[AL64inthedark]

Well when I heard about the cancelled Perfect Dark Core, I tought it would have been an interesting thing, even if not an FPS.
I saw it like something close to Deus Ex.

I wouldn't mind an episode of the series not beeing an FPS, to focus on Joanna for example or whatever, if the story is interesting. Joanna beeing a bit bad ass was a good thing to me.
But well, Perfect Dark, to me, is a "kinda" slow rate FPS, and that's not something that should be changed or forgotten.
The argument that "we already have 2 FPS, it's an orgy omg, you couldn't take another one that would be totally different" sound like a real joke.

Anwyay, it's better if we just let things where they are now, it's way too late.

[MultiplayerX]

NO WAY any game they make will hold up to the originals and until gamers STOP BUYING SH%T GAMES they will continue to feed these 3 year development graphics overkill games they keep making. Gamers are to blame a lot for game companies leaving gameplay behind because of the demand for realism and graphics. WE DID IT TO OURSELVES and the only way to change this is to BOYCOTT buying anymore crap releases!!!!
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[Wreck]

Many games are just shat out so quickly nowadays, just to try and save a few bucks in a very competitive market. The days of multi-year developments are gone. Only a handful are given that much care and attention to detail. Even Resident Evil 6 was pushed out a month or so sooner than the original release date set. Instead of polishing it and working out any bugs, they settled. Big companies don't care anymore. You're better off sticking to independent games. They get the love from the developers working on them, and are receiving more critical praise.

I like the pace of GE and PD. They aren't "run and gun" games, where waves of enemies appear around every corner. There's stealth involved. I'm not a huge FPS fan, and maybe that's the reason. Too much repetitiveness, constant battles, and often very linear level design. Rare took a more realistic approach to the genre - at least when it comes to being a spy, anyway.
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[zoinkity]

Actually, level design tends toward "realistic", insofar as the rooms are arranged in a way that's natural and based on use. They include rooms that would be there, but serve no purpose in the level. Pillars too. They taper to look straighter, just like real life. No forced cover, just natural cover from natural design.

It's not level design the way level design is done; it's archetecural design.
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[MRKane]

That's actually the first thing we were taught pertaining to computer graphics - to study real things and then put them into the machine. I guess it tends to suggest that the team was classically trained and/or very much wanted to make a realistic experience. There's a lot to be said for that.
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[Kerr Avon]

In an interview one of the Goldeneye team said that they (whoever did the Goldeneye level architecture*) made the Goldeneye levels without knowing how (or even if, IIRC) they'd be used, so they just tried to make realistic levels without any concession towards gameplay or game features, and then later when gameplay was added they made very little alteration to the game's levels. That's why GE's levels feel more 'real world' than so many other first person shooters, as the game was built around the levels, rather than the levels being designed specifically for in-game game logic).




* According to the Spell-checker, I spelt architecture right first time!)