Posted February 9 (edited) Rare was already starting to fall apart before the Microsoft buyout. Most of the GE/PD team left right before the end of PD’s development to form Free Radical, you had Martin Hollis leaving to found Zoonami (after working freelance for a few years as a consultant on the GCN hardware’s development), lots of other staff members like Neil Gallagher were leaving to go into education or go freelance or join other companies. And most critically of all? The Stamper Brothers had already announced their intention to retire by 2000-2001; really, this was the biggest reason why Nintendo chose not to buy the remaining 51%. Tim & Chris Stamper were really the lifeblood of the company, and it’s when they left in 2007 that the house of cards truly fell apart. Edited February 9 by Dcubed 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 9 8 hours ago, lostmario said: Had an idea for a thread on the topic but I keep putting off doing it. Do it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 9 10 hours ago, lostmario said: Indeed, I'm currently playing through DKC 2 for the first time and still find it crazy that Nintendo let them go. Had an idea for a thread on the topic but I keep putting off doing it. Top game. Builds on the foundation laid by DKC. I'm just enjoying this unexpected "Glimmer's Galleon" of hope that the golden R logo could grace my screen again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 9 11 hours ago, lostmario said: Indeed, I'm currently playing through DKC 2 for the first time and still find it crazy that Nintendo let them go. Had an idea for a thread on the topic but I keep putting off doing it. You enjoying it more now? Have you played the 3rd (best) one before? 10 hours ago, lostmario said: I disagree, I don't see DK64 as the drop off in quality. Perfect Dark, Banjo-Tooie and Conkers BFD all came after and were still peak Rare. Dinosaur Planet if Nintendo had not forced Starfox on them would have been a perfect swansong for the N64 as they would have kept to their original vision for the game. I've played the leaked rom and it just feels different to Star Fox Adventures. I enjoyed Star Fox Adventures by the way. It wasn't just Rare, their most important first party developer that they lost, it's all the valuable IPs that would have been useful during the gamecube years. Yeah, their output could have given the Gamecube some much needed exclusive software and plugged the software droughts it had. I would have loved to have seen Kameo and PDZ release on it. Rare's output post Nintendo was also pretty good. As someone who played all of their games until Sea of Thieves, I had a great time with each of them and there was certainly some Rare magic and charm in them all. Kameo, Viva Pinata, Kinect Sports, Banjo: N&B showed that Rare may not have had the big names with them anymore but were still more than capable of creating fun and interesting games. Even Perfect Dark Zero got a lot of play time by me and my friends thanks to how much fun the online multiplayer was. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Rare were a far better studio than Retro have ever been and yet Nintendo brought them into the fold but baffling let Rare go. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 9 30 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said: Yeah, their output could have given the Gamecube some much needed exclusive software and plugged the software droughts it had. I would have loved to have seen Kameo and PDZ release on it. [...] I've said it before and I'll say it again, Rare were a far better studio than Retro have ever been and yet Nintendo brought them into the fold but baffling let Rare go. Indeed. I was looking forward to the next generation of their stuff as much as I was Nintendo's—probably even more with the level of polish we could expect from Rare. Even printed out still images of the DK Racing trailer to pore over offline. LOL. Star Fox Adventures had its issues but it gave a bittersweet glimpse of what was no longer in the pipeline. Sadly, losing the quality and personality of their games left gaps that just weren't covered. Solid as Timesplitters 2 was, one swallow does not a summer make. And Zoonami, well... It sort of looked like Silicon Knights and Retro were ushering in a new era of Nintendo's Western chums but not really. It's interesting to look back on the path the game libraries took now we're so far removed from that time. You can wonder if Nintendo would have given the likes of Mario Sunshine and Wind Waker more time in the oven had Rare games been on the calendar. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 9 Reminder that The Legend of Zelda Orchestra Concert will be available today from midday: 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 9 1 hour ago, Hero-of-Time said: I would have loved to have seen Kameo and PDZ release on it. Really? Have you played Perfect Dark Zero!? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 9 @lostmario The 2018 Battletoads game starts off fine for the first hour or so, but the rest of it is atrocious. The fighting levels stop and you have - Discount Rayman Origins levels that are very simple and not enjoyable. - A really boring vertical scrolling space shooter with multiple levels. Followed by a terrible minigame where you have to repair something by hitting random buttons. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 9 2 hours ago, Julius said: Reminder that The Legend of Zelda Orchestra Concert will be available today from midday: It's up: Man, love hearing the orchestra take on Tears of the Kingdom's Main Theme shame they went with the Reprise though, I wanted to hear the second half known for the sax 3 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 9 (edited) Lovely stuff, mostly the same arrangements as seen in the Seattle Nintendo Live event last year, but still great. These concerts are always wonderful; always great to see Nintendo pay tribute to the series as a whole Edited February 9 by Dcubed 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 9 (edited) 5 hours ago, Glen-i said: Really? Have you played Perfect Dark Zero!? Did you not read the rest of my post? I put countless hours into the online mulitplayer part of the game. Proper fun. Edited February 9 by Hero-of-Time 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 9 3 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said: Did you not read the rest of my post? I put countless hours into the online mulitplayer part of the game. Proper fun. Don't let DCubed hear you say that... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 9 @Dcubed I liked PDZ and had fun with it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 9 Just now, Hero-of-Time said: @Dcubed I liked PDZ and had fun with it. NO! OH MY DAZE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 9 3 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said: @Dcubed I liked PDZ and had fun with it. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 9 51 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said: @Dcubed I liked PDZ and had fun with it. Don't worry, I've got your back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 10 On 2/9/2024 at 8:33 AM, Hero-of-Time said: You enjoying it more now? Have you played the 3rd (best) one before? I was enjoying it when I messaged you about it but I found the music disappointing after playing DKC. I got to the third world and somehow deleted my save. Started again and began to really appreciate the music, not as catchy as DKC but really atmospheric. Level design builds on DKC so well, perfect balance in terms of difficulty and being fun to play. Like 2, I've not played 3 before either, I had moved onto PS1 and N64 by then. Looking forward to it. On 2/9/2024 at 10:32 AM, Cube said: @lostmario The 2018 Battletoads game starts off fine for the first hour or so, but the rest of it is atrocious. The fighting levels stop and you have - Discount Rayman Origins levels that are very simple and not enjoyable. - A really boring vertical scrolling space shooter with multiple levels. Followed by a terrible minigame where you have to repair something by hitting random buttons. I finished it when I had gamepass. I thought it was great, I enjoyed the randomness of the above mentioned level types. I think it would do quite well on the Switch as a budget release. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 11 Universo Nintendo are reporting on some details from Brazilian gaming podcast PH Brazil that the Switch's successor will feature both physical and digital backwards compatibility, with devs having the option to enhance their original Switch games. Quote One of the topics of greatest doubt among current Nintendo consumers and even enthusiasts curious about their next hardware is the question of compatibility with current Nintendo Switch games on this new console. Awaited as a potential 2024 release by Nintendo, the next system could come with the encouraging news that it will feature this physical (in cartridges) and digital backward compatibility not only available to players and producers — but would also allow developers to study improvements for the current titles in the Nintendo Switch library. This information was shared by PH Brazil during the most recent episode of the podcast for the Pokémon franchise as traditionally happens every year. PH Brazil is currently a content creator and also a games journalist who has already brought a lot of information about Nintendo's or partners' movements in advance and with precision in the past. Taking its history into account, there is a high chance that this information will become fact when the console is announced. Nintendo does not comment on rumors and there is no announcement regarding the new hardware so far. I think we all agree this would be the smart move when it comes to potential backwards compatibility - physical BC going missing doesn't seem Nintendo's style and punishes early adopters during the transition period; digital BC has been heavily teased by Nintendo themselves when talking about online accounts carrying over to their next system - so I think the real news here (if true, grain of salt and all that) is the apparent option for devs to release updates which enhance previously released games. Would definitely be welcome in BotW's forested areas, that's for sure Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 11 Ubisoft did basically confirm/hint (depending which way you want to look at it) that cross-platform updates would be possible when talking about Rabbids a while back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 11 12 minutes ago, Julius said: with devs having the option to enhance their original Switch games. Super Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Ultimate incoming! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 11 Not that I'd put any particular stock into this rumour, or its source, but really this is the minimum that I'd expect from Switch 2. Microsoft and Sony have set the standard, and I would expect Nintendo to at least try to match up when it comes to backwards compatibility. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 11 Only thing we learn from this is even during Carnival they have to keep the rumour mill spinning. On Pancake Tuesday: Switch successor made from components Nintendo wanted cleared out of their cupboards. Re: backward compatibility, hope for a Super Gameboy/ GBA Player type add-on and the option to pay a "minimal fee" to bring your digital games forward, like the Wii VC to Wii U. Anything more seamless (like a days-long system transfer) will be a bonus. Let's just await official confirmation on anything else. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 11 2 hours ago, BowserBasher said: Super Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Ultimate incoming! Mario Kart 8 Redux would be a clever title (if I say so myself) but essentially a Wii U situation again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 11 I've said it before... Just take the 8 and turn it on its side... Mario Kart Infinity And just keep re-releasing it forever. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 15 This month's game trial is live now! https://www.n-europe.com/news/play-ea-sports-fc-24-for-free-with-nintendo-switch-online/ 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
