Retro_Link Posted August 22, 2012 Posted August 22, 2012 You know all those Rare sequels everyone's been asking for all these years?... well... Prepare to be more than a little pissed!... http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/08/22/ex-rare-member-shares-info-on-cancelled-game Ex-Rare Member Shares Info on Cancelled Game An ex-Rare employee has revealed details about a prototype game the studio was developing for the Kinect called Savannah. In an interview with NotEnoughShaders, Donnchadh Murphy spoke about the project the studio was working on until it became Microsoft's Kinect Sports team. Savannah was planned to take place in a realistic savannah environment (shockingly) and would task players with raising a lion cub from birth to adulthood. Along the way, you would have to teach the animal the social and survival skills it would need to succeed in the wild. "We knew of the Kinect coming out but we had no real info on how good it was, but the plan was to try and use that technology in Savannah," Murphy explained. "It was an interesting concept and it was fun to work on, we really tried to push the technology of the 360 to get the most out of the graphics. The lions and hyenas were using a custom shell system for the fur, and with the help of a great programmer called Cliff Ramshaw, I think we got some of the nicest looking in-game fur I’ve seen. "It was only ever a prototype, and it never got a green light." Murphy also went on to explain the hurdles the former Nintendo developer experienced once it was purchased by Microsoft. He revealed that the company was strongly demoralised by Microsoft's decision to have them target younger audiences, which led to the cancellation of a more realistic Kameo sequel as well as several ideas from Conker's Bad Fur Day creator Chris Seavor. He explained, "At first it seemed that [Microsoft] wouldn't interfere much, but it was soon clear that they were more interested in using Rare to help aim at a younger market. This stifled a lot of creativity, Rare was renowned for their diverse portfolio, so to not be involved in making mature games was a real blow. "There [were] numerous projects that were put forward that I believe would have been huge hits, but Microsoft rejected them one after the other. I remember seeing a couple of prototypes that Chris Seavor had designed and was working on that looked amazing, but alas they got shelved." Also among the casualties following the Microsoft takeover was Killer Instinct 3, as it didn't fit the brief Microsoft assigned to the company. "We all wanted to make Killer Instinct 3, but Microsoft [was] more interested in broadening their demographic than making another fighting game," Murphy concluded. "So it never got made, I doubt it ever will." Can't imagine how demoralising that must have been for Rare!
Cube Posted August 22, 2012 Posted August 22, 2012 HoT Posted the full interview: http://www.notenoughshaders.com/2012/08/21/donnchadh-murphy-chats-about-rare/ Apart from Savannah, which was probably not greenlighted due to Kinectimals (Kinectimals probably suited the Kinect better, too), there's not really much new information, or anything to be pissed off about. If you're wondering about what happened to Donkey Kong Racing (which this person didn't work on), it became a Sabrewulf adventure/exploration racing game then was cancelled.
Ville Posted August 22, 2012 Posted August 22, 2012 Fucking MS...they bought a gold-laying goose and then decided to turn it into a turd-polishing machine >_>
Hero-of-Time Posted August 22, 2012 Posted August 22, 2012 A lot of people on Gaf are kicking off about KI3 not getting made, but at the end of the day it wouldn't have made half as much money as Kinect Sports did. KS was the go to game when Kinect was first released and really helped shift the add-on during the release period.
Shorty Posted August 22, 2012 Posted August 22, 2012 I love the Xbox and the way it works, it's a fast console with a great online service. With the new models we can even say "well made". On the other side of that is the weaker and weaker decisions Microsoft keep making. Advert covered dash, Kinect focus, "Smart Glass", killing off Inside Xbox, reverting their decision to switch to "real money", mixing up XBLA and On-Demand in the marketplace, overpriced DLC (for the consumer and the developer), lack of exclusives and squandering the capabilities of a powerhouse like Rare. Windows 8 features in this a little too. So far, this stuff has somehow managed to avoid actually encroaching too much on my actual enjoyment of 360 gaming, but it's starting to feel like a matter of time....
Cube Posted August 22, 2012 Posted August 22, 2012 I must be the only Rare fan who has zero interest in Killer Instinct. Kinect Sports sounds much, much more interesting to me.
Retro_Link Posted August 22, 2012 Author Posted August 22, 2012 or anything to be pissed off about.I'm not interested in Killer Instinct either, but plenty were. However I would have liked to see the Kameo sequel, the new projects from the CBFD developer, as well as maybe a sequel. The worst part for me is Rare knew what a great portfolio they had and how much potential there was within their team, only to have it all stamped on and put to work on projects they didn't really want to do.
Hero-of-Time Posted August 22, 2012 Posted August 22, 2012 I must be the only Rare fan who has zero interest in Killer Instinct. Kinect Sports sounds much, much more interesting to me. Nah, i'm with you, mate. I played it as a kid but it wasn't a patch on Streetfighter or Mortal Kombat. I had a go on it again a few years back and its a broken mess, not no mention ugly as sin. I liked the characters but as a fighting game I found it to be meh.
Retro_Link Posted August 22, 2012 Author Posted August 22, 2012 Yeah agreed, though characters like Fulgore and Glacius were pretty cool!
Ville Posted August 22, 2012 Posted August 22, 2012 However I would have liked to see the Kameo sequel, the new projects from the CBFD developer, as well as maybe a sequel. The worst part for me is Rare knew what a great portfolio they had and how much potential there was within their team, only to have it all stamped on and put to work on projects they didn't really want to do. Exactly. I did like Kameo and Nuts & Bolts, so I'd rather have more games like those. Not that interested in Kinect Sports...
Daft Posted August 22, 2012 Posted August 22, 2012 The last time Rare made a game I loved was about the same time Nintendo last made a game I loved. ...About 12 years ago now.
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