Dcubed Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 http://www.notenoughshaders.com/2012/10/01/crash-lab-life-after-rareware-and-free-radical/ Timesplitters 2 HD We had a “HD” downloadable version of TimeSplitters 2 in development at Free Radical in 2008. I don’t know what happened to that but yes, I’d love to see it released at some point. Maybe it could be the catalyst that is required in order to raise enough interest in TimeSplitters 4 that a publisher might want to fund it. Confirmation that JFG GBC had nothing to do with Rare There were many leaked photos back in 2010 of a Jet Force Gemini beta/prototype for Game Boy Color Can you share any information on whether this game actually exists, how far along it was in development (completion), the type of gameplay it had, and why it got cancelled? Martin Wakeley: JFG on the Gameboy was the only occasion I can remember Rare outsourcing anything. It was being done by Bits Studios and was nearly done last time I saw it, I’m not sure what happened to it. The fabled Timber 64 never existed There was a rumor that Timber 64 was a game Rare was developing during the N64 days. Basically, the rumor was that Timber from Diddy Kong Racing would get his own game just like Banjo and Conker did. Pipsy and Bumper would co-star in Timber 64. Can you or Lee provide any details on this rumor? It’s interesting because Diddy Kong Racing takes place on Timber Island so it seemed that Rare really liked the Timber character. Martin Wakeley says: I couldn’t say for definite but I have no recollection of that ever being in development. Where the rumour may have started is that an early version of DKR (I think it was called RC Pro Am at the time) had Timber as the lead character. I’m sure I’ve got a badly fitting Nylon polo shirt with the game logo on it somewhere. Lee Musgrave says: There was never a Timber 64 game. Yes, there was Pro-Am64 that had Timber as the main character, but that became Diddy Kong Racing and that was the end of that. Donkey Kong Racing (and the revelation that it did get to a playable state, beyond that CGI video!) Donkey Kong Racing (GameCube) is kind of shrouded in mystery, and Donnchadh (Don) Murphy told us in an interview that you were the right person to clear up questions because you lead the project. The only time we saw video footage of DKR was a prerendered CGI video at E3 2001, and then the game later turned into Sabreman Stampede. Was there ever an existing playable prototype of Donkey Kong Racing, and why was the game cancelled so quickly? Also, can you provide some insight on how the gameplay, level design, and animal racing would have been like if Donkey Kong Racing had been made? Lee Musgrave: Ha! – yes, I made that video! . . . Donkey Kong Racing was obviously pretty heavily tied to Nintendo as a franchise, and as Rare approached the finalization of a buyout deal with Microsoft it was clear that the game had no future, at least with the ape’s as characters. We switched it around to be a Sabreman game, and there was a great early Xbox prototype – but someone, somewhere decreed that it was a little too old-school for the kind of ‘revolutionary gaming experiences’ that the Xbox was capable of delivering, and so it started down a path of meandering changes, updates and ‘evolution’ that finally saw it run out of steam and fall over. There were some great ideas in the game as it developed though, and I still look back to the early racing game design and think we could have done something great with that. On Donkey Kong Racing’s gameplay: It was a pure racing game, the underlying software mechanics were actually based on car physics, but it also incorporated the idea of riders jumping between different animals mid-race, to always be riding the ones that were bigger or faster . . . we had some awesome gameplay in place, and it was lots of fun – we even had a multiplayer version working – and when you fell off, you had to tap-tap-tap (HyperSports style) to run on foot and catch up with an animal. Fun, but it lost some appeal without the DK universe around it, and Microsoft were unsure of its potential with Xbox gamers I think. So it's possible that someone may have a prototype to share after all! The reason why we haven't seen any more past Rare games on XBLA Rare outsourced some of the conversion/development of Banjo Kazooie for Xbox Live Arcade, and it was kind of a test case for us to see what could be achieved in terms of developing with a partner, keeping our costs low and making some revenue. You can make your own conclusions as to how that turned out by the fact that we didn’t move on to any of the other games you mention. We came close to firing off a conversion of Killer Instinct a few times, but there were licensing obstacles to that, and it never really had enough perceived interest to push it forward. Oh, and of course, there was Goldene . . . There's plenty more goodness in the interview, including some anecdotes from their days at Nintendo that I'm sure you guys would love! Oh and as an added bonus, have some beta footage of Kameo for Xbox on me! (Courtesy of ptoponline/Borman!) Enjoy! The unfinished ending to Kameo Xbox... 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pratty Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 Thanks for posting, I always wondered what happened to Donkey Kong Racing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcubed Posted October 2, 2012 Author Share Posted October 2, 2012 Thanks for posting, I always wondered what happened to Donkey Kong Racing. BTW if you're wondering, a late demo of Sabreman Stampede (what Donkey Kong Racing turned into) has been leaked from Rare and is in the hands of a collector... There's some footage here http://www.mundorare.com/features/stampedes-sorrowful-swan-song/stampede-videos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 You can make your own conclusions as to how that turned out by the fact that we didn’t move on to any of the other games you mention. This statement is extremely depressing. So that means no Jet Force Gemini? That game would be amazing with updated controls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro_Link Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Basically everything you read about Rare's move to Microsoft seems it was a big mistake for the company and a complete mis-match in terms of each companies philosophy/portfolio and audience! Sabreman Stampede looks quite nice. Though obviously the franchise itself isn't really strong enough. The landscapes and architecture are pretty great though. And you can imagine racing through those sorts of environments could have been alot of fun! Was never completely sold on Donkey Kong Racing though, I didn't really like the introduction of all the other DK characters, especially DK himself, as I felt Diddy Kong Racing as a franchise was Diddy and the other new characters chance to shine, it didn't need to be Donkey Kong'ised. :p And I liked the Car, Hovercraft, Plane setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbob Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Rare should have remained with Nintendo, they would have been best suited for the Wii. And with the freedom Ninty would have given them, who knows what would have come from them. Oh well, too late now really. That Rare is deceased now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iun Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 I just want Timesplitters 4, that's all. Please. I beg you. If it's good I'll buy two copies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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