Rare Replay

[nekunando]

That's just crazy talk. :p

 

It's ludicrous I know it's strange but I don't really like being in possession of games that I don't want to own, even if they're tucked away on a disc with other games that I do want

 

This is partly the reason why I'm still not fond of downloading games where discs or cartridges are available as I'd somehow feel stuck with it The Ambassador scheme on 3DS was pretty good but I have quite a few icons on the system now for games that don't really appeal. As strange as it is, it annoys me a little.. but deleting them would seem such a waste.

 

I guess it's just one of my things

[S.C.G]

@S\.C\.G you managed to get any play time of the collection yet?

 

It's funny you should mention that...

 

While I was playing through I had an idea for a forum exclusive set of reviews, so for a bit of fun I present to you...

 

 

Rare Replayed #1

 

Welcome to Rare Replayed, N-Europe’s guide to the wonderful works of Rare detailing the games contained within the recently released Rare Replay.

Written by Sam C Gittins

What better place than at the very beginning, every great games company started off somewhere and for the Stamper Brothers who originally formed Ultimate Play the Game - which would then go on to become Rare - this was it. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!

 

Available in this edition we have...

 

Jetpac

 

 

Publisher: Ultimate Play The Game

Developer: Tim & Chris Stamper

Released: 1983

System: ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Commodore VIC-20, N64, Wii U, Xbox One

 

So here we have the very first game ever released by Ultimate, the company which would then go on to become the Rare name that we've associated with many great games through the ages, Jetpac has you taking on the role of Jetman who is a space explorer who visits planets while fighting off hostile alien life-forms, his rocket must be pieced together before being filled with fuel so he can take off in order to land on the next planet. Such a simple premise for a game yet it's perfect as you have just enough story to go on which gives you - the player - a purpose while the motivation simply comes from playing.

 

There are three platforms which the required parts will often drop onto plus there are other items of high value which you can opt to grab for some points which in turn will grant you extra lives, moving around the area is a simple case of pressing one button to activate your thrusters while using another button to shoot down enemies which will go after you. It's simple enough to pick up as you'll instinctively know what to do though anyone who hasn't grown up with these titles may struggle initially there is a handy 'Rewind' feature which allows you to wind back a bit which is perfect if you carelessly lose a life and is a brilliant alternative to simply using restore points which also exist within the Rare Replay collection but are more used for reloading a game you may have started but wish to finish later.

 

Dodging the enemies while shooting them down is fun as the controls are very well implemented, you can opt to use the left control stick but the d-pad seems to be more precise even if it isn't perfect on the Xbox One controller which is a shame though it's not insurmountable; after you've got your bearings you'll probably realise that you can drift over from one side of the screen to the other being that it uses a wrap around technique meaning that the game doesn't have clearly defined borders. Once you have assembled your rocket the subsequent levels only have you grabbing the fuel but the rocket changes every five levels meaning you have to build your new cosmetically different rocket before repeating the process, you then just keep playing until you've either had your fill of the game or once you've used up your lives as the enemies change every stage but revert back to the first type after a while; possibly the best addition is the milestones which are effectively the achievements for the game which reward you for your gradual progress in such endeavours as number of enemies killed or levels cleared as this definitely adds some longevity, plus the challenges add some new ways to play.

 

 

Technical limitations of the hardware seemed to bring about a very assured style from Jetpac onwards which would then become one of Ultimate's trademarks, by keeping the main character along with the rocket in white against the pure black background not only made sure that you'd know where you were on the screen at all times, it meant that blocks of basic colour could be used for everything else including the platforms and the enemies making for a simple yet striking aesthetic which works really well. While there is no real background music to speak of, there's at least a handful of sound effects including the laser, death sound, item pickup plus the unmistakable sound of the rocket taking off and landing which is absolutely priceless when combined with the utterly charming animation.

 

For a first game coded from scratch by one man while the graphics were handled by the other, the Stamper Brothers should be applauded for creating such a smash hit title which would later go on to form a lasting legacy, even spawning several sequels. Jetpac is the perfect example of a basic concept which has been superbly executed, as a result it's still very playable even today offering fleeting moments of fun in an industry which has become increasingly dominated by many a blockbuster; but now that the tides have been turning with the rise of more independent titles, this is one of those games that deserves to find a greater audience than its original following as many more gamers now have the chance to enjoy this classic piece of videogame history from the excellent emerging era of videogames which is why in many ways it's the perfect starting point for anyone playing Rare Replay for the first time, sometimes it's good to start at the beginning.

 

Verdict : Jetpac is just purely fun to play for all the right reasons.

 

That's it for this instalment of Rare Replayed which will hopefully return again soon. So until then, enjoy whichever titles you decide to play and Game On!

 

(All logos and images used are properties of their respective owners)

Edited August 4, 2015 by S.C.G

[Fierce_LiNk]

It's ludicrous I know it's strange but I don't really like being in possession of games that I don't want to own, even if they're tucked away on a disc with other games that I do want

 

This is partly the reason why I'm still not fond of downloading games where discs or cartridges are available as I'd somehow feel stuck with it The Ambassador scheme on 3DS was pretty good but I have quite a few icons on the system now for games that don't really appeal. As strange as it is, it annoys me a little.. but deleting them would seem such a waste.

 

I guess it's just one of my things

 

It is pretty strange, not going to lie.

 

I think years ago I would've been the same. Especially with DVDs. I wanted to have certain editions of DVDs, like the special editions and having these "three films on a single disc" thing would have annoyed me.

 

Now, I don't really care about it. Plus, if you dislike one game now, there's still a possibility that you'll play it down the line and enjoy it. I've got a ton of games on the PS4 from PS+ that I haven't touched yet, for example.

 

Going digital solves a lot of issues related to space. It's ridiculous looking through my draws for our TV unit thing and seeing it completely filled with games. It's a waste, tbh. I'd much rather have all of my games digital or one as few discs as possible.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Fierce_LiNk

[nekunando]

It is pretty strange, not going to lie.

 

I know.. but I can't help it It's actually something that has crept into my thoughts over the last few years. There was a time when I would have bought almost any old N64 or GC game but I'm an awful lot more selective these days.

 

I recently bought Grand Slam Tennis and Virtua Tennis 2009 for Wii in something of a contrast to this but I'm dissatisfied with both and kinda want to get rid of them

 

Maybe there's a potential thread in this for people to reveal their personal gaming quirks..?

[Dog-amoto]

Is it true that there's now more N64 games available on Xbone than Wii U?

[Dcubed]

It just hit me yesterday just how shockingly over priced N64 games are on the Wii U. Here we have Jet Force Gemini, Conker, Banjo 1+2, Blast Corps and Perfect Dark, all with a bit of a clean up, for under £20. You then have Nintendo charging £9 a pop for N64 games on the Wii U that look a lot darker than they should. Shocking.

 

@S\.C\.G you managed to get any play time of the collection yet?

 

TBH, I think it's more a matter of Rare Replay being disgustingly undervalued. £20 for 30 games is literally insane!

 

Is it true that there's now more N64 games available on Xbone than Wii U?

 

Hilariously enough, yup. There are currently 5 N64 games available for the Wii U VC in Europe.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Dcubed

[S.C.G]

Is it true that there's now more N64 games available on Xbone than Wii U?

 

It has indeed, the Wii U VC has five at last count I believe...

 

Donkey Kong 64

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Paper Mario

Super Mario 64

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

 

While now on the Xbox One has seven thanks to Rare Replay...

 

Banjo-Kazooie

Banjo-Tooie

Blast Corps

Conker's Bad Fur Day

Jet Force Gemini

Killer Instinct Gold

Perfect Dark

 

Crazy times we're living in!

 

But a good time to be a multi-platform gamer, in fact I'd go as far to say that my Xbox One purchase is now justified, for me at least. : peace:

[Fierce_LiNk]

I know.. but I can't help it It's actually something that has crept into my thoughts over the last few years. There was a time when I would have bought almost any old N64 or GC game but I'm an awful lot more selective these days.

 

I recently bought Grand Slam Tennis and Virtua Tennis 2009 for Wii in something of a contrast to this but I'm dissatisfied with both and kinda want to get rid of them

 

Maybe there's a potential thread in this for people to reveal their personal gaming quirks..?

 

Go ahead and make the thread.

 

Would be quite funny to see how strange other people are. Me included.

 

Is it true that there's now more N64 games available on Xbone than Wii U?

 

I laughed at this and thought it would be absurdly wide of the mark.

 

Can't believe it's true.

[Cube]

Well, there are more N64 games available on the Wii U. You just access them through another menu. Also, @S\.C\.G. Jetpac is also available on N64 and Wii U.

[S.C.G]

Time for another edition of...

 

 

Rare Replayed #2

 

Welcome to Rare Replayed, N-Europe’s guide to the wonderful works of Rare detailing the games contained within the recently released Rare Replay.

Written by Sam C Gittins

 

So where does a developer go after creating Jetpac? One seemingly small step for the Stamper Brothers in a bold new direction which would prove to be a giant leap for an emerging industry, that's where.

 

Anyway enough from me and on with the game!

 

Available in this edition we have...

 

Lunar Jetman

 

 

Publisher: Ultimate Play The Game

Developer: Tim & Chris Stamper

Released: 1983

System: ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Xbox One

 

When it came to making a sequel for Jetpac it seems that the core mechanics from the original title were taken, then incorporated into something bigger which involved travelling either left or right across an alien landscape - namely the Moon - upon which your objective is to destroy their base before it obliterates Earth! You'll need to use everything at your disposal in order to complete your mission including piloting your Lunar Lander vehicle to get you there in addition to using bombs to blow up the base when you're within range; but even as you succeed in this task don't stop to celebrate for there is another base to destroy elsewhere on this hostile planet.

 

Essentially the gameplay revolves around getting the vehicle to a certain point but you will find yourself falling back on the gameplay mechanics when it comes to clearing some enemies out of your way when you need to get out of the Lunar Lander in order to clear the way for it, because being that this is an alien planet there are lots of craters so you'll need to get out frequently so you can place some metal girders down to cross the gap but rather amusingly you can actually exit and enter the vehicle repeatedly which does actually nudge it forward ever so slightly eventually getting you over the hole anyway if you're persistent; I don't know if this was intentionally left in the game but I was certainly glad to have the extra exploit available as it adds to the charm as well. It is believed that there are no less than ninety-nine levels in Lunar Jetman if I understand it correctly as it seems to loop after a point yet supposedly you can keep playing though the counter won't go any higher, as for how long you decide you play well that's up to you but it's clear that Ultimate liked to give their fans value for money, if it helps there is Milestone - seemingly five for each title in Rare Replay - for reaching level ten so I would say you'd be doing well to get that far especially without assists, then you have the snapshots which add in even more fun by putting you in predetermined situations with a set target to beat, these are really well put together complementing the main game perfectly.

 

There's a decent variety of enemies as you destroy more bases, some come in the shape of rotating discs while others resemble flying square slabs, amoebas plus more besides, in fact as the complexity of the enemy designs increases the game is prone to slowing down particularly at the bases which becomes evident the moment you manage to bomb one making the action revert back to normal speed. It's evident that this is a game which was pushing the hardware to its limits at the time, it might not look like much now but the fact that it's perfectly programmed means that if you get hit by an enemy then it will usually be down to you making a mistake which makes accepting it easier before trying again; alternatively because this is Rare Replay you can hold down the left trigger to rewind the action a few sections and if you really can't handle the imposed limits then you can even take the timer off in the options which might seem like cheating to some but when putting together this collection it was obviously a valid consideration that some of these titles might prove a little too taxing to gamers who perhaps hadn't grown up with this early era of gaming so at least it gives everyone a chance to at the very least experience it in one form or another.

 

 

Maintaining that clean graphical style fuelled by technical limitations, all of the background is black which suits the space theme while Jetman along with his vehicle is rendered in white - save for the top part and the bomb which are light blue - with all enemies clearly identifiable by colour making it easier to see when new foes arrive on screen; it's all of the small details which make this game so charming though such as the rotating wheels on the Lander or the rotating array on top of the enemy base which shows the extra lengths the Stamper Brothers went to as they clearly took pride in their work. No music to speak of but I found using custom soundtrack worked nicely, interestingly the works of Yuzo Koshiro seemed to go really well with the frenetic on-screen action with the laser blast and enemy kill sounds serving as extra percussion on some of the tracks; otherwise though most of the sounds from Jetpac are still here plus the phasing sound effect used when you step through a portal is very pleasing.

 

Lunar Jetman doesn't just represent an important part in development history for the early days of these pioneers, but it also led the way as you can see how many other developers of the same era would be influenced by some of the amazing feats of programming and graphic work achieved here; you can even see how many of the visual cues which were first seen here then went on to be used in later games no to mention the life symbol which I can vividly recall later being used in Knight Lore from when I played it back in the day. This game is certainly well programmed with controls that have real weight to them, it's still very enjoyable as well and personally I ended up sinking a good few hours into it including all of the extra challenges though your mileage may vary depending on how you choose to play; however you look at it though this is certainly a title which shows extraordinary progress in a relatively short amount of time being that it was released in the same year as their previous work, not to be complacent though Ultimate didn't just stop there as this represents merely the very beginning.

 

Verdict : Lunar Jetman succeeds in surpassing Jetpac by providing a progressively natural evolution to a revolution in gaming.

That's it for this instalment of Rare Replayed which will hopefully return again soon. So until then, enjoy whichever titles you decide to play and Game On!

 

(All logos and images used are properties of their respective owners)

[bob]

Written by Sam C Gittins[/b]

 

OMG! It stands for your name!? It's your name!

[Dog-amoto]

Is anyone else having issues with Conker and cutscenes? You can skip them by pressing B, so it says. But you have to have watched them at least once. Fair enough, but I can't skip them at all after I die. This, plus the terrible camera and controls are making this near unplayable.

 

Hasn't aged well at all, but I never had the cutscene issue with the original.

 

Edit. Sorry. It was the L button on the N64 but which button is that on the Xbox? L is Z on this and none of the others seem to work.

 

Edit 2. I sussed it now, it's the menu button - the only one I didn't try!! There was nothing in the Help bit and I mustn't have been paying attention during the tutorial.

Edited August 8, 2015 by Dog-amoto

[Blade]

OMG! It stands for your name!? It's your name!

 

OMG! I never picked up on that either! Haha!

[flameboy]

@S\.C\.G please keep up this feature it's absolutely stellar!

[nekunando]

@S\.C\.G please keep up this feature it's absolutely stellar!

 

Yeh.. but hurry up and get to some games that I've played myself :wink:

[Ronnie]

This would be worth the price even if it only had this game...

 

[flameboy]

@S\.C\.G I also have to say it's a crying shame this feature of yours can't get any coverage on the front page of here (completely understandable why not though)

[S.C.G]

Back due to *popular demand...

*or the demand of @flameboy anyway

 

 

Rare Replayed #3

 

Welcome to Rare Replayed, N-Europe’s guide to the wonderful works of Rare detailing the games contained within the recently released Rare Replay.

Written by Sam C Gittins

 

Taking a break from deep space and into an entirely different place, as you journey around a castle quite unlike any other.

 

Anyway enough from me and on with the game!

 

Available in this edition we have...

 

Atic Atac

 

 

Publisher: Ultimate Play The Game

Developer: Tim & Chris Stamper

Released: 1983

System: ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, Xbox One

 

In creating Atic Atac I don't think the Stamper Brothers fully realised just how much of an impact it would have, aside from becoming the main inspiration for the popular TV show Knightmare, this would turn out to be the main game which became the blueprint for the rest; of course by that I don't mean it to sound like every other game is a carbon copy because that's not the case but this top-down perspective "Maze Adventure" featuring a style not to dissimilar to the dungeons of the Zelda games is nothing short of impressive. All of this somehow had to work with just 48KB of RAM as well, feats of technical wizardry were no doubt performed in order to achieve this as this was still relatively new technology at the time yet somehow Ultimate were about to output these games at a phenomenal rate.

 

Placed in a strange environment the main goal is to escape from a castle through the door directly behind you at the starting point, to do this you need to assemble the gold master "ACG" key - standing for Ashby Computers and Graphics, Ultimate's more corporate moniker - from three separate parts within your inventory, to get to those parts you need to use the other coloured keys to open doors with the corresponding locks but the catch is that you can only carry three items within your inventory so it becomes quite tricky to juggle all those keys while just trying to survive. You will come across many different regular enemy types including Spectres, Wizards, Bats, Ghosts to name but a few - many of these would be recycled in later games - all looking to nibble away at your health which already depletes automatically at a reasonable rate represented on the right-hand side of the screen by a large Roast Chicken which rapidly rots away meaning you need to eat to stay alive at every opportunity.

 

Three character classes are available to you from the start including Wizard, Knight or Serf all of which have cosmetic differences, control differently in addition to taking different paths in the game, the Knight can pass through clocks, while the Wizard can go through bookcases with the Serf being able to move through wine barrels. Certain larger monsters can only be beaten with specific items or rather distracting them would be more accurate, use a yellow crucifix for Dracula for example, there are other recognisable creatures as well which I won't spoil or tell you how to beat because half of the fun is finding out for yourself but all I will say is that if you happen to run into the devil just escape the room as quick as you can!

 

It took me a while to find my footing in this game as despite its simple premise it can actually be rather tricky until you figure out the layout of the castle in what is essentially a reverse-roguelike dungeon-crawler, every room is the same but it's just certain item locations which change depending on your character class; you should notice improvement over time though as on my first playthrough I didn't really have a clue what I was doing so my final play time ended totalling more than two hours which was swiftly reduced to only forty-five minutes while using the Wizard as I managed to adopt a more methodical approach in addition to having some fun by way of amassing multiple items in the main room. Amusingly playing as the Serf for my third playthrough it still took me around an hour as you can never quite tell how each run through the castle is going to go, bouncing swords of the walls into the paths of enemies is certainly enjoyable though, also if you get stuck then you can also opt to turn on infinite lives in the options as it's still a challenge to get through the many rooms across the multiple heights of the castle.

 

 

Utilising a top-down perspective enabled Ultimate to create some really fantastic environments again within a limited amount of space, so although many of the rooms appear to have an angular form you can still only move within the boundaries of a pre-defined square or through the doors but it still looks like a large enough area; falling down trap-doors will initiate a looped "falling" animation which is simple but effective as are the sections of stairs, beyond that though it's the small details which bring the castle to life such as skeletons hanging from chains or varied paintings and signs on the walls some of which are helpful, again there's still an abundance of black background but it just makes the use of colour particularly within the concise status bar all the more striking. Again there's no real music to speak of apart from the excellent "theme" made for it on the game selection screen from the Rare Replay menu, so you'll be largely listening to your character walking along with a two-tone sound as you make left or right footsteps, plus your projectile sound effects, an excellent "falling" sound and of course your character death which can become a common event as you hear an almost flat-line sound before hearing the reverse when being brought back to life; personally I found listening to Castlevania music in the background while playing this to be oddly appropriate given the similar setting in addition to it being an excellent aural accompaniment.

 

An incredibly important entry in Ultimate's catalogue of masterpieces, one of the first "Action, Adventure" titles which wasn't afraid to give everything else out there a run for its money while making use of the player's muscle memory and quick reactions to provide a truly engaging experience where the reward is simply playing to reach the end. Such devious dungeon design which would have probably never been seen before back in the day, now it becomes a challenge to be beaten by even the most seasoned of gamers; it never claims to be one of the hardest games ever made or even gets proper credit for what it has actually achieved, but what this title does offer is a completely unique experience which is unlike anything else out there even from within this very collection. To play is to understand, I hope more people get to know this charming game a little better over time, hopefully with all three characters.

 

Verdict : Atic Atac is an assault on the mind with marvellously malevolent results.

 

That's it for this instalment of Rare Replayed which will hopefully return again soon. So until then, enjoy whichever titles you decide to play and Game On!

 

(All logos and images used are properties of their respective owners)

[Beast]

More Rare Replayed!

 

I love these collection of games. Jetpac is quite addictive but I'm going through Grabbed by the Ghoulies at the moment. It's a great little game. I used to be on it forever back on the Original Xbox.

[Hero-of-Time]

I started playing this the other day and I have to say that the presentation in this package is amazing. There really has been a lot of care and attention put into this product and the amount of content for the price they are asking is staggering.

 

This package really puts into perspective just how bad something like the Super Mario Anniversary Collection on the Wii was. That thing was a ROM dump and they charged full price. Here you get a load of games, all given a bit of polish, challenges added, videos to be unlocked, achievements to be gained and N64 games looking very sharp. Having the ability to play N64 and NES games without that stupid dark filter Nintendo have slapped on to their VC games is fantastic.

 

Having got all the achievements on 360 games like Viva Pinata and the Banjo games allowed me to unlock a bunch of videos straight off the bat. I sat and watched a few making of videos last night and then a couple of behind the scenes ones as well.

 

The Conker video was quite sad in that Chris said they probably couldn't make another game like it and it's very much a product of its time. It's a true statement and i've always felt the same way but it was just hard hearing it from Rare themselves.