Rare’s future offerings “will surprise a lot of people”
Expect probable drastic changes like Nuts & Bolts
Speaking of Nuts & Bolts, let’s start on that. As early as the demo released just a few weeks ago, one of LOG’s dialogues was a little something like this: “They’re all in the pipeline, you know. New Killer Instinct, Battletoads and Jet Force Gemini games. Even Ghoulies 2! Oh, you’ll never believe that. I’ve ruined my whole humorous jape.” Surprisingly, this one line just set the internet world on fire, ignoring that “Rare has a sense of humour”, as George Kelion said, followed by the typical “we don’t comment on rumour and speculation” line.
Any fan of Rare knows that the line was pulling our heartstrings with the most teasing and sadistic of comments, especially for the Ghoulies fans. All 5 of us. Killer Instinct 3’s rumor drama aside, it’s probably wise to not take LOG’s comment too seriously. It’s not good for your health, you know.
Does that mean that LOG’s comment is entirely false? As mentioned just a few lines ago, there’s too much evidence in recent time for Killer Instinct 3 to not happen at some point in the future. Rare’s own Mark Betteridge had a lot to say in an interview with GamesIndustry about future projects: “Banjo aside, I think the other products are the ones you’ll see a real difference from what we’ve done in the past, and what there is in the current market. That’s the most exciting bit, and where we fit in with MGS.” At face value, this of course could reference new titles, but it could also reference titles from their past in terms of doing something new in Nuts & Bolts.
Mark (the other Mark) commented further: “It’s more about what we will do to change conventional thinking of games and entertainment. I don’t see us fighting the same battles as everybody else, I think some of the products we’ll do going forward will surprise a lot of people, both in terms of what they are and the different styles. I think that will be good.” Personally speaking, surprise can go both ways. Nuts & Bolts is a perfect example of how the fanbase can be so divided on gameplay that was never broken in the first place vs. a new style because the developers wanted to do so, which is supported by Mark’s final comment in the particular interview: “You build your own business, your own rules, and that’s how you define the rules of that - because you make that business.”
Basically, what it all comes down to is having what gamers want in their classic franchises vs. what Rare (and other companies) want in theirs. I think it’s safe to say that if KI3 (or any other Rare sequel) is actually in production, to not expect it to play the same as their predecessors did, but rather with drastic differences like Nuts & Bolts. Cherish the old games while you can, because Rare may or may not see their gameplay as viable in the upcoming future. Once again, only time can tell.
On the subject of Nuts & Bolts once more, stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for our review of the game and other exclusive stuff! One thing’s for sure: it’ll probably be on the site faster than you can say “Where’s the promised Pocket Paradise review?”
Somehow related news
- Rare to deploy all their Fall offerings on Leipzig’s GC ()
- Diddy Kong Racing DS, still in the race ()
- Banjo release, year given? ()
- Cyclical PD2 rumours strike back! ()
- Rare’s DS producer rescues DKR from oblivion ()
3 Comments
What billy said! Rare has somehow gotten th urge to do EVERYTHING different, and different is not always good. As a matter of fact, even today’s best games are the ones that stick to the established gameplay mechanics BECAUSE THEY WORK! Look at Valve’s Left 4 Dead. It’s a perfect example.
Comment by Perfect Dark 0 — 22.Nov.08 @ 12:17 am
One of the best ways Rare can make a splash now is by pulling stuff out of the hat that breaks new ground. EXACTLY like Nintendo. The technology behind the Wii might’ve already existed in different forms, but it hadn’t been applied to videogames the way Nintendo intended. Rare may very well be doing a similar thing with their games.
Banjo = Lego set, allowing you to progress by adding and switching parts/changing vehicle shapes. I don’t think anyone’s quite built a game that works like a Lego set before, and applied the Lego aspect to more ‘conventional’ game concepts, like worlds and challenges/platforming.
Comment by Rinx — 23.Nov.08 @ 1:47 am
wtf wtf wtf…. rare is turning into george lucas and ruining everything we love! rare, for god sakes if you wanna try something new, use new characters! dont ruin our old favorites! i can see it now… conker fps and a jet force turn based battle game….
Comment by billy — 21.Nov.08 @ 2:07 am