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[jg4xchamp]

Viva Piñata is love. Viva Piñata is life.

 

[cHaOs667]

Let's try to keep this debate between these two eras only. Pre-Nintendo Rare won't count. So basically let's leave out all the games they made during the Ultimate Play The Game era and leave out all those NES, SNES and Genesis games they made as a third party. The Nintendo era starts with DKC when they became a second party Nintendo developer.

Why? I think it's pretty important to show that Rare produced 10+ years medicore to bad games / ports and then just had an short successfull time range.

And don't forget that they continued to develop games for Nintendo even after the Microsoft aquisition (Diddi Kong Racing for the DS for example).

I'm pretty excited for the past and future Rare games - after the successfully Nintendo era they where never that bad like the things they have done before Battletoads etc.

Spoiler

And yes, I'm very excited for Sea Of Thieves...

 

[Yoshi]

Looking back I don't think Rare's N64 games were all that great. Their Xbox games aren't that great either.

It's basically like Trump vs Hillary Clinton. Which one wasn't quite as bad as the other? So in that regard Hillary/N64 gets the nod for Banjo and Goldeneye.

Banjo-Kazooie, Conker, DKC2 and Blast Corps clearly are the Sanders part of the democrats in that, I guess?

 

[EGM1966]

I guess nobody asked because the majority view is obvious?

Nintendo.

 

[Haganeren]

I would readily argue that BK Nuts and Bolts is better than any of the games they produced under Nintendo.

The absolute madman

It doesn't help that i absolutly adore the collectathon genre... Yeah, even Donkey Kong 64, i was so surprised to see people didn't liked that game after coming into Internet.

 

[daTRUballin]

Why? I think it's pretty important to show that Rare produced 10+ years medicore to bad games / ports and then just had an short successfull time range.

And don't forget that they continued to develop games for Nintendo even after the Microsoft aquisition (Diddi Kong Racing for the DS for example).

I'm pretty excited for the past and future Rare games - after the successfully Nintendo era they where never that bad like the things they have done before Battletoads etc.

Spoiler

And yes, I'm very excited for Sea Of Thieves...

I didn't want to include their pre-Nintendo era because I thought the Nintendo and Microsoft eras would be more interesting to compare since they were/are partially/wholly owned by two different hardware manufacturers. These two eras are what people usually compare when it comes to Rare anyway.

And like I said, I am aware that they made handheld games, but handheld games won't count in this debate.

 

[Jacknapes]

The Nintendo era of Rare wins hands down, so much quality and some of the finest moments in my childhood. Banjo Kazooie holds a special place in my heart, and always will.

Microsoft era of Rare, a few glimmers of hope. But ultimately quite forgettable. It's only in recent times of the Rare collection on the Xbox One that reminds me of the good times.

 

[Ushay]

MS have a long way if they want to match the same quality. Sea of Thieves looks like a good step in that direction.

 

[ActWan]

Did you open it just to spark up controversy? lol
The answer is pretty well known to everyone I guess.
And Sea of Thieves can be amazing! After they produce more games like it for Microsoft we can seriously have this thread.

 

[Shotgun Kiss]

I don't know what I can say that hasn't already been said. This isn't even a contest. Nintendo by a country mile. There's a reason why many of Rare's staff members jumped ship after the move to Microsoft.

I loved Nuts & Bolts, but nowhere near as much as Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie. And while Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise is on par with their Nintendo output, that's just one game (Trouble in Paradise renders the original completely redundant, so I'm not going to count it as two games in their favour).

Rare Replay deserves credit for being possibly the best compilation game ever, but you can't really count it as an outright game in and of itself.

 

[soco]

overall probably microsoft era rare -- especially if you look mostly at n64 onwards.

viva pinata & nuts and bolts were pretty awesome
PDZ was pretty fun too at launch.

 

[Machina]

Not even a valid comparison. N64 era Rareware is about 4 divisions higher than MS Rare in the weight class

 

[NintendosBooger]

Looking forward to OP's next thread: Sega pre-third party vs. Sega post-thirty party. Which was better?

 

[heroe_galego]

Rare´s nintendo era is probably the best videogames company in the history.

 

[Omnii-chan]

Banjo Kazooie alone destroys Microsoft Rare for me.

 

[Semajer]

Truly a debate for the ages.

 

[BGBW]

Nintendo selling Rare, coupled with Microsoft's sheer mismanagement of them, will always be one of the worst mistakes in gaming history.

Technically, Nintendo only owned 49% so never outright owned Rare. Of course when the Stamper brothers offered to sell them the other 51% they could have snapped them up, but once MS owned those majority shares there wasn't much Nintendo could do.

At least they sold them when they were at, what was likely, their highest ever value.

 

[Bisnic]

This question is almost as stupid as comparing the Super Nintendo to the Philips CD-I.

 

[daTRUballin]

Looking forward to OP's next thread: Sega pre-third party vs. Sega post-thirty party. Which was better?

NintendosBooger
Today, 3:10 AM

 

[giancarlo123x]

How is this even a contest that Microsoft Rare could win?

I had the same thought.

 

[keidashxd]

Despite I don't dislike Microsoft's era I am curious, does someone prefer it over the nintendo era? (This should have been a more resaonable question).

 

[daTRUballin]

This question is almost as stupid as comparing the Super Nintendo to the Philips CD-I.

People can have opinions.

 

[Yoshi]

Looking forward to OP's next thread: Sega pre-third party vs. Sega post-thirty party. Which was better?

Way closer imo, three of their absolutely best games, F-Zero GX, Sonic Generations and Super Monkey Ball, released after they went third party.

 

[Diprosalic]

Thor 2: The Dark World

 

[Trup1aya]

This thread is pointless. Ninty Rare is better. Not even close.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Guys, what's the better platformer out of Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Vexx?!

 

[Zvonimir Boban]

Microsoft Rare wins on a technicality.

 

[MetalFreak]

There is no real contest here. Nintendo era all the way.

 

[NEO0MJ]

While I love some of their games under Microsoft there's no way they approach the Nintendo era. I mean, in the 15 years since Rare were bought they only got to make 5.5 console games and 5 portable games before they were forced onto Kinect and avatars by MS and are only now getting to do something different.

 

[IceDoesntHelp]

Bad Rats vs Portal 2.

Which is the best puzzle game.

 

[SpecialAgentDaleCooper]

Viva Pinata is the best thing they've ever made.

Sea of Thieves will make a good argument for the era when it lands. And of course Rare Replay probably shouldn't be ignored though I get why op would do it. Just like he ignored their involvement in the modern version of KI, which is super solid as well.

That said I'd have to agree those things cant counterbalance entirely the avalanche of titles from the earlier era.

Oh, and OP forgot (age thing?) other great Ninty Era IPs . Battletoads, RC Pro-Am. Cobra Triangle.

 

[Maxrunner]

Ms should develop Rare games for Nintendo consoles, i bet they would sell as good or better than on their consoles lol.

 

[SpecialAgentDaleCooper]

While I love some of their games under Microsoft there's no way they approach the Nintendo era. I mean, in the 15 years since Rare were bought they only got to make 5.5 console games and 5 portable games before they were forced onto Kinect and avatars by MS and are only now getting to do something different.

Where do people get this idea that MS forced them to do anything...you know they've said it was their choice to work with the kinect so much right?

 

[cyba89]

Microsoft Rare wins on a technicality.

Doesn't include the Donkey Kong Country games or GoldenEye so still no.

 

[AtomicShroom]

Microsoft Rare wins on a technicality.

Not even. This is cruelly missing DKC games (especially 2) or Diddy Kong Racing (GOAT kart racer), or Goldeneye, so it cannot possibly win.

 

[Mexen]

These days, I cannot tell when GAF is being serious because everyone seems to be a comedian fishing for lulz. Poe's Law was it?

However, if the OP is serious, then I will have you know that Microsoft Rare far exceeds any devs in video games since 1990.

 

[MaverickHunterAsh]

Legit surprised this is a serious question. DKC 2 and Banjo-Kazooie alone shine brighter than Rare's entire Microsoft era, let alone all the other wonderful games they made under the Nintendo banner.

 

[Diprosalic]

Microsoft Rare wins on a technicality.

Country games > this entire collection

 

[ModBot]

As the OP already implies, there's not much of a real discussion to be had here.