I'm sure that almost everyone here knows about Rare and their history. They started as a prolific developer mainly for NES, and they eventually became a very close partner to Nintendo during the SNES and N64 years. While it's not like their games were the only ones that defined those consoles, there's no doubt that they played an important role in their success, and you can even see their influence on Nintendo even now. They basically shaped Donkey Kong to something more than a Mario villain, with the Donkey Kong Country series. They bolstered Nintendo 64's back catalogue with 3D Platformers, shaping what's essentially a golden age for the genre. They also released a lot of high-profile titles that catered to an older demographic, something that was important for Nintendo with the advent of PlayStation 1. In general, I just can't think that Nintendo from 1990 to 2000 would be the same without them, for better or worse.
And then the Microsoft acquisition happened. Rare's output around 2003 wasn't as strong as before, so I assume that did play a role in why Nintendo "accepted defeat". Microsoft was making their first steps into the video games industry then, and the addition of a studio with a lot of experience and its own IPs, that greatly defined the years before their arrival, was certainly more than enticing I assume. In any case, whether that was a good or bad thing is another matter, but it's certain that their output went through many changes after they became a first party studio for Microsoft. It feels like that most of their initial releases in that period were kind of similar in tone to what they had for Nintendo actually, but as far as I can see they never quite managed to match their original output. Sequels that weren't as good as the originals and series like Viva Pinata that tried to have some of the spirit of Rare in them, but didn't quite manage to do it. And while I'm sure that not everyone will agree with the previous statement, I'd argue that the state of the company in late 2000s and early 2010s is quite telling. Kinect was the focus on Microsoft at the time, and the company known for some very beloved franchises and games had become a shell of its former self.
Kinect was a weird phase of the industry in general, funnily enough spearheaded by Nintendo with Wii's motion controls. And as a lot of phases, it eventually stopped. The next phase of the industry, which is still true to this day, were Games as a Service and this is what was Rare's, a very different Rare's probably, next venture. I'd say that this game was successful for Microsoft, especially as GamePass game, even if a lot of aspects of it seemed shaky at first. But still, it was a far cry from what the old fans would expect from that company. And today, after games that basically promoted an extra piece of hardware and a service, it seems Rare is ready again to make a single player experience, with Everwild, which seems like it's their next big game. And while Rare has changed a lot since the 90s, Microsoft has also changed since 2003, as the whole landscape did.
I wanted to make that short introduction, but there are sure a lot of details I've left out or stuff that I've missed. In any case, the point of this thread is the question I have as a title, when was Rare at its best? Is it the era that gave us beloved franchises like DKC and Banjo, and games like Goldeneye 64? Or, despite the Kinect games, which fall into a category that I assume is universally disliked in a forum like this one, post-Microsoft Rare has displayed, and continues to display promise, and manages to surpass the output of their former self after all, being part of such a colossus. Honestly, I always thought Rare is one of the most fascinating stories in the industry, from the point of view of a consumer at least because I'm sure it's not as rosy for everyone involved. And that story feels more relevant than ever considering how "hot" acquisitions have become. Even if the amount they got purchased for isn't as big as a lot of more recent acquisitions, it feels like one of the biggest ones in terms of a "cultural" impact for hardcore gaming communities of the past.
So here you go, please tell me what you think about all this.
