Rare had its heyday when it was under the Nintendo umbrella; cranking out numerous classics that are still reflected upon fondly more than a decade after their release. A majority of these properties have fallen by the wayside in recent years however, as the likes of Halo and Gears of War rose to prominence on Microsoft’s platform.
Imagine our delight when Microsoft Corporate Vice President Phil Spencer confirmed that Rare would be showing off a “historic” franchise for the Xbox One at this year’s E3. Our minds instantly began racing with the possibilities of what franchise could be making its triumphant return, and it didn’t take long to come up with five legitimate franchises that could be making their way back to relevancy.
Viva Piñata
It’s debatable whether or not you can call Viva Piñata a “historic” Rare franchise, especially considering that it was only created in the last gen, but there’s no denying how much fun the series actually is. Aside from its kiddy demeanour, this piñata-collecting adventure was addictive and could easily take up hours of any gamer’s time — provided they were willing to overlook the game’s cartoony aesthetic.
Whether it’s gathering Fizzlybears or adding the fabled Dragonache to your garden, Viva Piñata never failed to keep players busy, and the potential the series has with the new Kinect may make the franchise’s debut on the Xbox One an inevitability.
Conker’s Bad Fur Day
Everything from Conker’s awe-inducing appearance to his a willingness to urinate in public make this mascot a lot more than meets the eye. The brash, uncensored, Mature-rated video game under the guise of a children’s title, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, was one of the funniest games ever released during the N64 era, and we think fans should be entitled to a new installment in the series on the Xbox One.
Conker’s Bad Fur Day wasn’t just about humor either, as it also provided fans with some wonderful platforming mechanics that made the game just as much fun to play as it was to listen to. We’d love to see what kind of trouble everyone’s favorite red squirrel could get into on next-gen hardware, and fans of the classic Rare series definitely would, too.
Perfect Dark
Established as a spiritual successor of sorts for Rare’s GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark managed to grab the attention of shooter-hungry gamers in a time where FPS titles were thought to be impossible to bring to home consoles. Perfect Dark Zero didn’t manage to live up to the expectations of dedicated fans when it launched alongside the Xbox 360, but there’s still a lot of untapped potential for the once popular femme fatale Joanna Dark.
The Xbox One’s next-gen visuals, coupled with the copious amount of talent currently under Microsoft’s employ, it wouldn’t be hard to help Rare bring back one of its most beloved properties in a big way. Another promising sign of Perfect Dark’s potential return was a job posting by Rare for someone familiar with the “Action/Adventure or FPS genre” for an unnamed next-gen title. Take that as you will.
Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct is one of the most nostalgically looked upon fighting games of all-time, and that’s for a very good reason. The franchise, which originally debuted in arcades in 1994, was a hit amongst arcade-goers, and found even more success later when being ported to the SNES. Despite the fighter’s popularity, other projects came up at Rare and Killer Instinct was eventually buried.
Fast forward to present day, and Microsoft has only just recently gone through the necessary steps to renew its trademark on the Killer Instinct property. This could simply be the Big M making sure they maintain their claim to the franchise, but it could also be a sign that a new entry in the series is on the horizon. If that’s the case, then it’ll likely take advantage of the new Kinect hardware that accompanies every Xbox One… Microsoft did show off a tech demo for a potential fighting game during its latest event, after all.
Banjo-Kazooie
Anyone familiar with Rare will instantly know Banjo-Kazooie. The infamous bear and bird duo have been itching for a comeback ever since their less-than-stellar appearance in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, and a return to form for the mismatched pair could mean great things for longtime fans and newcomers looking for kid-friendly software.
The platforming that made Banjo-Kazooie such a success could be absolutely fantastic on the Xbox One and if done correctly, could bring key characters back into the limelight. Microsoft already has its mature poster boy in Master Chief, but it’s lacking a softer ‘E for Everyone’ mascot. Banjo more than fits that bill, and there is a market for the character if Rare can pull off Banjo-Threeie, but simply sitting on the property with no intention of utilizing it is one of the most regrettable decisions Microsoft could make.
Conclusion
There are a ton of Rare-created properties that would work incredibly well on the Xbox One, but it’s up to Microsoft Game Studios to make sure they put them to use. The promise of one “historic” franchise from Rare returning is enough to get a good number of gamers excited, so hopefully the reveal lives up to expectations when it happens on June 10th. For now, all fans can do is hope that Joanna Dark, Banjo, or Conker make their triumphant return at this year’s E3 — or at least at some point in the near future.
What series do you hope Rare will bring back on the Xbox One?
You can follow Riley on Twitter @TheRileyLittle.
