January 18th, 2012 by Devin Durock

The demo for Kingdom of Amular: Reckoning is now available for download over Xbox Live. Doing so will net you some free goodies for Mass Effect 3 and even more if you actually icomplete/i the demo.

But what does this have to do with Rare? Well, the music was actually composed by former Rare composer Grant Kirkhope. You know… The guy behind musical scores in Banjo-Kazooie, Viva Pinata, and Donkey Kong 64 to name a few. I played a bit of the demo yesterday afternoon and it definitely has a Banjoish vibe to. Just dont expect anything with cute and googly eyes… Expect the likes of iblood and gore./i Go get em!

January 18th, 2012 by Devin Durock

I guess the world really is going to end this year… we’re updating again! So let’s have at it…

Chris Seavor, the man best known as the lead designer behind the crude, vulgar and hilarious Conker’s Bad Fur Day, has sat down for rather long interview with folks over at Gamikia. There’s a ton of interesting information to be had, including when and how he was hired by his former employers, what led to the development of Conker and what he had in store for its sequel!

Interview here

November 10th, 2010 by Devin Durock

Every-so-often, someone, somewhere, decides to write a history on Rare. Praises to them, I say! While I personally don’t think Rare has gone completely down the wayside, it is still a bit saddening though when reading such articles that places Rare in a time when they were one of the most well-thought of developers in gaming. Unfortunately, not so much now to most =/ Well anyway, if you’re up for some good reading, NowGamer’s feature awaits thee!

November 4th, 2010 by Devin Durock

Portion of a Kinect Sports Review by Destructoid…

Soccer’s probably the best sport to really show off what sets Kinect apart from its motion controlled competition, with full-body recognition allowing you to get your legs into the game. Perhaps that’s why it’s the most fun game to play on the disc — it’s doesn’t really feel like anything else I’ve ever played (outside of, say, real soccer). Don’t expect Pro Evolution Soccer levels of depth here, because you’re not going to get it. Most of the mechanics are “on-rails,” with the game holding your hands as to what direction you’re kicking and where your body needs to be in order to block. Regardless, it remains just challenging and physically exhausting enough to want to keep you in the game.

Full Review Here

November 4th, 2010 by Devin Durock

Portion of a Kinect Sports Review by Gamespot…

One of Kinect Sports’ greatest strengths is that even if you choose to skip the brief but informative sport-specific tutorials before jumping into a game for the first time, you’re unlikely to have much difficulty figuring out what you need to do. That’s because, for the most part, you control these games by moving in much the same way that you would if you were participating in the sports for real. That doesn’t mean you need to run around your living room in soccer or dive onto your hardwood floor in beach volleyball, of course, but your arms and legs definitely get a workout. This is especially true in the track and field events, which include long jump, javelin, discus, sprint, and hurdles. With the exception of discus, all of these events involve building up speed by running on the spot; the higher you lift your knees, the faster you run. You jump when you need to jump (hurdles change color as you approach them to help with your timing), you make a throwing motion as you approach the foul line with your javelin, and you swing your outstretched arm from back to front to get power behind your discus. All five of the track and field events work well, though because they’re the most physically demanding , it’s likely that much of your Kinect Sports time will be spent elsewhere.

Full Review Here