July 6th, 2008 by Daniel Duncan

A question that arises quite often is if Rare could ever develop for Sony’s Playstation Portable (PSP) handheld. Microsoft has made it quite clear that developing for handhelds is not considered as competition. They have allowed Rare to develop not only on the Game Boy Advance, but for the Nintendo DS as well. In fact, Microsoft is now utilizing the incredibly massive fanbase of the dual-screened system to fluctuate their own franchises such as Blue Dragon and Viva Pinata. But what about the PSP? Could it join the limelight as well?

It is believed that Microsoft doesn’t want Rare to develop for the PSP because Sony is considered more of a rival than Nintendo, despite the lack of ‘competition’ it would induce. Recently, however, the PSP has hit its stride and has been outselling the DS, especially Japan. Microsoft could really take advantage of this and purchase some PSP development kits for their first party studios. I personally think that titles like Kameo and Perfect Dark would work extensively well on the system. To have a good title in the universe of both of those franchises, you would need a decent amount of horsepower, and the PSP certainly packs more than the DS ever will.

The most important question of all though is this: would Rare’s fans invest in the Playstion Portable to purchase their games? The majority of the Rare fanbase is either with Nintendo or with Microsoft or both (the better choice, obviously). Sony has never had the privilege of having a Rare title on any system of their’s, so releasing a Rare game on the PSP would be quite the gamble.

Despite not liking Sony much myself, as a dedicated Rare fan I have to say that I would most definately invest in the handheld. I can’t help it, I’m just a Rare fanatic! What about you? If Rare were to announce tomorrow that a title such as Perfect Dark, Kameo, or heck, even Banjo was going to release on the PSP, would you flock to your nearest retailer to make a purchase?

July 5th, 2008 by Daniel Duncan

The 2008 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) begins on July 15th and ends on July 17th and will once again be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. That’s only a mere ten days from now. Rare will attending the event where Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts and Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise will be presented and possibly playable to everyone for the first time. I suspect that Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise will be located at THQ’s booth where it will also be playable. But what else could Rare potentially have in store for us?

Whether Rare will show anything beyond the above mentioned titles is a mystery in itself. They’ve several other games in development that yet to be announced, but we have no idea what those titles are. For the sake of speculation, here are some potential titles that could be announced…

Xbox 360

Killer Instinct 3- It’s no surprise that I generally suck when it comes to fighters with Smash Bros. as the only exception. But there’s just something about Killer Instinct that seems more appealing and enthralling than the likes of, say, Soul Calibur and Mortal Kombat. A new installment of the franchise has been wanted for years by avid fans of the "series", so it would–and wouldn’t–come as a shocker to see it finally announced. Recent rumors of the game resurfaced recently giving it the title of Killer Instinct 3D: Death, Destruction, and Doom. Likelihood: 50%

Xbox LIVE Arcade-

Goldeneye 007- The game was in development, the game was almost finished…but then Nintendo steps in and halts development. Goldeneye for the LIVE Arcade is a remake of the classic Nintendo 64 shooter that is still declared as one of the best games of all-time. The Arcade version would have included new textures, a graphical overhaul (old graphics still included, but optional), a couple of new multiplayer maps, and playability over Xbox LIVE. A dream come true for most Rare fans across the world. Will this dream come to life at E3? Probably not, but we can always hope that the massive public outcry and Goldeneye petition have convinced Nintendo to allow it to be released. Microsoft has plenty of money, so perhaps a bit of  itspent on the big N’ would help as well. Afterall, money talks. Likelihood: 25%

Nintendo DS

Banjo-Kazooie-Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise’s development ended in October of last year for the most part. Since then, the DS Team has been hard at work on a new unannounced title. With the new console installment of Banjo taking a different approach than the previous entries of the franchise, wouldn’t it be nice to see new Banjo title on the DS that sticks to the classics roots? Or heck, perhaps even a remake of the original? Banjo-Kazooie on the DS would wet the appetites of many a fan across the globe. Likelihood: 60%

I’ve shared my thoughts on what I believe Rare could potentially unveil at this years E3 convention. So what about you? Enlighten us with your opinions in the comments. And remember, doing so could win you a free copy of Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise.

June 28th, 2008 by Daniel Duncan

Today, for our celebration of the ten year anniversary of the Banjo-Kazooie franchise, Rare-Elite introduces to you an exclusive and original video from the creative mind of Mario ‘Lupaie’ Paiano (the designer of Rare-Elite), Banjo-Kazooie: Mumbo’s Wand!!

Earlier this year after our relaunch, Tyrant and myself were discussing a variety of options as to what we could do in celebration of this special event. We wanted something big…something special…and something unlike anything else that is out there. It was at this time that Lupaie offered to create a special video of the Banjo games told from the perspective of a special character: Mumbo’s Wand.

The video began development in late March and took over 120 hours to complete. Lupaie designed the video completely from the ground up while his friend Smouvy handled most of the audio. A few others contributed some recorded footage and text (acknowledged in the video’s credits) of the Banjo games and even Rare’s George Kelion provided the sound samples of the exact dialogue of Mumbo that can be heard in the games.

So ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the world wide reveal and Rare-Elite exclusive video, Banjo-Kazooie: Mumbo’s Wand!!