Latest Reviews of Rare Games
Review Banjo-Tooie (Nintendo 64) - An Enormous Adventure With Charm Up The Kazoo
Can you bear second helpings?
This review was originally published in October 2009. We're updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of the game in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack N64 library. <related ids="106839"> Banjo-Kazooie was a game that revolutionised platforming on the N64: Rare's off-the-wall-humour, creative...
Review Perfect Dark (Nintendo 64) - Perhaps Not Perfect, But Still A Remarkable Achievement
Suck it, Bond
This review was originally published in March 2010. We're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack N64 library. From its debut in 1997, developer Rare and the terrifying digital avatar of Pierce Brosnan ruled over the console shooter space with the Nintendo 64 tie-in of a...
Review Blast Corps - An Absurd, Exhilarating, Explosive Gem From Rare's N64 Days
Time to get moving
This review originally went live in 2013, and we're updating and republishing it to celebrate the game's arrival in Switch's N64 library via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Long before the massive mainstream appeal of video games that exists today, successful developers were surprisingly free from the shackles of big...
Review Jet Force Gemini - Another Rare N64 Gem, Flawed But Fun
Start wins
This review originally went live in 2013, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in Switch's N64 library via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. The Nintendo 64 and Rare go together like Banjo and Kazooie. The developer was behind several of the stellar titles found on the system, many of which were...
Review GoldenEye 007 - Aged And Flawed, But Still A Masterpiece Of Game Design
Gold-tinted specs?
Highly revered by countless N64 owners, GoldenEye 007 is often credited with kick-starting the first-person shooter craze on consoles. It not only showed that a good first-person shooter could be crafted for a machine other than a high-spec PC, but arguably also created the multiplayer FPS phenomenon on consoles. In fact, if it...
Review Banjo-Kazooie - Peerless Platforming Perfection, And Now Available On Switch
Kazooie, we're home
This review originally went live in 2009, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the long-awaited return of Banjo-Kazooie to a Nintendo console, available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack N64 library. Back in the days of the N64’s prime, there was one firm that managed to stand out from the rest:...
Review Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (New 3DS / SNES)
Awesome ape action
Well, here we are again – ape platforming shenanigans from Rare in a game bearing the lengthy packaging title of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble. Thanks to previous Virtual Console releases, all six of Rare's 2D Donkey Kong titles are available on New Nintendo 3DS; with the changing Kong lineup helping to keep...
Review Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (New 3DS / SNES)
Monkey magnificence
After the success of Donkey Kong Country it wasn't particularly surprising that sequels appeared; the first SNES follow-up is now available to New Nintendo 3DS owners, allowing them to enjoy this wonderful platformer on the go. Donkey Kong has been kidnapped, so this time around Diddy has teamed up with Dixie Kong for the...
Review Donkey Kong Country (New 3DS / SNES)
Great Apes
Rare's series of Donkey Kong games mixed impressive visuals with some brilliant platforming action as you ran, jump, swung and swam through a variety of locations defeating those nasty Kremlings, collecting bananas and finding secrets. The Game Boy's three Donkey Kong Land games have previously been re-released via the 3DS Virtual...
Review Donkey Kong 64 (Wii U eShop / N64)
He's finally back, but does he still kick some tail?
At the mere mention of Nintendo's first 64-bit console, many of us find it difficult not to get swept up by a wave of nostalgia. We drift through countless memories of flickering TV screens and eye-popping graphics, washing up on the shores of 3D gaming's first bold steps onto a Nintendo platform...
Latest Rare Articles
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's Game Boy Library With Another Classic
Dixie and Kiddy return in Donkey Kong Land 3
Following the recent return of Donkey Kong Land and its sequel, Nintendo has now expanded the Switch Online Game Boy library with the third entry. Yes, Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong return in Rare's 1997 Game Boy release Donkey Kong Land 3, and it's available to play right now as long as you have an active...
News Nintendo Highlights Every 'Donkey Kong Country' On Switch With A New Trailer
Prepare to return... again
Nintendo has released a new trailer taking a look at every Donkey Kong Country game on Switch in preparation for the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD on 16th January 2024. If you've got a subscription to the standard Nintendo Switch Online service, you can play every SNES game from the series right now. That...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's Game Boy Library With Another Classic
The sequel to Donkey Kong Land is now available
Following the arrival of Donkey Kong Land for the Switch Online Game Boy service last week, Nintendo has now added Donkey Kong Land 2! Yes, Rare's 1995 sequel starring Diddy and Dixie Kong is playable right now (as long as you're a subscriber). It's packed with "over 40 levels" and an assortment of...
News Banjo-Kazooie "Washer Banjo" Revealed, Here's A Sneak Peek
Pre-orders open soon
First 4 Figures has released all sorts of high-quality statues and with this in mind, it's now teasing a "sneak peek" of its latest Banjo-Kazooie figure. This one is based on the transformation "Washer Banjo" and pre-orders will be opening in 10 days on 3rd December 2024. If you sign up to the First 4 Figures email, you can...
Random Iconic 'DK Rap' Song Has Been Remade 25 Years Later
With help from rapper 'Substantial'
If you've been a part of the Nintendo gaming community for a while, then chances are you're well acquainted with 'DK Rap', the charming introductory theme tune seen in 1999's Donkey Kong 64. It's gained significant notoriety and love over the years, though many fans do concede that the song isn't actually that...
Anniversary Donkey Kong Country Is Now 30 Years Old (SNES)
King K-O-N-G
Believe it or not, Donkey Kong Country for the SNES has turned 30 years old after originally launching in the UK on 18th November 1994. Often regarded as one of the greatest platformers of all time, Donkey Kong Country was the first in an SNES trilogy from developer Rare, and was really the game that properly kickstarted a fruitful...
News 'Nintendo Music' Update Adds Classic SNES Soundtrack, Here's Every Song Included
Another Donkey Kong Country banger
Nintendo's new music app is the gift that keeps on giving with a new update today adding 36 tracks from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. Yes, you can now listen to everything from the iconic "fanfare" opening, Funky's theme, Stickerbush Symphony (Bramble Blast), Forest Interlude (Web Woods) to the Disco...
Random Rapper Doja Cat Debuts 'Bouncy' Conker-Inspired Halloween Costume
"Ooh, that big tail of yours is far too tickly"
Halloween has come and gone, which means celebrities around the globe are naturally taking to social media to try and one-up each another with their chosen costumes. Video game outfits have become more and more popular over the years, but while many folks like to dress up as Mario, Princess Zelda, or...
Random Oops! It Looks Like Banjo-Tooie's Idle Demo Is Sped Up On NSO
Banjo-Kazoomy
Rare's wonderful platformer sequel Banjo-Tooie landed on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack's N64 library today, and we are enjoying the chance to take our best bear and bird buds on the road with us once more. On the whole, this NSO version feels great, but as we left the game idly sitting on the start screen while we nipped...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's N64 Library With Banjo-Tooie
"The bear & bird are back!"
Update [Fri 25th Oct, 2024 02:05 BST]: Rare's famous bear and bird duo Banjo-Kazooie returns to the Switch Online library today in their sequel outing Banjo-Tooie. You can play it right now provided you have an active subscription to the Switch Online + Expansion Pack service. Enjoy! <products group-id="26667"...
News Xbox Studio Rare Excited About The Return Of Banjo-Tooie Next Week
"Another modern way" to revisit the sequel
Nintendo delivered quite a surprise for N64 fans this week, announcing Rare's 3D platformer Banjo-Tooie would be joining the Expansion Pack service next week on 25th October 2024. As part of this announcement, Rare (known nowadays for titles like Sea of Thieves) has taken to social media to voice its own...
Feature Catch-Up Crew: Donkey Kong Country - "I Liked His Big Red, Er, Ribbit-Bag?"
Catching up with the DK crew
Welcome aboard once again for this edition of Catch-up Crew, the series where the senior staff of the USS Nintendo Life do what every good crew should do on a seat-of-your-pants cosmic adventure - adjourn to the observation lounge for a conference. Yes, we're back at the table to discuss a classic video game that at...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Donkey Kong Country (GBA)
The Diddy one
We are back, back, back with another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last time, we matched up two different covers for Contra 4 on the DS, and it wasn't even close. The North American variant walked comfortably away with the win, taking 76% of the vote and leaving Japan with the remaining 24%. Oof. This week, we're swinging it back a...
News Banjo-Kazooie Is The Latest N64 Game To Be Fully Decompiled
Tick tock PC
Fans and coders have been working on decompiling multiple classic Nintendo 64 games over the years, with Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, Perfect Dark, and Majora's Mask just being a handful of titles they've managed to revert to source code. Now, a Nintendo Life favourite is joining the roster of decompiled N64 games (thanks to CM30...
Random Donkey Kong Country 3 Fan Creates Incredible Epoxy Resin Statue
Yes, we want one
There have been some truly gorgeous video game statues in our time, from the likes of the First 4 Figures Samus Gravity Suit statue from Metroid to the ludicrous Ghosts 'n Goblins statue from Dream Figures. We love one-off designs though; statues that likely won't be made available to the general public,
News GoldenEye 007 And Perfect Dark Artist Brett Jones Has Died
An absolute legend
Former Rare artist Brett Jones, who worked on the classic N64 games GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark, has died. Jones' work on the classic first-person shooter was wide-ranging and included concept art and character creation, model rigging, animation, and texturing. He would go on to do much of the same work on Perfect Dark,...
News Switch Online's Latest N64 Release 'Perfect Dark' Appears To Have Some Emulation Issues
"It's like playing on a 2007 emulator"
Switch Online's N64 library didn't get off to the best start, with select games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time filled with a bunch of emulation issues. Nintendo rolled out updates for the app in response to this and since then the situation has somewhat improved. Unfortunately, it seems one of the...
Random Another Banjo-Kazooie Funko Pop Is On The Horizon, But It's Still Pretty Horrifying
Pre-order, if you dare
If you cast your mind back to earlier in the year, you might remember the horrors of the GameStop-exclusive Banjo-Kazooie Funko Pop. With its big head and soulless, staring eyes, the figure was... well, a Funko Pop, but it was also an acknowledgement that the Rare pair still exist, so we'll take what we can get. Now, Funko...
Poll What Switch Online Rare Game Are You Playing This Weekend?
Five more titles have joined the service
Five more Rare games have this week joined Nintendo's Switch Online + Expansion Pack service. The first four titles are available in the base tier and the N64 release Blast Corps is available in the premium tier subscription. With these games now available on the service, it's got us wondering which one...
Random Some Rare Fans Are Upset About The Latest Switch Online Announcement
"Rare Replay should have been announced on Switch"
The latest Partner Showcase from Nintendo was packed with all sorts of surprises and another standout announcement was the news five more classic Rare games would be coming to the Switch Online service. These titles include games like Killer Instinct and Blast Corps, and while it's welcome news for...
News Five More Classic Rareware Games Come To Nintendo Switch Online Today
Blast (Corps) from the past!
As part of today's Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase, Nintendo has announced that five of the now-Microsoft-owned Rare's titles will be available today via Nintendo Switch Online. The games are: NES Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll RC PRO-AM Super Nintendo Battletoads in Battlemaniacs Killer Instinct Nintendo 64 (
News Nintendo's Switch Online Service Spotlights Donkey Kong With New Hub
The DKC series celebrates 30 years in 2024
Nintendo seems to be slowly putting the spotlight back on Donkey Kong with a series of announcements in recent times. He will also star in the upcoming release Mario vs. Donkey Kong, due out on the Switch later this month. With this in mind, Nintendo has now launched a special section in the Switch Online...
Rumour Rare & Microsoft's Sea Of Thieves Could Be Sailing Onto Switch
Plundered
The Xbox and Microsoft rumours are flooding the news at the moment, aren't they? And there's another one sailing into view — Microsoft exclusive Sea of Thieves, developed by Rare, is reportedly being considered for Switch and PlayStation. Giant Bomb and Game Mess Mornings host Jeff Grubb claims that he's heard that "that was the one...
Feature From Banjo To Mario - Grant Kirkhope Talks Big Huge Troubles And Composing For Massive IPs
Part Two: "How the f*** am I going to write music for a Mario game!?"
Last week, in celebration of Banjo-Kazooie's 25th anniversary, we published the first part of our career-spanning interview with Mr. Grant Kirkhope, composer extraordinaire and the man responsible for some of our favourite music ever, video game or otherwise. Part One covered his...
Feature From Bon Jovi To Banjo - Grant Kirkhope On The "Complete Fluke" Of His Rare Musical Journey
Part One: Mr. Banjongles
Grant Kirkhope is an interviewer's dream, and not just because he's responsible for some all-time great video game soundtracks. He’s great company — frank, funny, and loquacious. We spoke to him most recently for our Nintendo Life VGM Fest back in 2021 and only ended up publishing a small fraction of our chat in our...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's Game Boy Library With Another Classic
Dixie and Kiddy return in Donkey Kong Land 3
Following the recent return of Donkey Kong Land and its sequel, Nintendo has now expanded the Switch Online Game Boy library with the third entry. Yes, Dixie Kong and Kiddy Kong return in Rare's 1997 Game Boy release Donkey Kong Land 3, and it's available to play right now as long as you have an active...
News Nintendo Highlights Every 'Donkey Kong Country' On Switch With A New Trailer
Prepare to return... again
Nintendo has released a new trailer taking a look at every Donkey Kong Country game on Switch in preparation for the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD on 16th January 2024. If you've got a subscription to the standard Nintendo Switch Online service, you can play every SNES game from the series right now. That...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's Game Boy Library With Another Classic
The sequel to Donkey Kong Land is now available
Following the arrival of Donkey Kong Land for the Switch Online Game Boy service last week, Nintendo has now added Donkey Kong Land 2! Yes, Rare's 1995 sequel starring Diddy and Dixie Kong is playable right now (as long as you're a subscriber). It's packed with "over 40 levels" and an assortment of...
News Banjo-Kazooie "Washer Banjo" Revealed, Here's A Sneak Peek
Pre-orders open soon
First 4 Figures has released all sorts of high-quality statues and with this in mind, it's now teasing a "sneak peek" of its latest Banjo-Kazooie figure. This one is based on the transformation "Washer Banjo" and pre-orders will be opening in 10 days on 3rd December 2024. If you sign up to the First 4 Figures email, you can...
Random Iconic 'DK Rap' Song Has Been Remade 25 Years Later
With help from rapper 'Substantial'
If you've been a part of the Nintendo gaming community for a while, then chances are you're well acquainted with 'DK Rap', the charming introductory theme tune seen in 1999's Donkey Kong 64. It's gained significant notoriety and love over the years, though many fans do concede that the song isn't actually that...
Anniversary Donkey Kong Country Is Now 30 Years Old (SNES)
King K-O-N-G
Believe it or not, Donkey Kong Country for the SNES has turned 30 years old after originally launching in the UK on 18th November 1994. Often regarded as one of the greatest platformers of all time, Donkey Kong Country was the first in an SNES trilogy from developer Rare, and was really the game that properly kickstarted a fruitful...
News 'Nintendo Music' Update Adds Classic SNES Soundtrack, Here's Every Song Included
Another Donkey Kong Country banger
Nintendo's new music app is the gift that keeps on giving with a new update today adding 36 tracks from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. Yes, you can now listen to everything from the iconic "fanfare" opening, Funky's theme, Stickerbush Symphony (Bramble Blast), Forest Interlude (Web Woods) to the Disco...
Random Rapper Doja Cat Debuts 'Bouncy' Conker-Inspired Halloween Costume
"Ooh, that big tail of yours is far too tickly"
Halloween has come and gone, which means celebrities around the globe are naturally taking to social media to try and one-up each another with their chosen costumes. Video game outfits have become more and more popular over the years, but while many folks like to dress up as Mario, Princess Zelda, or...
Random Oops! It Looks Like Banjo-Tooie's Idle Demo Is Sped Up On NSO
Banjo-Kazoomy
Rare's wonderful platformer sequel Banjo-Tooie landed on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack's N64 library today, and we are enjoying the chance to take our best bear and bird buds on the road with us once more. On the whole, this NSO version feels great, but as we left the game idly sitting on the start screen while we nipped...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's N64 Library With Banjo-Tooie
"The bear & bird are back!"
Update [Fri 25th Oct, 2024 02:05 BST]: Rare's famous bear and bird duo Banjo-Kazooie returns to the Switch Online library today in their sequel outing Banjo-Tooie. You can play it right now provided you have an active subscription to the Switch Online + Expansion Pack service. Enjoy! <products group-id="26667"...
News Xbox Studio Rare Excited About The Return Of Banjo-Tooie Next Week
"Another modern way" to revisit the sequel
Nintendo delivered quite a surprise for N64 fans this week, announcing Rare's 3D platformer Banjo-Tooie would be joining the Expansion Pack service next week on 25th October 2024. As part of this announcement, Rare (known nowadays for titles like Sea of Thieves) has taken to social media to voice its own...
Feature Catch-Up Crew: Donkey Kong Country - "I Liked His Big Red, Er, Ribbit-Bag?"
Catching up with the DK crew
Welcome aboard once again for this edition of Catch-up Crew, the series where the senior staff of the USS Nintendo Life do what every good crew should do on a seat-of-your-pants cosmic adventure - adjourn to the observation lounge for a conference. Yes, we're back at the table to discuss a classic video game that at...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Donkey Kong Country (GBA)
The Diddy one
We are back, back, back with another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last time, we matched up two different covers for Contra 4 on the DS, and it wasn't even close. The North American variant walked comfortably away with the win, taking 76% of the vote and leaving Japan with the remaining 24%. Oof. This week, we're swinging it back a...
News Banjo-Kazooie Is The Latest N64 Game To Be Fully Decompiled
Tick tock PC
Fans and coders have been working on decompiling multiple classic Nintendo 64 games over the years, with Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, Perfect Dark, and Majora's Mask just being a handful of titles they've managed to revert to source code. Now, a Nintendo Life favourite is joining the roster of decompiled N64 games (thanks to CM30...
Random Donkey Kong Country 3 Fan Creates Incredible Epoxy Resin Statue
Yes, we want one
There have been some truly gorgeous video game statues in our time, from the likes of the First 4 Figures Samus Gravity Suit statue from Metroid to the ludicrous Ghosts 'n Goblins statue from Dream Figures. We love one-off designs though; statues that likely won't be made available to the general public,
News GoldenEye 007 And Perfect Dark Artist Brett Jones Has Died
An absolute legend
Former Rare artist Brett Jones, who worked on the classic N64 games GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark, has died. Jones' work on the classic first-person shooter was wide-ranging and included concept art and character creation, model rigging, animation, and texturing. He would go on to do much of the same work on Perfect Dark,...
News Switch Online's Latest N64 Release 'Perfect Dark' Appears To Have Some Emulation Issues
"It's like playing on a 2007 emulator"
Switch Online's N64 library didn't get off to the best start, with select games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time filled with a bunch of emulation issues. Nintendo rolled out updates for the app in response to this and since then the situation has somewhat improved. Unfortunately, it seems one of the...
Random Another Banjo-Kazooie Funko Pop Is On The Horizon, But It's Still Pretty Horrifying
Pre-order, if you dare
If you cast your mind back to earlier in the year, you might remember the horrors of the GameStop-exclusive Banjo-Kazooie Funko Pop. With its big head and soulless, staring eyes, the figure was... well, a Funko Pop, but it was also an acknowledgement that the Rare pair still exist, so we'll take what we can get. Now, Funko...
Poll What Switch Online Rare Game Are You Playing This Weekend?
Five more titles have joined the service
Five more Rare games have this week joined Nintendo's Switch Online + Expansion Pack service. The first four titles are available in the base tier and the N64 release Blast Corps is available in the premium tier subscription. With these games now available on the service, it's got us wondering which one...
Random Some Rare Fans Are Upset About The Latest Switch Online Announcement
"Rare Replay should have been announced on Switch"
The latest Partner Showcase from Nintendo was packed with all sorts of surprises and another standout announcement was the news five more classic Rare games would be coming to the Switch Online service. These titles include games like Killer Instinct and Blast Corps, and while it's welcome news for...
News Five More Classic Rareware Games Come To Nintendo Switch Online Today
Blast (Corps) from the past!
As part of today's Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase, Nintendo has announced that five of the now-Microsoft-owned Rare's titles will be available today via Nintendo Switch Online. The games are: NES Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll RC PRO-AM Super Nintendo Battletoads in Battlemaniacs Killer Instinct Nintendo 64 (
News Nintendo's Switch Online Service Spotlights Donkey Kong With New Hub
The DKC series celebrates 30 years in 2024
Nintendo seems to be slowly putting the spotlight back on Donkey Kong with a series of announcements in recent times. He will also star in the upcoming release Mario vs. Donkey Kong, due out on the Switch later this month. With this in mind, Nintendo has now launched a special section in the Switch Online...
Rumour Rare & Microsoft's Sea Of Thieves Could Be Sailing Onto Switch
Plundered
The Xbox and Microsoft rumours are flooding the news at the moment, aren't they? And there's another one sailing into view — Microsoft exclusive Sea of Thieves, developed by Rare, is reportedly being considered for Switch and PlayStation. Giant Bomb and Game Mess Mornings host Jeff Grubb claims that he's heard that "that was the one...
Feature From Banjo To Mario - Grant Kirkhope Talks Big Huge Troubles And Composing For Massive IPs
Part Two: "How the f*** am I going to write music for a Mario game!?"
Last week, in celebration of Banjo-Kazooie's 25th anniversary, we published the first part of our career-spanning interview with Mr. Grant Kirkhope, composer extraordinaire and the man responsible for some of our favourite music ever, video game or otherwise. Part One covered his...
Feature From Bon Jovi To Banjo - Grant Kirkhope On The "Complete Fluke" Of His Rare Musical Journey
Part One: Mr. Banjongles
Grant Kirkhope is an interviewer's dream, and not just because he's responsible for some all-time great video game soundtracks. He’s great company — frank, funny, and loquacious. We spoke to him most recently for our Nintendo Life VGM Fest back in 2021 and only ended up publishing a small fraction of our chat in our...