Rare Replay (Xbox One) - Review
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 09 August 2015 / 10,240 Views
It's always difficult reviewing a 'game' which is actually a collection of older games. How do your critique the graphics or gameplay when they cover over 30 years' worth of incremental industry advancements? It's also less than ideal to concentrate on individual games, because not only are they highly variable but it would also detract from the collection as a whole. No matter how one looks at it, however, Rare Replay is one of the best value propositions in gaming right now.
First, there are the games themselves - over 30 titles for $30. That's incredible value for money, especially when you factor in that nine of those titles are Xbox 360 games. It’s a highly varied collection as well, boasting classics like Battletoads and Banjo-Kazooie, and more experimental games like Viva Pinata and Nuts & Bolts.
Unfortunately some of Rare's most iconic titles are missing, for obvious reasons (Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye, and Diddy Kong Racing, to name a few). Yet the fact that the collection boasts dozens of great Rare games despite their absence is a sign of how expansive and incredible Rare's back catalogue actually is; something that's all too easy to forget given current perceptions of the company.
It's not just a lazy slapdash bundle of games either; a fair amount of work has clearly gone into the presentation of this collection, which is something to be commended. From the quirky characters jumping around the screen, to the opening cinematic, Rare Replay is fantastically presented on screen.
Play the games and complete certain tasks and not only will you earn achievements (of which there are hundreds), you’ll also get stamps. These stamps level you up within the collection, with each level unlocking more featurettes and behind-the-scenes videos. I enjoyed spending hours watching this content after unlocking it all, and some of the stories behind the games are genuinely insightful. Banjo-Kazooie, for example, began life as a boy and his dog, which then soon changed into a rabbit, before finally becoming a bear. For fans of these games, extras like this make Rare Replay a must-have.
Another fantastic addition is the “Snapshots” feature, which is similar in concept to Nintendo’s NES Remix games. Snapshots are available for all classic games (pre-N64), and give you specific tasks to complete within the game at a certain point. You might need to kill 15 rats as quickly as possible within Battletoads arcade, or get to the exit without losing any health in Digger T. Rock.
All of the snapshots are challenging, and provide additional replayability. Rare also added to this by including “playlists”, which are Snapshots grouped together with a certain theme. The reward for completing these playlists are additional stamps and achievements, which means they're sure to get most players coming back for more. My main gripe with the playlists is that there aren't enough of them. There are only six and, once completed, you may well feel like there should have been more.
The games themselves have generally aged well, although I did encounter a couple of game crashes which is an unpleasant holdover. Some anachronisms have also been removed. The addition of rewind features and save states for classic titles, for example, makes them more accessible and enjoyable than ever before. A number of the titles featured in Rare Replay were originally designed to get extra quarters out of the player (I’m looking at you, Battletoads), so the inclusion of these two features is not to be scoffed at.
So, is Rare Replay worth a purchase? Undoubtedly. If you enjoy retro gaming or you're an old school Rare fan then I cannot recommend it highly enough. Its value proposition is almost unrivalled and the extra features add a twist of modernity to what could have easily been a quick cash grab collection.
This review is based on a digital copy of Rare Replay Collection for the XOne, provided by the publisher.
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This Collection is gold. You MUST buy this if you have XBOX ONE.
For $30, this collection is practically a steal.
The Grabbed by the Goulies HD port is surprisingly decent.
Amazing package of games and very well presented. MCC in my opinion was the greatest collection of games but this game beats it by a mile. Well done Rare and MS. This is a fan treat. 9.9/10
If i get a bone i will get this definitely
Too bad no Wizards & Warriors. Excellent review.
I bought this just for JFG and it was worth the money, especially because they updated the control scheme. Having Banjo 1 & 2 for 360 aswell is awesome since Ive only played the N64 versions and Conker is a welcome addition since I havent played that in lke 12 years. Doubtful I will get much out of the other games but those 4 alone make it more than worth the money I payed.
I certainly dont care about every game in this compilation but $30 is a bargain even if you just wanna play a few.
I wish this had some SNES game though. Maybe there are licensing issues that kept that from happening. Battlemaniacs and Killer Instinct would have been nice additions.
