Popular Games by Rare
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest SNES
- 20th Nov 1995 (NA)
- 21st Nov 1995 (JPN)
- 14th Dec 1995 (UK/EU)
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:...
Latest Rare News
Thursday22nd May 2025
Anniversary Perfect Dark, Another N64 Rare Classic, Turns 25
And Agent Dark is still going
Rare had a heck of a run on the Nintendo 64, and today we're celebrating the anniversary of yet another of the studio's classics — Perfect Dark. Joanna Dark made her debut on Nintendo's 64-bit console on 22nd May 2000 in North America, with a European release following in June. Today, it ranks as the studio's...
Wednesday21st May 2025
News Shigeru Miyamoto Explains Why Donkey Kong Has Been Redesigned
You want expressive? You got it
Donkey Kong's recent redesign has been a huge point of discussion in recent weeks, and it seems that most fans are becoming quite fond of the character's new look. Nintendo has been pretty quiet on why Donkey Kong went through a complete redesign, but in a new interview with IGN, the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto shed a...
Friday16th May 2025
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's N64 Library With Another Game
Ultra combo!
Fighting game and Rare fans are in for a treat today with Nintendo adding the 1996 N64 release Killer Instinct Gold to the Switch Online + Expansion Pack service. As long as you have an active subscription to the Expansion Pack tier, you'll be able to update your Switch app and play it right now. Here's a bit more about it, courtesy of...
Friday9th May 2025
News Rare's N64 Shooter 'GoldenEye 007' Officially Inducted Into The Video Game Hall Of Fame
Alongside a handful of other titles
[Fri 7th Mar, 2025 00:55 GMT]: Every year, The Strong Museum announces its 'World Video Game Hall of Fame' finalists and for 2025 and after missing out in 2023, Rare's iconic Nintendo 64 first-person shooter GoldenEye 007 is back. It's up against some tough competition including the following list of games: Age...
Friday2nd May 2025
News Banjo-Kazooie Composer Explains Why He Thinks Another Game Is Unlikely
The "overriding factor" is money
There have been ongoing requests over the years for the revival of Rare's famous bear and bird duo Banjo-Kazooie, but will fans ever see this series return? The game's composer Grant Kirkhope already spoke about this earlier in the year - mentioning how he had "zero hope" for a new entry, and now in an interview...
Sunday16th Mar 2025
News First 4 Figures Teases New Banjo-Kazooie Statue, Pre-Orders Open Next Week
Update: Here's a look at the Definitive Edition
There hasn't been a new Banjo-Kazooie game for many years now, but there are still plenty of fans out there eager for more. Although it's not a game, First 4 Figures has shared a sneak peek of its new statue - Banjo's sister Tooty, who is captured by Gruntilda in Rare's original Nintendo 64 adventure...
Thursday23rd Jan 2025
News Banjo-Kazooie Composer Has "Zero Hope" For A New Entry
We're inclined to agree
Just days after Moon Studios' lead Thomas Mahler expressed his desire to see the Banjo-Kazooie franchise in the hands of a "really talented developer", original composer Grant Kirkhope has taken to social media to say that he has "zero hope" in a potential new entry (thanks, Eurogamer). He then went on to say that a new...
Monday20th Jan 2025
News Banjo-Kazooie Has The Potential To "Rival 3D Mario", Says Ori Dev
If a "really talented developer" has a crack at it
There was once a time when Banjo-Kazooie was rightly considered to be a close rival to the Super Mario franchise when Rare launched two outstanding entries on N64 in the form of the self-titled debut and its sequel, Banjo-Tooie. That was a long time ago, though. While Microsoft flirted with idea of...
Tuesday7th Jan 2025
News 'Nintendo Music' Adds Another Donkey Kong Soundtrack, Here's Every Song Included
It's double trouble with Dixie and Kiddy
Nintendo has kicked off the new year with a brand new update for its 'Nintendo Music' app. It's celebrating Rare's Donkey Kong Country series once again with the released of the third game's tracklist. All up, this soundtrack includes 40 tracks and has a runtime of 1 hour and 14 minutes. You'll be able to...
Friday13th Dec 2024
Random Upcoming Banjo-Kazooie Mod Is A Nostalgic Trip Through A Bunch Of N64 Classics
Get jiggies with it
Back in 2021, modder Mark Kurko revealed a first look at his monster project, 'BK Nostalgia 64'. This love letter to the N64 and Banjo-Kazooie (whodathunkit with a title like that?) was originally slated for a Christmas 2024 release, though through a variety of complications, the modder has decided to push things back to 2025...
Tuesday10th Dec 2024
News Donkey Kong Country OG Dev Says He Would Like To Work On Another Entry
The original game is now 30 years old
Ahead of the grand opening of Super Nintendo World: Donkey Kong Country this week, some of the original Donkey Kong Country development team spoke to VGC about the IP being adapted to an entire theme park. During the same chat, artist Steve Mayles - who helped co-found Playtonic Games (Yooka-Laylee) and create...
Friday6th Dec 2024
Poll Okay, It's Time To Ask The Obvious - Will We Get Donkey Kong 64 On NSO?
The game turns 25 in Europe
Donkey Kong 64 — not the most beloved of Rare's titles, but probably the developer's most ambitious 3D platformer — turns 25 here in Europe today, 6th December 2024. DK and friends have a lot to celebrate lately: the Donkey Kong Land trilogy on Game Boy has trickled onto NSO over the past few weeks; the Donkey Kong...
Wednesday4th Dec 2024
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...
Friday29th Nov 2024
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...
Tuesday26th Nov 2024
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...
Saturday23rd Nov 2024
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...
Tuesday19th Nov 2024
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...
Monday18th Nov 2024
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...
Tuesday5th Nov 2024
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...
Friday1st Nov 2024
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...
Friday25th Oct 2024
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"...
Saturday19th Oct 2024
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...
Sunday22nd Sep 2024
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...
Friday30th Aug 2024
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...
Thursday15th Aug 2024
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,
Thursday18th Jul 2024
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,...
Thursday20th Jun 2024
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...
Friday24th May 2024
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...
Saturday24th Feb 2024
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...
Thursday22nd Feb 2024
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...
Wednesday21st Feb 2024
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 (
Sunday4th Feb 2024
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...
Monday8th Jan 2024
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...
Saturday30th Dec 2023
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...
Friday29th Dec 2023
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...
Sunday3rd Dec 2023
News Jet Force Gemini's Widescreen Mode Reportedly "Broken" On Switch
"Widescreen mode doesn't scale correctly"
Jet Force Gemini made its debut on the new Japanese Switch Online service 18+ app earlier this week, and the widescreen mode is reportedly "broken". Nintendo World Report explains how the original N64 release supported a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio,
Saturday2nd Dec 2023
News Xbox Acknowledges Fan Requests For New Banjo-Kazooie Game
Phil Spencer: "Banjo fans, I hear you"
Rare's famous bear and bird duo Banjo-Kazooie made a return via Nintendo's Switch Online service last year, and ever since then, fans have been calling for a proper comeback. There have even been some rumours doing the rounds about a possible revival, so what are the chances of something like this ever...
Friday1st Dec 2023
News Switch Online Expands The N64 Library With Another Game (Japan)
Rare's Jet Force Gemini is back
Nintendo has now added the N64 classic Jet Force Gemini to the Switch Online + Expansion Pack service. The catch is, it appears to only be available in Japan right now. If there's an update, we'll let you know, but right now it's locked in for a "December" release here in the west. Jet Force Gemini is a third-person...
Wednesday22nd Nov 2023
News Nintendo Is Launching An 18+ N64 Switch Online App In Japan
GoldenEye and Jet Force Gemini will debut on the new app
Earlier today, we learnt that Rare's Jet Force Gemini would be headed to the N64 Nintendo Switch Online service next month. While Western audiences will be able to play the game via the normal app, Nintendo has revealed that things will be slightly different in Japan, as the region will soon...
Poll Which Of Rare's Classic N64 Games Would You Like To See On Switch Online?
Got GoldenEye, bagged Banjo, and JFG's incoming - dare we dream of more?
Update: Well, there's a turn-up for the books. Nintendo has announced that Jet Force Gemini is coming to the Switch Online Expansion Pack in December. We've got to say, of all Rare's N64 games, we didn't fancy this one's chances — as you'll see below — but we're very happy...
Tuesday7th Nov 2023
News Pre-Orders For A Stunning Banjo-Kazooie Statue Are Now Live
Another gem from First 4 Figures
Toy and model company First 4 Figures has launched pre-orders for a new product called 'Banjo-Kazooie Duet'. Based on the 1998 N64 classic Banjo-Kazooie from developer Rare, the statue comes in three flavours, each accompanied by a rather eye-watering price tag. The first is the standard model showcasing the two...
Friday6th Oct 2023
Random Star Fox Dev Thinks Star Fox Adventures "Was Too British"
"I think Star Fox is a very complex title"
The Star Fox series has been a bit of a mixed bag, hasn't it? There have been huge genre shifts, recreations, and attempts to capture that same magic that the SNES original — and the N64 sequel — captured. Now, in an interview with VGC, Dylan Cuthbert, a programmer on the original Star Fox and Star Fox...
Saturday12th Aug 2023
Video The N64 Kart Racer That Deserves To Be On Switch
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, eat your heart out
If you had a Nintendo 64 growing up, we bet you had Mario Kart 64. This was many people's first Mario Kart game, and the rest is history. Of course, you can play it on the Switch thanks to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. Alongside Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit (both on NSO too)...
Friday11th Aug 2023
Random Former Rare Dev Shares First-Ever Drawing Of Conker
No, he still doesn't have a neck
Former developer at Rare Chris Seavor has been sharing video game history on Twitter. And today's little tidbit is a pretty fun one — Seavor has found the first-ever drawing of Conker the Squirrel. Seavor teased his followers earlier today about "some 'curious' old scribbles" that he found, and as promised, he...
Sunday11th Jun 2023
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel - Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
Go bananas
Hello and welcome back to your weekly round of Box Art Brawl! Before we leave the courtroom behind and move on somewhere a bit warmer, let's take a look at last week's results. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, the original Ace Attorney game, stood in the BAB docks, but it was an easy win for North America, which took 53% of your votes...
Sunday23rd Apr 2023
News Former Rare Director Joel Hochberg Has Passed Away
"Joel changed the course of history"
We've got some sad news on the industry front - with a Miami Herald obituary confirming the former Rare director Joel Hochberg passed away earlier this week, aged 87. Joel lives on through his wife, children, grandchildren and extended family. As highlighted by GamesIndustry.biz, he signed on with the Ultimate...
Tuesday11th Apr 2023
Random Rare Co-Founder Tim Stamper Teases 'Dream 64' Development Cartridge
"Dream 64 does exist after all"
Update [Tue 11th Apr, 2023 00:05 BST]: Tim Stamper has now posted a follow-up tweet featuring video footage of Dream 64. In it, he notes how it was "probably" shown at Japan's Nintendo Shoshinkai show (Space World) in 1996. In the video, there's a pirate mentioning how "the Nintendo 64 treasure does exist after all"...
Friday7th Apr 2023
Random Donkey Kong Country Artist Reveals DK's Early Character Design Sketches
"He looks a lot more polished now"
The release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie has meant that Donkey Kong is somewhat the talk of the town at the moment. While Illumination's take on the character has managed to stick pretty close to the DK that we all know and love, a recent livestream from one of the original Donkey Kong Country artists, Kev...
