This is sad news for Nintendo fans..

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

Here

 

The studio, which has traditionally been seen as one of Nintendo’s leading second-party development houses – producing key titles for the N64 such as Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Banjo Kazooie and Jet Force Gemini – is currently working on Starfox Adventures for the GameCube, and the production of that title is thought to be unaffected by the deal.

 

The future of Rare’s other GameCube titles, however, is uncertain. Many of them may make the transition to the Xbox – with the forthcoming Perfect Dark 2 expected to be an Xbox exclusive title, for one. Work on the company’s Game Boy Advance titles is likely to continue unaffected, as Microsoft has already indicated a willingness to co-develop titles for that platform.

 

But, many people are saying that until something is said is officially by either RARE, Nintendo or Microsoft, that the whole thing could be a sham.

But if it is real, its really not good for Nintendo, considering how good Star Fox is looking and the possibility of Perfect Dark (2)Zero ending up as an X Box Exclusive instead of a Gamecube exclusive. RARE puts out awesome games, and IMO it will definitely hurt the Gamecube..

[Guest MrRant]

It will hurt considering RARE actually will take time to put out quality but like you said I would like to hear it for sure from either MS, Nintendo or RARE itself.

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

I just read where someone said that Nintendo is willing to sell RARE off to MS in order to get enough money to lure in SEGA to be a 2nd party for Nintendo, thus making all future SEGA games Nintendo exclusive.

 

And right now Im crapping my shorts. Thats like, the unholy alliance of video games. Nintendo and SEGA. I never thought I'd even hear rumors about Nintendo and SEGA joining forces. But if thats true, then hell yeah they can dump RARE.

[Guest MrRant]

Yeah I was just going to post that RARE is a Nintendo development house and Nintendo owns a large part of RARE.

[Guest AzkulKazul]

WOW! RARE rumor #499203221494

[Guest Lethargic]

Here

 

The studio, which has traditionally been seen as one of Nintendo’s leading second-party development houses – producing key titles for the N64 such as Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Banjo Kazooie and Jet Force Gemini – is currently working on Starfox Adventures for the GameCube, and the production of that title is thought to be unaffected by the deal.

 

The future of Rare’s other GameCube titles, however, is uncertain. Many of them may make the transition to the Xbox – with the forthcoming Perfect Dark 2 expected to be an Xbox exclusive title, for one. Work on the company’s Game Boy Advance titles is likely to continue unaffected, as Microsoft has already indicated a willingness to co-develop titles for that platform.

 

But, many people are saying that until something is said is officially by either RARE, Nintendo or Microsoft, that the whole thing could be a sham.

But if it is real, its really not good for Nintendo, considering how good Star Fox is looking and the possibility of Perfect Dark (2)Zero ending up as an X Box Exclusive instead of a Gamecube exclusive. RARE puts out awesome games, and IMO it will definitely hurt the Gamecube..

I don't think anything would ever hurt the Gamecube more than the fact that they made it purple. That makes it too gay to buy anyway.

[Guest MrRant]

Then buy a black one... or a blue one... or an orange one. I have the Indigo one or purple as you call it.

[Guest Lethargic]

I just read where someone said that Nintendo is willing to sell RARE off to MS in order to get enough money to lure in SEGA to be a 2nd party for Nintendo, thus making all future SEGA games Nintendo exclusive.

 

And right now Im crapping my shorts.  Thats like, the unholy alliance of video games.  Nintendo and SEGA.  I never thought I'd even hear rumors about Nintendo and SEGA joining forces.  But if thats true, then hell yeah they can dump RARE.

Why would Sega EVER agree to that? That would be the stupidest move in history. Why would you rather have your games only available on the Gamecube when you can have them on all three systems and be available for EVERYBODY to buy and make 3 times the amount of money? That's retarded. And all the polls and experts are saying that by this time next year, Xbox will be in 2 million more homes than Gamecube, thus making it the third place system. Why would Sega want to put all it's eggs in the basket with the third place system? I like their sports games but would they ever make me buy a gamecube to be able to play them? Not in this lifetime. I'd just go back to EA or Microsoft's games. Sega already nearly died after the Dreamcast debacle, hopefully they won't be stupid now that they're rolling again.

 

I honestly think Nintendo is going to end up being the one losing out in the long run. I just don't see how it can compete with the other two. Sony has the market saturated and Microsoft has all the money in the world to stick it out and do whatever it takes to win. Nintendo has name recognition and some aging kiddie franchises, but that's it. Video Games are becoming more and more for adults every single day and most people over the age of 12 don't give a rat's ass about Nintendo.

 

Plus it's purple.

[Guest Mad Dog]

So what magical thing is going to happen to make X-Box number two. At this point and time Nintendo is selling way better. At this point it looks like by this time next year the X-Box is going to be a dead system. Microsoft does have money but they've lost a lot on the X-Box. They're still in the red big time on this one. Plus Gamecube's line up for the holiday season is much stronger.

 

And you forget that in the overseas market the X-Box has made no impact what so ever. In Japan the X-Box has a lower install rate than the Game Boy Adavance.

[Guest Big McLargeHuge]

*gasp* it's purple! I should go buy the black video game machine right away! Or the other black video game console. Or the other black console.

 

I wonder how newer generations of kids are gonna get into gaming. I only ask because the majority of gamers today grew up with Atari and Nintendo consoles, cheesy arcade games and remember the days when 16 bits blew you away. Just seeing the market skewed more and more towards the adult makes me think about that. Not that it's a problem. Just makes me wonder. *stares blankly towards the ceiling*

[Guest KoR Fungus]

<<<And all the polls and experts are saying that by this time next year, Xbox will be in 2 million more homes than Gamecube, thus making it the third place system.>>>

 

...

 

Most polls and experts from early 1996 thought that N64 would annihilate PSX, and we all saw how that went. In this case, though, I don't even believe you. The sense I get is that NGC has good buzz and X-Box has bad buzz, and that most people think that NGC will end up taking second place. Hell, even USA Today ran a whole story a couple months ago about how much trouble X-Box is in because it isn't catching on at all outside of the US. And if the experts do indeed think that X-Box will magically take over as the number two system, then I question whether they're worthy of being called experts. What exactly do they think is going to counteract Mario, Zelda and Metroid? Given that SMS has sold like crazy in both Japan and the US and NGC sales are up all over since its release, I think it's safe to say that the Nintendo franchises are still big draws. X-Box has nothing to match them, and I suspect it will get beaten pretty badly in the US this Christmas, and will get totally killed everywhere else.

 

<<<Microsoft has all the money in the world to stick it out and do whatever it takes to win>>>

 

Terrible argument, because Nintendo also has billions in the bank, and even more motivation to win since their entire company is based around videogames. This isn't Sega we're talking about. Nintendo can't just be bullied out of the market. If necessary, Nintendo will be willing to match Microsoft dollar for dollar and price cut for price cut, and they can easily afford to do so.

[Guest KoR Fungus]

<<<In Japan the X-Box has a lower install rate than the Game Boy Adavance.>>>

 

Eh just to nitpick, GBA probably has a higher installed base than either NGC or X-Box all over the world. The low price point and the fact that there's no competition in the portable market means that GB systems always sell ridiculously well, and I'd be stunned if NGC or X-Box was near it in installed base.

 

But you're right, X-Box's terrible overseas sales are definitely cause for concern. If sales start to slip in the US, they have nothing to fall back on.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

I just want my Star Fox adventures.

 

Soon...

 

Soon...

[Guest jimmy no nose]

And you forget that in the overseas market the X-Box has made no impact what so ever. In Japan the X-Box has a lower install rate than the Game Boy Adavance.

So does Gamecube. That's true in America as well. Xbox is doing horribly in Japan, but you chose a bad example to back it up.

 

Microsoft has their big game show coming up in a couple weeks, expect the announcement then if they did pick up RARE. I don't think SEGA will go 2nd party right now. It would probably be more profitable for them to stay 3rd party right now than it would to go to the #2/3(depending on where you live) console.

[Guest redbaron51]

I find that out of the three big systems, the X-Box has the most entertainment value out of the three.

 

PS2 has a big library, most full of garbage of games with really um...one game that i want (2 come november) and that is the GTA series. Nothing else seems worth buying for that system.

 

Cube has about two games that I want, and that is Fire Pro, and Zelda. I played Sunshine, and wasn't very happy about it.

 

X-Box has probably the best entertainment value for me because of Halo, Raw, Morrowind, PGR, Rallisport, and NFL 2K3 and Madden 2003. Plus i find it is the best controller there is, and like someone said it is similar to the DC.

 

Statistics is just a random number for people to judge on, people can't tell you what is good and what is bad, the best way to find that out is to play it for yourself

[Guest Lethargic]

Every consumer poll around has Xbox moving up to #1 gift this Christmas and the Gamecube slipping. Xbox has not lost that much money. Xbox sells more games per system than any of the other two systems 3 to 1. So the money they lose by pricing the Xbox so low, is offset by the money they make on game sells. What you people don't seem to grasp is the fact that Microsoft came into this with eyes wide open. They did not come into this war thinking they were going to whip ass and take names. They came into it knowing full well that they were gonna lose money the first 5 years. They're not going to just put all this work into putting this system out for 2 years then shut it down. They've plainly said over and over again, it DOES NOT MATTER if they lose money right now. They're goal is to become profitable after 5 years. Right now doesn't mean a thing.

 

According to IGN, Gamecube has sold 4.8 million units. Xbox has sold 3.8. We're talking about MILLIONS there. So there's only one million inbetween them. When you're up into those type of numbers that's not that big of a jump. One good Christmas can narrow that down considerably. There was also a survery that said more Gamecube owners said that they would rather have a Xbox, than Xbox owners said they would rather have a Gamecube. Another survery showed that 39% of the people surveyed were planning on purchasing a Xbox this Christmas. That coupled with a few other things lead them to predict that by next August Xbox will be in 13.7 million homes while Gamecube will be in 11.2. And every single day more and more people are trying out the Xbox and finding out what a superior system it is compared to the other two. I don't know where this bad buzz BS is coming from. The only place I've ever seen any is on this board.

 

The reason Xbox hasn't sold as well in Japan is that they haven't focused on Japan yet. That's another thing they've always said. Next year is when Xbox says they are going full force after Japan the way they have in the US.

 

Of course what are we arguing about? Neither one is ever gonna catch Sony. These two are just battling for the first loser.

 

I guess it's official now according to IGN. Rare has moved to Xbox. So there's yet another reason. All those precious Gamecube titles are Xbox's now.

[Guest jimmy no nose]

For the non-insiders:

 

September 11, 2002 - In past months, UK development studio Rare has been the subject of a seemingly endless stream of rumors, all of them suggesting the company would break from Nintendo's wings and possibly join with a new publisher. Now we have the full story, anonymously confirmed by numerous credible, high-level insiders. The reports are true. We stake our reputation on it.

Nintendo, formerly a 49% shareholder in Rare, had the chance to purchase the company outright nearly a year ago, but refused, according to high-ranking sources. With Rare software contributions amounting to only 9.5% of total revenues in Nintendo's fiscal 2001 year, and a miniscule 1.5% in fiscal 2002, the publisher weighed the benefits and drawbacks of making additional investments in Rare and decided against it.

 

Rare went on the market. Publishers bid on the company. Activision and Microsoft were both interested in acquiring Rare, but it was Microsoft who won out and delivered the asking prices for the developer and Nintendo's 49% stake in it. Nintendo sold all of its shares in Rare, according to insiders, and the studio's second-party status was terminated.

 

The obvious questions then: why all of the secrecy and why haven't Rare, Nintendo or Microsoft made any announcements? The truth is that the details have not been finalized. Insiders allege that Nintendo and Rare are still haggling over licenses, and specifically whether or not Rare will be able to purchase the properties it worked on under the Nintendo brand, including Perfect Dark and other trademarks Nintendo holds. Franchises and characters created and owned by Nintendo, of course, including Donkey Kong, will remain in Nintendo's control. An official announcement, though, is not far off. The latest word is that the news will be made public at Microsoft's X02 Europe event which begins September 24 in Seville, Spain.

 

Meanwhile, sources indicate that Nintendo plans to utilize some of the money it made in the selling of its Rare shares to entice other development studios to make GameCube software, fund new games, and more. The company's de-emphasized focus on a second-party model and its new partnerships with Namco, Sega, Capcom and others exemplifies its change in development philosophy, and leaves no room for an expensive investment in Rare.

 

Look for much more on this major news as it develops.

[Guest KoR Fungus]

Wow, so I guess it's really true. That's big news, although it's hard to say exactly what it will mean. I'm not sure whether Nintendo is better off or worse off because of this. On one hand, they relied too heavily on Rare during the N64 days and got into big trouble because they didn't put enough effort into courting third parties. On the other hand, they lose a lot of big exclusives. I think they'll probably wind up about even. Microsoft is probably the biggest winner from this, as they get a bunch of fairly big name exclusives and don't really lose anything. I doubt it's going to be enough to keep them competitive past next year, but it will certainly help.

[Guest KoR Fungus]

<<<Every consumer poll around has Xbox moving up to #1 gift this Christmas and the Gamecube slipping.>>>

 

And consumer polls have never meant anything. Most 1996 Christmas consumer polls found that the N64 was the most wanted gift, followed by the Saturn, followed by the PlayStation. One even pegged the order as Saturn first, then N64, then PlayStation. Just because people tell a pollster that they'd like to have an X-Box doesn't mean that they're actually going to buy one, and there's rarely been a substantial correlation between consumer polls and actual system sales.

 

<<<Xbox has not lost that much money. Xbox sells more games per system than any of the other two systems 3 to 1. So the money they lose by pricing the Xbox so low, is offset by the money they make on game sells.>>>

 

That matters more to third parties than it does to Microsoft. People always forget that hardware and software are completely independent. Yeah Microsoft gets some liscensing fees for X-Box games, but it won't even come close to covering their losses on systems.

 

Say Microsoft is losing $100 a system, which is about what they were losing at launch. If a game costs $50 to the consumer and each consumer buys three games, that's $150 going somewhere. Say $50 covers the cost to make the games, that's $100 profit. If the store gets $20 of that, it only leaves $80 for the developer and Microsoft, and the developer is going to get the lion's share of that, leaving Microsoft with maybe $30 worth of liscensing fee profit. These are obviously fictional numbers, but it shouldn't be too hard to see that Microsoft's take on $150 of third party game sales isn't going to cover a $100 loss per system. Microsoft is still going to be very much in the red unless they start selling like six or seven games per system, and the more they lower the price of the X-Box, the worse it's going to get.

 

<<<What you people don't seem to grasp is the fact that Microsoft came into this with eyes wide open. They did not come into this war thinking they were going to whip ass and take names. They came into it knowing full well that they were gonna lose money the first 5 years. They're not going to just put all this work into putting this system out for 2 years then shut it down. They've plainly said over and over again, it DOES NOT MATTER if they lose money right now. They're goal is to become profitable after 5 years. Right now doesn't mean a thing.>>>

 

But the life of most systems isn't even five years. With the notable exception of giants like the NES or PS1, most systems only have four or five years of shelf life. That means that taking five years of losses in the hopes of finally turning a profit at the very end of your shelf life is a pretty risky (and stupid) strategy. I guess they could be trying to get market position for X-Box 2, but that means that they'd take five years of losses from X-Box, and then take a couple more years of losses from X-Box 2, since hardware is almost never profitable at launch. Profit seven years down the road if everything goes right? Not the best business plan I've ever seen.

 

<<<According to IGN, Gamecube has sold 4.8 million units. Xbox has sold 3.8. We're talking about MILLIONS there. So there's only one million inbetween them. When you're up into those type of numbers that's not that big of a jump. One good Christmas can narrow that down considerably.>>>

 

True, but you'd have to have reason to believe that X-Box is going to have a better Christmas, and the upcoming games certainly lead me to believe otherwise.

 

<<<There was also a survery that said more Gamecube owners said that they would rather have a Xbox, than Xbox owners said they would rather have a Gamecube.>>>

 

Shrug there's all sorts of silly little polls like that all the time, they never mean anything.

It is extremely easy to get whatever result you want using a poll, based on who you ask and what questions you ask.

 

<<<Another survery showed that 39% of the people surveyed were planning on purchasing a Xbox this Christmas.>>>

 

Holy shit, if you extend that out to the general US population, that means that over 100,000,000 X-Boxes will sell this Christmas. Better tell Sony so they'll have ample time to surrender.

 

<<<That coupled with a few other things lead them to predict that by next August Xbox will be in 13.7 million homes while Gamecube will be in 11.2.>>>

 

If experts had any history of being right about these things, I'd actually believe this, but given that NGC is ahead now and has bigger name games coming out this Christmas, no amount of shady polls and expert predictions are going to make me think that X-Box will actually end up ahead. We'll see who's right come January.

 

<<<And every single day more and more people are trying out the Xbox and finding out what a superior system it is compared to the other two.>>>

 

Yawn, sure they are. Everyone is always trying systems and venturing opinions, but since X-Box doesn't have as many good games out as NGC or PS2, I find it hard to believe that there's suddenly a bunch of miracle converts.

 

<<<I don't know where this bad buzz BS is coming from. The only place I've ever seen any is on this board.>>>

 

X-Box had a weak E3, for one thing, and some of it's "big" games like DtR failed to deliver anything. And there's always the fact that it's a complete and total failure overseas.

 

<<<The reason Xbox hasn't sold as well in Japan is that they haven't focused on Japan yet. That's another thing they've always said. Next year is when Xbox says they are going full force after Japan the way they have in the US.>>>

 

Eh they hyped the launch and it bombed. They'll push harder next year, but I doubt it'll go anywhere. But I could be wrong.

 

<<<Of course what are we arguing about? Neither one is ever gonna catch Sony. These two are just battling for the first loser.>>>

 

Indeed, but it's an important battle since I'm still not convinced that the market can support three systems over time. The loser could be this generation's Saturn.

 

And we're arguing because arguing is fun.

 

<<<I guess it's official now according to IGN. Rare has moved to Xbox. So there's yet another reason. All those precious Gamecube titles are Xbox's now. >>>

 

Agreed, it's a big coup, especially as far as the US market goes. If X-Box does end up ahead at some point, this could certainly be why.

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

Why would Sega EVER agree to that? That would be the stupidest move in history. Why would you rather have your games only available on the Gamecube when you can have them on all three systems and be available for EVERYBODY to buy and make 3 times the amount of money? That's retarded. And all the polls and experts are saying that by this time next year, Xbox will be in 2 million more homes than Gamecube, thus making it the third place system. Why would Sega want to put all it's eggs in the basket with the third place system? I like their sports games but would they ever make me buy a gamecube to be able to play them? Not in this lifetime. I'd just go back to EA or Microsoft's games. Sega already nearly died after the Dreamcast debacle, hopefully they won't be stupid now that they're rolling again.

 

I honestly think Nintendo is going to end up being the one losing out in the long run. I just don't see how it can compete with the other two. Sony has the market saturated and Microsoft has all the money in the world to stick it out and do whatever it takes to win. Nintendo has name recognition and some aging kiddie franchises, but that's it. Video Games are becoming more and more for adults every single day and most people over the age of 12 don't give a rat's ass about Nintendo.

 

Plus it's purple.

SEGA's 2k_ Sports franchise games have sold a lot better on the Gamecube than any other console for some reason, and SEGA has already put out a lot of Gamecube exclusive games (Super Monkey Ball and the upcoming PSO 1+2, and Sonic Adventure [i know it came out on Dreamcast, but that doesnt count anymore]) I would be willing to bet that Nintendo takes Microsoft's cash and uses it to get SEGA to be a 2nd Party. IMO, SEGA is 100 times better than RARE, and I really won't miss RARE if Nintendo manages to keep the Perfect Dark liscense.

 

As far as the experts saying X Box will be in 2 million more homes, I have to wonder why anyone would be saying this, when, from August to February, Nintendo has 5 or 6 Hardware selling games coming out (Mario Sunshine, Star Fox Adventures, Zelda, Resident Evil Zero[brand new game..], and Phantasy Star Online 1+2) It blows my mind how anyone can say that The X Box will outsell the Gamecube considering the games that are coming out for the Cube and whats coming out for the X Box.

 

What games does X Box have coming out. Oh Halo 2. Whoopdi freakin doo.

 

If you think EA and Microsofts games are better than SEGA and Nintendo's games, then something is seriously wrong...

[Guest El Psycho Diablo]

This is exactly why I don't argue about videogames. People are never wrong. Really.

 

As long as I enjoy the console I have (which does happen to be Xbox.) I'm happy with it. I don't go around digging up bogus facts, or bashing lineups, or whatever. I could care less what the other 95% of the world thinks.

 

The simple fact is..it's what's entertaining to me. For the record, the Xbox isn't nearly as "third place loser"

 

..and on Halo..didn't it also turn out to be the best selling launch title ever? That says something. Really.

 

~*~

 

..and as for Sega, I believe they did an interview saying a while back that they were going to be multiplatform. There's a difference in between Rare and Sega. Rare's just a software manufacturer. SEGA was doing consoles not too long ago, and still does arcades, I believe. It wouldn't be financially productive for them to cut down to just one console.

 

In plain english: It's not happening.

[Guest Lethargic]

<<but since X-Box doesn't have as many good games out as NGC or PS2>>

 

Do you own an Xbox? Because I find it very hard to believe that somebody who owns one and has given it a fair chance would ever say anything like that.

 

<<What games does X Box have coming out. Oh Halo 2. Whoopdi freakin doo.>>

 

Yeah, the sequel to the game hailed by most as one of the best console games EVER. Whoopdi freakin doo indeed.

 

I just think that saying Xbox will be gone in a years time is completely...I dunno....whack. I don't see a chance in hell of that happening. If they even thought there was the slightest chance of that happening, they would've be setting up all this Xbox Live stuff and signing up thousands and thousands of people to use it.

 

People said all this same stuff when PSX came out. "Sony making a new console system?!?! What are they thinking?! They're going to try to compete with Nintendo and Sega?!? That'll never work! It'll be gone in a year!" Now look at them. They didn't have any known locked franchises to help sell their system. They just had all around good games and they had the best system available. The same with Xbox now. They don't have household name games, they just got a bunch of really good games that can become household names in the future.

[Guest KoR Fungus]

<<<..and on Halo..didn't it also turn out to be the best selling launch title ever? That says something. Really.>>>

 

Uh, Super Mario World was a launch title and it's sold over 20 million copies. Unless each X-Box owner is buying Halo five or six times, then no, it's not even close to the best selling launch title ever.

 

<<<Do you own an Xbox? Because I find it very hard to believe that somebody who owns one and has given it a fair chance would ever say anything like that.>>>

 

No, I don't own an X-Box, but I've spent a fair amount of time playing most of its top games. I was impressed by Halo, somewhat impressed by DOA3 and relatively unimpressed by all the others (admittedly I haven't gotten a chance to play Morrowind). I'm not sure why you find it hard to believe that I would think that X-Box has fewer good games out than PS2, since almost all the videogame press agrees with that. NGC vs X-Box is definitely more arguable, and X-Box may have even been in the lead going into last year, but NGC has had a lot of big games this year (RE, ED, SMS) with more to come, and X-Box has had a lot less. It got Morrowind, but that's about it.

 

<<<Yeah, the sequel to the game hailed by most as one of the best console games EVER. Whoopdi freakin doo indeed.>>>

 

Eh, compared with NGC, which has got/is getting the sequels to probably *the* two most critically acclaimed games ever (SM64 and Z:OoT), along with the sequel to Super Metriod, which is also pretty high on most people's lists. I'm not saying that Halo 2 isn't huge, but it's just one game and it's very far in the future.

 

<<<People said all this same stuff when PSX came out. "Sony making a new console system?!?! What are they thinking?! They're going to try to compete with Nintendo and Sega?!? That'll never work! It'll be gone in a year!">>>

 

Argh not the same at all. Sega was in an extremely weak position after years and years of shitty products. People weren't buying the Saturn because they were so pissed off about the 32X and Sega CD flops, and so PSX moved ahead of Saturn within months after the launch, and then had a full year lead on N64, which then shot itself in the foot over and over again with massive delays and the cartridge format. PSX beat on extremely weak competitor and another competitor that seemed hellbent on sabotaging themselves at every turn. X-Box otoh is up against two strong competitors that aren't making huge mistakes, so it will be far harder for them to succeed.

 

<<<Now look at them. They didn't have any known locked franchises to help sell their system. They just had all around good games and they had the best system available. The same with Xbox now. They don't have household name games, they just got a bunch of really good games that can become household names in the future.>>>

 

It's always possible, but it's an uphill battle. The difference is that PSX actually was the best system then, and X-Box is not the best system now, unless you're just talking pure hardware. PSX was able to walk all over weak competition, X-Box doesn't have that luxury.

 

<<<This is exactly why I don't argue about videogames. People are never wrong. Really.>>>

 

Yeah, but that's what makes it fun. Neverending arguments, woohoo~!

[Guest The Notorious CRD]

In a way this is huge news and yet in another it's not. Does Rare make great games? Absolutely. Goldeneye changed my mind about FPS games forever. I hated them before Goldeneye came out. However, Rare also has a staple of gaming that drives me crazy. The step and fetch it platformers. I hate them, plain and simple, and Rare has made them the standard for the genre sadly. Banjo Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, and Conker's Bad Fur Day were all beautiful games but were ruined (for me) with all the endless item-fetching. And as for Goldeneye, the people who worked on that game now develop the Timesplittlers franchise. So, maybe selling Rare wasn't such a bad idea. It gives Nintendo the chance to rely more on their 3rd party relationship with Capcom, Sega, Namco, etc. As a devout Nintendo fan, I'm not losing any sleep over the sale of Rare to Microsoft at all. Just my 2¢.

[Guest redbaron51]

I wonder if Gamecube will suffer what happened to the 64.

 

After the second christmas the system flops. If you go past Christmas 2002....Cube isn't well prepared.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

Okay, get this:

 

You can eventually apy off $500M. It's a lot, and it might take a few years. But assuming the machines lives long enough they'll get their money back on Rare.

 

Second, system sales. Xbox has actually fared worse than the Dreamcast when it comes to system sales.

 

You have the shot to Nintendo. Gamecube isn't doing much better than Xbox right now. Taking Rare (which pretty much made the N64) out of the picture is a big piece of the puzzle. Especially if they have customers that will follow them over.

 

And finally, Assuming it works, Rare = people buying systems = people buying games.

[Guest KANE]

I'm sure there will be a small percentage of people who sell their Cubes to follow Rare over to Microsoft, but I don't think Rare's news is going to cause a major wave of console sales for Microsoft. Rare was always a plus of owning a console. It was never the main reason.

 

Although I will be devistated if I don't get my Perfect Dark Zero, anyway (wouldn't buy an X-Box for it, though.)

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

I should mention that many of the people who made Perfect Dark quit in the middle of the game. Many GE folk are now making TimeSplitters 2. Employees have a high turnover rate there.

 

I'm not counting you in this (nor really anyone else in this forum,) but I am amused at how many Nintendo fanboys have gone through the following reactions:

 

Before the rumor started: OMG RARE IS GOD RARE RULEZ THE SCHOOLZ OF COOL

 

When the rumor started: OMG RARE WOULD NEVER BETRAY NINTENTDO IT IS A BAD RUMOR

 

Now: OMG RARE SUX AND THEY ONLY MADE ONE GOOD GAME EVER

 

And finally, in the interest of providing content, there's even some more finality on this.

[Guest DVD Spree]

Big deal - we still get Timesplitters, and Factor 5 are the new Rare anyway.

 

Let the twats in Twycross do what they want.

[Guest Big McLargeHuge]

I'd be sad about this...if they hadn't already committed Star Fox to being exclusive on the GCN. That was the only Rare game I was really anticipating. Perfect Dark was fun, but nothing that GoldenEye didn't already offer. So I wasn't all that excited when I heard there was a planned sequel. I never got the chance to play Dk64 or Conker so I don't know if they were anything spectacular. And I own an Xbox so I'm not as jaded as some may be. Rare was a great developer, and they'll be missed by the Nintendo elite. Now if Nintendo could so something with Sega (outside of what's already being developed), THAT would have me frothing at the mouth.

 

And as for Factor 5 being the new Rare...I couldn't agree more.