Xbox celebrates 40 years of Rare, the legendary creators of Banjo-Kazooie and Perfect Dark, but fans are furious

To talk about Rare Limited, a company founded in Leicestershire, UK, back in 1985 and known as Rareware between 1994 and 2003, is to talk about one of the most acclaimed video game studios of all time. Because four decades of history developing titles such as Jetpac, Nightshade, Battletoads, Killer Instinct, Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark, and Conker’s Bad Fur Day is no small feat. Well, Microsoft is gearing up for its 40th anniversary, but the reception from gamers is not exactly going well.

No, no game or compilation from the company has been announced, but an Xbox controller made by 8BitDo has. The unfulfilled wishes of the community to see a new Banjo-Kazooie—and the return of many other sagas—added to the cancellations of Perfect Dark and Everwild, something that leaves the studio in a critical situation after the wave of massive layoffs, have led to a hostile environment in which users lament that this is all the American giant has prepared to pay tribute to a legend like Rare.

The controller in question is priced at $90 and can be purchased on Amazon with shipping from the United States (it is normal that it will soon appear in other countries as well). It is compatible with Xbox One, Mac, Windows, Android devices, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X.

Ten years ago everything was better

It seems incredible that barely a decade has passed since Microsoft, to celebrate the studio’s 30th anniversary, decided to launch Rare Replay, a compilation for Xbox One (available on Xbox Game Pass) consisting of 30 classic Rare games, among which some of the most popular ones stand out. They are the following:

1. Jetpac (1983)
2. Lunar Jetman (1983)
3. Atic Atac (1983)
4. Sabre Wulf (1984)
5. Underwurlde (1984)
6. Knight Lore (1984)
7. Gunfright (1985)
8. Slalom (1987)
9. R.C. Pro-AM (1987)
10. Cobra Triangle (1989)
11. Snake Rattle N Roll (1990)
12. Solar Jetman (1990)
13. Digger T. Rock (1990)
14. Battletoads (1991)
15. R.C. Pro-AM II (1992)
16. Battletoads Arcade (1994)
17. Killer Instinct Gold (1996)
18. Blast Corps (1997)
19. Banjo-Kazooie (1998)
20. Jet Force Gemini (1999)
21. Perfect Dark (2000) - XBLA remastered version released in 2010
22. Banjo-Tooie (2000)
23. Conker’s Bad Fur Day (2001)
24. Grabbed by the Ghoulies (2003)
25. Kameo: Elements of Power (2005)
26. Perfect Dark Zero (2005)
27. Viva Piñata (2006)
28. Jetpac Refuelled (2007)
29. Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise (2008)
30. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (2008)

In all of this, leaving Microsoft aside and putting the focus on Nintendo, a Rare classic that many gamers would like to see back is Donkey Kong 64, especially now that Donkey Kong Bananza is the game of the moment on Nintendo Switch 2. It’s funny since the first 3D Donkey Kong installment, a sort of platformer with lots of Banjo-Kazooie-style exploration, came to Wii U’s Virtual Console but hasn’t appeared on any other Nintendo platform, not even on the Nintendo 64 emulator available on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. Will it arrive at some point?

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