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| {{ArticleIcons|allgames=y}}
| | [[File:Rare Logo.jpg|thumb|Rare's logo.]] |
| {{Infobox Company
| | '''Rare, Ltd''' (formerly known as '''Rareware''') is a video game developer. Rare was a second-party developer for the [[Nintendo]] gaming platforms until it was acquired by Microsoft in 2002. Prior to this, they were known for games on Nintendo systems such as the ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]'' series and ''[[Star Fox Adventures]]''. |
| |type = Subsidiary of [[Microsoft]]
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| |title = Rare Ltd.
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| |logo = [[File:Rare logo 2015.svg|225px|Rare]]
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| |founded = 1982
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| |headquarters = {{flag|UK}}{{s|wikipedia|Twycross}}, {{s|wikipedia|England}}
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| |industry = Interactive entertainment<br>Video games
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| |products = Video games
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| |num_employees = ~200<ref>http://www.mundorare.com/features/the-men-who-knew-too-much/4</ref>
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| |parent = Xbox Game Studios
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| |website = [http://www.rare.co.uk/ Rare Ltd.]
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| |interwiki = wikipedia
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| |interwikiname = Wikipedia
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| |interwikipage = Rare (company)
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| }}
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| '''Rare''' is a British video game development studio based in Twycross, Leicestershire, England. The origins can be traced back to 1982 when Tim and Chris Stamper founded '''{{iw|wikipedia|Ultimate Play the Game}}'''. The studio saw early success on personal computers like the {{iw|wikipedia|ZX Spectrum}}, {{iw|wikipedia|BBC Micro}}, and {{iw|wikipedia|Commodore 64}} with titles like ''Jetpac'', ''Atic Atac'', ''Sabre Wulf'', and ''Knight Lore''. Ultimate eventually became particularly well-known in the U.K. for their isometric game engine "Filmation" and the secretive marketing of their titles and brand, down to advertisements not showing any screenshots of games whatsoever. However, knowing that microcomputers were only popular platforms for gaming in the U.K. and therefore a financial dead-end, they decided to branch out into other markets. The studio decided to focus on the then-Japan-exclusive Famicom due to its potentially worldwide reach and high specs, thus creating a subsidiary called ''Rare'' in 1985 to reverse engineer the hardware and learn its inner workings, something [[Nintendo]] claimed to be impossible. After impressing Nintendo with its tech demos, Rare was granted unlimited budget for developing Famicom games, now called the Nintendo Entertainment System in the PAL region. At this time, the company decided to sell the Ultimate Play the Game brand to {{iw|wikipedia|U.S. Gold}} (though they would regain the rights in 1988) and officially renamed the whole company to Rare. A string of successful NES releases followed, including ''R.C. Pro-Am'', ''Snake Rattle 'n' Roll'', and ''Battletoads'', as well as several licensed games based on brands such as ''{{iw|wikipedia|Beetlejuice}}'' and ''{{iw|wikipedia|Sesame Street}}'', and outsourced NES ports of PC and arcade games.
| | == Role in Super Smash Bros. series == |
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| In 1994, Rare acquired several SGI computers with profits from their NES titles and used them to create a boxing game tech demo, which eventually became ''Killer Instinct''. Nintendo was so impressed with this demo that they would purchase a 49% stake in the company, making Rare a second-party developer. Nintendo would entrust Rare with the {{uv|Donkey Kong}} license, which resulted in the ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]'' series, as well as the ''Donkey Kong Land'' series on Game Boy and ''Donkey Kong 64'' on the Nintendo 64. Rare would go into what many consider their "golden age" during the lifespan of the Nintendo 64, with titles like ''Blast Corps'', {{uv|GoldenEye}} ''007'', ''Diddy Kong Racing'', {{uv|Banjo-Kazooie}}, {{uv|Perfect Dark}}, and ''Conker's Bad Fur Day''. Another game in development for Nintendo 64 was ''Dinosaur Planet'', but this was changed to a {{uv|Star Fox}} game at Nintendo's request. During the development of this title, Rare was in talks with [[Microsoft]] and {{iw|wikipedia|Activision}} to be bought out in full, with Nintendo showing little interest. On September 23rd, 2002, ''{{s|lylatwiki|Star Fox Adventures}}'', the last Rare game released during their partnership with Nintendo, was released on the GameCube. One day later, Rare was fully acquired by [[Microsoft]], with all their in-development projects either being moved to the Xbox; reworked to feature Rare's original stable of characters in place of the ''Donkey Kong Country'' characters, which Nintendo retained the rights to; outright cancelled; or - in the case of ''Donkey Kong Racing'' - all of the above.
| | Rare has been represented well in the Super Smash Bros series, although heavily Donkey Kong related. Stage designs, characters, music and even voice actors have been inspired by or brought from their games. |
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| Now a part of Microsoft, Rare would make games exclusively for {{iw|wikipedia|Xbox}} brand consoles and eventually PC. These titles include ''Grabbed by the Ghoulies'', ''Kameo: Elements of Power'', and the ''Viva Piñata'' series. While few of the original titles under Microsoft were critical failures, many fans of Rare's output before the buyout were opposed to the company's new direction, in part due to their controversial attempts to revive their existing characters in the vehicle-building sandbox title ''Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts'' and the heavily censored remake ''Conker: Live & Reloaded''. Rare would also briefly collaborate with {{iw|wikipedia|THQ}} to publish several games for Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS based on their existing franchises and characters, as well as partner with Nintendo again for remakes of earlier ''Donkey Kong'' games, followed by a drought in content for Nintendo platforms between 2007 and 2019. Through the early 2010s, Rare would choose to primarily work on the moderately successful Xbox Live Avatars and games utilizing them, particularly with the Kinect accessory. Rare would eventually find the biggest success they had experienced since their collaboration with Nintendo in the pirate adventure game ''Sea of Thieves'' for Xbox One and PC. They additionally assisted with outsourced installments of the ''Battletoads'', ''Conker'', and ''Killer Instinct'' IPs for Xbox hardware; and are currently working on expansions for ''Sea of Thieves'' in addition to the upcoming ''Everwild''.
| | === Characters === |
| | *[[Donkey Kong]] (''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''/''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''/''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'') |
| | *[[Diddy Kong]] (''Brawl'') |
| | === Stages === |
| | *[[Congo Jungle]] (''SSB''/''Melee'') |
| | *[[DK Island: Jungle Japes]] (''Melee''/''Brawl'') |
| | *[[DK Island: Kongo Jungle]] (''Melee'') |
| | === Items === |
| | *[[Barrel Cannon]] (''Melee'') |
| | *[[Motion-Sensor Bomb]] (''SSB''/''Melee'') |
| | *[[Cloaking Device]] (''Melee'') |
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| Rare is credited for the modern version of of [[Donkey Kong]] for virtually all of his future video game appearances and were the original creators of four characters that appeared as fighters in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series: [[Diddy Kong]], [[King K. Rool]], [[Banjo]] and [[Kazooie]]. All ''Donkey Kong'' music sourced or rearranged from Rare games credit them for their compositions, even after the Microsoft buyout and before the collaboration to bring Banjo & Kazooie to ''Smash''.
| | === Trophies === |
| | ====Melee==== |
| | *[[Donkey Kong (SSBM)|Donkey Kong]] (although the original version of DK debuted in ''Donkey Kong'', the game uses the design which originated with ''Donkey Kong Country'') |
| | *Donkey Kong Smash 1 |
| | *Donkey Kong Smash 2 |
| | *[[Motion Sensor Bomb]] |
| | *[[Cloaking Device]] |
| | *[[Dixie Kong]] |
| | *[[King K. Rool]] |
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| ==In ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]''== | | ====Brawl==== |
| {{SSB|Donkey Kong}}, who saw a resurgence in popularity upon the release of Rare's ''Donkey Kong Country'', appears in the original ''Super Smash Bros.'', taking his design from said game. [[Congo Jungle]], a stage based on various levels in ''Donkey Kong Country'', appears as Donkey Kong's home stage. Additionally, the [[Motion-Sensor Bomb]], an explosive device from the pivotal 1997 shooter game, ''GoldenEye 007'', also developed by Rare, appears in ''Smash 64''.
| | *[[Donkey Kong (SSBB)|Donkey Kong]] |
| | *[[Konga Beat]] (although credited as ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', this attack made its debut in ''DK64''.) |
| | *[[Diddy Kong (SSBB)|Diddy Kong]] |
| | *[[Rocketbarrel Barrage]] (although credited as ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', this attack made its debut in ''DK64''.) |
| | *[[Dixie Kong]] |
| | *[[Cranky Kong]] |
| | *[[King K. Rool]] |
| | *[[Funky Kong]] |
| | *[[Candy Kong]] |
| | *[[Lanky Kong]] |
| | *[[Wrinkly Kong]] |
| | *[[Rambi]] |
| | *[[Enguarde]] |
| | *[[Tiny Kong]] |
| | *[[Squitter]] |
| | *[[Expresso]] |
| | *[[Peanut Popgun]] |
| | *[[Rocketbarrel Pack]] |
| | *[[Krystal]] |
| | *[[Tricky]] |
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| ==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]''== | | ===Music=== |
| {{SSBM|Donkey Kong}} returns in ''Melee'', representing his universe alongside numerous content originating from Rare games. [[Congo Jungle]] reappears as a Past Stage, while {{SSBM|Kongo Jungle}} and [[Jungle Japes]] are two new stages from Rare's ''Donkey Kong Country''. Characters from the ''Donkey Kong Country'' series such as [[Dixie Kong]] and [[King K. Rool]] appear as trophies in ''Melee''. The [[Barrel Cannon]], which debuted in ''Donkey Kong Country'', appears as an item and stage element. The [[Motion-Sensor Bomb]] returns, keeping its ''GoldenEye 007'' appearance in international releases of ''Melee'', while resembling the design of and being called the Proximity Mine from Rare's ''Perfect Dark'' in the Japanese version of the game. The [[Cloaking Device]] from ''Perfect Dark'' serves as another new item. Members of Rare's staff acted as voice actors for the [[Star Fox Smash Taunt]] in ''Melee'', later reprising their roles in ''Star Fox Adventures''. These voice clips would return in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS'', and ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.
| | The Rare music in the Super Smash Bros is mostly based on the themes from the games, but are new re-mixed versions unless stated with an * |
| | ====''SSB''==== |
| | *'''6:''' A remix of the first stage music heard in Donkey Kong Country. It is heard in Congo Jungle, and both the music and the stage were reused in Super Smash Bros. Melee. |
| | *'''16:''' [7] The victory fanfare of Donkey Kong is an orchestration of the "Boss Defeated" music heard in ''Donkey Kong Country'' for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]]. |
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| ==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''== | | ====''Melee''==== |
| {{SSBB|Donkey Kong}} makes his third appearance in the ''Smash Bros.'' series, being joined by {{SSBB|Diddy Kong}}, who first appeared in ''Donkey Kong Country''. Their respective [[Final Smash]]es are based on abilities from Rare's ''Donkey Kong 64''. [[Jungle Japes]] returns as a [[Melee Stage]]. Numerous trophies of characters from Rare's ''Donkey Kong'' games cameo as collectible trophies in ''Brawl'', including [[King K. Rool]], [[Dixie Kong]], [[Funky Kong]], and [[Lanky Kong]]. Many of these characters have [[Stickers]] as well. Trophies and stickers representing characters from ''Star Fox Adventures'', a {{uv|Star Fox}} game developed by Rare, appear as well.
| | *'''3: Kongo Jungle:''' A cover band performance of the "DK Rap" made infamous in the opening sequence to Donkey Kong 64, with a different assortment of instruments and rhythms from its original appearance. It is heard only in the DK Island: Kongo Jungle stage. |
| | *'''4: Jungle Japes:''' A calm and atmospheric remix of the "DK Island Swing" in various stages of ''Donkey Kong Country'' for SNES. It is heard in DK Island: Jungle Japes. |
| | *'''39: DK's Victory:''' The victory fanfare of Donkey Kong is an orchestration of the "Boss Defeated" music heard in ''Donkey Kong Country'' for SNES. |
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| ==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]''== | | ====''Brawl''==== |
| {{SSB4|Donkey Kong}} and {{SSB4|Diddy Kong}} are both veterans in ''Smash 4''. [[Familiar stage]]s from Rare's ''Donkey Kong Country'' return, with [[Congo Jungle]] and [[Jungle Japes]] appearing on the Wii U and 3DS versions of the game, respectively. Aside from the trophies of characters from the {{uv|Donkey Kong}} and {{uv|Star Fox}} universes originating from Rare-developed games returning from ''Brawl'', [[King K. Rool]] appears as a [[DLC]] costume for the {{SSB4|Mii Brawler}}.
| | *'''Kong Jungle (Melee):'''The song for the Kongo Jungle stage in Melee, it is a cover band performance of the "DK Rap" made infamous in the opening sequence to ''Donkey Kong 64'', with a much different assortment of instruments and rhythms from its original appearance. It is unknown why it is called "Kong Jungle" in ''Brawl'' instead of its ''Melee'' title, "Kongo Jungle." |
| | *'''Jungle Japes (Melee):'''The song that played on the Jungle Japes stage in Melee, it is a calm and atmospheric remix of the "DK Island Swing" in various stages of ''Donkey Kong Country'' for the SNES. |
| | *'''Jungle Level Ver.2:''' A fast paced rock arrangement of the "Jungle Groove" song. A starter song on Rumble Falls. Arrangement Supervisor: Motoi Sakuraba |
| | *'''Jungle Level:''' The song that played on jungle based levels in ''Donkey Kong Country'' which was called the "Jungle Groove" in DK Jamz. It is made to be more realistic and ambient, complete with jungle noises. Note that this is more loyal to the aforementioned song than SSB's and Melee's remixes. Arrangement Supervisor: Kentaro Ishizaka |
| | *'''King K.Rool / Ship Deck 2:''' The final boss theme heard in Donkey Kong Country, on the "Gangplank Galleon" boss level where the Kongs fight King K. Rool. Starts as a sea shanty melody on accordion, then transitions into a hard rock tune. "Ship Deck 2" was the name of the music on the "Rattle Battle" stage of the third world of ''Donkey Kong Country 2''. Ship Deck 2 began in the same theme as the DKC boss music, then looped into a variation of that theme. The song in Brawl is closer to the DKC boss music. Unlike in both DKC and DKC 2, Brawl loops this music to the beginning. Arrangement Supervisor: Shogo Sakai |
| | *'''Bramble Blast:''' Strings remix of Stickerbrush Symphony from ''Donkey Kong Country 2''. This played on each of the bramble stages in Donkey King Country 2, including the "Bramble Blast" stage. A DKC 2 player would remember this theme after slowly moving through the bramble maze, trying not to touch the thorns of the brambles (stickerbrushes). The Brawl version of this song uses different instruments and feels less stressful but more joyful. |
| | *'''The Map Page / Bonus Level:''' The two said themes, "DK Island Swing" and "Bonus Room Blitz," taken directly from ''Donkey Kong Country'' and spliced together. |
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| ==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''== | | === Voice Acting === |
| {{SSBU|Donkey Kong}} and {{SSBU|Diddy Kong}} both return as veterans with {{SSBU|King K. Rool}} appearing as a newcomer. [[Klaptrap]], an enemy type from the original ''Donkey Kong Country'', appears as the series' first Assist Trophy. [[Kongo Jungle (SSBM)|Kongo Jungle]] (now known as Kongo Falls), [[Jungle Japes]] and [[Kongo Jungle (SSB)|Kongo Jungle 64]] all return as famliar stages. The King K. Rool outfit for the {{SSBU|Mii Brawler}} returns, along with an additional Mii hat based on [[Dixie Kong]]'s beret and ponytail that's available for all [[Mii Fighter]] types. Additionally, [[Krystal]] - appearing as she does in the Rare-developed ''Star Fox Adventures'' - debuts as an Assist Trophy. Multiple Rare-created ''Donkey Kong'' and ''Star Fox'' characters also appear as [[Spirits]]. {{SSBU|Banjo & Kazooie}} also make their debut as a [[Downloadable content (SSBU)|DLC playable fighter]] in Fighters Pass Vol. 1, along with an accompanying [[Spiral Mountain]] stage and multiple ''Banjo-Kazooie''-themed Spirits. Notably, they are the first fighter created for an original series by Rare to appear in ''Smash'' (as opposed to created for an existing Nintendo series), as well as the first form of original Rare content altogether to appear in ''Smash'' since the Microsoft buyout. Rare's logo makes an appearance on Banjo's backpack when it is opened.
| | Members of Rare's staff acted as voice actors in ''Melee'', reprising their roles from ''Star Fox Adventures'': |
| | *Steve Malpass - [[Fox McCloud]] |
| | *Chris Seavor - [[Peppy Hare]]/[[Slippy Toad]] |
| | *Ben Cullum - [[Falco Lombardi]] |
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| ==Gallery== | | === Stickers === |
| <center><gallery>
| | Several Rare designed characters appeared as [[stickers]] in Super Smash Bros Brawl, mostly Donkey Kong related, there are a few Starfox stickers |
| File:Rare Logo.jpg|Rare's previous logo (1994-2003)
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| </gallery></center>
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| ==Trivia==
| | *'''Banana Coin:''' ''Donkey Kong 64'', [Leg] Attack + 4; All |
| *Rare is the first company located outside of Japan to receive representation in ''Smash'' via a playable character, with [[Diddy Kong]]'s inclusion in ''Brawl''. In addition to getting [[King K. Rool]], [[Banjo]] and [[Kazooie]] in future installments, they would later be joined by [[Retro Studios]] with [[Dark Samus]], [[Mojang Studios]] with [[Steve]], and [[Disney]] with [[Sora]]. | | *'''[[dkwiki:Chunky Kong|Chunky Kong]]:''' ''Donkey Kong 64''. [Throwing] Attack +31; Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong |
| *Due to having created multiple Nintendo owned characters and having some of their other properties represented in ''64'' and ''Melee'', Rare is the first and only third-party company to receive minor representation before introducing a playable character. | | *'''Diddy Kong:''' ''Donkey Kong 64'', Launch Power +20; Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong |
| **Rare is also technically the only third-party to be represented in ''64'' at all. However, the company was a second party at the time. | | *'''Diddy Kong:''' ''Donkey Kong Country'', [Tail] Attack +28; Diddy Kong |
| | *'''DK Barrel:''' ''Donkey Kong Country'', Launch Power +53; Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong |
| | *'''Donkey Kong:''' ''Donkey Kong Country'', [Electric] Resistance +10; Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong |
| | *'''[[Enguarde]]:''' ''Donkey Kong Country'', [Body, Spin] Attack +15; Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong |
| | *'''Falco:''' ''Star Fox Adventures'', [Specials: Indirect] Attack +11; Fox, Falco, Wolf |
| | *'''Fox:''' ''Star Fox Adventures'', [Arm, Leg] Attack +15; Fox, Falco, Wolf |
| | *'''[[Klaptrap]]:''' ''Donkey Kong Country'', [Electric] Resistance + 7; All |
| | *'''[[Krystal]]:''' ''Star Fox Adventures''. [Electric] Attack +28; Fox, Falco, Wolf |
| | *'''[[Lanky Kong]]:''' ''Donkey Kong 64'', [Throwing] Attack + 6; Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong |
| | *'''Manky Kong:''' ''Donkey Kong Country'', [Arm] Attack +10; Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong |
| | *'''[[Rambi]]:''' ''Donkey Kong Country'', [Arm] Attack +13; All |
| | *'''[[ROB 64]]:''' ''Star Fox Adventures'', [Electric] Resistance +15; Fox, Falco, Wolf |
| | *'''[[Tiny Kong]]:''' ''Donkey Kong 64'', [Arm] Attack + 4; Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong |
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| ==References==
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| {{reflist}}
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| {{wikipedia}}
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| {{art-supermariowiki}}
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| {{Companies}}
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| [[Category:Game developers]] | | [[Category:Game developers]] |
| [[Category:Donkey Kong universe]]
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| [[Category:Banjo-Kazooie universe]]
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| [[Category:Star Fox universe]]
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| [[Category:GoldenEye universe]]
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| [[Category:Perfect Dark universe]]
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| [[Category:Microsoft]]
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