Review: 'Rare Replay' a retro treat
The first time it happened, I felt kinda dirty.
I was playing the classic action game Battletoads -- which served as the ultimate video game difficulty test in the early ‘90s, long before the days of Bloodborne and Dark Souls.
During the fifth level set in Surf City, I had to guide my muscle-bound amphibian through a series of obstacles while riding a surfboard. There was one stretch where I continually hit whirlpools that would knock me off and end my turn.
Had this been the original game on the Nintendo Entertainment System, I restart and try again. But on Xbox One, I just tap and hold the left trigger to rewind to an earlier point and safely clear the whirlpools with no trouble.
My younger self would be ashamed. But as an older player revisiting my earlier days in the classic games package Rare Replay, the rewind feature offers a fun twist to a game like Battletoads -- which is still really hard, it turns out.
Rare Replay combines 30 of video game studio Rare’s biggest hits into one package, spanning multiple eras with games that will likely appease players of all ages. The series starts with its earliest work, the 1983 title JetPac -- where players must dodge alien orbs as they rebuild and refuel a rocket ship -- all the way to 2008’s Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts for the Xbox 360.
Rare Replay boasts a strong assembly of games, including familiar names such as Battletoads, racing series RC Pro-Am, shooter Perfect Dark and brawler Killer Instinct. It also features several of their early works for the Xbox 360, including Kameo: Elements of Power and Viva Pinata.
What makes Rare Replay more interesting than the standard retro game collection is the new ways players can experience these games again. Most notable is the rewind feature. Players can tap and hold the left trigger to rewind a portion of the game and replay it.
For example, say I miss a turn in RC Pro-Am that could win me the race. I simply rewind to a safe point then try again. No game benefits more from this option than Battletoads, where formerly unforgiving sections are now passable with rewind. There are also the perks of modern video games, such as multiple save points and achievements.
Players can enter the Game Gallery to enjoy any of the 30 games available, or tackle a bigger challenge in the Snapshots and Playlists section. Snapshots offer players a handful of challenges for each game in the collection. In JetPac, for example, one challenge requires you to shoot a set number of aliens in 60 seconds. Playlists are themed challenges that span across multiple games, so players may try a variety of time-based or survival-themed encounters.
For the players seeking a history lesson, Rare Revealed features a variety of videos where players can explore the studio’s history, including behind-the-scenes views of how games like Battletoads were made. Players will have a stamp book that chronicles their experience with the game. The more you earn, the more videos, challenges and other rewards you unlock.
Although Rare Replay boasts an impressive selection of games, there are two important omissions: Donkey Kong Country and GoldenEye 007 from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and Nintendo 64 eras. These are two pretty big games from Rare's history, and it's unfortunate they could not be featured (Note: Nintendo owns Donkey Kong rights and Activision likely maintains control of GoldenEye, given the launch of a reboot in 2010).
But there are still some gems from Rare Replay. Many players will gravitate to the big names like Battletoads or Killer Instinct, but even games like JetPac and Cobra Triangle (a speedboat game!) were just as enjoyable. Players who grew up on the adventures created by Rare will find this compilation a nostalgic treat.
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: Rare
Platform(s): Xbox One
Rating: M for Mature.
Release Date: August 4, 2014
Score: 3 stars (out of 4)
Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.