Since the showing at E3 for Nintendo, many in the commentary scene and the media have blasted the company for having a weak showing that did not include many games. While there was some glimmer of hope for third party developers, the software selection at launch still seems dismal and the games displayed for not the strongest. Nintendo has their main franchises that always makes a hit, but yet the best they could show the world was Pikmin 3. While many enjoy that series, it certainly is not their strongest stuff.
With such an absence of games, it makes us have to wonder what could be if perhaps Nintendo still partnered up with RARE. Having once been their strongest second party developer, the company now deals with Microsoft and Nintendo lost many games as a result.
Making their splash on Nintendo with Donkey Kong Country, it was on the N64 that RARE became a household name for the company. Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Donkey Kong, Banjo Kazooie… were among the games they developed and all were hits. Since leaving Nintendo though, they just have not done much at all. Perhaps their allegiance lies with the big N or perhaps they just suffer from a market of different demographics, but let’s consider what could have happened if they stayed with Nintendo.
The Gamecube would have had 5 more games worth playing, almost doubling the number of games worth playing. The Cube suffered from a lack of big games, though to be fair, besides Halo what did Microsoft have? When Rare went away they were developing a DK racing game that showed potential, but it was cut short and Nintendo’s next effort at a racing game for the franchise was terrible.
On the next generation of consoles we saw Rare make games such as Perfect Dark and Viva Pinata. Perfect Dark on the 360 was a prequel to the N64 hit and was sub par, having seen no new release since then despite the large demand for shooters. Rare always had their own sense of humor and it just never quite fit in to the serious nature of Microsoft gaming development. Had Nintendo still worked with them it could be guessed that perhaps the company would be given more leniency rather than to just make rip off sports games of its competitors. In addition was Viva Pinata. The innovative game had its moments but on a console of gamers that enjoy nothing but shooting, the game fell flat. Focusing on animals in the form of Pinatas, it had a collect-ability aspect similar to Pokemon while incorporating open development of its own ecosystem and garden. Using houses, plants, and other customizable attributes, the player was in control. Had the series been on Nintendo it would have likely become a heavily marketed series and even been incorporated into spin offs. You could be seeing Pinatas inside of Smash Brothers, joining in Mario games, being a playable character in a Kart Racing or a wide range of other options. Instead of killing creativity, Nintendo would have encouraged it and as a result benefited from many more games.
Rare and Nintendo had a special arrangement but it ended as soon as Rare was bought from Microsoft. Since then Rare has fallen into irrelevancy and Nintendo has suffered from a lack of games in its library that is still showing today.
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