Rare Replay

Rare Replay
Portrait-oriented cover art with gradient from white to gray outward from the center with explosive/glare streaks. Atop is a golden banner with "RARE REPLAY" emblazoned in white, and below it, a smaller gray banner with black text: "30 HIT GAMES · ONE EPIC COLLECTION". In the center and occupying most of the image is a large cutout of the company's R rotunda logo, out of which come characters created by the company, including Joanna Dark, Banjo and Kazooie, Conker, Rash, Sabreman, piñatas, and many others.
Developer(s)Rare
Publisher(s)Microsoft Studios
Producer(s)Adam Park[1]
Designer(s)Paul Collins
Artist(s)Peter Hentze[2]
Paul Cartwright[2]
Composer(s)Robin Beanland[a]
Platform(s)Xbox One
ReleaseAugust 4, 2015
Genre(s)Various
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Rare Replay is a 2015 compilation of 30 video games from the 30-year history of developers Rare and its predecessor, Ultimate Play the Game. The emulated games span multiple genres and consoles—from the ZX Spectrum to the Xbox 360—and retain the features and errors of their original releases with minimal edits. The compilation adds cheats to make the older games easier and a Snapshots mode of specific challenges culled from parts of the games. Player progress is rewarded with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews about Rare's major and unreleased games.

The compilation was one of several ideas Rare considered to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Inspired by fans, upcoming Xbox One backward compatibility features, and a desire to link Rare's past and future, the company sorted through 120 games to choose those that best represented its oeuvre. It prioritized games with characters and environments original to the company. Rare incorporated four hardware emulators in the package, and worked with its parent company, Microsoft, to use its then-unannounced Xbox 360 emulation. Rare Replay released worldwide as an Xbox One exclusive on August 4, 2015.

Rare Replay's reviews were generally favorable. Critics appreciated the package's design and craft and called the release a new pinnacle for compilation releases. They commended its "rewind" and Snapshot features, but criticized technical issues in the Xbox 360 emulation and game installation. Among its games, reviewers preferred Rare's Nintendo 64 games, especially Blast Corps, and disliked Perfect Dark Zero, Grabbed by the Ghoulies, and the Spectrum games. Some outlets lamented the absence, due to licensing issues, of the Donkey Kong Country series and GoldenEye 007, while others thought the package was fine without them. Critics deemed the archival game content and developer interviews as among the compilation's best features, but were upset to see the content hidden behind time-consuming in-game challenges. Rare Replay became Rare's first United Kingdom all-formats charts bestseller since Banjo-Kazooie in 1998.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rare BTS part 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Rare BTS part 2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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