During the 2020 Game Awards, Microsoft announced a brand new installment into the classic Perfect Dark series. Longtime fans of the game developer and Nintendo 64 console will remember that Perfect Dark made its debut on the 64-bit home console. with the series’ first and only follow-up, Perfect Dark Zero, later releasing in 2005 as a console exclusive. Unfortunately, Perfect Dark Zero garnered mixed reviews upon its release and fans never saw a third installment. It’s therefore understandable that, after fifteen years of waiting, fans are quite excited to see what Xbox’s newly created studio The Initiative has in store for gamers with this new sequel.
Microsoft happens to own the rights to many other franchises by Rare that have gone without any sequels for quite a long time, so seeing Perfect Dark returning gives fans a bit of hope that perhaps more Rare IPs will follow suit. Recently, Microsoft has been on a roll with resurrecting dead franchises with both Killer Instinct and Battletoads returning as console exclusives for the Xbox One, so perhaps it isn’t too far-fetched to hope for more franchises to make a comeback. Here are just a few of Rare’s old properties that would be great to see return.
Perhaps the most popular of all of Rare’s original IPs, Banjo-Kazooie has a massive fan base that would love to see the bear and the bird make some sort of comeback. Originally released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64, the series saw one sequel on Nintendo’s 64-bit console before getting swiped up by Microsoft in 2002.
The franchise then got several spin-offs for the Game Boy Advance including Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge and Banjo Pilot, and finally received a third installment on console in the form of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. While the game received relatively positive reviews from critics, the game is widely disliked by longtime fans of the franchise. Unfortunately for fans, the bear and bird haven’t gotten a new installment since then, with Banjo and Kazooie only appearing as guest characters in titles such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed.
The addition of Banjo and Kazooie to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has made fans even more vocal with their wishes for the characters to make an official return, and the success of other 3D platformers like Spyro and Crash shows that there’s still a very big demand for games of the genre. Despite the original creators confirming that they are not developing a new Banjo-Kazooie game, they have expressed interest in the past about developing a sequel if given the opportunity. In sum, it seems like Banjo-Kazooie is the next-most likely Rare franchise to make a return.
Releasing at the tail-end of the Nintendo 64’s life, Conker’s Bad Fur Day was unlike any other game that came before it: while it appeared child-like and kid-friendly, Conker was anything but that. The game contained tons of foul language, graphic violence, sexual themes, use of drugs and alcohol, and more. The game may appear rather tame compared to modern games, but the title simply oozed charm and creativity. After all, what other game featured a boss battle against a giant, opera-singing piece of poop? Conker never got the sequel that he deserves, with him only ever appearing in Microsoft’s Project Spark and then in a failed HoloLense title, Young Conker. With the squirrel celebrating his 20th birthday this year, it feels like the perfect time to bring the series back on the Xbox Series X.
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Killer Instinct was one of the best fighters for the Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64, and its return in the 2013 reboot proves that it’s worthy of being a franchise on-par with Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. Killer Instinct for Xbox One introduced tons of new elements to the series that could be easily expanded upon, and it would be great to see a brand new Killer Instinct game for the Xbox Series X. Surely, Rare’s got a few new tricks up its sleeves and ideas that will keep this fighting game fresh and on-going for years to come.
Another Nintendo 64 classic, Jet Force Gemini was incredibly influential and revolutionary at the time of its release. Unlike some of Rare’s other releases for the console, however, Jet Force Gemini is somewhat of a hidden gem for the console and was never quite as popular as the likes of Golden-Eye or Perfect Dark. The game, like many of Rare’s other IPs, has a large fan base with a spiritual successor for the game currently in development. It would be great to see the series make a return in the form of a sequel, or an HD remaster at the very least.
Introduced in 2006 as an exclusive for the Xbox 360, Viva Pinata is another franchise that hasn’t been touched by Rare in quite a long time. Like many of the franchises on this list, Viva Pinata‘s life was incredibly short-lived, lasting only three games over a three-year period despite garnering positive reviews. Even though its legacy isn’t quite as big as other Rare franchises like Battletoads or Banjo-Kazooie, there certainly is a large Viva Pinata fan base that’s just itching for a new installment.
There’s no telling if any of these franchises with end up making their returns, however, it certainly seems more likely than ever for them to make a comeback, especially after the reveal of a Perfect Dark sequel. This hasn’t been the only classic Microsoft IP confirmed to be returning on the Series X, with Fable also getting a new sequel as well.
Perfect Dark is coming to the Xbox Series X.
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