Rare: 1. (Adjective) of an event, situation, or condition not occurring very often. 2. (Gamer) The high-water mark for game design throughout the later part of the 20th Century.

Ah the 90’s and early 2K’s. This was a GOLDEN time for game developers. Some of the best games to be made in a generation were made during this time. Technology was leapfrogging ahead, and games were finally being taken seriously as a cash media and an entertainment option. And no one ran with the torch faster or longer than Rare.

With genre defining titles such as Donkey Kong Country, Killer Instinct, 007 Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, and Banjo-Kazooie, Rare ruled the Wal-Mart game section. They were also responsible for some of my favorite NES titles as well, back in the Dark Ages known as the 80’s. Games like Slalom, RC Pro Am, and, especially, BATTLETOADS! (love me some Battletoads.)

Microsoft purchased Rare in 2002 leading to several titles that had that special “We Love Money” Microsoft smell. The last we heard of Rare, they worked on a pseudo-sequel to one of their most popular IP’s, Banjo-Kazooie, named Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. The game received horrible reviews, and put the nail in the Kazooie coffin.

Rare is now celebrating 30 years in business by selling its 30 most famous games at $1 a piece in the title “Rare Replay.” I cannot say enough about how incredibly nostalgic and awesome this title is. The best part is that these are full titles, remastered to fit today’s TV’s played on XboxOne, and all of them are worth the $30 collection price tag (except Nuts and Bolts. It’s in there, too, but we don’t talk about that one.)

My favorites are all here: Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Kazooie 2, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Perfect Dark, Killer Instinct Gold, and, especially BATTLETOADS!

The only negative thing I could say about it is that it takes up near 50GB and takes forever to install. Plus there are a lot of titles that, despite nostalgia, just haven’t aged well. But I’m willing to forgive Rare, because they gave me back my Battletoads.

Turtles ain’t got nothin’ on the Toads.