Rare Replay

Rare Replay is more than a collection, perhaps a trophy. Few are the studios that can boast of reaching 30 years of life and even fewer those that during all that time has managed to leave for the memory a real collection of great games that leave their mark on the industry in one way or another. Undoubtedly, Rare is one of those privileged few, a company that despite being in low hours for a few years, has to its credit several sagas that we can not wait for to be resurrected after the number of good times they made us spend in the past.

Now, to celebrate this important anniversary, Microsoft brings us Rare Replay, a compilation of 30 games for only 30 euros, a tribute to one of the studios that made us have a great time a few generations ago. So, what's up with this game?

About the game

Facing Rare Replay, a collection with 30 games from a company as beloved as Rare is not something you see every day, nor an easy task. First, because most of their games are living legends spanning over 30 years of history, we each have indelible memories of them. Titles that marked an era either defining or bringing more depth to arcades, the primordial adventures ... For many of us they are among the first playable experiences we remember.

A journey full of obligatory stops like Battletoads on NES or the gross humor of Conker on Nintendo 64, without forgetting its passage through the arcades or its more "recent" Xbox 360 titles, such as Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo ... Each title has been treated independently and, for example, Xbox 360 titles come to us without "touching", just as we saw them on 360. The 9 included in the collection are the 360 games as they are, and they work on Xbox One thanks to backward compatibility,

In the case of other titles, they are the original versions of NES or N64; others like Banjo Kazooie or Jet Force Gemini are the remastering that was released on Xbox 360... In this sense, there is no homogeneous treatment for all titles, not even when it comes to presenting them. The most classic titles arrive in 4:3 format with frames and the possibility of activating a filter that imitates the old CRT monitors. Others, such as Grabbed by Ghoulies are the exception and have been retouched, with graphics in 16:9 format (except for the videos) and at 1080p and 60 fps.

Every game's unique

As you can see, each Rare Replay game is a world of its own and each case has its peculiarities. But how to "judge" today some titles that cemented some of these genres, do you value their graphics, if their game mechanics are still valid, should you eradicate nostalgia, what they meant to you, and contemplate them from afar? Secondly, it is difficult to value Rare Replay because, in the vast majority of cases, the works come to us unadulterated, without being remakes or remasters, in an attempt to offer the original experience as is. For me, seeing the ZX Spectrum games as I remember them is a pleasure, but what about the new generations of gamers? Will they "accept" them as well?

Pros:

• A wide range of games.
• Excellent graphics and sound.
• Amazing individual treatment
• Solid games in the selection

Cons:

• Only available for Xbox