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| Secrecy: Good...or Bad? Whether it's the minimal industry buzz over Conker, or the massive response to Perfect Dark, Rare's secrecy has impacted on every title it has produced. But is this necessarily a good thing? When thinking of Rare, 2 words spring to mind. Delay, and secrecy. Ever since the company was formed as Ultimate Play The Game some 20 years ago, Chris and Tim Stamper have done their best to keep the beloved company away from the prying eyes of the public. No doubt, they have succeeded. Even today, with the Internet, what we know about Rare and its games could fit inside a matchbox. So is this secrecy element of Rare a good thing? Read on, and maybe then an answer will appear. Last December, Rare sent a Christmas Card to the top gaming websites. Gamers cried, gamers fought, all believing Rare would be supporting their favourite console very shortly. However, exactly 8 months after this incident, every normal gamer on the planet still has not got a clue if Rare was going 3rd Party. Why is this, you ask? It's because Rare likes to be mysterious. Take Diddy Kong Racing for example. Announced just 4 weeks ahead of its release, Diddy Kong Racing went on to be the fastest selling game in history until 2000. Its amazing sales could be attributed to Nintendo gamers who were still shocked at its announcement, and were riding high on its exposure. This sent millions of gamers straight to the shops. In this case, Rare's secrecy paid off, but it is one of the very few times it has worked out this way. The latest example of this would be Rare's lack of public relations, something every hardcore follower will surely be familiar with. Rare has, in 14 months, released 4 new sets of screens for Starfox Adventures, some character info for Sabrewulf, plus a few screenshots. That is the extent of Rare's endeavours to get the gaming community in the know about their upcoming releases. Gamers quickly got bored of waiting for more details on Rare's games, and in some cases would have purchased rival consoles simply for the fact that they could not stand the wait. This is where it is apparent that Rare's secrecy is hardly a smart business plan. In their 20 years of experience in the industry, never before have fans grown so frustrated with Rare's secrecy. Some secrecy brings about an appealing sense of mystery. Too much leave's gamers bored, uninterested, and very angry. The latter is what Rare is treading in now. Upon the release of Starfox Adventures, this title better be simply superb to rekindle interest into Rare's future projects. Maybe at this time they will announce more titles, as around the release date interest in the British developer will be higher than ever. Rare needs to take a good look at their business plans. Although it could be argued that if gamers are left clueless on titles, developers have more time to concentrate on games, it is also true that gamers - especially Nintendo gamers - have a right to know what it happeninng with their favourite franchises. If Rare do go third-party, much of the mystery surrounding the company will disappear faster than a Fox McCloud "Illusion" dash in SSMB. Microsoft will probably order Rare to constantly release details on games, as will Sony. Nintendo on the other hand, need not. It has become apparent in the last few years that Rare's secrecy has turned on them in ways unfortunate for everyone involved. Most of you here would kill to hear some new info about Kameo, or Perfect Dark Zero. However, Rare is set in its ways. As mentioned before, Rare is being foolish. Relying on reputation can only get you so far, and if Rare don't wont a repeat of Conker's Bad Fur Day's sales, something must be done immediately. Rare's reluctance to shed light on its new projects is indeed not a good thing. It's downright stupid. Tim Schaefer |
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| - Editorial - Tim Schaefer |
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