66. Jeopardy! 25th Anniversary Edition (NES)
Another adaption of the TV quiz show by Rare, this time marking the 25th anniversary of the original Art Fleming version of Jeopardy! It's very much the same kind of deal, and nothing to get overly excited about.
65. Super Glove Ball (NES)
Considered by many to be the only game that was developed expressly with the ill-fated Power Glove in mind, Super Glove Ball adopts a first-person view of the action, with your disembodied hand visible on screen at all times. Using the Power Glove controller, you must destroy tiles on the wall to complete each level. It's also possible to play the game with a standard NES pad, but much of the effect is lost. Like the peripheral for which it was designed, Super Glove Ball sold poorly and is a largely forgotten part of Rare's history today.
64. The Amazing Spider-Man (GB)
Like a lot of superhero Game Boy titles this one is limited in how much Spider-Man shows off his unique traits; in general to run, jump, punch and kick. That said, there are some neat transition scenes climbing buildings, some clever level ideas and a decent number of boss fights for the time. Add in some genuinely bopping music and this is a pretty solid Game Boy title.
63. Digger T. Rock: The Legend of the Lost City (NES)
Digger T. Rock: The Legend of the Lost City is a fairly straightforward platformer which, at first glance, appears to be related to the Boulder Dash series, but features different gameplay mechanics.
62. Kinect Sports (Xbox 360)
You'd be hard-pressed to find a better overall demonstration of what Microsoft's Kinect accessory brings to the table than the one found in Kinect Sports. Even with the few minor faults here and there, the game still features enough variety and fun to get your money's worth out of it. While the package certainly holds its own as a traditional sports competition, the party mode is where the game truly shines. If you're one of the ones who've invested in Microsoft's newest motion control toy, this is definitely a game you'll want to put at the top of your wish list.
61. Slalom (NES)
Slalom is a massively important video game, not only in Rare's history but also in regards to Western development on the NES. Rare secured a license to produce games for Nintendo's console after reverse-engineering the machine; up to this point, Nintendo had refused Western companies access to the console. While it has dated rather badly since its release in 1986, it is nonetheless a hugely important milestone for the company and would mark the beginning of a rich and fruitful relationship with Nintendo.
60. Banjo-Pilot (GBA)
Initially announced as Diddy Kong Pilot in 2001, Banjo-Pilot is a clone of Mario Kart in which the characters race around in aircraft rather than cars. It's development was reportedly quite a troubled one, and by the time it was in a position to be released, Rare had been purchased by Microsoft and had lost access to Nintendo's Donkey Kong characters. Released in 2005 by THQ to a mixed reception, Banjo-Pilot is a likeable racer but not an all-time classic, it's fair to say.
59. Conker's Pocket Tales (GBC)
Before he transformed into the foul-mouthed icon we know and love in Conker's Bad Fur Day, Rare's squirrel hero was decidedly more family-friendly in this top-down adventure game for Game Boy Color. Conker's Pocket Tales gained some positive notices at the time of release but the overriding opinion seemed to be that it wasn't quite up the Rare's usual standards; this may have influenced the decision to turn its N64 sibling, Twelve Tales: Conker 64, into the aforementioned cult classic.
58. Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II (NES)
After developing the first Wizards & Warriors in-house, Rare enlisted Zippo Games (John and Ste Pickford's Manchester-based studio) to create the sequel. Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors II is infamous for having male model Fabio Lanzoni on the game's cover, which was an odd choice when you consider that the hero, Kuros, is clad from head-to-toe in armour in the game itself.
57. Jetpac Refuelled (XBLA)
The fourth (and, so far, final) instalment in the Jetman series, Jetpac Refuelled is an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive which sees Jetman exploring planets in an effort to rebuild his spaceship. Reviews noted that the game suffers from repetition after a while, but praised the fact that it successfully updated the series for a new generation. Jetpac Refuelled is included in Rare Replay.
56. Killer Instinct (GB)
Trying to cram a cutting-edge coin-op into the Game Boy was always going to be a tough task, and Killer Instinct suffers as a result. It's missing Cinder and Riptor, and the moves you memorised in arcades and on the SNES have been changed to accommodate the console's basic controls. On the upside, it offers support for the Super Game Boy, which improves the visuals and allows you to play with a second person on the same console.
55. WWF Superstars (GB)
The first WWF wrestling title to be released on the Game Boy, WWF Superstars is very basic when compared to what would come afterwards, but still manages to be enjoyable – especially when played in link-up mode. It contains five of the leading stars in the WWF at that time: Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, and Mr. Perfect. Sadly, only Hogan and DiBiase remain alive at the time of writing.
54. It's Mr. Pants (GBA)
Demoed as Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers at E3 2001, It's Mr. Pants is Rare's take on the puzzle genre and has become one of the company's cult classics over the years. The aim is to create rectangles made up of two-by-three blocks (or larger) in order to remove them from the screen. Printed in low quantities due to publisher THQ's lack of confidence in the title, It's Mr. Pants has now become a highly sought-after collectable.
Comments 12
Sea of Thieves at 11th is better than I expected, I picked it up on Steamdeck last year and played a ton! Would highly recommend if you have 1-4 friends to play with.
I do not agree with these rankings.
NES Battletoads below Mickey's Racing Adventure for the GBC...really?
And say whatever you want about Nuts & Bolts but it's objectively a better game than many of the titles further up on the list like the aforementioned Mickey's.
Tine for your free ratings adjustment, courtesy of Reality Check (TM).
Too high: Banjo-Kazooie
Waaaay too low: BK Nuts & Bolts
Man, you guys are haters on that Beetlejuice game. I always enjoyed that one and felt like it had some unique mechanics, even if it was unfairly difficult and janky at times.
It’s also sort of blasphemy to see Nuts and Bolts so low in the list. Below Kameo and Grabbed by Ghoulies? Below Perfect Dark Zero!? Insane. Nuts and Bolts wasn’t what people wanted, but it was solid for what it was. Surprised to see such a positive reaction to Sea of Thieves too.
Perfect Dark is better than GoldenEye. There, I said it!!
@Diogmites @madgears @somnambulance The rankings are based solely on user votes. These will likely change over time - you can even change them right now by voting for your favourite games
Oh, I thought this was a ranking of hard-to-find games, like Little Samson and Ninja Five-O. My mistake. (Har de har har)
@Damo I know this, but I just… can’t believe it! Lol. Nuts and Bolts deserves better than this. I was surprised by the positivity towards Jet Force Gemini as well. I get the nostalgia for it, but it’s aged like milk.
@Damo I read the header and therefore i know that.
I wanted to type a comment about how everyone who voted on this was an idiot, but in the interest of not wanting my comment deleted by mods, went with a more general complaint, which managed to imply that i didn’t read the header.
Someday i hope to find that perfect comment that manages to let you know that i read the header, insults the people who don’t agree with me, and doesn’t get me in trouble.
Until then!
Perfect Dark is the best of all by far!
Had no idea Rare had this many games! Also agree with Goldeneye at #1, purely for the impact it had on console FPS games at the time and its legacy today.
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