Wizards & Warriors Scribes Excerpts
The following excerpts detailing the development of Wizards & Warriors was originally published on Rare’s Scribes letter page from 2003-2010. We’ve scoured each edition in order to provide you with every mention of the title to be found in Rare’s posted answers in chronological order below.
We’ve also included a link above each heading which will re-direct to the original letters page that the question was featured in should you wish to view it in the original context – otherwise you’ll find that the entries below only focus on answers related to Blast Corps. for a comprehensive listing for any fan wanting further information on pre-release content, hidden easter eggs, abandoned features and development secrets:
Dear Scribes,
I’ve noticed most of your letters are a bit long, so I’ll cut right to the chase. Do you know who composed the music in Rare’s 8-bit games (specifically the Wizards and Warriors trilogy and Battletoads)? Man, those games have some SWEET music. I would really like to know what have those musicians been up to all this years.
Thanks a bunch,
Jett
You may have heard tell of a Mr. D. Wise, perhaps more widely-known for his work on DKC, Diddy Kong Racing and Star Fox Adventures. He’s your man for tuneage in Battletoads and W&W;, amongst others.
Dear Mr Dinwiddy,
It’s been at least a good two years since I last sent you an email about a Captain Skyhawk or Wizards and Warriors remake, so I thought I’d better not mention it again in the hope that periods of me not asking for a sequel might spark a fire in the mind of a programmer to make these legends in gaming come alive once more. That’s without even me mentioning the fact that RC Pro-Am needs a sequel!
I should, however, move on, forthwith, to the, comma filled, content of my, really stupidly punctuated, email. This is to ask you one simple question. If theoretically, right, Rare managed to ever please the ravening hordes of idiots who complain whenever a new game wasn’t GoldenEye/Killer Instinct/Banjo would it, potentially, make you really fancy a packet of Polos? To be honest it’s something I’ve been giving great thought to for some time, it is even keeping me awake at nights.
Yours,
Mike “MrChom” Chomyk (Liberator of the Free People’s Republic of Botavia, Generallissimo of the United Republic of Lower Lower Volta, currently operating from a secret base overlooking Aberystwyth harbour)
P.S. Your opinion on Trebor mints would not be a suitable substitute for my question on Polos, nor would a musing on any other form of minted goodness, chewy or otherwise.
Polos are good. But as we are doomed to never achieve a perfect idiot satisfaction rating of 100%, I must continue to enjoy the Polos on an illicit basis.
Remakes/sequels… a predictable 3D Wizards & Warriors remake would look like half the games on the market these days, and if we did it in 2D it’d sell 17 copies. Meanwhile, the programmer of Captain Skyhawk – despite stomping up and down the main corridor all day in a Skyhawk-branded sandwich board and comedy jack-in-the-box top hat, parping a pair of klaxons – still fails to achieve management recognition for his tireless sequel campaigning. RC Pro-Am’s already got a sequel: RC Pro-Am II. And I believe Diddy Kong Racing was also tentatively associated with the franchise at a very early stage. True story. Unless I’ve just made it up, or dreamed it.
Dear Scribes,
I think that Grant shouldn’t use an orchestra to perform the songs in the new Banjo-Kazooie game – he should create the music the way he did in past games. I’m probably the only one who thinks this but I don’t care. Sometimes I hear a video game song that’s been created with an orchestra (e.g. the Undead MP3) and it just doesn’t sound as good as the original. The tunes and chorus just aren’t as clear, you know what I mean? But you guys have more knowledge in this – I’m only suggesting by my experience with the orchestra version of Conker’s Bad Fur Day in Conker: Live & Reloaded. Or the Zelda games. Actually, using an orchestra is good, but I noticed when converting a song previously created with a keyboard or something, just doesn’t come out as nice when performed by an orchestra. Maybe it’s ’cause creating tunes with an orchestra has limitations to what it can achieve, which the keyboard can easily execute (except for realistic drums, etc., which is why an orchestra is needed in these areas). What I’m really trying to say is: use an orchestra when creating most of the music, but use the keyboard when creating tunes that an orchestra struggles to achieve. I’ll stop with the orchestra talk now.
Imagine how good a game’s soundtrack would be if you got Robin Beanland, Grant Kirkhope and Dave Wise all working on it. Well I thought it’d come out nice.
I notice that people easily misinterpret what is said in Scribes so I’m just gonna say something and see what happens: oh my God! Listen up people! The new Banjo game is coming out mid-2008! And Perfect Dark Zero is going to be made for the PC! And so is everyone’s favourite game, Anticipation! I’M g01Ng InSaNe!!!111!!!$#%
Darren Borg
Replace Banjo, Perfect Dark Zero and Anticipation with Conker, Kameo and Wizards & Warriors, and… it still wouldn’t be at all accurate. “Oh, Rare!” you cry. “You lovable pranksters!” We know, we know.
Grant says: “I’m still not decided on whether to use orchestra on the new Banjo game or not. The Banjo games have always been a real mixture of instruments, some orchestral, some not. You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you… but, would you believe it, Robin is helping out on the music with Banjo so your dream is two thirds complete… hehe!”
Q: Many third gen. games like Rygar, Shinobi and Bionic Commando got reboots on the newer systems and Splatterhouse is not too far off either. This brings me to my question for you guys: aren’t we due for a Battletoads remake (or W&W, they’re both good games)?
Thomas Morrison
A: Not 100% sure that resurrecting one of the most legendarily tough games Rare has ever done would gel with the audience we’re going after with Kinect Sports. Even the hardcore game journos are still complaining about that Battletoads jetbike level 20 years on. Won’t somebody think of the casuals? The scenes of carnage in pristine magnolia living rooms the world over?
Q: Wizards and Warriors. One of the best games developed by Rare in the day. Bring it back. Bring it back right.
Erik M Heckman
A: How do we know if we’re bringing it back right? What if we inadvertently bring it back wrong? You know – like Flatliners. It’s just too risky, man.