Top 5 outright British Rare nods
by Lerako on Dec 18th, 2011
Known worldwide for The Beatles, Big Ben and crooked teeth, England has done well in establishing itself in exporting excellence in all fields albeit dentistry. It should come as no surprise then that it’s served home to Rare ever since its conception as Ultimate: Play the Game. Dealing a lethal dosage of chiefly British humor in all of their titles, Rare is like a keyboard tapping Monty Python. Give Conker’s Bad Fur Day a play through and you’ll spot profanity spewing Dung Beetles chewing through a thick Wales accent, or Banjo-Kazooie to witness an absolutely nutty brand of oddball that can only be taken from the shores of Europe. For those outside of England however, these minute details can sometimes be missed or glanced over for the brilliant references they are. Nevertheless, Rare has treated these daft and unprivileged Non-Brits to blatant references so in-your-face that it should be backed by “God Save the Queen”, and we’ve taken it upon ourselves to narrow down the Top 5 Most Outright British Rare Nods below. Go on’en mate, give ‘er a good n’ proper read, cheerio!
#5. PERCHANCE UPON A PATRIOTIC PIG
While all of Rares characters naturally come from jolly old England, it’s a bit of a sticky wicket to find which one deems themselves the most British of the lot. Sure, Mr. Pants may contend well with his period Bowler cap, and Sabreman can talk your ear off with his proper English slang, wot, but the real prize has to be awarded to one of Rares’ lesser known entries. Deep in Jolly Roger’s Lagoon in Banjo-Tooie, the unassuming Honeybear and loudmouthed Breegull befriended Chris P. Bacon, a diving pig that hoped to take some photos of the Lagoons glyphs and ancient symbols outside of his caged area. While this portly porker was hardly outfitted for the diving expedition, his swim trunks proudly displayed the Union Jack; the national flag of England, earning him this spot on the list.
#4. THAT’S THE NAME IN THE GAME
Even as Ultimate: Play the Game, the location of the critically acclaimed development house in the small town in Leicestershire, Ashby-de-la-Zouch was already being referenced in Rares early titles like Atic Atac where players were tasked with locating the Key of A.C.G. named after Rares founding license; Ashby Computers & Graphics. Since then Rare has been anything but subtle in referencing their established home of Twycross, England, which has since appeared on a bag of flour in Grabbed by the Ghoulies sharing Rares founding date of 1984, and most notably etched on the stern of the Rusty Bucket in Banjo-Kazooie where it can be seen in both the original Nintendo 64 title as well as the XBLA release by the prying eyes of avid gamers.
#3. IT MUST BE LONELY AT THE TOP…
The subject of Platinum rewards came in the form of both Blast Corps. and Diddy Kong Racing in the mid-nineties when both titles rewarded players with this illusive ranking above Gold for going above and beyond their requirements. Flash forward to Rare‘s first Xbox release, Grabbed by the Ghoulies and you’ll find that the same rings true for the completion of the titles’ 21 Bonus Challenges after you’ve finished the initial adventure. Pay close attention to the batty icon that indicates you’ve acquired Platinum status and you’ll spot a small Union Jack that replaces the previous locations of bronze, silver, and gold. That’s right, England stands as the only force more powerful than gold in Rares eyes, and honestly, we find it hard to disagree…
#2. STOP ‘N’ SCOFF, THE ENGLISH WAY
While the bouncing cartridges in Banjo-Tooie offered up a few fanciful features for utilizing the Stop ‘N’ Swop connection, they were fairly lackluster – save for the Breegul Bash which slammed Kazooies face onto the floor. Knowing that they had something special with the release of Banjo-Kazooie: Nut’s & Bolts, a connection was sought that would allow gamers to use the Stop ‘N’ Swop Eggs from Banjo-Kazooie to unlock some spiffing vehicle parts. Among the list of Fuzzy Dice and charming Mr. Pants decal was a pair of Union Jack flags that players could deck out their contraptions with for that true British spirit! Forget the idea that England is held in higher regard than gold, it’s now a key feature in a decade spanning mystery wrapped in an eneggma; Stop ‘N’ Swop!
#1. COMPETITIVE TEA DRINKING, WOT
As previously discussed, Sabreman makes a fairly good case for your average Queen-fearing Englishman. When he’s not charging away from his arch-nemesis Sabrewulf shouting catchphrases like “Leg it! and “For the Empire!” in a thick accent, he pays tribute to the classic atypical stereotype by having a spot of tea. Did we say spot? We obviously meant sport. Case in point, if you pay a certain tavern in Blackwyche Village a visit after your adventures in Sabrewulf, you’ll go head to head with Tom Leaf in drinking as much tea as possible before time runs out. After Sabreman downs his fifth cup of Tea in just seconds we’re left wondering if there’s anything more positively British than that, and your arrival at the bottom of this list should tell you…
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