Top 5 Rare games that would make interesting Kinect sequels

by Lerako on Mar 11th, 2012

As Rare have acknowledged in their condensed Mini-Scribes, cameo appearances and full-fledged controllable characters from their library seem awkward to shoehorn into their Kinect Sports series in lieu of having Kinect Sports fans start “punching itself in the face in bewilderment”, as Leigh Loveday so eloquently put it. In an ill-fated attempt to reach a happy medium however, we’ve taken a few choice titles from Rare’s extended library – not to parade around as mascots, as Mr. Pants would be the obvious choice – but rather to offer up their gameplay as a feasible sequel as a Kinect release. Would they serve to bring Rare fame and fortune which an unprecedented hit brought forth with a little bit of recycling? Probably not all things considered, as we’ve clearly said they’d be ‘interesting’, not good – in similar ways that the tramp hiding under the bridge near your house might lead an ‘interesting’ lifestyle. Still, it’s fun to imagine some of our favorite classic titles given a second lease on life. These are the Top 5 Classic Rare Games That Would Make Interesting Kinect Sequels.

 

#5. GHOULIES II – COOPER’S GHOULIES DROP

Grabbed by the Ghoulies started its life on the Game Cube before it was swiftly moved to the original Xbox to be released as Rare’s first title with Microsoft, and what better title to celebrate this pact than dredging up this tragically misunderstood game to Kinect. Grabbed by the Ghoulies was all about smashing in the heads of the varying scaries with chairs, lampshades and potted plants, so creating a new experience around the Kinect wherein you get to mimic picking up a sturdy piece of furniture and slam it down on some undead cranium would get us crowding around the television in no time. Throw in the ability to enter a first-person mode to accurately pummel some Skeletons and Zombies and you’ve got game of the year!

 

#4. MARBLE MADNESS II – MOVEMENT MADNESS

Starting its life in the Arcades before Rare’s port saw it in the living rooms of 80’s households, Marble Madness tasked players with delicately navigating an unstoppable marble through a large labyrinth of intense obstacles and enemies until they crossed the finish line at the bottom of the map. With Kinect Sports and its big brother Kinect Sports: Season Two demonstrating an acute mode sensitivity in events like Bowling, Tennis, Baseball and Darts, it goes without saying that the system is more than capable of reading players intricate movements. In this case, using your arms to balance the board as the marble rolls around on screen would be an intense session of concentration and physical exertion only rivaled by that of Banjo-Tooie’s Canary Mary.

 

#3. IT’S MR. PANTS II – KINECT THE PIECES

When Rare’s veteran website mascot Mr. Pants nabbed his own Game Boy Advance title – after sidestepping a burly ape to warrant licensing fees – the world was turned on its head as the smartly dressed English bloke had us turning pieces. If there’s anything that would send a fanbase punching themselves in bewilderment, giving Mr. Pants a follow-up title to It’s Mr. Pants on Kinect would certainly be the way to do it. This time around, players would be tasked with contorting their bodies to resemble the shapes on screen with each player acting as an independent color. A quick gesture of the hand akin to moving through the menus of Kinect Sports would send the pieces in motion, and using the voice command “ELLO EVERYBODY!” would drop the pieces down.

 

#2. KINECT INSTINCT – KILLER SEQUEL

If you’ve spent any time playing Kinect Sports’ addicting Boxing mode, you’ll see that it has the potential of a brilliant online mode for facing a wide variety of opponents and an intuitive capture that allows you to make subtle jabs, sweeping hooks and defensive blocks. With the groundwork laid out, satiating the fans couldn’t be easier when you combine the special abilities and classic characters from the Killer Instinct franchise with the unlimited motion sensing potential of Kinect. Face off against friends quite literally as you have a stand off in the living room. Facing forward will work just as it’s done in standing Kinect Sports boxing, but turning to face your opponent and swinging punches until you Kinect with flesh will make the game increasingly realistic!

 

#1. BLAST CORPS II – WREC’KINECT BALL

Released in 1997 as Rare’s second Nintendo 64 title, Blast Corps put players behind the wheels of several destructive mechs to clear the path for an unstoppable missile carrier bound for destruction. The more damage you could create with some creative thinking in the process of clearing the path, the more cold hard cash you were rewarded until your entire map looked as if the bomb had already been detonated. If Blast Corps was warranted with a Kinect sequel, there would be no limit to your potential destruction. Strap yourself into the Cyclone Suit or control the likes of J-Bomb and Thunderfist as you sweep your arms to level buildings, kick outward to mow through concrete and dive down to the floor to barrel through obstructions!

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