I was out yesterday so missed this nice snippet of Rare related news. Rare? You know, the Oasis of videogame developers – ie fantastic in the 90s but struggling to be relevant in the 21st century. Ok, they were hugely relevant in the 80s too, but you get my point. The noughties have not been a classic time for Rare games. Grabbed by the Ghoulies had its moments but one of their more recent titles that did make an impression was Kameo. It stood out from the other Xbox 360 launch titles by being colourful, humorous and slightly nostalgic (a Zelda-ish fantasy setting). It didn't stand a chance.
360 owners love their grey and brown shooters, especially the early adopters, and Kameo tanked at retail. So the speculation that Kameo 2 was canned is not a surprise. Given the sales disasters for Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts and Viva Pinata it would be a surprise if a Kameo 2 fared any better. It is a shame though. None of these titles are classics but all bought some much needed colour and (British) humour to an increasingly hardcore 360 catalogue. But maybe all today's gamer wants is Modern Warfare and GTA? Is there any interest in colourful "childish" games on the 360? Heck, how would LittleBigPlanet fared on the Xbox?
What do you think? Would you have bought Kameo 2? Or should Rare just give up on traditional games and focus on Project Natal titles?
