IN 1994, RARE CREATED created “Battletoads” the first arcade game released by Electronic Arts. Rare, not Nintendo, discovered that the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) could handle split screen games, enabling the system to play more sophisticated racing games. Rare discovered technology that allowed the Super NES to run rendered graphics (modeled objects with sophisticated textures). In 1994, Rare resurrected long-retired gaming icon Donkey Kong and created the “Donkey Kong Country.” It was the best-selling game of the year and put Nintendo back on top, enabling the Super NES to jump ahead Sega Genesis once and for all. In 1997, when Nintendo was unable to finish “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” in time for the holidays, Rare ginned up “Diddy Kong Racing,” giving Nintendo its mandatory holiday blockbuster.
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