One co-founder of Rare has decided to tease fans with a beta copy of a scrapped Nintendo 64 game on social media. Even today, as platformers like Yooka-Laylee and Crash 4: It's About Time have brought back the nostalgia of old '90s games starring colorful cartoon animals, gamers still look back fondly to the days when Rare made Nintendo 64 titles.It seems that even Rare's co-founder Tim Stamper has a soft spot for the good old days as he's been doing some spring cleaning. In the process, he's uncovered development documents of promotional material for Donkey Kong Country, and even a copy of a scrapped Conker game.The unfinished game in question was none other than Twelve Tales: Conker 64. Twelve Tales was the second game to feature Conker the Squirrel, and it was notably meant for kids. While some fans were excited for yet another fun Rare project where they could explore colorful, cartoony areas, the company was heavily criticized for releasing what was seen as yet another Banjo-Kazooie. This led Rare to scrap Twelve Tales entirely and make the iconic Conker's Bad Fur Day in its place as an answer to the critics.
Now, 25 years later, Stamper has shown fans on Twitter that he still owns a working beta Nintendo 64 cartridge of Twelve Tales: Conker 64, complete with a security adapter with Rare's logo on it. The game can be seen in working condition in a video where the title screen plays, showing Conker drop down from the sky and waving to the viewer. The squirrel is then chased by some enemies and later, a T-Rex.
It's been so long ago that Conker's voice actor, Chris Seavor, wasn't sure if he was the voice of the titular character in this game. Fans have since stated that the "uh-oh" Conker says in the title sequence was re-used in Conker's Bad Fur Day, meaning he most likely was still Conker's voice back then. However, Seavor has revealed that he was the one who built the title screen, saying that it was done with "an editor held together by old glue and elastic bands."
Many Rare fans are excited to see that Twelve Tales: Conker 64 still exists in some form, with some calling for Stamper to donate the cartridge to video game preservation organizations. While Stamper hasn't offered anything of the sort yet, at least enthusiasts were given a fun, quick glimpse of the old Rare and what came before the cult classic Conker's Bad Fur Day.