Not even close. In the 8 years Rare was a second party we got multiple games every year. These included two of Nintendo’s all time most important titles in Goldeneye 007 and Donkey Kong Country - each sold millions of consoles for Nintendo. Each were revolutionarily groundbreaking in that: GE007 was basically the first modern-style FPS, and DKC was the first console game to heavily use pre-rendered 24-bit assets (which heavily influenced games like Super Mario RPG, Final Fantasy 7, Resident Evil 2, and more of that style). We also got a lot of other classics like the other two DKC games, Donkey among 64, Banjo Kazooie, Killer Instinct, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Perfect Dark, JFG, Diddy Kong Racing, and more. 

As a second party, Rare released 30+ games which sold over 90 million units in an 8 year period. Next year will leave Retro studios 8 years since DKCR, and with one game in that timeframe, 1.7M sales. Mario Kart 7 had about 0.01% input from Retro, a few of the re-released tracks had a bit of design done track for training purposes; that amounts to almost nothing.

Even in double the amount of time, they have yet to have a DKC/GE007 caliber industry redefining game, and nowhere near the output or sales volume that Rare managed. Retro is more comparable to their previous incarnation, Iguana studios, who made Turok Dinosaur Hunter and NBA Jam.

Nothing can replace Rare. Even to this day Rare are one of the most colourful and rich in history brands out there. Retro is good but there no Rare. Atleast not yet.

Not even close. GE007 and DKC were both groundbreaking and generation-defining games; Metroid Prime and DKCR were not.

If anything, DKCR was more of a retro revival game, not even close to the revolutionary and cutting-edge masterpiece that the original DKC was. DKCR's sales success is mostly owed to the series reputation Rare established 15 years earlier, not Retro. Metroid Prime lacked the multiplayer, lacked the success, and lacked the influence on the genre that Goldeneye 007 had; and it also lacked industrywide recognition as the best game of the year of its release (which AIAS awarded to GE007 even though it was up against incredibly stiff competition that year, which included FF7). GE007 was the second highest unbundled game of the 32/64-bit generation (below FF7) while DKC was the highest selling unbundled game of the 16-bit generation. They were basically to the 16 and 32/64-bit generation that GTA was to the PS2 generation.

Another way to put it is that Metroid Prime and DKCR could vanish from history; it wouldn't have much to any effect on Nintendo or the industry; they are, at best, minor classics. If DKC and GE007 disappeared from history the loss from Nintendo, and the whole of the industry, would be nothing less than profound. 

No one has done what Rare has done for Nintendo
They really where rare

I must say though, Metroid Prime is one of the best games of all time

Let’s see what they will bring now

A lot better than GoldenEye? 

A lot better? 

You have not played GoldenEye, well yes, maybe yesterday...

Retro created Metroid Prime and that is up there with the best of Rare but Rare did it multiple times, over and over again. They'll never match the SNES and N64 Rareware/Rare. It's just impossible.

Very well could be the spiritual successor to Rare or Iguana from the N64 era. Iguana had amazing output for the N64 and constantly pushed boundaries. I think alot of the Iguana team ended up being merged into Retro?

Let's not forget that games were quicker to make back then. I study game art and animation and looking back at those 90s and early 00's assets compared to now really puts it all into perspective.

Not really. I think Rare had a bigger output and more original work.

But rare doesn't exist anymore (stop it, it doesn't) and retro does. So... i guess so?

Retro's output is pretty bad atm though. Their next game is way overdue.

Retro Studios began as a spinoff from Iguana Entertainment. In particular, former Iguana leads (including Iguana founder Jeff Spangenberg) and devs from the Turok Dinosaur Hunter team. It's why Metroid Prime is so similar to Turok Dinosaur Hunter.

Thanks for the clarification :D Iguana + Rare were magic during the N64 era.