Packed with enough referential nods and classic humour to match Kazooie's wisecracks, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is, presumably, precisely the type of game that Microsoft forked out so much for Rare in the first place - GoldenEye XBLA just ain't going to happen, get over it! Yet it's not long after the game begins that the sense of Rare's own doubts over the bear and the bird's significance begins to emerge. From the opening sequence depicting the overweight stars without their abilities and a sense of purpose since 2000's Banjo-Tooie, to the precise question being tucked away in the second stage, Nuts & Bolts' sole purpose seems to be, to ask: "do gamers even want Banjo any more?" Perhaps more cynically, will Rare ever repeat former glories?
Jared writes: "With the Battletoads having made a triumphant return, let's look at the rest of Rare's back catalog for which series deserves a return to form next."
Donkey Kong Country is probably my favorite game of all time but I've not connected with much else Rareware has made since other than maybe Killer Instinct. Sea of Thieves has got to be close to my worst $60 purchase I've ever made.
Wonder why some series just seem to feel lackluster as time goes on? Well, it's because some later installments really mess up the formula. Check out ten times sequels really screwed everything up.
Ugh Musashi: Samurai Legend is so meh. Don't understand how you can go from Brave Fencer Musashi to that. I really want a Brave Fencer Musashi HD Remake or a true sequel. It's one of the best games I've ever played.
Grant Kirkhope, the composer of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, explains what he thinks the issue was with the often-criticized Xbox 360 title.
I actually liked it for what it was. But then again I'm not a Banjo fan. I actually hated a lot of the N64 style games that all followed the same Mario 64 style. Except for Conker.
I really enjoyed this game, the building was fun, I thought it was a well made platformer.
I kind of agree. The game had many new ideas that would have worked better in a new IP as people wouldn't be so upset that Nuts & Bolts played so differently from the older titles.
I seriously hate how angular the redesigns are for so many of the characters in the game
The X06 trailer built people’s hopes only for the final release to ruin those dreams
Damn right it should have
Can we just get Banjo Threeie and write this game off as Kazooies bad dream or something. An in game joke.