Gameplayer writes:
"Looking beyond the nostalgia anticlimax and the murderous rage inside us that burns like a thousand suns, you've really got to wonder who Rare had in mind when they designed this puppy. Parents who made little Timmy feel stupid and inept by buying him the surprisingly technical Viva Pinata, will want to give this game a wide berth – or buy it , then pay for counselling later. Similarly the convoluted plot, the less than amazing handling physics of the vehicles, and the trial and fail gameplay has the potential to annoy the bejesus out of the older players. It breaks our Rare-loving hearts to type it, but Banjo Kazooie is a game that is best rented and demoed extensively first, rather than bought on an impulse. Furthermore, it… *sniff*… Goddamn it… you'll have to excuse me, I've got something in my eye again."
The Verdict:
+Building stuff can be addictive
+Some rewarding puzzle solving
-Not a 'true' Banjo game
-Ho hum trial & error gameplay
-Annoying physics/ handling issues
Neuters one of the best platformers ever made by turning it into dodgy handling LEGO simulator
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."
I actually don't want them. I'm not a big fan of Microsoft rehashing IPs they had nothing to do with creating just because they happen to own them.
Before you call me fanboy tell me a game they did that to that actually lives up the the original?
Just leave our beloved memories alone. You want to bring something back, redo crimson Skies or Brute Force. At least they were your games and they need updates.
I'm all for The Initiative rebooting perfect dark as a third person though, sounds like its trying something new and not just rehashing with a new coat of paint with this idea. Hope we see a tease of it in the next showcase.
Rumor is The Initiative is working on rebooting Perfect Dark in third person, normally I wasn't a fan of taking existing IPs but if its something new like this I'm up for it.
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.
FLOOOOOOOOOOP!
It's o.k i guess i'll still buy the game to support the developers and Microsoft.
If they think Banjo has trial & error gameplay I bet they haven't played Mirror's Edge. The review scores for the two titles should be swapped in all fairness. Banjo brings so much more to the table.
Once you get past the 'it's not like all other generic platformers' part you will find tons of enjoyment. It's big as hell. I'm not even halfway through and I've played it for more than 20 hours.