Banjo-Kazooie

[Nebuchanezzar]

Banjo-Kazooie happens to be my favourite game of all time. Perfect pacing, level design, graphics and sound, enjoyment, and reply value (for a platformer). Is anyone else here a fan of this wonderful game? And also, what are the plans for Banjo-Kazooie on the X-Box?

[Eric Cartman]

best......game....EVER!!!
i haved loved this game since i was a wee little lad.
its great.

[Nebuchanezzar]

www.rarewitchproject.com

Not my site, but it does have a few cool videos, theories and codes relating to the Stop'n'Swop 'fiasco'.

[Eric Cartman]

cool.
iloved this game mainly because of the fun level design. like the halloween level. that one is my favorite.

[CJman327]

OH I'VE LOVED THAT GAME SINCE I WAS 5!!!!!!!! :D

[Eric Cartman]

yea, it was the first video game i ever got, and i was 4 at the time.

[Nebuchanezzar]

cool.
iloved this game mainly because of the fun level design. like the halloween level. that one is my favorite.

It's not bad, but Click Clock Wood to me remains the epitome of level design in any game...even beating out "Barrels of Fun" in Doom II (I think that was the name). It's a perfect level, no faults whatsoever.

[Dr. Bartley]

I wasn't too impressed with Banjo-Tooie but Banjo-Kazooie was great. I definetaly had a great time playing it.

And also, what are the plans for Banjo-Kazooie on the X-Box?
Banjo-Threeie is going to be the next installment in the Banjo Kazooie franchise which will be released on the Xbox 360. The game is still in development.

[TennisStick]

I think I liked Banjo-tooie more because it was much longer. I thought Banjo-Kazooie was over a tad too quickly. But yeah was a really good game, I agree. You really think it's better than Ocarina, eh?

[Nebuchanezzar]

Yes, yes I do. I'm not the biggest fan of Zelda games, in fact I don't own a single one because whenever I did play one, I never enjoyed it. Despite the fact that I don't enjoy it, I still recognise that it must be one helluva game to be consistently ranked at the top of most peoples lists.

Banjo-Tooie was far too long, far too complex and far too 'collectable' for my liking. Oh, and that Doom level was 'The Abandoned Mines', not 'Barrels o' fun'

[Corkus]

Banjo-Kazooie remains my favorite 3-D platform game of all time, exceeding Mario 64. A humorous cast of characters and the perfect difficulty level made the experience very worthwhile.

I didn't have too much fun with Banjo-Tooie, though. It wasn't a bad game by any stretch of imagination, but so many of the stages and missions were so infuriating (especially Grunty Fucking Industries and Canary Mary), it simply wasn't enjoyable.

[Nebuchanezzar]

Cloud Cuckooland was a horrendous level in so many ways. Levels are supposed to be designed so they aren't confusing to see where you're supposed to go, but it is difficult to get there. Cloud Cuckooland did both, it was confusing to see where you were meant to be going, what you were meant to be doing and it was hard to get there. Grunty's Industries was just too long, too large and too monotnous for me to continue it, I've still only got 8/10 jiggies on that damn level. Good music in GI though.

[TennisStick]

I've always liked a level where you had to work a long time to get familiar with it. Wandering around until you learn the map well in your head is one of my favorite things about games. I'm going to have to play both these games again now, I beat them forever ago. I did collect everything on both of them, but I remember that race on the mouse against the canary taking FOREVER.

[Corkus]

Cloud Cuckooland was a horrendous level in so many ways. Levels are supposed to be designed so they aren't confusing to see where you're supposed to go, but it is difficult to get there. Cloud Cuckooland did both, it was confusing to see where you were meant to be going, what you were meant to be doing and it was hard to get there. Grunty's Industries was just too long, too large and too monotnous for me to continue it, I've still only got 8/10 jiggies on that damn level. Good music in GI though.
Blah, that stage had so many crack-induced ideas that it almost made up for the infuriating parts. The giant Jello castle, the giant block of cheese, the demonic robotic Mumbo, the giant garbage can in the sky, etc. I found that flying around that stage made it far less disorienting.

Hailfire Peaks, on the other hand, was another very creative yet very obnoxious stage. The raining fireballs and hailstones were horrible features that should have never seen the light of day, and the snowball was perhaps the crappiest transformation ever.

StrangeI can remember so much about a game I haven't played in 5-6 years.

[Veryjammy]

I remember enjoying it more than Mario 64 as well. I think when it initially came out there was a lot of 'better than Mario 64' talk, but now the consensus generally seems to be that Mario 64 is better. Well I disagree, for me Banjo-Kazooie had much more immersive and imaginative environments and more inventive challenges, and the graphics were really nice at the time as well. I wasn't crazy about the camera but it was ok.

[deshem]

fantastic game - kazooie was wonderful and tooie was terrific also but just lacks the charm of the original in my opinion. but both highly addictive, fantastic graphics, games like this are very rare nowadays (excuse the pun).

[Ryan]

Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie to this day are two of the best games ever in my mind. I'd actually consider getting an x-box 360 just to get the third game.

[bovine_university]

I loved the first game, but lost interest while trying to play through the second game.

There were so many things that were great about Kazooie, from the bright and colorful graphics, to the nice challenge, to the different methods of gameplay, to the huge worlds, to the sense of humor, to the many secrets to discover. The gameplay has held up quite well today, and even though there is alot to collect, there isn't so much that it feels like a chore, and backtracking through earlier levels is kept to a minimum. The quiz game at the end was also a fun and more light-hearted touch before the final battle. However, there are a few faults holding the game back, like the inclusion of two water worlds; I've never liked water worlds in 3-D platformers, and I never will. Also, the facts about Gruntilda for the final quiz can be a little tiresome to keep track of, especially if you're playing the game for the second or third time. The note collecting could have been implemented a little better as well, since you're forced to have to find all the notes at once if you want them all, which can be especially tedious if you just want to find those four or five notes that you previously missed. Donkey Kong 64's method of indicating which bananas you've collected and which you've haven't worked much better in my opinion. Still, this is a high quality game in almost every respect.

As for Tooie, there was certainly alot of effort put into the game, and it shows. The worlds were big, there were even more things to do, and more characters to do them with, but I never liked this game as much as the first one simply because it felt like a game that tried to accomplish too much and collapsed under it's own weight. With how large the worlds are, it's too much to have to explore it as Banjo and Kazooie together, then again as Banjo and Kazooie separated, then while transformed, then as Mumbo; there is such a thing as too much gameplay. On top of that, this game made a big mistake that the first game more or less dodged, there was alot of tedious backtracking through previous levels. This can make for an annoying gaming experience because you're forced to leave certain levels without fully exploring all the areas, and you have no way of telling if you are doing the right thing until you've played two or three worlds further to see if a new item or move surfaces. It sounds like a good idea on paper, but in execution it's not a good idea. Maybe I should have given this game a second chance, but the gameplay just wasn't implemented well enough to keep me interested.

As for the Mario 64 vs. Banjo Kazooie thing, I think most of it has to do with accessability and reputation. Mario 64 was much easier to pick up and play and was less demanding with it's requirements and worlds. There were three caps to find and you only needed 70 stars out of 120 to fight Bowser, whereas in Banjo Kazooie you need to unlock basically all of the different moves, find some 800 of 900 notes, and 90 out of 100 puzzle pieces. This may have been a little much to ask of certain players. On top of that, Banjo Kazooie seemed to start the infamous "collect this, collect that" trend that plagued future 3-D platformers like Donkey Kong 64, where there was just way too many items to find in every level. Personally, I think Banjo Kazooie probably was the better game, but overall it's understandable why Mario 64 is preferred more by the masses.

[kupomog]

Lurved Banjo-Kazooie. Liked Banjo-Tooie. Am glad that I will be able to play Banjo-Threeie.

Games had good gameplay, good music, funny characters, Grunty and her sisters were hilarious (love Grunty's voice, rah RAH rah raaah rah). All the transformations were so cute, that little alligator[/girl].

Banjo-Tooie I thought was a good game but there was also a LOT of stuff packed in to do and it became almost hard for me to get through. A little too much stuff for me at the time when I was much less patient. I remember my head spinning just trying to unlock the different types of eggs. But if I were to go back and play it now I doubt it would be a problem. I enjoyed being able to play as Kazooie, and I loved Hailfire Peaks...when I learned how to download mp3s online, that stage music was one of the first I went to find.

I always remember at the end of the first game in the credits, Banjo got that damn little island in treasure Trove Cove that I had so desperately tried to get to...and I also remember that large egg in the side of a tree...that stuff made me mad that I never knew what they were.

It's not bad, but Click Clock Wood to me remains the epitome of level design in any game...even beating out "Barrels of Fun" in Doom II (I think that was the name). It's a perfect level, no faults whatsoever.

Oh God YES. The changing of the seasons was just so masterful. Even as sloppy as I was at those N64 platformers, I loved climbing that damn tree and flying around like an overweight bee.

[Nebuchanezzar]

I always remember at the end of the first game in the credits, Banjo got that damn little island in treasure Trove Cove that I had so desperately tried to get to...and I also remember that large egg in the side of a tree...that stuff made me mad that I never knew what they were.

Have you used the cheats to get them? They do destroy your cartridge in that once you've unlocked them, they're unlocked forever on your cartridge (in every file new or old).

and I loved Hailfire Peaks...when I learned how to download mp3s online, that stage music was one of the first I went to find.

Same here. Actually, for a brief period I had a few BK/BT songs in the custom radio in GTA, but I was overplaying them and I feared that BK/BT would become stale if that happened. I guess it shows what a wonderful composer that Grant Kirkhope is.

Anyway, my main love for the game of Banjo-Kazooie is that it transported you away form the world that you were in until you became completely immersed in BK's world. Mario 64 may have been enjoyable, Goldeneye may have been original, Mario Kart may have been addictive but Banjo-Kazooie was the only game on the N64 that completely brought me into its worlds. I credit that to the fact that everything in the game was perfectly brought together. It was like a giant colourful fantasy world that had nothing evil in it apart from the evil grunty and her horrible minions. The graphics were bright and colourful, the music was wonderfully matched the worlds, the levels were all so stereostypical in a child like fashion and the puzzlesd were simple, yet occasionally difficult. When I play this game (I still do quite often), it's as if I'm the bear and the bird in the forest, it's wonderful. The only game that comes close is Metroid Prime, and even then it's way too serious to be as harmlessly fun and engaging as Banjo-Kazooie was.

I like lists, so (from best to least best)

Click Clock Wood
Freezezy Peak
Mad Monster Mansion
Grunty's Furnace Fun/Boss battle
Treasure Trove Cove
Rusty Bucket Bay
Gobi's Valley
Clankers Cavern
Mumbos Mountain
Grunty's Lair
Bubblegloop Swamp

Bubblegloop Swamp was the only level I sorta didn't like.

[Ryan]

i have to get my old N64 back out and play through these games again. Truly, they were masterpieces.

The GameBoy version was a bit dodgy though :(

[terriyaki]

reading some of these posts really make me want me to play bk again.

totally agree with nebuchanezzar in that bk's environments are so well thought out and imaginative that you actually feel like you're exploring and discovering a new place rather than just playing a game. great example of this: taking a few moments to enjoy the view from the top of treasure trove cove.

[Wonderboy]

I loved Banjo Kazooie, however I never got to finish it because at some point in Rusty Bucket Bay my game would get fucked. I agree with others about Banjo Tooie as well, it was a little too ambitious.

[TennisStick]

Well I'm just about done with Banjo-Kazooie again. I agree that the level design is way above the mark of any game I've played that was released recently. The jokes in the game are above par, sometimes getting laughs out loud. Biggest downside was that the game will most likely only take me 6 or 7 hours collecting everything. That seems a little too short for a game that would be called the best ever adventure game to me. I would definitely put it in my top 10 though, thanks for reminding me of it! Next up, Banjo Tooie!

[Jim Jones]

I think I liked Banjo-tooie more because it was much longer. I thought Banjo-Kazooie was over a tad too quickly. But yeah was a really good game, I agree. You really think it's better than Ocarina, eh?


I like banjo-tooie also. Im so glad I held on to my N64

[deshem]

i remember flying around high into the sky and looking down at the beautiful enviroments as a bee in click clock wood, games like that need you to stop playing for a second and just admire them. oh and also that grunty's furnace thing at the end of the first one was friggin' genius.

[Adam]

i heard whispers about porting banjo-kazooie onto the nintendo ds. rare did abandon nintendo for the xbox but they still wish to produce handheld games and the ds is the most obvious place for this. with mario 64 ported flawlessly there's always the possibility and i'd love to play these games again, especially if they were able to emulate stop n swop the way it was supposed to be on the ds.

with banjo kazooie and banjo tooie being great games you have to wonder where rare went wrong with donkey kong 64. wasn't that just awful

[deshem]

please share why adam - i thought dk64 was a great game as was everything rare did on the 64. man those were the days...

[Nebuchanezzar]

It was a bit tedious and complex in some places, but it was far from terrible. It's levels were rather simple, the environments were rich and it was fun - much moreso than Banjo-Tooie.

[Adam]

having to complete the original dk with 1 life, and playing jetpack. some of the other challenges were too hard also.

[Veryjammy]

I really liked DK64. I liked the way that there were so many different mini-games to go along with the traditional platforming, and the graphics were excellent, albeit with noticable pop-up. The only thing that would sometimes annoy me was the constant character switching, but overall I thought it a very solid and enjoyable game.

[bovine_university]

I was criticizing Donkey Kong 64 earlier for it's many items that you had to collect, but overall I still think it was a really good game. There was alot to do and five characters to do it all with, but somehow I found doing it all pretty fun as opposed to tedious. I can't see everyone having as much fun as I did though, since it might be a little too much game for some. The only real flaws in the game for me were the mixed bag of mini-games. Some of the bonus levels were a pain and a half to get through, like the beetle race or "Beaver Bother", and beating the original Donkey Kong with one life was a real chore. Still, being able to play those classic arcade games was a real treat. There was a whole lot of item collecting, but I liked how the banana collecting was handled as opposed to the note collecting in the two Banjo games (faded bananas mean you had already collected them, solid meant you hadn't). So overall, this game had some notable flaws, but I still had alot of fun with it.

[Snack Related Mishap]

Oh god, I remember this game! It was so much fun. I barely remember it, but now I wish my N64 worked so I could play it again. Hopefully the Wii has this and the sequel in their supposed humongous library of old games you can download on to it(if someone could explain, I haven't looked up news about the Wii in a long while). Damn, I really want to play it now!

[Javeman]

I loved BK, one of the best platformers ever.

Rusty Bucket holds the record of having the most frustating task on any videogame EVER. I remember that to get this Jiggy, you had to go into a room to hit a switch and slow down the engines, then go inside the engine room, hit another switch, and you had about 50 seconds to go outside, reach the other side of the ship, dive into the water and grab a Jiggy inside the now-stopped propellers. Screwing up anywhere meant losing a life or at least backtrack a lot. You guys have no idea how much pain I went to get that one Jiggy.

[Ryan]

with banjo kazooie and banjo tooie being great games you have to wonder where rare went wrong with donkey kong 64. wasn't that just awful

DK64 was a decent enough game, but it was even more ambitious than Banjo Tooie in that there was like what, 5 or 6 charactesr to play through the game with?

[terriyaki]

I loved BK, one of the best platformers ever.

Rusty Bucket holds the record of having the most frustating task on any videogame EVER. I remember that to get this Jiggy, you had to go into a room to hit a switch and slow down the engines, then go inside the engine room, hit another switch, and you had about 50 seconds to go outside, reach the other side of the ship, dive into the water and grab a Jiggy inside the now-stopped propellers. Screwing up anywhere meant losing a life or at least backtrack a lot. You guys have no idea how much pain I went to get that one Jiggy.
oh god i remember that jiggy

okay, forget it i don't feel like playing anymore

[Nebuchanezzar]

Yes, I believe that was the last jigsaw piece (weren't they only called jiggy's in Banjo-Tooie?) I obtained in Kazooie as well.

I was criticizing Donkey Kong 64 earlier for it's many items that you had to collect, but overall I still think it was a really good game. There was alot to do and five characters to do it all with, but somehow I found doing it all pretty fun as opposed to tedious. I can't see everyone having as much fun as I did though, since it might be a little too much game for some. The only real flaws in the game for me were the mixed bag of mini-games. Some of the bonus levels were a pain and a half to get through, like the beetle race or "Beaver Bother", and beating the original Donkey Kong with one life was a real chore. Still, being able to play those classic arcade games was a real treat. There was a whole lot of item collecting, but I liked how the banana collecting was handled as opposed to the note collecting in the two Banjo games (faded bananas mean you had already collected them, solid meant you hadn't). So overall, this game had some notable flaws, but I still had alot of fun with it.

Indeed, DK64 was fun, Banjo-Tooie became frustrating, annoying and monotonous in it's never ending character switching, level warping, constant running from one end of the level to another and annoying mini games. It was as if they took DK64 and simply made everything bigger and more annoying. Fun game though - Hailfire Peaks remains the second best desgined level of any Rare platformer (behind CCW).

[deshem]

also i distinctly remember the framerate not being as consistent as BK, but i suppose that's nerd stuff.

[Drew]

yea, it was the first video game i ever got, and i was 4 at the time.

Wow, we have some real young members here; N64 as a first gaming system.

-----------

Banjo Kazooie was an awesome game. By far in the top 3 best N64 games every made.

I was hooked on it, but for some reason I never baught Banjo-Tooie. Actually, it's probably because it came out at a bad time. The PS2 was either released, or right about to be released so I had stopped buying games for n64 at that point.

Now that rare is not for nintendo anymore, it would be nice to see this game have a sequel for the 360.

[TriforceBun]

BK is an amazing game. My pick for best music: Freezeezy Peak. I don't think I can ever get tired of that song. That and Click Clock Wood were outstanding levels (particularly since I wasn't expecting a world 9--I thought Rusty Bucket would be the last). The whole game was just funny, charming, and a blast to play.

Tooie is a great game as well, but there is a bit too much to do (traversing with Mumbo, who can barely jump, and using B/K seperately at points becomes a bit too much). The teleportation system made things easier, though, and the game still had some great levels and music (TERRYDACTYLAND being my favorite of both. Jolly Roger Lagoon felt huge and somehow epic as well, I really enjoyed that one. Hailfire Peaks was another excellent stage). Oh, and Tooie's boss battles were superb. I'm still amazed at the detailed model of Old King Coal.

[Blimpy Boy]

No doubt about it, great game.

[Nebuchanezzar]

Interesting that you mention the levels in BT that you like Triforce, because they're exactly the same as my preferences. Hailfire Peaks is actually my favourite - it was so well designed, it was large but it didn't feel large, the music was catchy, it was beautiful to look at, the jiggys were nicely spread out and it wasn't tedious. Terrydactyland was a nice level as well, a blast to play but it did (IMO) suffer from the tediousness that BT was known for. Jolly Roger's Lagoon, now that I look back on it was a tremendous level as well. I would have liked for the actual town to be a bit bigger, as I thought that was a really nice area. The undersea areas were beautiful, rich and vibrant and it was hellafun to play. My only problem with that level was that it was very large and confusing to work your way around from what I remember.

Mayahem temple simply wasn't fun, nor was it a good introduction to the game. Gilter Gultch Mine was ok, I despised Witchyworld as it had all the hallmarks of a bad Banjo-Tooie level. Grunty's Industries was ok, but far too long and tedious, and Cloud Cuckooland was abysmal. There are other levels (I think) but they simply don't stand out.

Compare that to BK where every level was short, well designed and an absolutel blast to play, and there's no comparison.

[Corkus]

Don't kill me for this, but I detested the entire soundtrack of Banjo-Tooie (even Hailfire Peaks), which is surprising considering how not only did I like (though not love) Kazooie's soundtrack, but they were done by the same guy. For me, Jolly Roger's Lagoon was far and away the best stage in the game. Water stages, which are usually obnoxious, can become very entertaining when you don't have a damn oxygen meter. Also, Lord Woo Fak Fak is quite possibly the greatest boss name ever.

[Nebuchanezzar]

Banjo-Kazooies soundtrack was mostly one big variation from Teddy Bear's Picnic, and it worked quite well. I suppose the fact that all the songs in Tooie seem unrelated to one another, and the fact that many are...rather abstract can make someone hate the soundtrack.

It'd be interesting to talk to Grant Kirkhope and find out the specifics of the soundtrack of Banjo-Tooie and where he started from.

[TriforceBun]

Both games had great soundtracks, in my opinion, and B-K's stands out as one of the best game soundtracks ever for me.

-Gruntilda's Lair
-Mumbo's Mountain
-Treasure Trove Cove
-Bubblegloop Swamp
-FREEZEEZY PEAK (favorite song in either game)
-Gobi's Valley
-Mad Monster Mansion
-Rusty Bucket Bay
-Click Clock Wood
-Final Battle

You know, I just realized I simply listed every stage in the game besides Clanker's Cavern, but the soundtrack is just that great. It's catchy, but just complex enough to remain interesting on the 20th playthrough. Notable tunes in Tooie for me:

-Jinjo Village
-Glitter Gulch Mine
-Witchyworld Boss Theme
-Jolly Roger Bay (town theme)
-Terrydactyland
-Hailfire Peaks

Some great stuff here as well, just not quite as much. I enjoy Terrydactyland and Hailfire Peaks' soundtracks the most--the trudging, low tuba rumble of Terrydactyland fits the stage perfectly, and Hailfire Peaks is simply a lot of fun, and has a nice "You're in a tricky area" sound to it. I also dug the boss themes--generally high-strung, minor key versions of their respective levels, a la DK64.

[Nebuchanezzar]

You weren't into the Grunty's Industries song?

[TriforceBun]

It was catchy (and now the refrain is stuck in my head) but a tad too simple for my liking. Plus, I can't remember the verse for the life of me, even though I scoured that level for hours. Pretty difficult stage, all things considered.

[deshem]

i felt this was worth a bump.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Bk3oe3.jpg/651px-Bk3oe3.jpg

Banjo-Kazooie 3 for X-Box 360.

teaser trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePgIGmYv-sY

looks like i'm getting an xbox too now :(

[Nebuchanezzar]

Yeah, I was going to post it yesterday (after seeing it on the Rarewitch project website) but after looking in the Xbox topic I saw it was already announced.

Looks as if, unless the reviews are horrible, I'll also be getting an Xbox. I'm not sure I like Banjo turning from a cartoon looking bear into a more realistic looking bear. I prefer the smooth coat and the short dog nose rather than...that thing.

[NoOneFamous]

Damn... I wasn't planning on getting a 360... but now I might have to. Banjo-Kazooie is in my top 5 for greatest games of all time.

I just hope they take a lesson from Banjo-Tooie and don't overload it with things to collect and too many things to do. I mean lets face it, theres no reason they should have ever had you play as Mumbo or B/K seperately, other than to put more statistics on the box to sell the game.

[billi vanilli]

this is maybe the best youtube comment i've ever seen

"finally banjo got done hibernating and is back to kicking ass. u gota love that retarded bear"

[NoOneFamous]

also i distinctly remember the framerate not being as consistent as BK, but i suppose that's nerd stuff.Yeah, the framerate and lagging in Banjo-Tooie make it almost unplayable for me... they were clearly pushing the N64's capabilities too far at that point.

Plus, like DK64, I feel the level designs were pretty bad. 3D platformers work best having some huge thing to help with navigation. Every level in BK had one... and its overworld was nicely confined to tunnels. BT and DK64 have a huge, confusing overworld, and the levels are all big, sprawling, and confusing. That, on top of the endless amount of things they want you to collect and other tasks, made playing DK64 and BT a huge headache.

I hope Rare doesn't go that path with BK3... then again, I always felt that BT was rushed to get on the shelves before GameCube came out.

[vox]

ohhh man. i'm definately going to have to try harder to steal my brother's 360 from atlanta.

[Dental Plan!]

Banjo-Kazooie was my first N64 game, and it still ranks up amongst my favourite games of all time. I actually enjoyed playing it more than SM64. It's too bad RARE has gone to hell now.

[NoOneFamous]

^ I think pretty much everyone who played Banjo-Kazooie enjoyed it more than SM64. SM64 feels like a prototype to BK.

[Dental Plan!]

Yes, although I still hold SM64 very highly, as it revolutionised 3-d gaming. I might have to buy a 360 just for BK 3.....but probably only when it's gone down in price alot here.

[camelenchilada]

I always used to play Banjo-Kazooie on the Nintendo 64 when I was younger. Really fun game, even though I could never get very far in it. Whenever I play that game now, it brings back a lot of great memories. Definitely a great game. No remake could compare to the old version in my opinion.

[Nebuchanezzar]

Everyone loved Banjo-Kazooie. The question is whether or not Rareware, who have been showing a bad habit of making games that don't quite live up to their previous games, can make this game any good. I have a feeling that it might just suck, but I really hope that's not the case.

[Dental Plan!]

Yea, I think it will be no where near as good as the previous games. Most of the people who worked on those games have left RARE now anyway....in fact, almost all of them now work for 'Free Radical'. We'll have to wait for the reviews though...

[block02]

Some of the bonus levels were a pain and a half to get through, like the beetle race or "Beaver Bother", and beating the original Donkey Kong with one life was a real chore
*Bangs head against wall*

[NegaDuck]

Check my sig - between the DKC series, Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, Bad Fur Day and Goldeneye, RARE is one of my three favorite game companies, ever (Alongisde Capcom and Rockstar). So many awesome memories.

[-AW-]

Quite an old game, I liked it

[Nebuchanezzar]

I'm actually yet to meet anyone that doesn't like Banjo-Kazooie. They're obviously a very rare (ha ha) breed. But seriously, they don't exist.

[NegaDuck]

^ When BK first came out, my (at the time) friend absolutely fucking despised it, and was pissed off at me for talking it up so big, though I can't remember why.

[Veryjammy]

I'm actually yet to meet anyone that doesn't like Banjo-Kazooie. They're obviously a very rare (ha ha) breed. But seriously, they don't exist.

I know quite a few people actually. A lot of people don't like Rare platformers, citing the crap character design and collect-a-thon nature of the games as particular sticking points.

[jayzamann]

BK and BT were the shiznit on the old N64. Anything with Conker rocked and Goldeneye remains the greatest Bond game

Rare ftw!

[Texas McTosh]

Yes, yes I do. I'm not the biggest fan of Zelda games, in fact I don't own a single one because whenever I did play one, I never enjoyed it. Despite the fact that I don't enjoy it, I still recognise that it must be one helluva game to be consistently ranked at the top of most peoples lists.

Banjo-Tooie was far too long, far too complex and far too 'collectable' for my liking.

completely totally agree, mate.

BK was an excellent game, one of a kind when it came out, definitely not just another Mario 64 clone. I actually bought my N64 just to play it.

I think BK and Goldeneye are tied best Rare games for the N64, anyone who says Tooie and/or Perfect Dark were better just wasn't there at the time to enjoy the former games when they were released, the other two are more like expansion packs.

also I hated DK64, should have been more like the SNES games.

edit: also I never got to play Conker's BFD. :(

[Nebuchanezzar]

It was OK. A bit hard and muddled up at places I feel.

Poor character design? I've always loved the character design in Banjo-Kazooie, and Banjo-Tooie as well. Candy Kong was a little freaky in DK64 for my liking.

[Channel Surfer]

I know quite a few people actually. A lot of people don't like Rare platformers, citing the crap character design and collect-a-thon nature of the games as particular sticking points.

Definitely true.

To be honest, while I do like Banjo Kazooie and Tooie a fair amount (which is more than I can say for most Rare games DKC and up nowadays), I'm actually a bit surprised by how much love they're - or at least Kazooie is getting here. Compared to Mario 64 (and also Sunshine to a point), the games always felt more ordinary to me, trading in the sense of discovery for discovery's sake gameplay and the emphasis on environmental playgrounds for a more conventional discovery for collection's sake and environments that were emphasized more for the tasks that needed to be completed (and maybe some of the game's weird humor) than anything else. The experience was far more mechanical as a result, and though the peak challenges/bosses/etc. of the Banjos were probably more interesting than the Marios taken on their own (loved for instance the elaborate Gruntilda battles), taken on the whole they are not as immersive or as fun to play for me.

That said, still reasonably interested in seeing how the new Banjo turns out and, given enough positive feedback, I'll probably play it when/if I pick up a 360.

[Otis P Jivefunk]

I love Banjo-Kazooie, it has an almost magical quality when you discover another level. I remember always being blown away and never wanting it to end. Click Clock Wood is probabaly the best final level I've ever played. Tooie is also good, but it has quite a few problems. Still well abover your average platformer though. I think SM64 is still my fave platformer of all time, but Banjo-Kazooie isn't far behind...

I'm gutted that the next one is on the X-Box 360. The trailer is really funny which is good to see. I don't like what they've done to the character designs though. The designs were perfect already, now they look stoned... I doubt it'll be that great a game but I am very interested in it. Will it be called Banjo-Threeie?...

[Greased Scotsman]

Will it be called Banjo-Threeie?...Probably not. Most 360 fanboys will have never heard of B-K and B-T, so they wouldn't understand the title. "Banjo-Kazooie 3" or "Banjo-Kazooie: [Insert Crap Subtitle Here]" is fine for me. (Even tho I don't own a 360)

I think the name Banjo-Threeie was just mentioned at the end of B-T as a joke anyway. I don't think they were ever seriously thinking of calling it that.

[Ryan]

BK and BT were the shiznit on the old N64. Anything with Conker rocked and Goldeneye remains the greatest Bond game

Rare ftw!

Damn right. Rare had the best games on that system. BK, BT, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Conker's Bad Fur Day, DK64.. They all rocked my socks.

[Nebuchanezzar]

Then they went to Microsoft and didn't turn out another top quality title ever again.

[Ryan]

im now inspired to dust of my N64 again (its the special blue&yellow pokemon one that my brother got for his birthday years ago), and chuck in some of these rare classics. There's no way i'm the only one here that could easily sit up all night with a bag of chips, a 2 litre bottle of coke and play goldeneye multiplayer with a friend/sibling.

[Greased Scotsman]

Challenge: Complete B-K in under 4 hours, and complete B-T in under 8.

I've done it :D

[Nebuchanezzar]

I always end up playing through classic N64 games at least once or twice a year. Goldneye, PD, BK, BT, DK64, Mario and even Snowboard Kids. They all usually woo me in with their outrageously fun antics - something that not a lot of games have these days from my experience. On the gamecube, of the games I own the only ones I could pick up like I could with the old N64 titles would be Mario Sunshine and Metroid Prime. That's not to say that the rest of my games are bad, they just don't have that pick up and playability to them like old N64 games did. *sigh*

I was trying to speed run through BK...last year I think it was, but got to Bubblegloop Swamp and quit. I was going fine, but it was taking all the fun out of it. I've never been able to get all the jiggy's in BT either, so a speed run would be useless. That game was far too big.

[Ryan]

i couldn't do that speed run so i wont even try lol.. did any of you guys ever play paper mario on the N64? i never found it anywhere. I have Paper Mario: TTYD on my cube and i loved that game, that was fucking tops.

[Nebuchanezzar]

Nope, but I hear it was an awesome game. Anyone get a chance to play RE2 for the N64? I remember that in Aus every copy was bought by Blockbuster video, so it was incredibly hard to get a hold of.

[Ryan]

nope, i never played it, but that could explain my paper mario situation. I never once saw it in any shop, new or second hanf, the one time i saw it was in my local video ezy, but they never had it

[Nebuchanezzar]

I've been replaying it just now, bathing in the awesome nostalgia, immersing myself in this games campy quality and have come to the conclusion that it is without a doubt, the most immersive game ever. I totally get lost in it!

So yes, I do want to talk about my favourite game some more. Anyone else have anything to add? Fanboys?

[kupomog]

Ummm. It's really fun.

[Greased Scotsman]

I still can't beat the final boss in B-K: Grunty's Revenge on GBA.

Do you think there's any chance at all of B-K and B-T appearing on Virtual Console? I know there's the Rare-Microsoft thing, but there's no rghts problems like there are with GoldenEye and the rights to James Bond. Although they'll probably end up on Xbox Live Arcade if nowhere else.

[shark_vs_gorilla]

Oh great I leave for a week on vacation and a thread starts about one of my favorite game & sequal ever. Just a great game that focused on level/character design and game play. Wow I mean what more can I say that hasn't already been said? Both games were great. One thing I liked better about B-T was the fact that every level had a boss. Growing up with the NES and the Genesis I'm used to going through a level and fighting a boss at the end in order to move on. In hindsight it made every level feel like a big accomplishment once you defeat the boss. I know I'm rambling again guess I'm just an old gaming coot ^_^;; (btw does anyone else feel old seeing that some members played this at age 4 or 5? I was 11 when I got it.)

[Nebuchanezzar]

One thing I liked better about B-T was the fact that every level had a boss.

Really? I found that tedious, especially in a game that should have been about platforming mixed with adventure, instead of all out adventure. I mean, I can see the fun in trying to hunt down where the boss is located, but other than that they got a little boring...i think.

Do you think there's any chance at all of B-K and B-T appearing on Virtual Console? I know there's the Rare-Microsoft thing, but there's no rghts problems like there are with GoldenEye and the rights to James Bond. Although they'll probably end up on Xbox Live Arcade if nowhere else.

Although it wouldn't affect me (I have my precious cartridges well protected), it'd be nice to see them on there even if Ninty needs to pay royalties.

Ummm. It's really fun.

YES! I'd say it's the most fun game of all time...

...but that's just me.

[kupomog]

Indeed it is :p

[Lowest Common Denominator]

ahahaha, I love Banjo-Kazooie! I played it from the beginning awhile ago, but didn't beat it. I can't beat the damn witch.

[Bill Cosby]

Click Clock Wood > Freezeasy Peek > Mad Monster Mansion > Gobi's Valley > Rusty Bucket Bay > Treasure Trove Cove > Bubble Gloop Swamp > Mumbo's Mountain > Clanker's Cavern

[Lowest Common Denominator]

Clanker's Cavern is much better than Rusty Bucket Bay, I'm sorry. :P

[Bill Cosby]

Rusty Bucket Bay = more challenge, more exploration, less slow ass swimming.

[Ryan]

i still remember that fucking jiggy in rusty bucket bay where you had to hit the switch, dive off the edge and then get it from under the boat before the propellors came on. fucking hard as a motherfucker that one was.

[Nebuchanezzar]

^that was the last jigsaw piece (jiggy was their name in Banjo-Tooie only) I ever got. Looks to be the same in my speedrun too.

Click Clock Wood > Freezeasy Peek > Mad Monster Mansion > Gobi's Valley > Rusty Bucket Bay > Treasure Trove Cove > Bubble Gloop Swamp > Mumbo's Mountain > Clanker's Cavern

Mostly agreed, although I hold Bubblegloop swamp with complete contempt. I don't mind Clanker's Cavern though, it was pretty original and fun. Mine...

Click Clock Wood>Grunty's Furnace Fun/Final Battle>Freezezy Peak>Mad Monster Mansion>Rusty Bucket Bay>Treasure Trove Cove>Gobi's Valley>Clankers Cavern>Mumbos Mountain>Bubblegloop Swamp

Best music of the game's in CCW btw.

[Texas McTosh]

reading the rest of the thread, I realized the points made about level design, I mean the BK levels are just fantastic, every area is different, no level was too large (though mumbo's mountain may have been a tad too small) - and then in BT, the levels were just vast messes, a lot of it was pretty, but some of the levels were so big I got bored way before checking all the rooms.

still haven't finished BT 100%, I probably should get around to that.

but I think I'll play through BK again first. :bang:

[Greased Scotsman]

I play through B-K just for Click Clock Wood, and the board game afterwards. Those two parts are the best parts in the game.

BTW, the Grunty's Furnace Fun version of the Grunty's Lair theme (plays as you approach the entrance to the board game) is the best piece of music in the game. The jazzy saxophone is just superb.

[Nebuchanezzar]

^I prefer the Click Clock Wood room rendition of Teddy Bear's Picnic over the Funace Fun rendition.