All things Banjo-Kazooie

[ratsoalbion]

Much-requested and long-awaited, we're finally going to give Rare's bear and bird the podcast they deserve in a week or so's time.
Whether you played it back in 98 or more recently, please let's have your experiences and opinions in time for the recording (by July 10th).

NB: This show will not be covering Nuts & Bolts but may include talk of Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge and Banjo Pilot, so if you played those and have something to share about your time with them so much the better.

[RoboticMonk3y]

Both of these popped up on the XBLA marketplace this week,
http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-GB/Produ ... 025841145d
not yet available to purchase, but surely a bundle make it cheaper to buy them in a pair?

[sonuckles]

Ahh, Banjo-Kazooie... I remember how this game "ruined" one of my summers. I remember getting that awful demo video in the mail (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUqd1Y1p_Jg) early in the summer, and being tantalized about how this game would be coming out "soon". My 12-year-old mind took "soon" to mean in a few months. In reality I think the game came out a year after I had seen the video. I must have spent every single day that summer checking with the local rental stores to see if they had it. No luck.

Eventually the game DID come out, and I remember being floored by it. Not since Mario 64 had I played such a fun 3D platformer. It's actually one of the few games I got 100% completion on back then.

Getting all of the jiggies was fairly simple in comparison to finding all of the notes. I had picked up the Prima strategy guide at a local game store, and let me tell you, that guide was no help. It would point out a few clusters here and there, but otherwise you were on your own for finding those.

I'm sure the finer points of the gameplay will be discussed during the show, and at this point all I remember was that it was a fairly solid game. The controls never gave me much of a headache.

What I remember is that seemingly endless wait for the game, with that video that teased my adolescent sensibilities. And the irony is, once I beat the game, Rare went on to tease me some more with the promise of the Stop-and-Swap goodies. It was such a huge mystery what those items were. I remember having found the ice key long before 100% completing the game and wondering what it did. Of course, people who are familliar with the series know that the swapping mechanic was scrapped from the game. It's for that reason I'm rather glad I never pursued Banjo-Tooie.

I've never been much of a Rare fan. I loved Goldeneye and Banjo-Kazooie, but after the long wait, and the empty swapping mechanic promises, my interest in their games waned as a result. It's really sad, too. I know they had some seriously great titles on the N64- especially with Jet Force Gemini, and Perfect Dark, but I will probably never get to experience them. I'm sad to see that the company hasn't really done much lately. With such a big fan base, I hope they have a come back worthy of their reputation.

[InsrtCoins]

Both of these popped up on the XBLA marketplace this week,
http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-GB/Produ ... 025841145d
not yet available to purchase, but surely a bundle make it cheaper to buy them in a pair?

Not to spoil any of the recommendations from the episode, but if you have the chance to play the XBLA versions, I personally think that they are brilliant ports. Definitely the versions to go for, rather than dusting off the N64. I have no reservations about recommending the Xbox 360 versions.

I wish they'd be ported to PC, though. I'd love to be able to play the XBLA ports of the Banjo series on Steam.

[Katieee120]

This game is one of the best games ever. This is one of the games that got me through my childhood. After I came home from school I would boot up the Nintendo and have some fun with the best bear and bird duo ever created. Banjo & Kazooie must of been one of the most famous gaming partnerships from that generation. The games would make anyone happy. They're colourful, adventurous and funny. One of the funny memories I've got from those games is the characters speech. The characters in this game don't speak, not properly. Every character uses their own form of gibberish as their language. Some are utterly ridiculous but hilarious. A sad moment I do remember from Banjoo-Tooie, a sad moment probably for all gaming fans was Bottles death. RIP Bottles.


But seriously these games were incredible, I would recommend this to anyone who has got kids that would like to start playing video games because it's the perfect game to start with.

[Flabyo]

Shall we have a dissenting voice?

I really don't rate the Banjo games very highly.

The camera is wayward and frustrating. The controls often oddly heavy and imprecise. And they're obsessed with collecting whole series of hidden items (admittedly not to the extent they got to with Star Fox Adventures, but the beginning of it is definitely here) which means scouring levels over and over while the music drives you slowly insane.

I played through most of the first one, mainly because I didn't have much else to play at the time, but I've never felt any desire to go back to it.

[sonuckles]

I get the feeling the Banjo-Kazooie series doesn't age super well. I know most of my thoughts on the game are from when I played it as a 13-year-old. I do agree with Flabyo that the game's got way too much to collect, but it's nowhere near the level of DK64 (or so I've heard). Still, at the time, when you just didn't have that many 3D platformers on the N64, the game was a total godsend.

[arry_g]

I'm sorry to be so downbeat on the series especially one loved by so many but I sit in the same camp as Flabyo on this one! The first game just didn't gel with me, the biggest issue was the controls and I didn't find the levels interesting to explore so time forced navigating them for items was frustrating and more often than not a chore.

If I were to give a three word review, It'd be something like: "It's no Mario" (of course the "it's" is technically short for "it is" which means the word count is debatable but lets ignore that).

[RoboticMonk3y]

If I were to give a three word review, It'd be something like: "It's no Mario" (of course the "it's" is technically short for "it is" which means the word count is debatable but lets ignore that).

how about..
mario? no way!
no mario rival
mario was better
I preferred mario
lesser mario clone

i'm not bored on my lunchbreak or anything... :S

[arry_g]

If I were to give a three word review, It'd be something like: "It's no Mario" (of course the "it's" is technically short for "it is" which means the word count is debatable but lets ignore that).

how about..
mario? no way!
no mario rival
mario was better
I preferred mario
lesser mario clone

i'm not bored on my lunchbreak or anything... :S

Lol, well with that lot I have to say "no Mario rival"

[Xantiriad]

1998 was a big year for me:
-- I passed the 'quarter century'
-- I had bought my first flat after moving to Wiltshire from Kent,
-- Arsenal won a first domestic double under Monsieur Wenger, and
-- the Bear and Bird entered my life.

Banjo-Kazooie remains one of my favourite video games of all time. A bold statement, but true (my top 100). It's one of the few games I've played and completed more than once: ...probably a dozen times in fact, including speed runs. Every time I have been down or miserable, Banjo-Kazooie was crammed back in the N64 for just one more go.

It is very hard to put a finger on just one thing that makes the game so special for me. I was, like most, a huge fan of Mario 64 but when the bear and bird came along they brought game filled with intelligence, wit and pathos. On its surface Banjo-Kazooie plays the cute card with ten tonnes of sugar, but delve a little deeper into Grunty's Lair and it's filled with beauty, ugliness, humour, tragedy and brilliantly bad verse. The game did, and still does, speak to me in ways that few other games do: I love the controls, I love the characters, I love the music, I love the level design, and I even really love the collecting! I just fucking love Banjo-Kazooie!!

Anyone who made it through to the final few levels of the game will have been treated to two of the smartest 3D platforming levels ever conceived:
Mad Monster Mansion is chock full of toilet humour (literally) and little digs at video game cliches, whilst Click Clock Wood's provided a brilliant seasonal twist on replaying the level in differing configurations.

For me, video games are more than base mechanics and learned interactions. They are about allowing my imagination to carry myself away into another world. The closer games get to photo-realism, virtual reality and the uncanny valley, the further they are away from what makes video games so special for me. To this day, Banjo-Kazooie remains an exemplar of the best in video gaming; the very best of Rare's mighty portfolio; and the most I've [repeatedly] enjoyed any video game in my 40 years.

[ratsoalbion]

The B-K/B-T two game bundle is out now on XBLA for £11.99 or local equivalent:
http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-GB/Produ ... 025841145d

[Flabyo]

I think I just generally don't like 3D platformers very much (Except ICO).

1998 is an interesting point to make though, that was the year I played the games that I rate right at the top of my own personal list. The ones that I've gone back to and completed multiple times. Namely Xenogears and Final Fantasy Tactics. So I'm not a man without soul... just different tastes

[Woodfella]

Oh man... I love this game. Got it for my birthday I believe, back in the day. Was one of my favourite games for ages, played it loads, did everything! It was just full of little funny, charming designs. Who though putting googly eyes on inanimate objects would work so well? This is one of those games that I just love unconditionally because of when I played it. Now, whenever I boot it up I am hit by a wave of nostalgia. I mean I could gush about why I love it but I won't, I'll restrain myself or I'll run out of space.


Oh and the music is flipping MINT.


I'd recommend the episode of game grumps featuring Grant Kirkhope, for anyone who likes Rare or this game.

[CandleFire]

Bought and played the N64 version way back when and remember enjoying it at the time, though not sure I ever finished it.
After listening to the podcast have just bought the 360 version, and am so far getting that glowing nostalgic feeling from it. Music is fantastic and the visual style still certainly holds up.
On the downside, the underwater sections are infuriating me, have had the odd problem with the camera and the hub area is a little daunting and confusing to traverse.
Still, can't help but love this game and am looking forward to playing more over the coming weeks.

[ratsoalbion]

Welcome CandleFire!
We're always happy to hear that we've inspired someone to play (or replay) a game!

[CandleFire]

Cheers, just about to go beat up that Nipper character.
Also just begun a replay of LA Noire, despite all this next gen business, this is a game that really holds up visually in my opinion.

[MAp]

After listening to the podcast I ordered a shiny N64 cartridge again, sadly it arrived as a copy of Diddy Kong racing? Hopefully it'll be sorted and in my hands soon, but I seem to have an odd problem of buying Banjo Kazooie. Last time when I was at a more tender/stupid age I bought an NTSC version that wouldn't work, so ended up as a refund for Iggy's 'reckin Ball, which in case you haven't played that 2.5D platform racing classic is not a great alternative (I would be amazed if any Iguana Entertainment games appeared as a C&R podcast!).

[dezm0nd]

Iggy's Reckin Balls was AWFUL!

[mikeleddy83]

For some reason I read Billy's Balls. These balls are good!