Is new Banjo-Kazooie on the wrong box?
Thursday, November 13th, 2008 at 1:15pm by Derek
Once-revered British developer Rare released a new Banjo-Kazooie game this week. And it’s actually good.
No, it’s not 1998.
Game Informer says Rare’s latest is “a rare delight” with “big laughs and inventive gameplay.” 1up calls it “unique” and “entertaining.”
It seems our old friend Banjo, the goofy anthropomorphic grizzly Rare made famous in the Nineties, still has some tricks up his sleeve.
But is he showing his hand on the wrong platform?
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts released this week exclusively for the Xbox 360, and Chad Sapieha of Controller Freak today argues sentiments easily felt after playing Banjo’s new platformer.
This should’ve been on Wii.
So why do I think the game won’t do well? Because it doesn’t have any sort of easily identifiable target audience — or at least not one native to the Xbox 360.
Indeed, fun and smart as it may be, it seems to me that Nuts & Bolts’ true audience is a small group of gamers between the ages of 20 and 40 who grew up with Nintendo consoles and still like to play the odd platform game.
The game probably could have been quite lucrative had it been released for a Nintendo platform. Nintendo has as part of its user base a massive number of mature gamers who were weaned on and still love old-school platform games.
After an eight-year period of Nintendo ownership, Microsoft bought Rare in 2002 for a total of $377 million. Save for a few Nintendo handhelds, Rare has since only developed games for the Xbox 360.
November 13th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
It also did some GBA games in that period. No love for Mr. Pants
November 13th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I’m one of the people this article describes. I would have loved this for the Wii but I’m not going to go out and buy an Xbox just to play it.
November 13th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Sorry, Protector one. Mistake on my part. Correction made.
November 13th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
I am playing it right now. It is great but without a doubt no traditional Banjo-Kazooie game. The worlds is surprisingly big with a very unique and creative level design. There isn’t so much platforming left but the humour is intact
November 13th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I have a 360 and Wii, wouldn’t buy it for either. Mostly because it isn’t like the first.
November 13th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Yeah the main problem isn’t where Banjo-Kazooie is. It’s that it continues to exist, despite Rare not having the talent to make anything anymore.
Nintendo’s influence is obviously missing, as Rare seems rudderless and directionless on the Microsoft camp.
Rare is like a zombie version of your uncle. You love what he used to be, but you’d rather see him put out of his misery before he ruins something else.
November 13th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Those reviews are bunk. This game is awful. The building and such is actually well done, but when it comes time to play with your creations? Ugh. Awful, terrible controls. Whoever designed the vehicle physics should never be allowed near a game in development again. Sliding and spinning out constantly is not fun. Plus, it has Rare’s staple gameplay mechanic of “collect everything in sight”, which I guess is a plus to some. Rare died a long time ago, someone should put them to rest.
November 13th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Unfortunately, the game is not the same fun as the great classics of old.
It has munch to much emphasis on vehicles and hardly any on what made it so great, platforming. playing as Banjo and Kazooie but NOT having any of the classic abilities is a let down no matter what way you look at it. Now it IS a good game, with amazing visuals and sound also multi player is decent, but not the great game of the past.
Then again, ts not the same great company of the past either, most of those employees are long gone, along with the help from Nintendo they used to get.
This game, along with most of Rare games, would sell MUCH better on the Wii, I agree with that. Even if the visuals and sound would be inferior, it might have turned out to be a better game in the end.
November 13th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I haven’t played this and I doubt I ever will (I won’t ever buy a 360, and my friends who have it aren’t interested in this game), but I can’t help but feel that Rare are making games for the wrong generation of consoles. The skills of the people at Rare seem to be best fit for game from the SNES-N64 days.
It’s a shame because they made some good games. They have talent, I’m just hoping they reinvent themselves. Stamping Banjo Kazooie on a game reminds me of another icon, you know, that blue spiky thing.
And yes, this totally should’ve been on the Wii.
November 13th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
“Indeed, fun and smart as it may be, it seems to me that Nuts & Bolts’ true audience is a small group of gamers between the ages of 20 and 40 who grew up with Nintendo consoles and still like to play the odd platform game.”
This is precisely why Microsoft paid $377+ million.
In fact, Ken Lobb probably used exactly this sentence when convincing Steve Balmer.
I see no point in this game. If it isn’t oriented around the same play mechanics as the first then this game has no place being called Banjo-Kazooie, and really has no place being called a platformer. Why sully the name of both?
Rare would have done better packaging it as the next Blast Corps, and marketing it as a “Build your own racer” game.
I would be insulted by this mark on my memory of Banjo Kazooie, but Rare became irrelevant to me in 2002.
November 13th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
I wonder if microsoft will ever give up on Rare. Maybe rare has made microsoft their investment back, but was it really worth it in the long run. Could no better investment have been made?
Aside from that, Rare doesnt have the stamper bros anymore, the originators and creative geniuses behind the company which may be why BK is not like a BK game.
Basically, they arent worth what they used to be despite still being an obviously competent artistic and detail oriented company.
November 13th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
But HEY HEY guys!
They made the ” Avatars” …………….
yeah.
November 13th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Hopefully Rare’s next game is a true hit.
Seems like some people really enjoy this new spin and others say that the game feels unpolished (especially how you’re penalized for not being on a vehicle practically at all times.)
Even if it were on the Wii, would it be any good? Not sure. It’d certainly sell better because of the expanded casual audience though.
November 13th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
I certainly would have bought this had it come out on wii, like tylor, I’m not gonna go out to buy a 360 just to play this game.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
I never played Banjo Kazooie on N64 (yeah, shoot me) but I have to agree that this game will probably sell minimally. And hey, if it does, maybe this will be the last straw for Rare and they’ll disband, form another development studio and start making Wii games.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Wow lots of hate for Banjo. I wasn’t a huge fan of the original, I just wasn’t let’s not get into it, but this should have been on Wii. Heck, Rare should be with Wii, not 360. THe best Star Fox was Rare driven on the N64.
It would be best for all of us if Microsoft left them. But maybe that’s why Microsoft keeps them. They would rather see bad games produced on their system than see quality games get sold on a competitor’s system.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Man, I wish that rare was still with Nintendo and I want to play this game sooooooooo badly! I’m not wasting my money to go out, buy a 360, and then this game. The most I’ll do is probably just watch a walkthrough of this game on YouTube. Chad Sapieha was right, this game should be on the Wii.
November 14th, 2008 at 9:23 am
I wouldn’t get it if it were on the Wii. I felt the Banjo games on the N64 were good games but highly overrated.
November 14th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Same as some already said, that game was awesome. I was 9 back than, 19 now and i’d love a Wiimake of it.