This is Nuts

by Guest Sun 08 Feb 2009, 2:40 pm

Alright, so Dheev was right: as much as I tried, I could not get early copies of Street Fighter IV and Halo Wars. That's the bad news. The good(-ish) news is that in the meantime of trying to find something else new to take a look at, I'll go ahead and review Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts.

If you are like me, a fan of the N64 series, then you will either love or hate this game, depending on what it was about the original games that you liked most. If you mostly enjoyed the platforming aspect and the various moves, then you will be in for a disappointment, as this title focuses mainly on creating, driving, piloting, and sometimes wrecking a large variety of vehicles. On the other hand, if the enjoyment you got out of the original series was mainly derived from the funny characters, enviornments, and missions, then be prepared to sit back and enjoy. The vehicle creator takes a little getting used to; not so much HOW to use it, but how to use it EFFECTIVELY, but once you get it down, it's very smoothe and a lot of fun. You can literally make anything from bikes to go-karts to submarines, and once you get started creating, you can easily lose yourself in it.

The two titular characters are back, of course, and although Kazooie is still around, she is largely unused and knows it, as she has no problem bitching at you from her roost in your backpack. It's all in good fun, however, as her dialogue still adds to the game. Grunty the witch makes a return in this game, and brings her speech impediment with her, but this time she is outshadowed as the main villain. This time around, a floating monitor with a cape, dubbed the "Lord Of Games" (yes, L.O.G.) assumes the role of high baddie, and does it well. The missions to collect all of the "Jiggies" are still enjoyable enough, but there is a LOT of mindless collecting of musical notes to get through, and that sometimes gets old quick.

Maybe the most interesting aspect of this game is the fabled "Stop 'n' Swop" system cut out of the first two games. Rare found both the time and funds this time around to utilize this system, and it brings the experience of the game to an entirely new level. Basically, you can download the original game from XBL and play through it, exactly as you would on the N64, but this time there are 7 hidden items throughout the game that once you get them, you can load them onto your N&B game file and they give you secret attachments for your vehicles. I'm not too sure that they add too much to the effectiveness of your vehicle, but if you're an achievement whore then the Stop 'n' Swop system will prove to be a satisfying side quest.

Overall, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is a game that fans of platformers will find entertaining and fans of the characters of the originals will really enjoy, but as far as good, solid gameplay goes it's decent.

Final Verdict: 3.5/5 (Dya-huck!)