Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts news summary and first impressions

by Paul on May 13th, 2008

Well, no-one saw that coming, did they? The first few screenshots that got released on Monday got me thinking that the multiplayer portion of the game would be a racer along the lines of Diddy Kong Racing, but today’s news explosion has revealed the vehicles will be a huge part of the single player experience too.

I have to say that my initial reaction to all the news was shock. This certainly wasn’t the way I saw the series heading. Evolution? Yeah, I get that, but this is a fundamental shift for the Banjo-Kazooie series. But … in my opinion this is a very good thing. Banjo-Kazooie is now ten years old. The world has changed, and platform games have changed with it. For Rare to produce an updated HD version with very little updates in terms of gameplay would be a bad idea. This new shift? Well, it has me very excited. The possibilities seem almost endless, and let’s not forget that this is just the first release of news. There is going to be a lot more to come as we gear up to the game’s release in November (yup, that’s when they plan to ship) and I am certain that this is just the beginning, and not the end, of the news.

I appreciate that some, if not all of you, will be all-too-aware of the following info, but this is to serve as a handy summary / recap for those members who haven’t been able to get to a PC until now, time zones and all.

So, how’s it all work then? Yes, we’ll still earn Jiggies, and there are musical notes to be collected too (used as a form of currency this time to buy machine parts. Have they been borrowing ideas from this very site ? Lol.) but to get Jiggies we’ll need to complete challenges using a whole plethora of vehicles that we will custom-build ourselves. That’s right … vehicles! As we play we’ll collect various machine parts. These can be used to create almost any mode of transport you could imagine (there’s talk of one Rare tester creating a fully-functioning Space Shuttle), and we’ll use these in order to complete challenges that will offer Jiggies or more parts as a reward.

The first challenge that all the gaming press got to try was a big ski jump, with you having to travel a minimum distance in order to win a Jiggy. Complete it in a jet-powered car and you’ll win the Jiggy, but only earn a ‘D’ grade for your efforts. However, return a bit later with an upgraded vehicle better suited for the job (they had a car that contained a removable ball cage that sent Banjo flying through the air and, once landed, continued to roll for ages) and you’ll find yourself getting an ‘A’. This is the varying challenge that Rare have spoken of in the past.

What this means is that you’ll spend a large part of your time in the vehicle creation suite. Mumbo Jumbo is now freelancing as a mechanic and he’ll be guiding you through the process so that over time you’ll be creating some real mean machines.

The game takes place in the hub world of Showdown Town that is reportedly 16 times bigger than any other level Rare has produced before. That figure just makes the mind boggle … Within Showdown Town are 6 levels that will all contain various challenges that will let you win more Jiggies and machine parts. One of these is supposedly a trip down memory lane of sorts, and will feature a mixture of all the Banjo-Kazooie levels we know and love.

Now, let’s be clear … B-K: N&B is not a racing game. Don’t let the vehicles throw you, it’s all about Banjo losing his moves, but regaining them in new and subtle ways that are demonstrated via the machines. Of course, this does result in Kazooie having a greatly reduced role from what I can see, but then all of a sudden a Talon Trot just doesn’t seem to cut it any more anyway.

Graphically the game is gorgeous. I’d be surprised if you thought otherwise. I mean, just look at it. Look at Banjo! He’s ten years older but he sure is handsome. The new look really gels for me now. Sure, I was as surprised as you were when the X06 trailer was released, but everything is just so darned pretty. Scroll back up to the list of sites I mentioned and have a look for yourself.

Multiplayer-wise, I think my original assessment was right, and that means racing, but the scope of creating your own vehicles really does add something to the whole ‘racing over Live’ schtick.

All in all, I’m very excited. This for me is only the beginning … I’ll be honest and admit that the whole vehicle creation idea needs to be explained by Rare in greater detail, but it certainly holds a lot of potential and I for one can’t wait.

I hope that you will all adopt the same attitude and actually think about what is being offered here before you write it off. If you were just expecting more of the same then I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. Sure, platforming elements remain, but things do need to change, and if you don’t like that then you’ll be missing out.

Categories: Features