Banjo-Kazooie

"A Timeless Classic Gets Better"

Banjo-Kazooie was one of the stand out games on the N64, rivaled only by the venerable Mr. Mario himself, in part due to the fact that the two games are quite similar. Where Banjo-Kazooie excelled was in its self-referential humor, its lovable characters and their cheeky dialogue, its colorful and charming levels, and its whimsical sensibilities.

Needless to say, none of those things have changed, and if anything, it's remarkable that they've held up so well over the years. Some may call it nostalgia, but as I've never been a nostalgic sort of person, I'm inclined to chalk it up to great writing and good design. The game is just as indescribably fun and endearing as it was a decade ago.

The game plays almost exactly as you remember it. You're still travelling from one enchanting world to the next, collecting jiggies to unlock new worlds and musical notes that will open new sections of Gruntilda's Lair. Banjo and Kazooie learn new moves during the adventure that will open up new areas and challenges, but sadly sadly you stop learning new ones two thirds of the way into the game, and there's really only one instance in which you have to go back to a previous level with a new ability. The only changes fans will notice from the original is the fact that collected notes and jinjos will stay collected even if you leave a level or die, which makes the game quite a bit easier. Still, the game is immensely fun, and the colorful characters and environments you encounter along the way only enrich the experience.

Banjo-Kazooie may have been a graphically stunning game for the N64, but lets face it, that was a decade ago. Luckily, 4J Studios has done an excellent job cleaning up the visuals and giving everything a fresh coat of paint so that everything leaps off screen and is just as appealing as it was back then. It's no Crysis, but seeing the textures cleaned up, the framerate improved, and the overall picture sharpened easily erases any potential misgivings you'll have about playing a ten year old game from a generation notorious for how badly its games have aged. The draw distance is another obvious improvement, now allowing you to see anything that can be collected, no matter the distance, as long as it's in your sight line, a welcome addition for the times you're trying to track down those last few notes.

To round out the package, there is still all the little extras and goodies in the original game, like Bottles' puzzle challenges, Cheato loitering around, and the always fun Treasure trove Cove sand castle. Of particular note is the fact that the legendary Stop 'N Swap feature from the original has been put to use after ten long years of waiting. By simply having a Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts save file on your system all the egg locations and the Ice Key will be immediately available for collection and use in Nuts and Bolts. Throw in a leaderboard system that lets you compare times for each level and the overall game, and there's really nothing more I could ask for.

At a time when the platformer is dying off, Banjo-Kazooie is a welcome reminder of a time gone by, one just as fun today as it was then. The game looks and plays great. It has additions fans have been dreaming of and changes that will go a long way towards letting those who may have missed the boat to come aboard. If you're in either camp, don't hesitate to pick this up. It's well worth the price of admission, something that can't always be said of modern games.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/05/08

Game Release: Banjo-Kazooie (US, 12/03/08)