"A bear with a bird riding in his backpack. Just when I thought I've seen it all..."

Banjo-Kazooie is an excellent game, truly a Rare classic. Although just a tad short and a horrendous storyline, basically everything else is fine. Rare has outdone themselves again. Be sure and check out Banjo-Tooie, Banjo-Kazooie's sequel also.

Gameplay: 10/10
It's very challenging in some areas, however, it's usually quite manageable. You'll go from a large mountain, to a treasure island, a giant snowman, to a giant tree. You'll meet up with loads characters, all usually in despair and they need your help. There is a few faults. You'll see ''secrets'' around Banjo-Kazooie which will annoy you. Mumbo Jumbo is one character in the game. He'll turn you into different animals if you pay him something called ''Mumbo Tokens''. You could turn into an ant, a walrus, a pumpkin, etc.

Graphics: 9/10
Splendid graphics! Only a small little noticeable place with a glitchy-look here and there, but other than that, Banjo-Kazooie's graphics are superb. Mumbo Jumbo's skull looks particulary detailed. Some of the best graphics I have ever seen for the Nintendo 64 entertainment system. Banjo-Kazooie was made for a good console, so of course the graphics will look good.

Sound: 9/10
The sound is excellent quality. The voices they speak with do get annoying though. They sound like Pokémon when they speak. You can hear Banjo walking which is nice.

Story: 1/10
This is where Banjo-Kazooie lacks horribly. An ugly witch kidnaps Banjo's sister to steal here beauty. What was Rare thinking?!?! It's pretty obvious that Rareware was desperate for ideas. If you like stories then this game is definitely NOT I repeat, NOT for you.

Replay Value: 9/10
It's fun to play it over and over again. Need I say more? I guess I do. :) You can replay it, and play some of the funnest parts again. Racing Boggy was always fun. :D

Length: 8/10
Unfortunately, it is not what you would call ''a long game.'' But when you compare it with Conker's Bad Fur Day (another Rare game ^_^) it's pretty long. Some parts are confusing on where to go making it seem longer. There is eight worlds, just like Donkey Kong 64. Eight worlds does seem short, but really it isn't. The levels are fairly long. But it still does not seem long enough for some reason. It shouldn't take you longer than 30 hours to beat this game.

Buy or Rent? If you like Rareware's games, definitely buy. If not, I recommend ATLEAST renting it. This game is yet another Rare classic. Again, Rare has amazed us.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10 | Originally Posted: 10/06/01, Updated 10/06/01

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