Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge

"Making me miss Rare more and more..."

We all know the whole story of how this game was created, ''canceled,'' came back, and came out, blah blah whatever. I'm not gonna get into that. I'm gonna get into this game, and how amazing it is.

Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge takes place just before Banjo-Tooie does, while Klungo is trying to release Gruntilda from underneath her boulder. He succeeds, and Grunty escapes and puts her soul into a robot. She decides to send Kazooie back in time so she and Banjo never meet, altering history etc... A pretty good story, a shame they didn't add more to it. Anyhow, it's a wonderful game and now it's about time I break it all down.

Graphics: 9/10
Whoa. This is really good. It keeps the whole feel of the N64 games with an overhead perspective... I couldn't even tell I was playing a dumbed down sequel on a handheld. The character models are amazing, with perfect animation, nearly on par with its N64 counterparts. The levels are a very good size, with incredible detail and depth to them. The only MAJOR flaw is the fact that due to its perspective and multiple levels, you can't really tell what you can jump to and what you can't... it gets awfully confusing. But outside of that it's perfect.

Sound/Music: 9/10
All the sounds from the N64 games are back. Everything sounds just like it did on the console! The music has the Banjo feel to it, with an overall amazing soundtrack. Even the ''voices'' are back, albeit INCREDIBLY annoying. They only use 2 or 3 of the same really annoying sound to do voices... luckily you rarely hear voices so it's not that bad.

Gameplay/Control: 10/10
It plays just like a dumbed-down (in the polite sense, mind you) version of the N64 games. Less moves, but all the essential ones are there. It works out really nicely and I was very impressed. The puzzles and jiggies and collecting and what not elements are all in there for your enjoyment, making you feel like you're playing the N64 games! It gets harder as the game goes on, and is a great challenge overall.

The only problem I had, like everyone else, is the length. Five worlds, VERY VERY short. It took me 2 days to beat... kind of disappointing but very very good. It only gets points off for length and confusion... other than that, if you're a fan of the series, get it, it'll be worth playing over and over again. If you could care less, rent it... or still buy it, it's a great great game. Get it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/22/03