Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge

"A great game, allas a little short."

Banjo-Kazooie is one of the many game and classic game series by Rare, a U.K. game developer. Making games for Nintendo for many years, such as classics as Donkey Kong Country, Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, and Star Fox Adventures. Shortly after Star Fox Adventures for the GameCube was released, Rare announced that Nintendo sold Rareware to Microsoft. Because of that, Rare stated they will only develop games for the X-Box, including the Banjo-Kazooie series. After many delays and trouble, Microsoft went ahead and started making games for Nintendo's Handheld, including Rare. Rare's first game on GBA was a port of Donkey Kong Country, and now it's 2nd is FINALLY released: Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, and it doesn't disappoint.

Story - 7/10
It's kinda hard to take a Banjo-Kazooie game seriously. Anyone who's played all 3 of them would know. This game takes place inbetween the original Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. After Gruntilda is defeated by Banjo and Kazooie, she falls off her tower, falls through the ground, and a giant boulder lands on the hole trapping her. Later on, Banjo and Kazooie are setting up a BBQ when Mumbo Jumbo sees Klungo attempting to save Grunty. Failing misrably, Klungo goes to get the MECHA-GRUNTY to get Grunty out. After being it, Grunty transfers her soul to toe MECHA-GRUNTY and she's back in a new robot form. To get revenge on Banjo, she kidnaps Kazooie and goes back in time to prevent them from ever meeting, thus preventing them from stopping her in the first place. As Banjo alone, for now, you must get Kazooie back and defeat MECHA-GRUNTY.

Graphics - 9/10
The graphics for a Gameboy Advance games are almost eye killing. In a good way, I mean of shock. The graphics in this are some of the best looking on the GameBoy Advance. Many colors on the screen at once with graphics that could trick you into thinking it's a 3D game. The reason, however, I give this a 9 instead of a 10 is because sometimes you try to jump on a high platform, but you can't tell if your under it or around it, so you do a high jump only to smack your head.

Sound - 10/10
Banjo-Kazooie games aren't the same without the voices. Everytime a character spears, they have their own voices being said, which to some can be annoying, but to many fans of Banjo-Kazooie, they will love the noise and never turn it off. Also throughout the levels is really awesome music that are clear to listen to, even through a GBA.

Control/Gameplay - 7/10
The gameplay is what makes the Banjo-Kazooie series a classic. Basic 3Dish Platformer all about collecting, but it's not repetitive. You collect many things, and each has a purpose. The main game is to collect Jiggys to activate other worlds. Throughout the worlds, you can collect Notes to be able to learn more moves throughtout the game, Mumbo Tokens to get Mumbo Jumbo to transform you into many things, as well as random items for jobs. Banjo-Kazooie controls well as well. If you've played the N64 games, you know that doing certain moves was tricky enough and to put it on a GBA should of been tricky. It was excucuted perfectly, with all of the moves in this so much easier to do and remember.

Difficulty - 7/10
The difficulty in this game is so-so. Some of the enemies are real patheticly easy, such as those giant thingys. Even in their tougher forms, you can kill them the excact same way, just more hits. It's hard to die by enemies in this, but easy to die by traps and other things like that. If the enemies in this game actually gave a challenge, I'd give this a higher score. Collecting Jiggys aren't that hard either compaired to the murder you had to go through in Banjo-Tooie.

Overall - 8/10
The game is really done well, in the third game of the Banjo-Kazooie series. After many delays, the game finally arrived and only disappoints in a length of 6 levels, and kinda small levels. Besides that, if you are a huge Banjo-Kazooie mark, then this game is a pick up, short or not.

Recap
Story - 7/10
Graphics - 9/10
Sound - 10/10
Control/Gameplay - 7/10
Difficulty - 7/10
Overall - 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/07/03