It’s been eight years since the last Banjo-Kazooie game — way back on Nintendo 64. Over the years, fans have clamored for another installment in the franchise, but after Microsoft purchased Rare in 2002, I couldn’t help but wonder if the developer could deliver the same high-quality Nintendo-style platforming experience that made the Banjo-Kazooie titles such a hit. At its Spring Showcase 2008 event in San Francisco today, Microsoft gave us a chance to play around with the game’s multiplayer mode.
First off, you should know that Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts is not quite a traditional platformer. Rare still classifies the game as a platformer, but it has a huge focus on vehicular exploration and platforming. The game features an elaborate vehicle customization mode in which you can truly create a vehicle that is uniquely your own design. The single-player mode features a traditional hub world, complete with different themed levels, puzzles and platforming to be had. However, even during the single-player demonstration Rare focused primarily on vehicle implementation and how all that works.
The multiplayer mode we played was set up similarly to King of the Hill, challenging players to compete for as much hill time as possible. I wasn’t incredibly impressed with the multiplayer mode. It’s fun, but I’m just more interested in single-player at this point.
From what we saw, it’s hard to tell if the single-player mode will deliver anything on the level of previous Banjo-Kazooie games, but that doesn’t prevent me from wanting to get my own hands on the controller and explore Rare’s new colorful world for myself.
At this point, I am skeptical as to whether or not the heavy focus on vehicle exploration will lead to a better Banjo-Kazooie experienced. Personally, I would prefer a more straight-up platformer in which you spend the majority of your time playing as the bear himself. However, we’ve only seen a very minuscule part of Nuts and Bolts. There could still be a lot of traditional platforming and exploration on foot. We’ll just have to wait and see.
