banjo-kazooie: nuts and bolts

posts about #banjokazooienutsandbolts more →
Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
Banjo Kazooie A Little Broken, Rare Will Not Fix
Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Demo Goes Live
New Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Screens
Banjo Kazooie's Japan Inspired Backpack
New Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts Screens
New Banjo-Kazooie Video Shows Upcoming Industrial Goodness
Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Hands-On Impressions
Banjo 3 A "Clean Start" For Rare
Shane Kim: Rare Hasn't Realized Their Potential on the 360

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Altima NEO
01/28/09

In reply to Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
I bought Banjo at Circuit City. I thought the game was awesome. The vehicle customization is incredible.

The problem lies in the fact that its not a Banjo Kazooie game at all. Why bother having the Banjo/Kazooie duo if Kazooie doesnt do anything? The game doesnt really have a "real" plot like the other games did. And even the game knocks itself over its obvious changes like when Grunty mentions Banjo's nose being square and how the fans will hate it or when she asks where are all of Kazooie's "funny" lines she once spoke and of course Kazooie's complaining as to where all her special moves are.

Just didnt feel like a Banjo game. They could have easily done it with other characters and no one would have guessed any different.

But the game is great fun!
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Altima NEO was starred Altima NEO was unstarred

TheHeartless
01/27/09

In reply to Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
I hate to be "that guy" but how could Rare have thought BK:N&B was a good idea? When you are sitting there, trying to cook up a game that will prove you are not behind the times, and that you can still shake things up, is it a better idea to take your most beloved franchise and turn out a high-quality sequel for the millions of fans who would gobble it up regardless of quality, thanks to the nostalgia effect; or take your most beloved franchise, and then build an attractive engine for it, to frame a mediocre game that completely betrays everything the fans loved and remembered about the franchise?

I mean...seriously, how?
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TheHeartless was starred TheHeartless was unstarred

enewtabie
01/27/09

In reply to Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
I was one of the 140k too. Still a good game with a great sense of humour and a nice art design.
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enewtabie was starred enewtabie was unstarred

Andrew Pinto
01/27/09

In reply to Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
I don't really know how they got that estimate when there's this: [www.vgchartz.com]
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Andrew Pinto was starred Andrew Pinto was unstarred

Luke Plunkett
01/27/09

@Andrew Pinto: you mean you dont know where vgchartz got THEIR estimate?
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Luke Plunkett was starred Luke Plunkett was unstarred

okenny :) ...building bridges (to hide under)
01/27/09

In reply to Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
N&B is like the Windows Vista of games :( Most people are either convinced its not for them without giving it a fare chance or just hate it without ever even playing it when in fact it's an extremely good game in spite of a few minor issues stemming from people using it with hardware (read: low-res displays) that it claimed to support and things not turning out so well :(
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Brad Meine
01/27/09

In reply to Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
I remember a lot of buzz about LittleBigPlanet being a flop over the holiday season (I even seem to recall Kotaku and 1up.com perpetuating this notion). However, truth be out, aren't these numbers comparable to Fable 2's? What exactly quantifies a "flop" nowadays?
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Brad Meine was starred Brad Meine was unstarred

Spiffyness
01/27/09

@Brad Meine: Well, LBP was a flop compared to what Sony WANTED it to sell. They wanted it to be this huge, earth-shattering system seller, which it was clearly not.
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Spiffyness was starred Spiffyness was unstarred

Brad Meine
01/27/09

@Spiffyness: Maybe I agree a bit. However, I think a lot of this "Sackboy is the NEW Mario" was more the gaming media than Sony, per say.

Also, don't forget about Peter M. Everything he works on is promised to butter my ass and wipe my toast. Likewise, you're overlooking F2's major advantage; it was riding on the coat-tales of its critically acclaimed prequel.

I guess what I'm getting at is... we (Kotaku) shouldn't be so quick to deem one game a success while deeming another a flop, especially when the sales data is nearly identical. It's just dirty journalism.
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Brad Meine was starred Brad Meine was unstarred

Luke Plunkett
01/27/09

@Brad Meine: In the US, LBP sold half of what Fable II did, with at least twice the advertising.
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Luke Plunkett was starred Luke Plunkett was unstarred

N●Gage Croal is grabbin' peels
01/27/09

In reply to Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
Xbros don't want cartoony bears and birds. They want boobs, blood, and bad words.

Coming soon: Banjo's Bad Fuzz Day!
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Onion-Knight
01/27/09

@BPMΣ: I love the cartoony games for the Xbox...or I would if they made any decent ones. I guess you can sort of count Castle Crashers. It had bears and birds.
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Onion-Knight was starred Onion-Knight was unstarred

N●Gage Croal is grabbin' peels
01/27/09

@Onion-Knight:

Then you are not an Xbro. i.e. the majority of Xbox owners.
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Rez_Stevens
01/28/09

@BPMΣ: Christ an Xbro? They have names for console owners now?

What's a Wii owner? A WiiTard?

It's changed days from the Master System I tell thee. :(
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Rez_Stevens was starred Rez_Stevens was unstarred

N●Gage Croal is grabbin' peels
01/28/09

@Rez_Stevens:

Nah, it's what I consider the types who play only Haloz and Madden 'cause they're "mature, manly games."
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NoHoldsBarred
01/27/09

In reply to Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
What about Viva Pinata 2?
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NoHoldsBarred was starred NoHoldsBarred was unstarred

Born_To_Kill
01/27/09

@NoHoldsBarred: What's a Viva Pinata?
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Born_To_Kill was starred Born_To_Kill was unstarred

NeVeRMoRe666
01/27/09

@Born_To_Kill: Basically cute magical creatures whose head you bash in with a bat and feed their insides to their offsprings.

:)
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NeVeRMoRe666 was starred NeVeRMoRe666 was unstarred

okenny :) ...building bridges (to hide under)
01/27/09

In reply to Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
As a Viva Pinata lover, I can honestly say I love what the company does but it just seems to be so underrated and I'm not sure what they can change to fix it without detriment to the fun they give.

RARE can't catch any breaks.... they should try something more mature to get the "hardcore" familiar with their name again.

...also, they should stay away from FPSs >_>

There last game to really grab me that sold decently was Kameo. God I love that game!
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Silveth
01/27/09

@okenny :) ...building bridges (to hide under): Rare can't catch any breaks because they don't deserve it. Perfect Dark Zero was terrible, Viva games are fun and pretty, but ultimately shallow (for me, I guess). And I won't even touch how they dragged Banjo & Kazooie out and pulled them through a shredder head first.

The game was boring and broken, plain and simple. Now, don't get me wrong, I loved PD 1 and BK 1+2 to death; both games gave me numerous hours of fun by myself and with friends. Rare, with all of the games they made through the SNES and N64 days really felt like the king of devs, but now they're just not making games with the same kind of magic.

I guess Viva has the same magic to it, but it's just not enough for $60. Right now, the only reason I'd buy BK:N&B would just be to hold on to the hope that Rare will come back to what it was.

And that's never a good reason to buy a videogame.
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Silveth was starred Silveth was unstarred

okenny :) ...building bridges (to hide under)
01/27/09

@Silveth: Viva Pinata shallow? You must have been playing some other game. Reading your statement, I can understand how fond you are of Rare when they were on the Nintendo platform but I encourage you to try and play and even enjoy some of their games on the 360 before passing judgment. I'm willing to concede that you may still not like them after you've played them but Viva, Banjo, and Kameo are awesome games on the 360.
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NeVeRMoRe666
01/27/09

@Silveth: The viva and banjo games aren't $60 bucks. All of Rares games are below average price. I think they're $39.99 each.
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NeVeRMoRe666 was starred NeVeRMoRe666 was unstarred

fleet
01/27/09

@okenny :) ...building bridges (to hide under): One thing I love about Viva Pinata also is the music. Kameo and Banjo also have great music. Rare has done a great job of creating compelling music that really sets the tone for these games. There are some tracks available at Rare's website if anyone wants to check them out.
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fleet was starred fleet was unstarred

okenny :) ...building bridges (to hide under)
01/27/09

@fleet: Ah thanks for the the heads up :)! I'll go sniff out Kameo music on there if I can... it's good stuff :)
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crunks
01/27/09

In reply to Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
That picture kinda creeps me out. BIG BROTHER BANJO IS WATCHING YOUR EVERY MOVE.
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crunks was starred crunks was unstarred

Vextoz
01/27/09

@crunks:
Kinda feels like
"BANJO KNOWS WHAT YOU DID. HIS MEMORY LIVES ON IN YOUR MISTAKES"
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Vextoz was starred Vextoz was unstarred

Lemmywinks
01/27/09

In reply to Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
I feel sorry for rare. every game they put out is good but never sells on the 360. If this helps any rare, I bought it and loved it.
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Lemmywinks was starred Lemmywinks was unstarred

RockyRan
01/27/09

@Lemmywinks: Same here. I think they're the only relatively-large developers left today who don't give a crap about making "trendy" titles and always try to do something new and fresh. Nuts & Bolts was extremely refreshing, and Viva Pinata is very unique.

Too bad the consumer only likes clones and sequels, because Rare is really one of the only developers who doesn't want to go with the same old.

Not very many developers would have the courage to take one of their biggest franchises hits (Banjo Kazooie) and completely reinvent it from ground up. Every other developer would just take the same engine, pretty it up and throw it out the door for a Christmas release like we have seen for nearly every sequel known to man.
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RockyRan was starred RockyRan was unstarred

Lemmywinks
01/27/09

@RockyRan:

Hopefully this doesnt deter rare from making a true banjo platformer, and hopefully a new conker game.

I would be very pissed if they went the generic shooter route.
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Lemmywinks was starred Lemmywinks was unstarred

NeVeRMoRe666
01/27/09

@Lemmywinks: I wouldn't mind if they could recapture the magic of GoldenEye...but atlas those are begone days...
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NeVeRMoRe666 was starred NeVeRMoRe666 was unstarred

blizzardjesus
01/27/09

In reply to Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
It would have been nice if Banjo was a platformer and not a construction/racer. People might have bought it then
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blizzardjesus was starred blizzardjesus was unstarred

globones (not a mark, but a smark)
01/27/09

@blizzardjesus:

I never understood why Rare went the route they did with that game.
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aw3str1k3r
01/27/09

@blizzardjesus: I know that I would have bought the game if it was a platformer. I don't mean to sound like I'm alienating a game by being a stubborn fan of the old games, but after playing a limited amount, it comes off as a Banjo game only on a superficial level.
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aw3str1k3r was starred aw3str1k3r was unstarred

KerdaKai
01/27/09

@globones: Because, popular opinion says that the platform genre is dead. I mean, really, when was the last time a big mascot platformer without "Mario" or "Sonic" in the title really made a splash? The kids nowadays want gruff tough guys and plasma-dredged gunplay, and after Microsoft spent last gen getting continually burnt with attempts at the genre (Oddworld, Blinx, Voodoo Vince, as well as Malice and Tork, both of which were originally under the MGS banner), I can't imagine they're too eager to deviate from the blockbuster GearLo niche they've created.

And it's sad, because the last year or so has seen a ton of really great platformers (Mirror's Edge, Braid, de Blob, Wario Land: Shake It, N+, Mario Galaxy, even Portal to some extent). It would've been cool to have the rebirth of BK cap off a sort of mini-Renaissance for the genre.
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KerdaKai was starred KerdaKai was unstarred

NeVeRMoRe666
01/27/09

@KerdaKai: I'm just hoping that we've come to a point where we've already saturated the market with too many shooters (Don't get me wrong, I love them) and people are ready to turn back to more alternative forms of gaming.

I miss the days of Conker and Buck Bumble...
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NeVeRMoRe666 was starred NeVeRMoRe666 was unstarred

LllusionX Mailed the Fission
01/27/09

@aw3str1k3r: yeah, it was made pure for the nostalgia and for some comedy.
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CanaryWundaboy
01/27/09

In reply to Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
Crying shame. Although the US market is all about Madden and murder, I'll bet it fared better in Europe. I certainly got a lot of entertainment out of my copy.
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CanaryWundaboy was starred CanaryWundaboy was unstarred

Omnimon
01/28/09

@CanaryWundaboy: Yeah, Madden and Murder... sure does explain Nintendo's resounding success in the US market in '08... or not.
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Omnimon was starred Omnimon was unstarred

XForce
01/27/09

In reply to Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
I expect a 5-page essay from Peter Molyneux stating why the gaming industry is flawed and that Fable 2 should have sold way more.
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XForce was starred XForce was unstarred

okenny :) ...building bridges (to hide under)
01/27/09

@XForce: Peter is not prone to that sort of behavior >:(
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PedroTsuba
01/27/09

In reply to Fable II, Banjo Kazooie Sales Are Chalk & Cheese
BLASFEMY!

Nuts & Bolts is a great and very fun game, the problem is that people these days only want violence...
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PedroTsuba was starred PedroTsuba was unstarred

barstow
01/27/09

@PedroTsuba:

No, we just want a game that works. The driving and level design were freaking awful.
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barstow was starred barstow was unstarred

RockyRan
01/27/09

@barstow: Driving awful? If you A) don't expect GTAIV-hyper-realistic driving physics and B) build a vehicle that doesn't suck ass, you won't find any problem with the driving mechanics.
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RockyRan was starred RockyRan was unstarred

jayntampa
01/27/09

@barstow: Did you actually play the game? The levels were gorgeous with excellent design -- and driving and flying was great, if you designed proper vehicles. The game was just plain fun once you got down the construction aspect.
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jayntampa was starred jayntampa was unstarred

LllusionX Mailed the Fission
01/27/09

@RockyRan: but with the tools and such that you get to build things with, it's impossible to build something that doesnt suck ass.
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Mister Jack started the Save The Lombax Foundation
01/27/09

@PedroTsuba: *Blasphemy

I'm sorry, I just had to say it. As much as that word gets used on the internet, we'd all better be sure we've got it right.
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KillerBee
01/27/09

@PedroTsuba: The driving sucked, the levels were horrible, the game was boring, and the platforming was basically broken.

I got bored playing the fucking demo.
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KillerBee was starred KillerBee was unstarred

Axialmatt
01/27/09

@KillerBee: if you didn't play the real game then you didn't get the whole experience...the driving doesn't suck if you actually make a good vehicle....and i don't know what levels you saw but they were far from horrible....except for logbox 720 haha...i blammed my head on everything in that course haha...but considering i highly doubt you played the actual game you wouldn't know about that haha...i could be wrong about you playing it but if the demo bored you i doubt you'd get the game
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Axialmatt was starred Axialmatt was unstarred

PedroTsuba
01/27/09

@Mister_Jack: Im not english buddy but still, i can speak your language and understand it, can you do the same for mine? (Portuguese)

Thanks for correcting me but i didn't ask you for anything and i dont even care about how to write religious words, i use them ironically.

Btw, the discussion is about the game not about grammar errors...
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PedroTsuba was starred PedroTsuba was unstarred

KillerBee
01/28/09

@Axialmatt: I borrowed it from my cousin, played it for about 2 hours and hated every second of it. Did I play the actual game? Yes. Did I play it enough to experience what you were talking about? No. I just didn't get into it at all.
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KillerBee was starred KillerBee was unstarred

Mister Jack started the Save The Lombax Foundation
01/28/09

@PedroTsuba: Well if you want to be snarky then I'll get back on topic. Your point that "people only want violence" is a stupid one. The wii alone is proof to the contrary, whether or not you want to count them as "real gamers." Music games sell very well too. Skate 2 seems to be doing good too. There's also plenty of good, nonviolent DS games that, shockingly, are selling quite well. LittleBigPlanet, while not a major blockbuster, is actually doing better than the press would have you think. People didn't avoid Nuts and Bolts because it was nonviolent. They avoided it because it was mediocre and didn't cater to what Banjo fans were wanting in a sequel. Don't play that goddamn "people are only interested in FPS and gory action games" card. It's as irritating to me as my correcting your spelling was apparently irritating to you.
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