Banjo-Tooie

Summary

Genre: Platform
Number of players: 1-4
Rumble Pak: Yes
Controller Pak: No
Expansion Pak: Not used

Review

Banjo-Tooie is the sequel to one of my favourite N64 games, Banjo-Kazooie. B-K appeared for the console two years ago, and had incredible graphics, terrific gameplay and a soundtrack that I still regard as the very best on the system. The only possible gripe many 64 owners had was the potential lack of replay value, as well as perhaps being a tad easy. This new game has taken what feels like ages to come out - have Rare managed to get rid of these problems?


Gameplay: This is where Tooie takes off. Despite the frame-rate and slowdown problems mentioned in the Graphics section impeding the flow of the game, it plays as well as B-K - which is pretty darn well - and often is even more fun.

While it is definitely and undeniably similar to B-K - all of the duo's moves from the first game are present and used the same way, as are all the pick-ups, and the same graphical style and gameplay is maintained - there are a number of differences, nay improvements. Firstly, there are a lot of minigames, and not just rather staid ones like the Twinklies in B-K. No, there are shooting galleries, dodgems, minecart races, ring-jumping, and a very, very stylish first-person shootout which crops up several times, and has a very Perfect Dark feel to it. Even the quiz game is still here, but this time it's more demanding and has a lot more questions to it!

In a brilliant innovation (well, not really an innovation, but I couldn't think of another word to put in there), you can play all of the minigames with up to three friends via the multiplay option, even before you find them in the main game. This is a great idea, and is a huge plus, as well as being top fun. See below for more.

Other improvements over B-K include a huge 24 new moves to learn, in addition to the old ones; the use of five different types of eggs to solve puzzles and kill enemies; the very neat idea of picking up items in groups of five or more, instead of singly; and a warp pad system, which unlike the one in Donkey Kong 64 allows you to travel to all the pads from any one pad. All useful, and all fun.

Finally, it would be remiss of me to fail to mention the best innovation - the ability to finally split up Banjo and Kazooie, allowing each one to go adventuring separately. While some moves cannot be performed while they are separated, there are several new ones which they can only do while alone - such as Kazooie's ability to glide for an unlimited amount of time wherever she chooses, or Banjo's ability to pick up large items in his now-empty backpack. Plenty of puzzles need the pair to split up, adding an extra element of strategy.


Challenge: If you thought B-K was easy, then rest assured that its sequel is not. While there are actually fewer jiggies to collect this time, and the use of the warp pads to get where you're going faster and easier reduces the time you spend going back and forth, it is in fact a far more challenging game. Many jiggies require an enormous amount of work: for instance, one in the fifth world, where you must first get to the top of a large mountain; then battle and beat a giant pterodactyl (who needs 40 hits to defeat); you must then locate and hatch four of his eggs as Kazooie; you must then take one of the hatchlings up to the top of the mountain as Banjo alone... and all this for just one jiggy!

While the game's challenge to complete - especially to fully complete - is high, the replay value is also high, thanks to the minigames and the multiplayer mode, which will no doubt keep players entertained for ages. Top stuff.

And, while I'm here, I might as well voice a few small complaints of my own about the game. Firstly, the reward sequence for winning the game is not particularly great: nowhere near as good as in Banjo-Kazooie: and the reward for collecting all 90 jiggies is... wait for it... the addition of a 'cast-list' cutscene from the 'cinema' menu! Secondly, even after collecting absolutely everything in the game, there is still no clue as to how to open the secret areas in Banjo-Kazooie!! Still, at least you find out what the hidden items are used for.


Graphics: Considering that the game doesn't even use the expansion pak, the graphics are all but unbelievably good. In Banjo-Kazooie, you could see a long distance into the, er, distance, but in Tooie you can see even further, and there is absolutely no fogging. In addition, all the graphics are crisp and clear, and the variety and vibrancy of the textures is top-notch. Animation too is excellent.

The only problem, which has been noticed by a lot of reviewers, is the disturbingly low frame-rate in many areas, combined with the resulting slowdown. Additionally painful is the considerable pause before each and every cutscene or set animation takes place. These really, really break up the otherwise flowing gameplay. This is a huge shame, and unfortunately suggests a bit of a rush by Rare to get out the game in time for Christmas without totally finishing it. Even the requirement of the expansion pak would be better than the degree of unprofessionalism which the frame-rate problem seems to show. Still, you can't have everything, and the game really does look beautiful.


Sounds: Rare haven't lost the magic which abounded in Banjo-Kazooie's awesome soundtrack - I still can't get that catchy tune from B-K's Click Clock Wood world out of my head, two years on. As before, and even to a greater degree, the soundtrack in a world always maintains the same ongoing melody, but it continually changes as you move from one region to another, with the pitch, drumbeats or instrumentation changing while still keeping up the melody without a break. The world musics are great fun and really catchy, although perhaps a little bit less so than B-K.

As for sound effects, they're still as good as ever; although you'll need a bit of time to get used to Banjo's new, lower 'voice' when he performs his attacks. Everything is all done to virtual perfection in the sound-effect department, which all adds to the experience.


Multiplayer: As mentioned above, Banjo-Tooie introduces a multiplayer mode. This isn't a first for a Rare platformer - Donkey Kong 64 also featured one - but it's definitely vastly more fun than the previous effort.

The multiplayer mode is based on the minigames from single-player, but of course it's a totally different experience than playing them alone. There is a massive amount of variety in the games, from a soccer-type mode to a dodgems mode (where Gruntilda exhorts players to "grab my twinklies!"). All of the modes are fun to play, if perhaps not outstanding enough to warrant being played over and over again - but one mode which really deserves special mention is the first-person shooter game.

As noted, this game definitely smacks of Perfect Dark, but the multiplayer version is tremendous fun. Each player takes control of one of several characters from the game, each one armed with an egg-spitting bird. Ammunition consists of the five different egg types from the main game - normal, fire, grenade, ice and clockwork Kazooie eggs - plus the self-explanatory proximity mine eggs. There are a large amount of options: there are several different sub-modes, such as 'Chicken Chase', 'Four Dozen Fun', 'Squawkmatch' and 'Single Egg Splat' to choose from; you can set a target time or score; there are three arenas to choose from; and you can choose which egg types make an appearance. The mode is great fun to play, and can even be hilarious. However, all of the minigames are great fun, if a little limited when looked at individually. Not a hard-core multiplayer experience - but not a bad little diversion.


Summing up: The game is a worthy successor to Banjo-Kazooie, and that's saying something. If you can overlook the pausing before the cutscenes and the occasionally-poor framerate, Banjo-Tooie doesn't really have a lot wrong with it. Great fun, with lots to do, heaps of new moves, and a fun, if lightweight, multiplayer mode make this game a highly-recommended addition to your gaming library.


Gamesmark: 96%


Reviewer: Maverik