Banjo-Tooie
Reviewed by Behonkiss
Banjo-Tooie is, of course, the long-awaited sequel to the hit Banjo-Kazooie.
One reason that it's one of the most eagerly awaited sequels ever is the
mystery connection it has with the first game to move items from one
game to the other. This mystery hasn't been fully explained at the time of
this review, but Banjo-Tooie survives wonderfully without it, blowing
past its predecessor and Donkey Kong 64 without looking back.
Graphics: 9 out of 10
Banjo-Tooie delivers what are probably the best graphics ever on Nintendo
64 without using the Expansion Pak. Every single character, and I mean
EVERY, is marvelously rendered and has fluid movement and personality.
Rare has managed to take these characters from being a heap of polygons
to exploring, thinking creatures with individual personalities. The lighting
in different environments and detailed, huge world only make things better.
The only real problem I found was that the game had some occasional
slowdown, but this is hardly noticeable. The peak of N64 graphical limits.
Music and Sound: 8 out of 10
Tooie does a wonderful job of music, keeping up quality, catchy tunes
that even change moods as you enter different parts of levels. It really
makes you realize just how much work is put into it. The sound effects
for every item, blast and thud go very well, and the unique "garbled speech"
from Banjo-Kazooie returns, marvelously adding to each character's personality.
Sure, real speech would be better, but this is N64.
Game Challenge: 9 out of 10
Ouch. And you thought Banjo-Kazooie was hard? Tooie's huge levels,
with multiple goals, puzzles, and mini games spread out all over, make
it a very long game to beat. It took me about 40 hours to get every Jiggy.
Just wait till you get into Grunty Industries. Yeesh.
Game Play-Fun: 9 out of 10
Veryveryveryveryveryveryveryveryveryvery VERY well done and full of
variety! The mini games are better designed and more varied than DK64,
and each Jiggy represents completely different processes and moves. It
can get frustrating, though.
Frustration
You'll definitely find frustration in Tooie, particularly in the later levels.
I recommend using an online guide when you're stumped.
Replayability: 8 out of 10
Well, once you've beaten the one-player game fully, I think that you'll find
the most fun in the multi player mode. You can play the mini games, plus a
well-done Goldeneye style shootout. Nothing wrong with doing one-player
all over again, though. I think this category will rise once the connection
secrets are revealed.
Banjo-Kazooie/Banjo-Tooie Connection: 7 out of 10
Well, you can find hopping Banjo-Kazooie cartridges and break them open
to find the items that you were supposed to get from Banjo-Kazooie. The
strange thing is, Rare insists that these are fake items and that the
connection still exists. So what's the problem? No one knows when Rare
is going to reveal the secret. We have to wait....
Overall: 9 out of 10
While I recommend you play Banjo-Kazooie first, immediately buy-not
rent-this game after you finish the first one. Platformer fans, kiss your
life goodbye for a week.