Customer Reviews

Banjo Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As the third game in the Banjo series, this game has everything you would expect. You still collect Jiggies, Jinjos, and the other items fans of the series have come to know and love. This game had six worlds and a vast home world, giving lots of land to explore.

Grunty's Revenge does come up a little short in the play time though; it is nowhere near that of Banjo Kazooie or Tooie. That's not to say you won't have a great time playing it though. It's an excellent adventure the first time through and has great replay value.

The sound is just what you would expect from a Banjo game, catchy, but it won't get on your nerves having it play in the background constantly.

The graphics are acceptable for the GBA, but it can get difficult to see how high ledges are. You will find yourself trying to jump to impossible places at many points in the game.

The controls are easy to master; I couldn't find any problems in learning the new moves.

Put simply, the game play is wonderful. It comes together with the plot to bring a truly fun game.

I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed either of the other Banjo games. It's a great action/adventure game for the GBA.

I was really sad when I read a review of this game in a certain magazine (whose initials shall remain G I). It got a really poor score. I loved the first N64 game and really liked the second. I'd just gotten a GBA SP and was thinking this would be the perfect game to try out that back-lit screen on. Well, I went ahead and ordered it from Amazon...and boy was I glad I didn't listen to that dorky reviewer!

She (the magazine reviewer) criticized the graphics, which are excellent. It's a perfect port...they may in fact be clearer than the N64 graphics...though the other customer reviewer here on Amazon is correct, it is difficult to tell how high some platforms are. She also criticized the "collision" saying that the enemies scored a hit on Banjo when they shouldn't have. Well, when you are playing a game like this, that's one of the things you have to get used to and anticipate. A lazy gamer complains about the collision.

The sound is exact. The music is there in all its twangy goodness. The moves are there. All the running around looking for stuff is there (Jinjos, Jiggies, notes, etc). The GBA SP is a little awkward in my big hands, but if you have one of those domajobbers that make it like a console controller, that would make it all the sweeter.

The ONLY thing that keeps me from giving this game five stars (which I kind of think it deserves) is it's shortness. I would have liked a few more worlds/levels to explore. But, hey, they leave you wanting more. That's a good thing.

What is here is excellent...so Four and three quarters stars really. I'm going to play it again, right after I finish it!

when i first got this game, i didn't know what to expect. A Banjo-Kazooie game for GBA? Surely it couldn't be that much fun. I had long been awaiting another sequal to the game. And i found out there had already been 2 made. This, and one that hasn't been released yet, called "Banjo Pilot", a racing game. This game was more fun than I had ever expected it to be. I had very impressive graphics for a hand-held console. And the plot itself was very impressive. Overall, the game was very enjoyable.

Banjo has the best graphics and cool music. You get to change into a tank, octopus, candle, and a rat. You get to find jiggies and jinjo and meet up with some of the characters from the all the other "Banjo" video games. You get all the best attacks such as egg firing, pack wack, and roll attack. You get to face grunty and klungo.

Grunty's Revenge may not be the new console adventure that fans have been cheated out of (at this point, I'd buy a bleeping Xbox 360 just to play Banjo-Threeie), but that doesn't mean it's not a force to be reckoned with on GBA.

The graphics are a bit outdated, but are still bright and colorful, with very few instances of failing a task because of vision problems. The classic BK melodies are handled well even on the handheld speakers. But as we all know, this doesn't matter much. What matters is gameplay. BK:GR has that in spades.

Although the six worlds in the game are thematically similar to those in the first Banjo game, there are plenty of new items to find and collect (60 jiggies, 30 jinjos, and 600 notes in all). You'll find plenty of the familiar timed platforming runs and "bring-me-five-of-these" quests from the console games, but there's also a new focus on minigames such as fishing, target practice, and boat driving. These are quite fun, but one of the best features of Grunty's Revenge are the new Mumbo transformations. They're completely unique to this GBA version, and are a blast to try out.

The interface has been transferred seamlessly to the GBA, so if you die, it's always your fault, not the controls'. This, combined with the short length (I beat it, with 100%, in 6 hours, one of which was spent on the final boss), makes it a great play for all skill levels. Sure, it would be really nice to see a bigger or longer adventure for the classic duo, but GR's great humor and accessible learning curve will keep us alive until then.

This game is fun and has good graphics I recomend it for people who think a lot of games are to hard. This game might be toeasy for hard core gamers but kids will enjoy it. Once you figure it out it's kind of easy but I think it's my favorite game for GBA so far. Get it if you like BK games.

*Introduction*
Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge is a game that fans of the N64 titles had been looking forward to for a long time. The N64 games were among the best on the system, containing hours of exploration and platforming goodness alongside mystifying secrets and a legendary sense of twisted humor. When it was announced that the series would finally be moving to the GameBoy Advance, fans were ecstatic at the idea that they would be returning to the Isle o' Hags yet again. Now that Grunty's Revenge is finally available, does it live up to the high standard set by Kazooie and Tooie?

*Story*
The story takes place between Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. Grunty is still trapped underneath the rock where she fell from her tower in the first game, and it is up to her henchman Klungo to free her. Klungo, builda Grunty a mechanical replica of her body for her spirit to possess. Coincidentally, this new mechanical body also doubles as a time machine. Gruntilda kidnaps Kazooie and blasts to the past in order to prevent the bear and bird duo from meeting to keep her initial defeat from ever happening. Mumbo Jumbo the shaman then uses his magic to send Banjo back in time to stop her twisted plot before she causes any damage.

This storyline had so much potential for clever references and plot points, yet the time travel premise is barely utilized. You see an ancestor of Bottles and a young hippie version of Mumbo Jumbo, but other than that the game might as well have happened in the present. I would have loved to see a storyline where you run into a younger version of Grunty, Banjo and Kazooie as children, or seen old levels in past forms, but nothing like this happens. Even the existing plot of preventing the bear and bird form meeting is completely ignored after the intro. The story isn't a big factor, but it would have been nice to have more references for fans of the series.

*Gameplay*
So how does the gameplay measure up to the other games? The BK formula is transformed from three dimensions into a top down two dimensional plane, so sacrifices had to be made. One major change is that you can no longer fly. You start out with Banjo on his own, but when you find Kazooie early on in the game everything becomes more familiar. The bear and bird duo control fairly well on the Game Boy Advance, though it's not quite as tight as the N64 games. You'll use many familiar moves, as well as a few new ones, to explore the world. Among the set of moves lifted from BK and BT are egg shooting (along with one new type of eggs), spring jump pads, pack whack, bill drill, wonder wing, talon trot and more. I really wish that they had managed incorporate flying somehow since that was such a staple of the N64 games, but the limitations make it understandable.

If you are familiar with the other games in the series the setup will be familiar. There is a central overworld in the form of Spiral Mountain, which leads you to the various thematic worlds. These worlds are where the meat of the game lies. The levels consist of various locations including a farm, a beach, a harbor, a frozen furnace and a haunted swamp where you will collect jiggies, honeycombs, notes, and other items by jumping, swimming, and gliding through it with all of your moves at hand. Transformations make a return with Mumbo Jumbo offering four new forms for you to play as. Your health is seen as a series of honeycombs, and you gain extensions more by bringing empty honeycombs to Honey B. You will also encounter a few simple mini-games.

One of the major drawbacks to this game is the lack of length and challenge. There are noticeably fewer jiggies in this game than its N64 counterparts, totaling in at a meager 60 and they require much less effort to collect on average. The final boss battle is a fair challenge to beat, though.

*Replay Value*
The game can be 100% completed by an experienced player in less than 4 hours the first time through, which is significantly shorter than the other games in the series. There are two different endings depending on whether you collect everything in the game, but it isn't really worth the effort. You can always start it over from the beginning, but the story and levels are not so interesting or complex that you would want to replay it right away, if ever. It's fun while it lasts, but once it's done it's done.

*Graphics*
The graphics look well done for a GameBoy Advance game. The characters are colorful sprites pre-rendered in 3d and transformed into 2d, much like the Donkey Kong Country games,. Everything looks clear and bright, without any muddiness. It just looks just like a Banjo-Kazooie game should in two dimensions. The top down environments do a fairly good job of trying to give the illusion of a 3d world like the N64 games within the limits of its two dimensional nature.

*Sound*
The sound is good for a GameBoy Advance game. The midi music is composed well enough with catchy tunes and even a few returning themes, but there is nothing anywhere near as memorable as the songs from the N64 installments. The grumbly voices of the characters make a return, yet they aren't of the same quality as the N64 grunts and are more annoying and repetitive. The general sound effects are transferred well enough to the GameBoy Advance to be passable, with egg shooting and everything else sounding as it should.

*Summary*
The game is a fun diversion if you want Banjo on the go, but it adds nothing of note to the series and is quickly forgotten. The short and easy nature of the game will have you zooming right through in a few hours, so don't buy this expecting to be occupied for 30 hours the way you would in the 3d titles. You shouldn't bother with this game unless you can find it for extremely cheap or you are a die hard fan of Banjo-Kazooie. The game would be perfect for a young child inexperienced with platformers. However, It is not quite enough to satisfy the hunger of those waiting for a proper sequel to the Banjo series.

One of the things I love about the Banjo-Kazooie games is their personality. Even though Grunty's Revenge is a graphical breakthrough for the Game Boy Advance, it has none of that personality. It feels more like a re-hash of Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie, without hardly any inspiring elements about it.

The plot is supposed to take place between the two Nintendo 64 instalments. Gruntilda the witch has escaped from under her rocky tomb by means of a spirit machine Klungo has invented (even if he was never a genius), and now she kidnaps Kazooie and goes back in time to change the past. By doing this she hopes to make sure Kazooie and Banjo never meet, and thus never beat Grunty. Banjo travels to the past to save Kazooie and prevent Gruntilda from carrying out her evil plan.

This plot sounds promising enough. The trouble is that the game itself is a very confusing and, worse, uninspiring experience to play. This game has none of the character of the N64 games. There are no worlds like Treasure Trove Cove, Click Clock Wood or Jolly Roger's Lagoon. Instead we have a rather dull beach level, a town with some sludge and oil, and a farm (!) to name 3 of the 6 you play through. This should give you an idea as to what to expect. Interesting characters are practically non-existent as well, though we do at least get to meet a young Captain Blubber (even if I had to consult the Rare fandom to confirm this, because his appearance is very brief). Everything feels uninspiring and cold.

The gameplay is just as bad. A forefather of Bottles called Bozzeye is on hand to teach Banjo moves in exchange for notes. However, before Banjo consults him, he can't do a thing... except move around. That's right. It's no fun at all to have to find a mole to be able to climb a ladder. The layout of the game is very confusing as well. It has a semi-isometric viewpoint that makes it almost impossible to judge jumps and distances like you must frequently do. The Jiggies are either way too easy (more than one world has an easy 'slide' Jiggy) or ridiculously hard. One Jiggy in Spiller's Harbor is VERY frustrating to get because of the limited viewpoint and the ridiculously short timer you get. A couple of enemies kill you way too fast, and they re-spawn almost the second you turn your back. Honeycombs are also rare and in-between, and you never really feel that you're getting anywhere. Trust me, it isn't any more fun that it sounds.

This game may be called Banjo-Kazooie but it has none of the character and spirit to deserve that name. I consider Grunty's Revenge more of an experiment in what the Game Boy Advance is capable of than a good game, because sadly it's not. Dust off your Nintendo 64 if you want to know what makes a good Banjo game.

Okay , if you see that one of these clowns writing Banjo stinks,DON"T listen to them.This game is one of the best game out of all three Banjo games.I mean Banjo-Kazooie(N64)was a classic, So was Banjo-Tooie (for N64). I'll admit,I never played Banjo-Kazooie (yet), all I saw was a peek that my friends let me play for 2 minutes,I didn't want to stop! I'm telling you (me the "The Great One" Ramos,you know who I'am Edison!)That the ERA of Banjo-Kazooie is far from over! (oh, Let's just that I'm 12)

Lately, I've been replaying through alot of my old Gameboy Advance games. One of them that caught my eye to give a good going through again was Banjo Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge. I have to admit, I'm amazed at how closely this game resembles the Nintendo 64 games. The end result is an extremely close representation(music, gameplay, acquired moves and minigames). The only difference is, instead of it being in 3-D, it has more of a Gameboy Advance Spyro game design(which was an absolute blast to play on the GBA), yet not so isometrical. It's kinda hard to explain what I mean by that, you'll just have to play the game and see what I mean. The story begins when Gruntilda's lackey Klungo's manages to resurrect her after her run-in with Banjo and Kazooie at the end of Banjo-Tooie. Grunty's ultimate plan: to go back in time, before the original Banjo-Kazooie and prevent Banjo and Kazooie from ever meeting. She goes off to Banjo's home, kidnaps Kazooie and zaps into the past, leaving Banjo to go after her. Make no mistake, though, weird plot or not...the game design is just as deep and engaging as the N64 games. It's quite a challenge to get through this game, believe me. When it's time to fight Grunty in the final boss battle, much of what you've learned in the game will be put to the test. It's quite an impressive game.

As for gripes concerning the game, it mostly deals with its' perspective. Since the game plays 3-D style platforming in a 2D, overhead engine, it's difficult to judge height and distance of things in the game. Secondly, it's also a short game that leaves you wanting more. There are six worlds with over 60 different trials and, if you're a vet at these types of games, it shouldn't take no more than a few days to finish it. Course, my first time through took alot longer.

Rare did the series justice with its' game for the Gameboy Advance. It's impressive, addictive and downright fun to play. Definitely one you should add to your collection...yes indeed.