Customer Reviews

Banjo-Kazooie

5 star:		(107)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I got Banjo Kazooie a couple of years ago for Christmas and it's still one of my favorite games. It's a lot like Mario 64 except better in many ways. The levels are a lot bigger and more challenging. There are more moves to learn, more enemies, and bigger bosses than any other 3D platformer except for Donkey Kong 64. It's fun finding and collecting the puzzle pieces so you can get to the next level and closer to the chance of putting Gruntilda back on her broom and on her way. As you go on, the levels get more and more difficult. The level with all 4 seasons in it and Gruntilda's board game are especially difficult. You also have to collect 5 of your friends in each level for a puzzle piece. Not to mention collecting 100 musical notes for another one. There is a lot to find in each world, but the game is fun enough and keeps you interested enough to do that without getting frustrated. The snow level was completely awesome and had some of the beat graphics I have ever seen.

At the end of the game, Gruntilda is a pretty hard boss to beat. There's a secret you can get right before you jump in the pot that sends you to fight her that will double your energy IF you have collected enough music notes throughout the game. Banjo Kazooie revolutionized 3D action/adventure games a step further than Mario 64 did and did it with authority. If you like 3D action/adventure games, you got to get this game.

I have played every single game by Rareware, and every one of them astounds me. But this... this is paradise on wings. Every single new level involves new challenges with ways to figure them out. The music is so addicting that you will often find yourself not wanting to quit a level just so you can hear the refrain one more time. Everything Kazooie, the bird, says is hilarious, and the way the characters tell their names, often referring to themselves in the third person, is funny too. The gameplay is flawless. Every single move will seem completely natural all of the time. It is addictive. If you try to cheat, or find out how to get a certain Jiggy, you have been warned: After a certain amount of cheats, Rare erases your gamepack memory. The graphics are stunning. All you have to do is look at a honeycomb up close, and you will believe that Gamecubes are primitive compared to the Nintendo 64. Rare's attention to details is astounding. Each enemy carries out a choreographed set of moves when you enter its range, squeaks, and runs towards you. The main villian, Gruntilda, spouts rhymes randomly, which sometimes get boring, as they are reused over and over again, but it doesn't matter, as they are so funny. Difficulty is the only place in this game where it plays to perhaps half a percent off. Each level doesn't get harder in itself, just more complicated. The last one consists of a giant tree that you will curse every time you fall off and have to climb up again, which will happen invariably every single time you turn the game on. However, this pales in the need to beat this great game. If you get every single item there is, which will take a long time, a secret or two might be revealed for banjo-Tooie...
In short, anyone who does not buy this game needs help, and quickly. Anyone who does buy this game, you will never regret it.

The evil witch Gruntilda has stolen Banjo's younger sister, Tooty, in hopes to steal her beauty. Banjo, and Kazooie, the bird that's lodged in his pack, will have to rescue her. You start off in Spiral Mountain, in which the mole, Bottles, will teach you some basic moves. Then you move on to Gruntilda's gigantic lair, in which you will be searching all over for world entrances, into Munbo's Mountain, and Treasure Trove Cove, Clanker's ( a large shark-shaped trash compacter) Cavern, Bubblegloop Swamp, Frezeezy Peak, Gobi's Valley, Mad Monster Mansion, Rusy Bucket Bay, Click-Clock Wood, then Grunty's game show, in which you answer Banjo trivia, and finnally the final battle. Yes, its a lot, and it will take you quite a long time. But it is SOOO fun!
In each world, you will find:
10 jigsaw pieces, or jiggies, which are either lying around or a reward for doing, or defeating something. You use jiggies to open the door to each world (note: sometimes puzzles are faar away from the actual world)
100 musical notes. These are used to get through musical doors, to advance farther in your quest. These are much easier to get than jiggies.
5 Jinjos. A mix between a dino and teddy bear. if you find all five in a world, you get a jiggy.
1 Witch switch. Hammer this switch with Grunty's face on it and a Jiggy will appear somewhere in the lair.
Bottles. In every world up to Gobi's valley, he has a molehill, and if called on, will teach you a new move.
Mumbo: He's only in some worlds, in a big shaman's skull, bring him Mumbo tokens and he will change you into a different creature, essential for findind some jiggies and notes.
Cheeto: He hides in the dark corners of the liar. He doubles your capacity for; blue eggs (ammo), red feathers (flying), and gold feathers (invincebility).
Cauldrons: these also hide in the nooks and crannies of the lair. They provide shortcuts within the lair.
I suggest buying a strategy guide, it's very hard trying to find where the jiggies and notes are.
I am amazed by Rare's building of the worlds and lair. This game will be so much fun. You'll find yourself addicted.

My siblings and I thought this was a very exciting game! It keeps you going, unlike those shoot-em'-up games like 007 and Quake. You have goals to shoot for, and different worlds to explore and defeat. If I were you I would definately consider purchasing this game!

I have never played anything like this since. Everything from Sly Racoon, to Ratchet and Clank, owe it to this.

Wicked witch Gruntilda takes Banjo's sister to hey layer, miles away in a realistic 3D cartoon world.

Banjo is a bear with Kazooie a bird in his backpack that can help him jump and fly and basically you learn to do lots of things with it. You solve puzzles via action and collect tolkens across lovely maps. Mumbo Jumbo transforms Banjo into some other creatures along the way. You can fly. It was amazing. A full adventure all the way to end. We played it for months and I have NEVER played anything like it again. The makers of Donkey Kong released it at the best time. It is now up to the future generations to make adventure concepts better than this one. This is one of the best N64 games ever.

Rareware - words fail me. Again they have made a quality title beyond imagination. Creative beyond a shadow of a doubt. 95 % of people agree, that Banjo-Kazooie is a landmark title with everything the N64 has to offer, and that it is worthy of 5 out of 5 stars . While developed early in N64's lifespan, the graphics stand out beyond many titles recently released. The sound is equally as impressive (for N64), and the game has been cleverly melded with it to make you feel as the atmosphere of the game has changed, depending on your situation.

I am proud to say many people love this game. Many of my friends still play it occasionally, however few have beaten it all the way. This game is solid for 50+ hours of gaming, but only when you are willing to get every last puzzle piece and musical note, and every other item. Some people dislike it, and do not be fooled; a 27 year male old who listens to ultra-hard rock and loves games with extreme violence and/or nudity will NOT like this game. It is by no means for everybody. Many gamers, from preschool to high school will like it, but not everybody.

The controls are easy enough to master, and any avid or casual gamer will easily master them with a little practice. The sound is superb. The graphics are good, for an N64 title. There is not a dull moment in this game, and the attention to detail is amazing. The puzzles, the meat of the game, are easy enough for older kids to have a challenge and not to hard for younger kids. The puzzle peices, your reward for completeing a puzzle, are well hidden. The musical notes, the only way to advance to the next portion of the overworld, are challenging to find. The most fun part of the game, visiting Mumbo, is quite enjoyable. He transforms you into various forms. A fat walrus, a termite, and even a bumble bee. There isn't really an advancing story, but that's okay. You get an occasional cinematic, but it's pretty basic.

The story goes...
The evil witch, Gruntilda, is happily hanging out atop her mountain WHEN... The "cute" Tootie, sister of Banjo the bear, strolls by. Overcome with jealousy, she sees Tootie is quite a bit "cuter" than her. So she kidnapps Banjo's sister and creates a machine to suck Tootie's "cuteness" out and put it into her. Banjo and his sidekick breegull, Kazooie set off to find Tootie. A mole named Bottles helps them learn some new moves to defeat various obsticles in the game.

Well, I hope you enjoy this game. Thanks for reading this review, and until next time...
CRIMSON|RED

I enjoy challenging, fun adventure games like Mario and Zelda, and since I beat Zelda I was looking for a new game to play. That's when I found Banjo-Kazooie at a friend's house! Just recently I got it, and I haven't nearly penetrated the secrets of the game. There aren't as many characters as in Paper Mario, which to me is a down point, but the ones there are are well done and 3D, while Paper Mario's characters are all 2D. I love Paper Mario and it is still one of my favorite games, but I'm so glad I found Banjo-Kazooie! The characters include
Banjo, a big lazy bear whose little sister was kidnapped by Gruntilda the witch
Kazooie, Banjo's wise-mouthed bird friend who lives in his backpack
Bottles, a shortsighted mole who helps Banjo and Kazooie by teaching them moves with names like Beak Buster or Claw Swipe throughout the game
Mumbo-Jumbo, a shaman whose magic can turn Banjo and Kazooie into an ant, bee, a washing mashine, and even more animals! His magic is much more helpful than his grammar (Me Mumbo, greatest shaman in all game... lol)
Clanker, a metal shark that grinds the witch's trash. Only appears in one level and is not a main character. When I found him, he seemed a bit alarming but after a while I started to feel a bit sorry for him. A friend who has this game says that you're supposed to help him in some way but I haven't figured it out yet...

One stunning thing stands out in this game, graphics, graphics, and GRAPHICS!! None of the other games I've played have been this beautiful, and the characters are very detailed. There are also tiny graphical details here and there in the worlds or the witch's lair. For example, metal plates and rivets can be seen on Clanker, the feathering detail on Kazooie's wings always takes my breath away every time she flies, and once when I looked at a picture frame a bit more closely, I found tiny letters that spelled the name of a world!

The sound and music is also cool. I like Kazooie's speech sounds and the squish-squish sounds when walking through mud or swampy ground. Other small audio details come in the form of little "speech" sounds that come whenever a character is talking (this adds to each character's personality, and to the alarming presence of Clanker), distortion of the music when swimming under water, and small swishing sounds when you're being still in water (they come from Banjo's treading water, and yes that is an animation!).

Overall, Banjo-Kazooie is a great game and I would definately buy it!

Banjo-Kazooie is a game that didn't really appeal to me at first. It looked to childish, to easy, and just basically stupid. Comming from the epic company Rareware, I was a bit more interested in what this game was about. Seeing so many good reviews and so many possitive aspects, I realized I must give this game a try. Well, was I ever lucky to do so. Keeping with the Mario 64 type control style and the amazing graphics, I couldn't put the game down. Even though the game was kiddie looking and very childish too, it was really placed for us people who love adventure games. The little things, such as the mini games, make this game even better than it already was. Imagine running around in the snow in a race against a sleding polar bear or playing follow the leader with a giant ghost hand. These are only a few of the things you can do in the game. The game flows a little different than Mario fans might be used to; you have many things to collect. For starters, your main objective is to find all the Jiggys on a level so you can gain access to all other levels. Also, music notes are needed to break the witches spell on doors throughout her lair. And even little guys called Jinjo's are here for you to collect, so they can help you on your journey, through a forest, islands, deserts, and many other worlds. If you have seen a Rare game, you know that they have good graphics, so no exception here, very well done. The music is also a plus feature on this game. With so many great reviews by people of all ages and sexes, you would be doing yourself a great disjustice by not buying this game.

Okay, this game was defenitly worth making. This plays a lot like Mario 64 does, but there are a lot more features. Take transforming for example, once you get enough Mumbo Tokens, you can go to Mumbo's house and for the correct fee, he'll transform you into things like ants, crocodiles, bees, pumpkins, and walruses. The graphics are very impressive, what you would expect from a rare game. The Envirorments are very open so you can explore all you want. The game is somewhat easy at first level, but gradually works up in difficulty as you advance in the levels. Now the story. You play as Banjo and Kazzoie, best friends who are working together to save Banjo's sister. Banjo is lazy and Kazzoie is a smart mouth. See, Gruntilda, a really ugly witch created a beatuty transferer which would trade her uglyness to a pretty person and get the other persons beuaty. Now all she has to do is get a pretty person cuz all her friends are ugly. She kidnaps Tooty, Banjo's sister, and plans to use her as her subject. Like Mario 64's Peach's castle, this game's "map" is Gruntilda's Lair. Your objective is to get puzzle pieces, once you get enough of these, you can put puzzles together and open new worlds. This is a fun adventure game which deserves to be bought. You'll love it.

I've had this game since way back when it was released; I just never got the chance to write a review.

The Story: Banjo's sister, Tooty, was "the most beautiful girl around" and Grunty the witch wanted her beauty, so she pulled an Amber Alert and took her to her lair. Banjo's lazy bum the whole time was sleeping. It's up to you to get jiggy's and notes and what-not to stop Grunty and get Banjo's sister back.

Graphics: 9.5/10. Awesomely different and creative worlds. From a sewer, to a pirate ship on an island, to a desert and into an icy snowland, there are tons of different and unique worlds to play through. The graphics are stellar for the N64, with bright colors and cool characters with good animations. This is one of the best N64 games as far as graphics go next to games like Donkey Kong 64 and Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

Sound: 9/10. There aren't really any voices in this game; just kind of sound effects that are different for each character. Blubber on Treasure Grove Cove sounds like he's burping or throwing up, Kazooie sounds like a gagging bird, Banjo sounds like a big old hick of a bear... and so on. The music in this game, though, is some of the catchiest and the best music i've heard in really any adventure game. The music doesn't really get old, and whoever created it is brilliant. Overall, the sound is really, really good.

Control: 8.5/10. Being an adventure game, there are a lot of different controls for a lot of different moves. And since the N64 controller is the way it is ( pretty annoying ) it's easy to get confused even after playing for hours on end, just because you go brain dead. The controls are a bit strange at first to do some of the attacks, but you will get used to them anyways.

Fun: 9/10. A great game from beginning to end. Get the jiggys, move on. Get the notes, move on. That simple? No. This game is challenging and is for all ages, even if it does have a kiddy approach. The game lasts maybe 40 hours or so depending on how fast you get through the game. Great characters, great level design, and fantastic music makes this a must buy. This is one of the best games on the N64, and I.M.O., the best adventure game. Pick this game up now; it is better than its sequel and the Game Boy Advanced ones, even if all three are fantastic. Buy this game!!

9.3/10