Xbox 360 Where Nuts & Bolts went wrong, and what I'd like to see Rare do with the series

[BitesizeCrayons]

I'll admit, I really didn't play much of Nuts & Bolts, and I'm not calling it a bad game. However, the main gripe I have is that it is too far of a departure, and much like Perfect Dark Zero, it presents a facade that Rare is continuing their beloved series on a modern console. They did, but the result was less-than desirable, and it only leaves me wanting a true Banjo-Kazooie sequel. I understand that the golden age of 3D platforming games has passed, but games like Super Mario Galaxy have shown that there is not only room for these games, provided they're done well, but the critical reception and sales of these games can be off the charts (Super Mario Galaxy holds Gamerankings' #1 spot). Sure, Mario sells by fiat, but I'm sure Banjo-Kazooie can as well; many of us grew up playing Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie, and I still revisit both games now and then; a true testament to how awesome Rare was in their prime.

To summarize, I want Rare to make another Banjo-Kazooie platformer, and I want them to approach the development with care. I hope I'm not alone on this.

 

[LALucien]

Hey, I haven't played nuts and bolts yet and I don't think I'm likely to after this review if I'm honest.
Banjo-kazooie was one of my favourite games on the N64 and probably one of the best 3D platformers I've ever played actually.

It's a shame that Rare didn't get their act together after the N64 as all of the games I played from them from Banjo to Goldeneye were great.
They really did just let it go downhill didn't they?

 

[BitesizeCrayons]

I can't really call it much of a review, because I've admittedly barely played it. From what little I have played, it isn't an abomination in itself, it's just that it's not even remotely similar to the classic B-K. They should have made Nuts and Bolts have different characters, maybe they could have made a new IP, but instead, they tried to pull in some easy cash with our beloved bear and bird. Yes, Rare has went downhill, but they're not beyond repair. They simply need to go back to their roots; yes, some devs try and fail, (Sonic Team) but others make shining examples of how to do it (Nintendo).

 

[Blue]

Man, I have to admit that I was disappointed in this game too. Perhaps it came too late after my initial Banjo Kazooie fanaticism.. too late for even nostalgia make me enjoy it. They changed the nature of the game to the point where nostalgia alone wouldn't have been enough anyway. And this is coming from someone who only played a demo lol.

 

[fantanoice]

Banjo Kazooie / Tooie were some of my favourite games and I too was disappointed with this one. The models were really blocky (when the N64 models had such smooth curves, especially given the hardware), the cars made Kazooie completely redundant and collecting the Jiggies didn't feel like you were solving puzzles or exploring a world, it just felt like you were ticking boxes off a todo list.

The most redeeming thing about the game, though, was the Klungo minigame. That was brimming with classic Rare charm.

 

[ThunderSteel]

Where it went wrong: Trying to do a Banjo game when in reality this was a game that didn't remotely have the feeling of a Banjo game. They could've made a different game all together, really.

What I'd like to see Rare do with the series: Give that and Conkers to the spin-off group with the former Rare members. Give it to Nintendo so that Retro can work on it and do a proper Banjo game. Leave "Rare" to do Kinect games.

 

[MetalSwift]

Retro definitely could've done a better job of doing Rare than Rare did in the case of Nuts and Bolts.

 

[StreetShark]

lol What ThunderSteel said. It basically went wrong at the drawing board. I'm sure they were planning a completely different game and decided to just throw Banjo-Kazooie in there somewhere.

 

[MetalSwift]

Oh yeah, that's definitely what happened. There's no way they said from the jump "We're going to do a Banjo-Kazooie game with a Legos cars theme going on. It'll work and we'll have plenty of Banjo to go around."

 

[ThunderSteel]

There's no way they said from the jump "We're going to do a Banjo-Kazooie game with a Legos cars theme going on. It'll work and we'll have plenty of Banjo to go around."

I'm certain someone said that in the meeting room while someone else said "Let's just make a fresh game. That would be easier."

 

[MetalSwift]

I would love if that was true. Current Rare would make for a great game developer sitcom.

...Xbox Entertainment should just regular documentary show in Rare HQ.

 

[ThunderSteel]

It'll be listed under comedy instead of documentary or most would view it as a comedy instead of a legit documentary.