Don't Put The Screws To Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts Just Yet
May 13, 2008
Microsoft and Rare have finally removed the protective cover from the new Banjo-Kazooie adventure, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, which finds the beloved Bear and Bird from the Nintendo 64 days back in a new adventure that, at first glance, has a much different dynamic than the previous games in the series. Kombo has the details and the debut trailer.
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts will feature several unique features aside from traditional platforming elements. Players will have the ability to create vehicles with parts they discover around the games many levels. Some of the vehicles created within the game will include a helicopter, a 4 wheeled kart, and a hovercraft. Each vehicle is made up of unique combinations that will really show off some of the new gameplay elements Rare has incorporated into this title. There will be a total of 1,600 parts to be found, including weapons that can be attached to vehicles. This may sound a bit heavy on the vehicle side of things, but rest assured that there is a heavy emphasis on platforming.
At first I was concerned about swapping out the conventional run 'n jump mechanic for a heavy emphasis on vehicles, but I'm starting to come around to the idea. Banjo's last 3D platforming adventure was released eight years ago. Aside from a pair of scaled-down appearances on the Game Boy Advance, he's been away from the ongoing development of the platformer genre. Like the recently revealed Kid Icarus, the Banjo franchise needs an evolutionary boost if it plans to play in the modern gaming environment. I'm keeping an open mind about Nuts and Bolts, and hopefully you will do the same.