Banjo-Tooie

November 20, 2000 - Colossal, immense, and gigantic; beautiful, gorgeous, and grandiose -- these are the words one thinks of when describing Rare's follow-up adventure to Banjo-Kazooie. Keeping consistent with the attitude found in this title, Rare has wittily named it Banjo-Tooie. Banjo-Tooie, simply put, is incredibly unimaginable. The worlds are ludicrous in size, the gameplay is polished and deep, and the soundtrack proves to be an immaculate compliment. When it comes to defining platform-based entertainment, Banjo-Tooie is filled with chapter after chapter of standards.

Features

• Explore eight giant worlds
• Open new worlds by collecting jiggys
• Solve puzzles and help game characters to unearth jiggys
• Play as Mumbo, a T-Rex, Submarine, Money-Van, Washing Machine, and more
• Learn more than 40 new moves
• Split up and play as Banjo and Kazooie separately
• Supports 16:9 enhanced wide-screen mode
• Dolby Surround sound
• Rumble Pak support
• Four-player versus games including first-person shootouts, kickball, bumper cars, and more.

Gameplay
Two years have passed since Banjo-Kazooie put Gruntilda the Witch under a rock outside her lair. The opening cut-scene features Grunty's long-time servant, Klungo, and as the rain pours down he anxiously tries to remove the large rock from atop of Grunty. Of course, being the failure he is, he doesn't have any success. The scene cuts to a game of cards in Banjo's house. As Banjo-Kazooie, Mumbo, and Bottles sit around the card table, the house begins to shake violently. After some dialogue it cuts back to a giant drill-on-wheels that pokes through the nearby rock-face. Inside are Grunty's sisters, who are nothing alike in appearance. One is terribly fat and the other is skin and bones -- a comical pairing indeed. They come to Grunty's aid by shattering the rock with a spell and resurrecting her. Much to Grunty's surprise, though, she's nothing but a skeleton. In the two years she spent lying under a rock, she's decomposed a bit.

Meanwhile, the courageous Mumbo slips out of the house to see what the shaking is about. He witnesses Grunty's rise from the grave and she catches him staring from behind a rock. Angrily she tries to cast a spell on him. Several huge green balls of magic race after Mumbo as he quickly heads back to Banjo's place. Mumbo warns everyone, but unfortunately the spell slams into the house before everyone gets out. Sadly, Bottles the Mole (who helped Banjo-Kazooie all through their last quest) doesn't make it out on time. But, as Kazooie quickly remarks, Bottles wasn't one of the favorite characters in the last game, anyway... With the damage done, Grunty heads into the drilling machine with her sisters in search of a cure for her bony body. On the way out her sisters tell her of a life-sucking machine that can help her get her grotesque body back. And thus the stage is set as Grunty and her sisters begin scheming to suck the life out of the land and people. Mumbo proclaims there must be revenge and volunteers Banjo-Kazooie for the job. Dead-set on putting Grunty in her place once and for all, our adventure begins.

Banjo-Tooie picks up exactly where its predecessor left off. Your adventure begins in the same overworld hub that was in Banjo-Kazooie, and you can even go back to the original lair where the last quest began, but fallen rocks block it off. While a lot has remained the same, some of the rules have changed. This time to get to Gruntilda and her two sisters you're going to have to go through the almighty Master Jiggywiggy. He, and he alone, will open up new passages on your quest. Naturally he'll only point you in the right direction and open doors if you have enough jiggys. But it doesn't come without a test. After you have enough jiggys you have to solve a puzzle by putting the jiggys together in the allotted time. With each puzzle that you solve you'll open up a whole new world to explore.

In Banjo-Kazooie you had to find enough notes to break the spells on doors to advance. Not this time. Jiggys are the most important item for your quest, just as they should be. As for the notes, they are used to get new moves for Banjo-Kazooie. Bottles' brother, Jamjars, is a military-driven fellow who will teach you all kinds of fancy tricks to help you on your way to Grunty. There's an absolutely huge number of moves that you can learn. It's somewhere over 40 different moves that you'll be able to execute by the end of the game. It sounds difficult, but keep in mind that one of the new moves involves playing separately as Banjo or Kazooie. Alone, they can learn new moves of their own. Because most of the moves are performed in the same way, it's not too hard to remember how to do each one. Each and all of the moves you learn will play an integral part in your quest. And often, you have to return to previous areas where you can finally use your new move to get yourself a jiggy.

There are eight primary environments in Banjo-Tooie that encompass an ancient jungle, a coal mine, an amusement park, a lagoon, an prehistoric wasteland, a factory building, and much more. The sheer diversity of all the worlds is one thing to be in awe of, but there's an even more surprising fact: all of them are connected. In all of these worlds is where you collect your jiggys. It's all very similar to the first game, but this time Rare made sure that it was all part of the same world. You don't jump into a treasure chest to find your fantastical world, you simply realize it's already part of the one you're in. Also, because all these levels are connected and found in the same world some tasks require you to go back to the other world. One example of this is bringing a train to Witchyworld so you can haul a giant dinosaur back to Terrydactyland. You'll have to use your wits and constantly remember to refer to the previous lands you've visited.

In each land there is a way to be someone else. Mumbo, the resident shaman, is a playable character now, and you can use his spells for all kinds of different tasks -- things such as turning a train right side up or raising platforms in a swamp. Your other helper is the new character, Humba Wumba. She waits in her wigwam with her pool of magic and will change your form in so many ways it will make your head spin. Depending on the world you visit you may become a T-Rex, a stone statue, or a washing machine. With your new form you can perform new tasks that you never could before like, err, washing clothes and blasting opponents with wet undies. Needless to say, many jiggys await you in your new form.

Equally impressive is the clever writing. In classic Banjo-Kazooie style, Banjo is still as thick as a rock and Kazooie is just as mean as ever. The dialogue, if you can swallow the limey humor, is full of very dry sarcasm. A few examples of this are when a turtle is "tipped up" on its back and Kazooie jokes about it. The joke being that Tip Tup is an original character (a turtle) from Diddy Kong Racing. Rare has also placed a ton of suggestive adult humor throughout the game, too. Much of it, only adults will get. If you know Rare games, you'll recognize this humor right off the bat.

All in all, if you're a fan of platform-based games, Banjo-Tooie is amazing. It continues to improve on the formulas set forth by Super Mario 64, the original innovator. There's a lot of polish in the gameplay department. The worlds are too big? There are warp zones. Got a new move? Go back to a previous world and get that jiggy you could never get before. Tired of collecting things? Banjo-Tooie actually makes it fun. In fact, collecting stuff has never been more fun, really. You have to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles to find things such as the classic Jinjo characters. Point being, Banjo-Tooie is a really fun game. It will provide at least 25 solid hours of gameplay, if not more. We can't imagine where this title will go next.

Multiplayer
Rare has gone the extra mile in an attempt to give Banjo-Tooie some replay value. It features full four-player support and plenty of options to go with it. The available multiplayer action includes a first-person mode shootout, kickball, bumper cars, and a jump-through-the-hoops mini-game. Admittedly there is a lot there, but most of it will get old very quickly. The first-person shooter mode is the only one really worth mentioning because it runs smoothly. You run around with a bird in your hand shooting eggs at your opponent. It's very similar to Golden Eye in that you can play modes such as normal deathmatch, one-hit kills, one vs. all, and more. It runs very smoothly in two-player mode, but as you move into four-player mode it slows down a bit. In general, the multiplayer options are not perfect, but they are something. Rare could have simply omitted them, but they went ahead and even added plenty of options. The bottom line is, it's better than nothing, but it doesn't come close to the multiplayer fun in Perfect Dark or GoldenEye.

Graphics
Banjo-Tooie is definitely one of the most beautiful games on the N64. Unfortunately it's also one of the most inconsistent titles in the framerate department. Rare once said it designed the graphics engine to go from 0-60 frames per second in no time flat. Well, it does just that. Most of the time the framerate hovers around 15 frames per second and jumps up to 24 or 30 now or then. But then there are a few rare moments, such as the first-person shooter mode, when the engine is pushing along at anywhere from 45-60 frames per second. Summed up, the framerate will absolutely detract from your experience. There is no balance or unifying performance other than the fact that it is bad. The worlds may be of giant size, but it's hard to see their beauty in the inconsistent clutter of frames being drawn. We can only guess that Rare didn't have enough time to optimize and the reason that it was released is because this is the N64's last big holiday season. Releasing this title in 2001 was simply not an option for Nintendo or Rare. That's no excuse, however. We would have preferred to see less texture detail, a little more pop-up or fade-in, less real-time lighting, smaller models, or whatever (besides fog) it would take to get things running more smoothly. After all, the original Banjo-Kazooie used some beautiful textures, sported great animation, and did so with a much better framerate by comparison.

Aside from our complaints, Banjo-Tooie is gorgeous to look at. The first noticeable improvement in visuals comes in the form of draw-distance. Rare has this engine drawing all the way through the levels. In all of the great wide-open areas you can see all the way to the walls where it ends. Even more surprising is the textures are drawn just as far, and their level of detail hasn't been sacrificed. In comparison, the first Banjo-Kazooie slowly blended out polygonal objects and the level of detail on textures as things were drawn farther away. Banjo-Tooie does this, but only on a minor level. And, if you remember how Banjo-Kazooie delivered in the texture department you will appreciate the beauty of Banjo-Tooie. However, for some reason some of the textures tend to look more "dirty" and not as smoothly blended as they were in Banjo-Kazooie. We can't put our finger on it, but it's nonetheless apparent.

Some other features that may go overlooked are the real-time lighting and shadows. The main characters always feature a full-fledged "real" shadow throughout the whole game. Many might overlook this as a minor detail, but it's a huge feat for the N64. By comparison even Link's feet only cast two pseudo-shadows in both The Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. There are times in Banjo-Tooie when two local lights will cast two separate shadows that even account for the perspective by stretching themselves all the way to a wall or hugging Banjo by his shoes. There's also plenty of real-time lighting everywhere. Banjo-Kazooie and friends will be lit with every color light imaginable, and it looks stunning. There's also improved particle effects that are some of the best seen on the console. Whether it's sparks bouncing carelessly across the floor or water drops creating random ripples in a nearby pond, it doesn't go unnoticed.

The last and most impressive graphical feat is the vast and detailed animation. Banjo-Kazooie's actions are exquisitely animated on their own, but add to that all the other characters you can be and you'll grasp the amazing expanse of animation to be found. Whether you're Mumbo, a T-Rex, or a Washing Machine there's always something about the animation that is both impressive and comical. This is a third-generation title and it shines through.

Sound
Rare's first attempt at interactive environmental audio was renowned in the first Banjo-Kazooie. We expected no less for Banjo-Tooie, and the talented composers delivered with flying colors. The soundtrack features just the right amount of cartoon-twang and comical drumbeats. Naturally because each level has a different environment it sounds different. The compositions always do their environments justice without making you feel bored. The interactive nature of it all also does wonders for the atmosphere. If you climb to a high altitude the music will slowly fade out in favor of a light breeze. And, just the same, if you exit Witchyworld amusement park it will steadily give way to a less circus-esque song. All the music is in keeping with the theme it portrays, and it does so in high-quality.

The sound effects are equally comical. If there's one thing that will convince you of the awesome effects efforts it's the T-Rex's glass-shattering roar. It may be the last time you ever hold down your B-button. Every creature that Banjo becomes is brought to life by the precise sound effects that complement it. All of it is of top-notch quality right down to that annoying squeaking sound that comes from your washing machine. The characters' voices also remain the same as they were in Banjo-Kazooie. It's just odd mumbling of different syllables, but they're altogether very amusing. Even the briefest "Bwaaa!" or "Yee-ha!" from an enemy is sure to draw a smile. Everything audible also comes in fully Dolby Surround if you've got a Pro-Logic receiver to support it. It hardly gets any better than this on the N64.

Closing Comments
Banjo-Tooie had me hooked from the start. Sure, one of the first things I said was, "Gah! Do I have to collect framerates in this?" But, assuredly, it became easier to overlook. Everything in the game is improved over Banjo-Kazooie (*cough* except the famerate *cough). The camera is dramatically smoother, and it's a great deal easier to control Banjo-Kazooie because of it. Aside from the technicalities, the gameplay just plain rocks. Even Nintendo itself has got to be taking a few notes because it's such a great platformer. I even woke up one night with the revelation, "Oh, I know what I have to do here!" It's one of those pieces of software that gets under your skin in an addictive way. You have to collect those jiggys, you have to find all the secrets. Rare has truly proved that not only can it mock and improve on past greatness, but it can bring something fresh to the industry. If you liked Banjo-Kazooie, buy this game. If you liked Super Mario 64, buy this game. The bosses are huge, the puzzles are many, and the rewards are great. As bad as the framerate can be (and believe me, I hate to keep mentioning it) the title offers more than enough to compensate for it. Even if you're extremely picky it will be hard to not enjoy this game. It will make you smile, feel brilliant, and laugh to the very end.

Rating	Description
out of 10	click here for ratings guide
9.0	Presentation Clever writing, hidden "Easter eggs", 16:9 enhanced mode option, and a detailed, yet, navigable options screen makes this game a winner. The one thing we did yearn at times is a world map.
7.0	Graphics Beautiful real-time lighting, nice character modeling, brilliant animation... All these things may be great, but the framerate is a major disappointment and will detract even the most inexperienced eye.
10	Sound Laughable, lovable, and all-around superb. The environments sound like they look, and the characters' voices are just as accurate.
10	Gameplay This title is large in an intimidating way. There's so much to do and collect and you just don't want to put the controller down.
8.0	Lasting Appeal There's tons to collect and do, and even after you're done there's some hidden gems. There's a full-fledged multiplayer mode, and you can even unlock characters. But, the mode isn't that much fun.
9.4 Outstanding	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)