Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
Preview
Platforming on the console
by MarvellousG
previewed on X360
Challenges (cntd)
It is this kind of choice and variety upon which the game could, and should, build its niche; after all, how could a game with nearly limitless solutions to a presumably large amount of problems ever really get old, or repetitive? It is also the kind of game that could spawn a loyal and creative community, much like LittleBigPlanet is appearing to do. Dedicated players could keep going for months, with new vehicle designs and solutions to challenges popping up on forums every day. If Rare supports the game properly, it could become a real hit over Xbox Live.
Showdown Town
But now, down to the game itself. You begin the game in a bug hub world (as in old Banjo games) which is called Showdown Town. It is here that the game really shows its technical muscle, with vast structures spouting up on the horizon, foretelling of enjoyment to be had later on in the game when the areas become accessible. The area is huge, and easily copes with all manner of vehicles making their way around it. The game really does look stunning, while somehow retaining that trademark Rare style. Showdown Town also has a truly enormous amount of goodies hidden just out of your reach at the start of the game, while new vehicles and abilities you will unlock grant you access to more and more of them. The area’s practically teeming with things to pick up, so you will probably spend a long time just experimenting with various vehicles in the hub alone, trying manically to reach that one item you know you can get to, but still not seeming able to.
You access the ‘proper’ levels via portals in Showdown Town. To open these you have to collect a certain amount of ‘Jiggles’, one of the many aforementioned unlockables. Again, this lends the game the feel of a real old school platformer, with later levels requiring some serious platforming skills just to access. Not too much has been shown of the main stages yet, but we have been told that they are based on popular platforming clichés, so expect lava and snow worlds aplenty. If Showdown Town is anything to go by, these might be some of the finest platforming worlds ever seen, even when judged with Mario Galaxy still in fairly recent memory.
Party mode
And now, finally, we come to the game’s Party Mode: a collection of 28 minigames that can be played with up to eight people at one time. This is curious considering the 360’s maximum of four pads being connected simultaneously. This means, no doubt, that we will all be able to experience the joy of ‘pass the controller’ fests that have been so poorly received in many a Wii game. Let’s just try and ignore Party Mode for the remainder of the preview, shall we?
Return to Rare
Overall, Nuts & Bolts looks to be a return to form for Rare, and it is sure to make fans of the older games happy, while also potentially breeding a new generation of platforming fans. However, on a more ‘hardcore’ console like the 360, it will be interesting to see how it sells.
