banjo posts (Subscribe to this feed)
Banjo-Tooie to beat up on XBLA this April
by Ross Miller 
{ Jan 27th 2009 at 12:35PM } 
Rare is calling it a "note-perfect migration" with upped graphics and framerate. BT will also feature the ill-fated Stop 'n' Swop, a relic from the Nintendo 64 days allowing items collected in Banjo-Kazooie to materialize in the sequel. No indication on what such items will be or how they'll affect gameplay. As for the cost, mum's the word for now, but our guess is it'll be at or near BK's 1200
($15) price tag.Gallery: Banjo-Tooie (XBLA)
Wii Music accommodates our de facto banjo theme
by JC Fletcher { Sep 26th 2008 at 10:45AM }
It's totally a banjo kind of week. We were just talking about Banjo-Kazooie (and its apparent banishment from Virtual Console), and now Nintendo presents a Wii Music video demonstrating that game's interpretation of the instrument of the same name. It's air banjo! Like air guitar, but folksier. While holding the nunchuk aloft, whipping downward with the Wiimote will approximate a single pluck, or a strum, depending on the song. Maybe tomorrow the featured instrument will be the kazoo. Wouldn't that be an odd coincidence?
All this banjo talk makes us want to watch Space Ghost Coast To Coast. BANJOOOOOO!
Gallery: Wii Music
Looking for more on Wii Music? You can catch an E3 trailer here, read about our time with the game here, and learn how to play the steel drum, handbell, trumpet, timpani, acoustic bass, shamisen, harmonica, cello, harpsichord, cheerleader, saxophone, sitar, cowbell, electric bass, drums, dog, accordion, taiko, clarinet, conga, electric guitar, harp, flute, marching drum, violin, piano, guitar, and marimba.Banjo-Kazooie XBLA remake dated for Nov 26, sequel in 2009 [update]
by Ross Miller { Sep 24th 2008 at 1:40PM }
($15). Additionally, Microsoft announced a Banjo-Tooie remake is coming in early 2009. Those who pre-order Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts will get it about two weeks early (the game launches just under two weeks prior on November 14). Achievements in Banjo-Kazooie will unlock content in Nuts and Bolts via the "Stop n Swop" mode.
Nuts & Bolts is $39.99, pre-orders get XBLA Banjo early
by Richard Mitchell { Aug 19th 2008 at 3:15PM }
Finally, a new Nuts & Bolts world called Jiggoseum was revealed. You can check out the first images of Jiggoseum in the gallery below.
[Via Joystiq]
Hands on: Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts vehicle creation
by Richard Mitchell { Jul 16th 2008 at 1:00PM }
Mario beheaded by Banjo, everybody freaks
by Chris Greenhough { May 14th 2008 at 5:00PM }
Rare unveiled a trailer yesterday for its forthcoming Xbox 360 vehicle-based platformer Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. It looks very lovely, as Rare games often do, but discussion about the video now seems to be less about the game, and more about a brief cameo from Mario.
Towards the end of the two-minute trailer, the bear and the bird are seen flying a customized plane towards a huge model of Mario, before blasting the revered plumber's head clean off! The cheek! Later versions of the same footage have had the decapitation edited out (there is an unedited version after the break), which suggests that Rare got a slapped wrist over the (hardly scandalous) "scandal."
Anyway, with grim predictability, this scene resulted in the entire internet getting its panties in a bunch. Everywhere one looked, people were speculating boringly over what this could possibly mean. And now, Rare has enlightened us: it means nothing. Zilch. It was all a bit of light-hearted fun. Haha.
MTV's Stephen Totilo spoke to lead software engineer Salvatore Fileccia about the cameo, and came away with the impression that some rascal at Rare had constructed the Mario figure using the game's vehicle editor, and that the scene had been added to the trailer at the last minute, with Microsoft none the wiser. But before you all grab your pitchforks, know that Rare still has tons of respect for Mario, with Fileccia himself commenting at the presentation of the trailer: "Action platformers have gotten a bit stale, except for Mario."
Crisis over, then. Now back to praying for a Banjo game on the Virtual Console.
Towards the end of the two-minute trailer, the bear and the bird are seen flying a customized plane towards a huge model of Mario, before blasting the revered plumber's head clean off! The cheek! Later versions of the same footage have had the decapitation edited out (there is an unedited version after the break), which suggests that Rare got a slapped wrist over the (hardly scandalous) "scandal."
Anyway, with grim predictability, this scene resulted in the entire internet getting its panties in a bunch. Everywhere one looked, people were speculating boringly over what this could possibly mean. And now, Rare has enlightened us: it means nothing. Zilch. It was all a bit of light-hearted fun. Haha.
MTV's Stephen Totilo spoke to lead software engineer Salvatore Fileccia about the cameo, and came away with the impression that some rascal at Rare had constructed the Mario figure using the game's vehicle editor, and that the scene had been added to the trailer at the last minute, with Microsoft none the wiser. But before you all grab your pitchforks, know that Rare still has tons of respect for Mario, with Fileccia himself commenting at the presentation of the trailer: "Action platformers have gotten a bit stale, except for Mario."
Crisis over, then. Now back to praying for a Banjo game on the Virtual Console.
Mario spotted in new Banjo-Kazooie trailer
by Ross Miller { May 13th 2008 at 8:00PM }
[Thanks, Michael]
Today in Joystiq: December 19, 2007
by Ross Miller { Dec 19th 2007 at 11:59PM }
Joystiquery
Joystiq Interview: Kuju's download-only studio doublesix
Today's most remote video: FFVII on your PSP
Wii Fanboy Weekly: December 13th, 2007 - December 19th, 2007
News
MTV's "next big thing": Bruckheimer teams up for game studio
Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete trailer
Warren Spector talks retirement, Deus Ex 3, selling out
Sensible World of Soccer has critical bug, gets pulled
GameStop clarifies Wii Reservation program details
Folding@Home gets update, new features
New Ninja Gaiden 2 gameplay video is predictably rad
Codemasters teases 'Project Strike Team'
Kane and Lynch: Dead Men, Live demo
MCV: GTA IV to hit UK April 25
Warhawk expansion arrives day early, free for a few
Duke Nukem Forever teaser perpetuates cycle of non-delivery
Codemasters to continue Wii's mini-game doldrums with Emergency Mayhem
Unreal Tournament III on Macs early 2008
Conan MMO dev: WoW popularity in decline
Pachter: GTA IV is not a Take-Two panacea
Bloomberg: Persona 4 dev sticks with PS2
Folklore gets in the holiday spirit
Rumors & Speculation
Rumorong: More exclusive GTA IV Xbox 360 content in '09
Nintendo teases two new Virtual Console consoles
Super Mario Galaxy DS video a hoax
Culture & Community
Where's Duke Nukem been the last decade?
Rock Band site down for 'upgrades'
NY gov. Spitzer cites hoax site in anti-games campaign
Keep your Wii classy with replacement top panel
GameSetWatch picks top 5 freeware games
Zero Punctuation affected by Mass Effect's verbiage
Beverage companies blame video games for obesity
[Thanks, ShortFuse]
Rare is so not working on Killer Instinct 3
by Dustin Burg { Jun 26th 2007 at 3:15PM }
In their latest mailbag answering session of Scribes, Rare squishes then squashes the rumor that their team is currently working on a Killer Instinct sequel stating that "purely out of contractual obligation, no, we're not working on KI3". Rare also re-emphasizes that their main focus right now is the Xbox 360 Banjo-Kazooie sequel which we're sure we'll be seeing at this year's E3.That pretty much ends the Rare rumor squashing for today. But let it be known that their yet to be announced project after Banjo ships is totally fair game for the rumor generators among us.
[Via Joystiq]
Rare talks Banjo-Kazooie for 360
by David Dreger { Mar 29th 2007 at 4:30PM }
Lee Schuneman, head of production at Rare, had some time to sit down with GamesIndustry.biz and talk about the upcoming Banjo-Kazooie game for Xbox 360. The first thing he does is assure us that the game is in good hands, stating that the team working on the title is very passionate about it, like Gregg Mayles, the Creative Director, who had the same position for both the original Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. That being said, Banjo's latest outing will bring new elements to the table, and are noted to be unexpected by fans of the series. If you want to get the for report on the interview, including Rare's thoughts on Viva Piñata, hit up the "Read" link and have at it.
Rare on Banjo VC: "It's possible"
by JC Fletcher { Mar 5th 2007 at 11:10AM }
In a response to a young Rare fan's letter posted in their Scribes column, Rare discussed the possibility of some of their franchises coming over to the Virtual Console. The Donkey Kong Country sequels are likely, because Donkey Kong is a Nintendo-owned property. But games starring Diddy Kong, the Rare-created pal of DK, are not as clear-cut.The main focus of the letter was Banjo-Kazooie, which is a Rare-owned property. The Rare "scribe" diplomatically said that "it's possible" for Banjo games to appear either on the VC or on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade. Our advice? Don't wait for any N64 games to come to VC, because they are slow in arriving.
[Via Play-Nintendo]
Don't expect any Rare games on the Virtual Console...
by David Hinkle { Mar 28th 2006 at 8:43AM }
...according to
Matt over at IGN, who claims to have spoken with some key Rare folk about the possibility of some of Rare's past greats
to be in Nintendo's Virtual Console's starting lineup during GDC. While it's pretty much a given that this would be the
case, what with Rare being alligned under the cold, Borg-like, Microsoft Game Studios, no-shows will undoubtedly be
Killer Instinct, Perfect Dark, Banjo & Kazooie, Goldeneye 007, and Blast
Corps.
That last one hits this Blogger especially hard.
I know many people would say the N64's strongest game was Goldeneye 007 or Perfect Dark, some might claim its stellar first-party offerings in Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64 were superior, but for this Blogger no other experience on the console could top the sheer ecstasy of uppercutting buildings as a giant mech and bulldozing gas stations in Blast Corps. It was like a digital incarnation of my childhood with Tonka trucks and Transformers.
