What a game. This was my second time through Banjo-Kazooie, nabbing all the old collectables and new achievements. It is the best collectathon on the N64, and you can fight me over that! I'll be talking about the XBLA version's differences, cause some were good and some were not so good.
The models still look amazing in HD and have held up very well. I appreciate the updated HUD, but I prefer the original spritework. The colors of the Jinjos don't match their appearance and I think Banjo's face looks uncanny in the health meter. Minor issue. The widescreen was lovely and well worth it.
Lets get controversial! Obviously, the big QOL here was keeping music notes and jinjos after leaving a level. Works great for most levels, but I would argue that keeping notes was a hinderance for Click Clock Wood, Gobi's Valley, and Rusty Bucket Bay. There are so many small rooms with 3 or 4 notes together that I would prefer getting the notes in one run, instead of backtracking through every part of the stage trying to remember where you have and havent been. Click clock wood especially since each season is quite large and it's very easy to forget where you already looked. When I completed the N64 version, I made a route to get every note, but I had to double or triple check locations in the XBLA version. It's a 'me' issue, I'm sure most players won't feel this way, so lets move on.
I liked the inclusion of stop n' swop and achievements this time around. I never bothered with Bottle's puzzle on the N64 since it wasn't tied to completion, but it needed to be cleared for an achievement this time. Actually not the worst thing in the world. Yeah, the controls were overly sensitive, but it only took half an hour and it could've been much worse than that.
Overall, I really love this game. It's one of the few collectathons that would make me consider completing it more than once. The N64 version is fantastic, but the XBLA version is definitely superior. I legit wish there was an xbox controller with c-buttons for this game. If you haven't played Banjo-Kazooie yet, give it a go! It's easy to pick up and play for short sessions and is a great time.
The models still look amazing in HD and have held up very well. I appreciate the updated HUD, but I prefer the original spritework. The colors of the Jinjos don't match their appearance and I think Banjo's face looks uncanny in the health meter. Minor issue. The widescreen was lovely and well worth it.
Lets get controversial! Obviously, the big QOL here was keeping music notes and jinjos after leaving a level. Works great for most levels, but I would argue that keeping notes was a hinderance for Click Clock Wood, Gobi's Valley, and Rusty Bucket Bay. There are so many small rooms with 3 or 4 notes together that I would prefer getting the notes in one run, instead of backtracking through every part of the stage trying to remember where you have and havent been. Click clock wood especially since each season is quite large and it's very easy to forget where you already looked. When I completed the N64 version, I made a route to get every note, but I had to double or triple check locations in the XBLA version. It's a 'me' issue, I'm sure most players won't feel this way, so lets move on.
I liked the inclusion of stop n' swop and achievements this time around. I never bothered with Bottle's puzzle on the N64 since it wasn't tied to completion, but it needed to be cleared for an achievement this time. Actually not the worst thing in the world. Yeah, the controls were overly sensitive, but it only took half an hour and it could've been much worse than that.
Overall, I really love this game. It's one of the few collectathons that would make me consider completing it more than once. The N64 version is fantastic, but the XBLA version is definitely superior. I legit wish there was an xbox controller with c-buttons for this game. If you haven't played Banjo-Kazooie yet, give it a go! It's easy to pick up and play for short sessions and is a great time.
3 Comments
@NOWITSREYNTIME17 Yeah I've been playing tooie on-n-off. It definitely has a different vibe to the first. The framerate on N64 was unbearable, but I've been playing the XBLA version with a friend and having a much better time with it!
thats great to hear! ive only played the n64 version and yeah it tanks real bad in hailfire peaks especially lol
NOWITSREYNTIME17
2 months ago