2) Banjo-Kazooie / Banjo-Tooie
Platform: Nintendo 64 (1998, 2000)
What started as an SNES fantasy game about a boy named Edison fighting the pirate Captain Blackeye eventually proved too much for the 16-bit system. Miracles had already been worked with Donkey Kong Country and Killer Instinct, but it was clear that Rare’s next game was going to have to transition to Nintendo’s new console in order to reach its potential. The game, then called Project Dream, went through quite a bit of restructuring before transforming into Banjo-Kazooie. When Rare’s platforming masterpiece finally arrived, players everywhere were floored by its vibrancy and tight controls.
It’s hard to condense everything that makes Banjo-Kazooie so special into a handful of lines. The game’s graphics were akin to a Pixar movie; splashes of water sent droplets cascading downward, emanating ripples at their points of impact, sandy dunes practically shimmered with heat, and the rusted teeth of a giant, metal shark looked painfully sharp. Banjo and Kazooie’s moves also enriched the experience, sending the duo soaring into the sky, bombarding enemies with eggs, and trotting up extreme inclines. Grant Kirkhope’s plucky, twanging score was the icing on the cake, as everything about Banjo-Kazooie was perfectly done. Banjo-Tooie is bigger and lengthier, and though it didn’t outdo its older sibling, it was equally compelling and deserves to share second place. Banjo-Kazooie might have lost its way at Microsoft, but when the franchise called Nintendo home, it was at the top of its game.
I honestly didn’t enjoy Banjo-Tooie all that much. Banjo-Kazooie was epic and is one of my favorite games ever, but Banjo-Tooie just felt too big to me. It took too long to get around levels, too long to get from one objective to the next, and too long to get between worlds in the overworld.
Then there’s the whole Stop n Swop thing, but regardless. BK, brilliant. BT, ehhh.
Maybe it’s because I have played it more, but I couldn’t get enough of Banjo-Tooie! It felt like everything a sequel should be: bigger, better and with just the right amount of new things to do.
And the less said about Banjo & Kazooie’s adventures post-Nintendo the better :)