7. Sabreman in Banjo-Tooie
We now travel to a land we will probably never see again on a Nintendo console: Banjo-Tooie‘s Hailfire Peaks. In this level, which contains two sides (snow and lava), Banjo and Kazooie find a frozen Sabreman and have to act to save him. With help from Mumbo Jumbo and some added heat, Sabreman’s rescued and Banjo and Kazooie become his taxi to the lava side of Hailfire Peaks.
Sabreman was known for his series of games on the European ZX Spectrum PC, which were also developed by Rare. Proceeding his cameo in this game, he returned as the star of the show in 2004’s Sabre Wulf on Game Boy Advance, a rare (no pun intended) gem for nostalgia lovers. After returning to his camp in Banjo-Tooie, a sleeping Sabreman mutters something hinting at a GameCube appearance, but sadly we only see him make a small cameo in Banjo-Pilot on Game Boy Advance once again in 2005.
Star Fox … I miss you … you were so cool … Retro, please tell me that’s what you have been working on with such fervor….
Maybe not quite a cameo, but I loved seeing E Gadd’s inventions play a role in Super Mario Sunshine. At one point, Bowser Junior refers to him as “the strange old man with the white coat”. Plus, FLUDD kinda sounds like the ole professor.