Banjo won't be straying to Virtual Console
Oh, woe is us. Microsoft just dispatched (and then pulled) a press release boasting about the imminent arrival of Banjo-Kazooie on Xbox Live Arcade, describing the game as an XBLA "exclusive." We can safely assume this means the bird and bear won't be made available on the Virtual Console, news that conclusively crushes whatever slim hopes we had for the game appearing on Nintendo's service. We suppose $540 million buys you these kind of perks, eh?
To rub salt in our open wounds, Microsoft also disclosed that sequel Banjo-Tooie would be made available on XBLA early next year, "making Xbox 360 the new home of the beloved Banjo-Kazooie franchise." We think we're going to sigh sadly now, reader. Feel free to join us.
* sigh *
[Via Joystiq]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
The Dom @ Sep 24th 2008 2:39PM
I have a 360 also, so no sighing here!
Although I do have to shamelessly admit that I have never played any games in this series.
Sisyphus @ Sep 24th 2008 2:41PM
I had never heard of these games until people starting hyping the new one a couple of months ago, so no big loss.
il_duce620 @ Sep 24th 2008 2:44PM
Couldn't care any less. Let them have their silly game.
hellhammer @ Sep 24th 2008 2:44PM
I'm sure I'll be burned at the stake, but I could never see the interest in the Banjo series.
Rare made a Mario 64 clone and gave a bear a bird on his back, to replace the wings on Mario's hat.
Given that you can get each 64 titles for around $10-$20, it's not too big a loss.
Roto13 @ Sep 24th 2008 2:49PM
Seriously. It's just another one of Rare's annoying collect-a-thons.
Garu @ Sep 24th 2008 2:54PM
I'd like to see "Conker's Bad Fur Day" show up on the VC, but it probably never will. I've always heard good things about that game.
Chris Greenhough @ Sep 24th 2008 3:02PM
I'm probably in a tiny, TINY minority when I say this, but for overall polish, characterization, and er, fun ... ness:
Banjo-Kazooie > Super Mario 64
Yeah, I just went there.
ryan @ Sep 24th 2008 3:33PM
THANK YOU.
sheesh. BK > M64 all day long.
zchry @ Sep 24th 2008 6:07PM
I also agree. I mean, M64 is good and all, but BK is INSANELY good.
GatorSax2010 @ Sep 24th 2008 8:05PM
Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie are two of my favorite games of all time (I even went as Mumbo Jumbo for Halloween years ago), so I'm with you on that. I don't get all the hate they're getting in the comments :-/
Patius @ Sep 24th 2008 3:03PM
eh, banjo kazzoie wasn't that good. What Nintedo should do is buy Bungie.
You heard me.
Aaron @ Sep 24th 2008 3:03PM
I totally disagree with the first few comments. Banjo-Kazooie was a fantastic 3-D platformer back when the genre was still new.
At the time, it offered a fantastic variety of action moves that could be performed (compared to Mario 64), and also featured plenty of story which was presented by the characters themselves in "cartoon-speak."
Again, at the time, it was also a technical marvel, with an incredible field-of-depth, deep draw distances and huge, open environments bursting with color. Simply said, the graphics put Mario 64 to shame.
Maybe some of you commenters were either too young to experience B-K the first time around, or weren't into Nintendo back then, but trust me when I say that this is a big loss. The Banjo games, along with Goldeneye, were hands-down the best games Rare ever made. And if you check this link, you'll see that they've made lots of games.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Rare_Ltd._games
I only hope Microsoft were forced to pay Nintendo gobs of money for the rights to publish these on XBLA.
Josh @ Sep 24th 2008 4:54PM
You forgot Perfect Dark.
Atlantis1982 @ Sep 24th 2008 3:04PM
Never cared for it, so Microsoft can have those silly games. ;\
As long as we get Jet Force Gemini. ;)
sketchampm @ Sep 24th 2008 3:06PM
Banjo-Kazooie was awesome, Banjo-Tooie was even better (despite slow framerates in a couple of areas). I'll miss this franchis on Nintendo, but I'm glad that it still lives on.
Kia @ Sep 24th 2008 3:17PM
No sighing here. It's not like I even have space for something like an N64 game by this point on my Wii, and even if I did I'd take it on 360 anyway.
More hard drive space/achievements/sequel connectivity that Wii surely wouldn't have implemented? Yes please.
vidGuy @ Sep 24th 2008 3:28PM
I loved the original BK but never tried the sequel. Luckily I have a 360 so I'll be able to enjoy both games.
Though Mario 64 had more staying power, I think Banjo-Kazooie was a better game overall.
Scotty @ Sep 24th 2008 3:33PM
I read that the game will be 15 bucks though. I bet you can buy an N64 and a copy of the game for that. Seriously, go look on craigslist.
Shadow31 @ Sep 24th 2008 3:44PM
Funny. I keep hearing it's 800 MS points like most other classic games. In case you aren't 360 savvy, that is the equivalent of $10.
In fact, as far as I know, other than XBox Original games, all downloadable games on XBLA are 800 at most. Maybe I'm mistaken, though.
Shadow31 @ Sep 24th 2008 3:44PM
Funny. I keep hearing it's 800 MS points like most other classic games. In case you aren't 360 savvy, that is the equivalent of $10.
In fact, as far as I know, other than XBox Original games, all downloadable games on XBLA are 800 at most. Maybe I'm mistaken, though.
Scotty @ Sep 24th 2008 3:50PM
Actually, according to Kotaku, it will be 1200 points. 15 bucks.
http://tinyurl.com/3t8e9a
vidGuy @ Sep 24th 2008 9:28PM
The game will be MS1200, or USD$15. There are numerous games that go for more than 800 points, including the controversially-priced Braid and Castle Crashers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Xbox_Live_Arcade_games
jaredgood1 @ Sep 24th 2008 3:39PM
Eh, was never a fan. It'll hurt when they put out a new Killer Instinct or a new Conker, but that's about it.
Unless, that is, they put out a new Battletoads which might be just enough for me to throw my "having a gaming PC and 360 is 95% redundant, and that 5% ain't worth the added expense" argument out the window.
Shadow31 @ Sep 24th 2008 3:40PM
Don't know what so many people are talking about, Banjo Kazooie was one of my favorite N64 games, with Banjo Tooie only expanding on it. Though I am skeptical about Nuts & Bolts (I miss the classic gameplay), the announcement of the originals reaching XBLA was the straw that broke the camals back and made me buy my 360. No, I didn't buy it just for those two XBLA games, the Wii is greatly lacking in hardcore games as of late (the lack of DLC in Rock Band was another huge blow), and anyways, we're programming to 360s at my school.
...I lost my point. But I'm not gonna care much because I have a 360 and besides, my Wii memory is maxed out. Which is why I'm boycotting VC/WiiWare until they give me a way to have more memory. I even have Wii Points on a card, I just have no motivation to delete/move a bunch of stuff.
Shadow31 @ Sep 24th 2008 3:42PM
Funny. I keep hearing it's 800 MS points like most other classic games. In case you aren't 360 savvy, that is the equivalent of $10.
In fact, as far as I know, other than XBox Original games, all downloadable games on XBLA are 800 at most. Maybe I'm mistaken, though.
Shadow31 @ Sep 24th 2008 3:44PM
Sorry, was meant in response to Scotty.
CJLopez @ Sep 24th 2008 3:47PM
I was never a fins of this franchise, so, is a big "Meh" for me, either, if I wanted to play this game, i'd go the emulator way
Duo @ Sep 24th 2008 3:54PM
As a huge fan of the franchise, this is disappointing news. Now I won't be able to beat the game again until I get a 360.
I cooould dig out my N64 copy, ...but that's too much effort.
Nathew @ Sep 24th 2008 4:19PM
i suppose this also dims the chances for goldeneye and conker's bad fur day, though the latter probably wasn't likely anyway, what with the not-quite-for-kids and all.
zchry @ Sep 24th 2008 6:06PM
Sigh. And Banjo-Kazooie was one of the N64's finest.
WalkingCarpet @ Sep 24th 2008 7:08PM
I guess it's been a given for a while, but I seriously doubt that Goldeneye 64 is going to make it's way onto the VC now. That is a waaaaay bigger loss for me than Banjo is. Don't get me wrong, Banjo was and still is awesome, but Goldeneye will always have a special place in my heart. It and Star Fox 64 got me into gaming.
Covarr @ Sep 24th 2008 9:31PM
Meh. This series is overrated anyway. When pretty much the entire game is nothing but searching and collecting, with an insignificant amount of actual action, I'd rather spend my time playing pretty much anything else.
manaman @ Sep 24th 2008 11:38PM
Sigh,
How soon people forget (I suppose some never knew) how great Rare and Nintendo were together. I'm still devastated by Rare and Squaresoft abandoning Nintendo. Okay, so maybe Squaresoft didn't abandon Nintendo, per se, but it might as well have.
Sigh,
manaman
Hamster @ Sep 25th 2008 8:23AM
Judging by what they've done to the new one I think it should probably be the "former beloved Banjo-Kazooie franchise".
pinkechidna @ Sep 25th 2008 9:21AM
Agreed man. Vehicles? Urgh. Give me straight platforming please.
nintendo1889 @ Sep 25th 2008 11:25AM
Yeah, it was and still is a pretty good game, but I liked Banjo Tooie better (due to a somewhat darker theme to it) and I have both to play on an emulator (albeit a very nice one) and so what if I do? What are Rare and MS gonna do about it?
Haz @ Dec 22nd 2008 5:20PM
Thanks to Microsoft I'll never be able to play Banjo Tooie- it's just too rare (excuse the pun) these days. BK was my fave game on the N64 (better than even the Ocarina of time.) At least I still have that. Though I've always wanted to play BT but as it's selling for over £40 on Amazon, it's just not worth it.
I'd like to say I hate Microsoft but I use it every time I turn on my PC ;-)