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Chad's Banjo-Tooie Impressions
Banjo-Tooie. Hmm. Well, as I write this, it's 12:13 AM on November 20, 2000. I have reached the fateful day (I probably won't be able to get it until Tuesday, but that's beside the point). Since I'm writing this on the official day of release, I've seen all the screenshots, seen most of the movies, and even heard the entire soundtrack to the game. And all I can say is, "Wow."
The graphics are absolutely mind-boggling. The screenshots I've seen blow by Donkey Kong 64 without looking back - without use of the Expansion Pak, no less. An addition I'm really looking forward to graphic-wise is the real-time shadow that the characters project onto the ground. It really adds that extra oomph to create as realistic an experience as possible. I wasn't too fond of Mumbo's makeover at first, but now it's grown on me. The only change that still leaves me miffed is the fact that his mask goes all the way around his head, rendering an unmasking almost impossible. I suppose now that he's playable, the old mask may look cumbersome or just odd. Ah, well. Revolutionary graphics nonetheless.
Having heard the entire soundtrack (dozens of times, in fact), I can say that the music does not stray from its Banjo-Kazooie roots in any way. There is still the heavily brass and percussion selection of instruments used, and nothing else would really be acceptable. I can't wait to hear the music during gameplay.
I'm expecting the controls to be exactly how they were in Banjo-Kazooie (which is damn-near perfect), only expanded. I'm sure the new moves will be easy to access and remember. They even carried over the widely known Goldeneye control scheme for the First Person Shooter levels, which is more than acceptable. Rare arguably makes both the best shooters and platformers in the world. Banjo-Tooie will be an excellent collaboration of the two genres.
I like how the story for Banjo-Tooie doesn't add random major plots that had nothing to do with the predecessor. Everything in Banjo-Tooie is a direct result from what happened in Banjo-Kazooie. For example, Klungo doesn't drag his next door neighbor to Paris upon discovering that he's never committed adultery. We'll leave that sort of thing to Homer Simpson.
Overall, words cannot express how much I'm looking forward to this game. I can't wait to see how Rare has connected the two games (That's right, I maintain confidence that there is indeed a connection). I want to play as Mumbo, my favourite Banjo character. I want to go up against others in a FPS mode starring fuzzy critters and egg ammo. I want to talk to Gregg and hear his latest complaint about killing people. Er... scratch that last one.
by Chad McCanna
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