banjo-kazooie xbox 360 review
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & BoltsOne of the emblematic figures of Nintendo 64, Banjo-Kazooie will have left a big void behind him. To the delight of fans, the infernal duo returns but no longer under the same banner and in a game to say the least out of the ordinary.
Indispensable of the platform, the accomplices Banjo and Kazooie left their mark in the playful history by proving the incredible know-how of Rare on Nintendo 64. However, we had lost sight of this nice duo and the departure of Rare at Microsoft could have suggested that their disappearance could be prolonged. Never mind since they are back in better shape than ever and above all ready to explore new horizons. Thus, Nuts & Bolts is a skilful mixture of the elements which made the success of Rare in the field of platforms and a new unprecedented component: vehicles. Design, atmosphere, fans will soon be on familiar ground in this new episode which takes place a few years after the last defeat of Grunty the witch. It is therefore in the presence of a Banjo overwhelmed by inactivity watching Kazooie play on his screen that we begin this adventure. While Grunty finds a way to resuscitate (or at least his head), now the creative spirit of video games is looking into the case of these three retirees and sends them to his new world Duelville, where they will once again confront each other. A decision taken at the end of a funny introduction which does not deprive itself of playful references ranging from the commercial failure of the game Grabbed by the Goulhies to competition with Italian plumbers. A humor that lasts in the rest of the game, especially in the credits that will introduce each of the worlds once they have been unlocked. A sequence during which the classic protagonists of the series (and new ones) will be presented in the role of a new character in the manner of a sitcom or a soap opera. We even have the opportunity to recognize a variant of the theme of the S'Amuse Cruise.
Duelville is therefore the new focal point of the game, a hub as we say in the lingo. It is a very good size city divided into 6 districts and in which you will find something to occupy yourself since there is, for example, a game room which is worth the detour. More importantly, it is from here that you will access the different worlds of the game according to a very classic system: at the end of each challenge, you win a puzzle piece which is added to your collection, the following worlds s 'opening once a certain threshold is reached. A traditional progression in the platform in short.
Because contrary to what the integration of vehicles might have led us to believe, Nuts & Bolts is built like a game of platforms, at least in the architecture of its levels and in the aspect searched and riddled with hidden widgets places visited. Clearly, no Rare did not give in to the temptation of the GTA-like transposed into their universe. Simply, we no longer move on foot but on improbable vehicles built by us or built from purchased plans. It is no longer a question of jumping in all directions and of hanging yourself, but of participating in a long list of challenges. Each level contains a variable number to win a puzzle piece. In the lot, there is everything. Here, it will be necessary to collect objects and bring them back to a specific point, there it will on the contrary be necessary to make a distribution or to escort another character but also prepare yourself to have to embark on a multitude of races. Then there are the most original tests that will test not only your talents but also your imagination in order to drop a maximum of dominoes in one movement, to play football on rough terrain or to make the best jump lengthways. The only indication that you will be given will often be concise and of the kind "you need a heavy vehicle capable of projecting an object". It's up to you to manage for the rest to find a solution to the problem you are faced with. Very often, we will strive in our attempts to realize later that we simply lacked the necessary parts or the original idea likely to unblock us.
Because under his somewhat naive looks, Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts is more devious than it seems. We can already understand this by noticing how difficult reaching certain specific points in Duelville can be difficult, but especially when we discover the richness of the vehicle editor. Not easy to master, it is however the keystone of the game and if you are often offered the opportunity to ignore personal creation, this will not always be enough. By collecting coins from all over Duelville, you will be able to enrich your garage and embark on strange projects where every detail counts. Weight, distribution and type of parts, size of engine, wheels etc. You can make a land vehicle as well as a plane, a helicopter, a boat or even a car equipped with floats for water and a balloon for air or springs or reactors placed in the positions more incongruous. Sometimes you will need a tray to carry equipment, sometimes seats for a passenger.
Add more weapons for which you will need a magazine or even seemingly useless mechanisms but which will prove their usefulness in the most twisted tests. If building a fast and stable machine is simple and fairly obvious, having the idea of building a device capable of ejecting yourself already requires more imagination, especially when it comes to finding an application for it. And what about a madman who poses reactors in a circular motion? Some vehicles will actually be almost single use and you will develop them to meet the requirements of a particular challenge. Without forgetting that even the vehicles of which you will have bought the plans will always profit from some personal improvements, if only the addition of a pair of wheels offering a better handling or the addition of a second engine history of gain a little speed.
In addition, Rare has kept a secret boot which will encourage avid players to spend a few hours in their garage to develop what will ultimately be their special ability, their own "double jump". Each challenge in the game includes 3 levels of achievement. The first is actually a disguised failure and will only earn you a musical note - the currency of Nuts & Bolts - while the second allows you to win a puzzle piece. Achieving this result generally does not pose too many problems even if some challenges are much more robust than others. But there is above all the third level, the one that rewards us with a trophy. If in Viva Pinata Rare had trouble not to mislead players with its childish design serving a full-bodied gameplay, in Nuts & Bolts, they manage to make everyone coexist. In addition, the handling of certain machines is not always obvious and according to their specifications they will prove more or less easy to drive. By way of example, let us cite the kind of train on wheels that we will have the opportunity to use to pick up workers. All these difficulties must be managed on more than uneven terrain, in a limited time and in the midst of the Gruntybots, robotic emissaries of Grunty.
Rare therefore gives us a game of a fairly new genre, a daring mixture of platforms and vehicles which gives rise to disconcerting gameplay. Of course, like any test attempt, it has its failures. Some challenges are less successful than others and we sometimes have to take a break so as not to saturate too much, we must even accept a fairly irritating behavior from other runners in races who seem more interested in our defeat than in their victory and who, when they enter us, they have the annoying habit of staying glued to us. But these faults are largely compensated by the richness of the universe and the implementation of the player's creativity in the workshop. In addition, the enchanting world of Banjo-Kazooie always has an effect. The omnipresent humor, not always effective but often, echoes a magnificent achievement that would almost make us forget some 3D models that are a little rough. The soundtrack also plays a big role with its sometimes grandiloquent accents and notes sometimes surprisingly close to a soundtrack by Tim Burton. In summary, Rare signs a successful return of his two lads from Banjo and Kazooie.
The notes
Graphics 17/20
Some 3D models may seem a bit coarse but the general level of detail, the enchanting design and some more than successful effects quickly make you forget this little shadow. Nuts & Bolts offers a universe of platforms as vast as it is splendid.
Gameplay 17/20
Rare has managed several degrees of play but to enjoy the title to the fullest, it will be necessary to give of his person by mastering the vehicle editor to offer a maximum of chances but also by striving on certain particularly delicate challenges. We finally have the only regret the presence of a few fairly dispensable events for lack of great originality (all kinds of races in particular). Also note that there are a host of little hidden challenges. Finally beware of the handling of certain vehicles which can hold surprises.
Lifespan 17/20
Finishing the game by limiting yourself to earning the stars should already keep you busy for a while, you will still have to try to win the trophies for each challenge and find the small side missions. Finally, the online mode will undoubtedly be ideal for motivating the relentless to create machines to share them or beat the records of others.
Soundtrack 18/20
Rare forces, we find here no dubbing only onomatopoeias but very successful and relatively funny. On the music side, the studio spoils us once again with simply excellent themes that range from heroic inspiration to the resumption of soap opera through a whole range of sounds that seem to retrace the history of video games in Duelville.
Scenario 14/20
Not frankly filled with twists and turns, the scenario of Nuts & Bolts offers a fun starting postulate and especially puts on touches of humor offset that have no trouble tearing smiles. There are not so many games that can boast about it.
By showing such originality, Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts is fatally disconcerting, which may not please everyone. Surprising mixture between the structure of a game of platforms and vehicles, the title of Rare presents itself as an extraordinary game in which it will often be necessary to show a completely unbridled imagination in order to develop the device that seems to us the most suitable for the accomplishment of a mission. And even if you happen to toil over a few events, the barjot universe of the game will take care of keeping you facing the screen.
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