Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts (Xbox 360)

[VideoGameCritic]

I've been trying to get into this, but I think I hate it. You guys know how much I LOVE crafting, and this really shoves it down your throat. The worlds are a mess and the games aren't fun. The only question is, how low can my grade go?

PS: The controls suck too.

PSS: Maybe it's the font, but I don't want to read all this text.

[RatsTheDonkey]

Hooooooooooooo boy, where to even begin with this game?

To me, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is a perfect example of a game with good intentions and a great gameplay idea on paper...but the execution just nuked whatever potential it had. I think the biggest mistake by far was making it a Banjo-Kazooie game in the first place. To put it in perspective, the drastic shift in genre was a huge turn off to fans who had been waiting years for a new game in the series, and getting something thats almost BK in name only instead. For lack of a better analogy, It's like if they made a new Disney Bambi movie where it's suddenly a Film Noir meets Shonen Anime set in a human world, and we're somehow expected to treat it as if it's still part of the same world as the the original movies. It doesn't matter how good or bad it is, it's simply not something that anyone wants. The game ended up tanking in sales for that reason alone, and it took BK (and what was left of the old Rareware studio) down with it.

Gregg Mayles, the lead designer of the BK games (and other classics like Donkey Kong Country) had his heart in the right place with N&B by trying to breathe new life into the 3D platforming genre (a genre that Rare had gotten sick of working with and felt had become stale and predictable) by making a game that encouraged players to "Invent A Solution/Make Your Own Fun" with the games challenges instead of the typical "find the solution" mindset of video games, encouraging creativity in a way that wasn't done often in games prior. That was very forward thinking on his part and in a sense, it paved the way for games with similar creative focus like Minecraft, Roblox and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. And to be honest, I do have to give Rare some credit for at least trying to do something different instead of just rehashing the first two BK games (though they went way too far with it). In terms of presentation, the cartoony graphics are still very appealing and Grant Kirkhope once again contributed a wonderful soundtrack for this third entry. Even the dialogue still remains a lot of the biting British Humour that the series is known for.

But the actual gameplay? It can be summed up in one word: BORING! Not only is it slow as molasses, N&B has a steep learning curve that demands that you approach it's very open ended levels with a lateral thinking (making the most of what you have) mindset to get any fun out of it. Most video games intentionally avoid these kind of puzzles, and not without reason--lateral thinking puzzles demand a lot out of a player, and tend to be seen as frustrating pacebreakers that a player just wants to get out of their way. So designing an entire game built around them (specifically, building vehicles thru trial and error) while giving a player the bare minimum of direction makes it come off as tedious and unexciting, even though it's supposed to imbue a player with a sense of freedom and help ease them into the basics of the game in theory. And the act of building working vehicles, the real meat of the gameplay, feels gimmicky, tedious and unintuitive, and the actual level design and mission objectives tend to be very dull and underdesigned feeling if you can't figure out how to make the most of the vehicle stuff. And what little traditional platforming there is in the game is extremely bland stuff. Compare all this to Minecraft and TotK's own vehicle building system, which was built with a similar "Make Your Own Fun" mindset, but executed the idea in a MUCH more engaging and easy to learn way that can be learned in minutes and enjoyed casually but also rewards crafty players in the long term.

Even when I tried to approach BK: N&B on its own terms, I feel it has an identity crisis. Basically, who was this game even made for? It has little to offer to old Banjo-Kazooie fans because it looks and plays so drastically different from the old games, but it tries to cater to them with the story and certain levels like Banjoland. It tries to be cartoony and kid friendly, but the vehicle creation stuff is way too slow and complex to be appealing to kids. A game like this NEEDED to have a "Pick Up And Play" quality to hook you in. Games like Minecraft and Roblox nailed that, and so did the original Banjo-Kazooie. Maybe this is one of those games that you really need to sink a ton of time into for it to 'click', but it just didn't do it for me. And I won't be surprised if the Critic ends up feeling the exact same way!

[BlasteroidAli]

I am a huge 360 fan. I have found that game to be tedious. I put it on play it for a while and just get bored. Though I am not keen on crafting games unless they are minecraft.

[Quick_Man]

I always found the game to not be the total disaster that fans of the series think it is, but granted I don't like Banjo Kazooie at all in the first place. To me it's about as good as the other games - plainly average.

[jon]

I really viewed this as a game that if it was good would push it over the top as far as me getting a 360. As it is, maybe the game isn’t good.

[VideoGameCritic]

Wow that is some excellent analysis, RatsTheDonkey, probably far beyond whatever I end up conjuring up! Thanks for writing it up.

I think this one deserves the controversy icon!!

[RatsTheDonkey]

Wow that is some excellent analysis, RatsTheDonkey, probably far beyond whatever I end up conjuring up! Thanks for writing it up.

I think this one deserves the controversy icon!!

Thank you! Ive been really trying to study game design principles and learn the theories, ins and outs of what makes a video game tick! (Don't be surprised if I make my own video game some day!) And yes, BK:N&B is extremely divisive among the BK fan base. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground with it, you either love it for what it is or hate it for what it is/isn't.

[Cafeman]

I was never interested in this game, but both my boys played it quite a bit back when it was new. They enjoyed it. Maybe the problem is you guys aren’t kids.

[RatsTheDonkey]

I was never interested in this game, but both my boys played it quite a bit back when it was new. They enjoyed it. Maybe the problem is you guys aren’t kids.

I'm glad that your kids enjoyed it! But I think it's unfair to chalk up the games reception solely to BK fans having pre-conceived expectations. Like, why has something like Minecraft, Roblox and Z:TotK's creation focused gameplay caught on in a way that N&B's didn't? Bear in mind that A. Banjo-Kazooie is by no means an obscure series, it is one of THE most popular 'classic' Nintendo/Rare series (the BK characters got into Smash Bros. Ultimate specifically because of how popular they still are), and B. Even though N&B tanked in sales back in 2008, it was included in Rare Replay and it's still available to purchase/play on Xbox One/Series consoles as a backwards-compatible title, so availability (not being able to play it and others just taking critics/other players word for it) isn't entirely a factor in its mixed reputation. I think it just points to the game having genuine flaws, even if one manages to find it fun. That said, this is one thing that interests me about Game Design--just how subjective it is and how one can perceive the same game experience differently from another person.

[BlasteroidAli]

I was talking to some of my younger pals and they remarked how much fun they used to have playing it over Xbox live. How it was a superb game. So looks like there are split opinions on this one.