Couple of points from the comments I wanted to address. 1. Apparently you CAN skip cutscenes with L + R + B. If that's true, then there's absolutely no indication whatsoever that you can do this. I read every dialogue box and even checked my copy of the instruction manual and can confirm this is never mentioned once. Maybe it was a debug tool for the developers. 2. I've been informed multiple times that the ramp is a shortcut for the pumpkin after all. There's a hole you can squeeze through somewhere, though I'm not sure how I missed it. The Pumpkin was a minor criticism anyway but I'll be sure to do use that route from now on. 3. "Your complaints are nitpicks." It's fine to disagree and your mileage on any criticism will vary, but I'd like to note that any game can seem perfect if we disregard any and all criticisms as nitpicks. I recieve similar comments when reviewing many classic games. Nitpicks may be small, but they add up quickly and can detract from the experience in sufficient numbers. I wanted to be thorough because I found there were a lot of things other reviewers were glossing over or not mentioning.
I never knew you could skip cutscenes :) I absolutely agree with your points with the n64 version's notes, click clock woods as a whole and the whole backtracking thing with Gobi's Desert and Freezeezy Peak. Also it is possible to collect the stop n swop items in the n64 version, but they are permanently in your inventory and completely useless
ExoParadigmGamer What I just started noticing about Banjo's level design (which i CANNOT believe I didnt notice before) is that pretty much EVERY LEVEL is made like a wheel. The center point is ALWAYS a some major building or obstacle that defines the zone you are in (The Termite Mound in world 1. Clanker in World 3. The ship in world 8) and then the other objectives are branched out like the spokes. And every level is like this and it is so crazy that I didnt think about this! especially so considering how well it works too and how it makes the worlds easy to navigate and get around in, unlike Tooie which I would say is a pain in the ass to find stuff to do in or get anything done in a good amount of time. Its why I never understood the team making Yooka-Laylee making their game more like Tooie and less like Kazooie.
That would be due to the inherent urge to make everything "bigger and better", Mugen. Sometimes though, "more" is a better adjective to apply. Still enjoy Yooka immensely, but I do hope they take the criticisms to heart when they make the next one.
I'm incredibly envious of your PVM monitor. Those are the gold standard of CRTs. I keep looking on ebay for them, but can't really afford one. I really hope some company starts making CRT TVs and monitors again for the retro gaming and e-sports and speedrunning communities. It can't be that hard right? Cos all these old ones will die eventually Also have you seen the new HDMI adapter for the N64 that requires no modding? In case you're interested in that sort of thing
To be honest, that'd go for most people, but instead of thinking about the Xbox 360 version, they think about the PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One (pre-bedrock), PS Vita, PS4 (pre-bedrock), Wii U, and the Switch (pre-bedrock) versions. Fun fact, they're still involved with Minecraft, even if not as much as before. I'm saying this because they have published a multitude of resource packs on the Minecraft Marketplace.
You do not have to navigate the top of the hedgemaze as the pumpkin. There is a ramp you can walk up as the pumpkin that lets you on top of the mansion in like 2 seconds. And no, that ramp is not enclosed. Theres a small hole you can slip through under the wall as the pumpkin.
OmegaChase1002 And even if it was enclosed you can just climb onto the church roof like you would with Banjo (hop onto the gravestone then roof etc) and then jump from the tower into the hedge ramp area. Never would I have ever thought to go that far out of my way to get onto the hedges by jumping around a fence... It just doesn’t even make sense with regards to the rest of the games design...
OmegaChase1002 that’s how I’ve always done it. It always felt a little weird to do it that way, especially now that I know there is a hole in the wall, but not as weird as going all the way across the map and navigating the hedges like in the video. To be honest it’s not much slower than using the hole since there both in the same area.
I actually laughed so hard at that point, the ramp and the little hole in the hedges are so clear! There's no way the intended route would be so difficult/complex in a game so relatively easy
It's crazy how difference our opinions can be sometimes. Me personally I loved Click Clock Wood and consider it the Climax of Banjo Kazooie. The idea of doing a full stage four times but in different seasons is in a way a summary of the entire Banjo Kazooie experience. The stage even has it's own mini hub world. This stage uses everything you have learned up to that point for a pretty good challenge that will test your skills in the game.
Gotta say, I think Click Clock Wood is probably the best (Or at least, most memorable stage) It's like a game in itself. Funny how opinions are, cos yeah, I remember loving that stage.
I think Grunty doesn't beauty swap right away because she sees this as a game just as much as we do. Thatd explain the quiz at the end. She wants to toy with banjo. As for the jinjos, maybe they cant move unless touched because of a magic spell? Grunty is a witch after all.
It is explained very briefly in the opening that the Beauty Machine is "Getting ready" so it is outright stated that there is a cooldown time; it's just glanced over in a very quick sentence. The idea of Grunty having a Quiz Show with Tootie as the prize was pretty much just because "Nobody would expect this." Grunty toying with Banjo also seems fitting; but I would think she would've had a fake Tootie instead in that case; and remind him that they are both at the top waiting; but even still. To DK64 and Tooie's credit; this is something both of them do better. DK64 explains early on that the Blast-O-Matic is still under construction due to the incompetence of the Kremlings, and Tooie explains that the BOB requires a longass cooldown to blast the whole island.
Timestamps for Mobile User 00:00:40 - Introduction 00:05:30 - The Story 00:12:10 - The N64 Graphics 00:17:14 - The 360 Graphics 00:20:38 - The N64 Sound 00:22:22 - The 360 Sound 00:23:21 - The Mechanics 00:28:11 - The Camera 00:30:28 - The Combat 00:32:41 - The Level Design 00:35:01 - Exo's Four Criticisms 00:39:43 - The Bottles Bonus Glitch 00:41:13 - Exo's Four Criticisms Continued 00:43:02 - Mumbo Transformations 00:43:56 - SPOILERS: Ending and Final Boss 00:48:17 - Stop 'n' Swop 00:49:34 - Conclusion 00:52:29 - Remake or Rebreak 00:54:52 - Ending and Credits
48:34 Slight nitpick. The N64 couldn't keep RAM when it was turned off. It kept RAM if you removed the cartridge, and changed it while it was still on. It's called "hotswapping". Though, doing that in practice could potentially damage your console, which is part of the reason why it was scrapped. Spoiler alert: While the Xbox Live Arcade version does feature Stop 'N Swop as it was originally intended, what they did with it is kinda... Disappointing.
I like Tooie more. I love how interconnected the worlds are, it makes it seem deeper to me, and I don't find the re-visits to worlds to be annoying at all (except Grunty Industries). Of course I love BK as well!
Microsoft is literally sitting on a gold mine with Banjo. Like if they would just remake Banjo 1 and 2 and bundled them together like a Crash N'Sane Trilogy deal and shortly there after, maybe a year after they annouce an offical Banjo 3 using the engine from the remakes and money would pour in but for whatever reason, they don't do that. Shame really.
@Zachary Erickson unlikely but it is possible, B&K are coming to Smash and Microsoft have published a couple of Rare games on Nintendo handhelds in the past. They seem to be on pretty good terms so, while unlikely, it's not totally outside the realm of possibility.
At least this guy is not an asshole, unlike KingK who attacks other reviewers for wanting to stay objective just because he thinks objective critique doesn't exist.
35:50 No, there is a hole. I'm sure you don't feel like booting up BK just to go see it, but there is indeed a hole near the ramp, I believe on the left side. It saves you like 5 minutes. Though it's not like it's well conveyed, since no natural camera angle readily displays it.
With big open worlds, there needs to be enough content to go with it. 76 shows that you can't just make the world bigger without the content to complement it. I like big open worlds but if there is too much nothing between areas it's rather boring and tedious.
You and many will probably disagree, but that's exactly why I enjoy BK so much more than Tooie. Tooie does some great things to the controls of Banjo&K, but the world is too big and empty compared to the first in my opinion.
If you found the very minimal backtracking of Kazooie to be an annoyance, I can't wait to hear you rag on Tooie. That whole game was one big clusterfuck of backtracking. Still was a great game though.
with the original rare team gone, it would definitely not be good imo. The only way it would turn out well is if Nintendo somehow acquired the IP but thats not going to happen. We've also seen the spiritual successor Yooka-Laylee, which was kind of underwhelming.
10:57 Yes they are randomized. Brentilda is literally random every time. It was a time sink for speed runs for a while. This is really the only thing that I want to give to the comment section community
I don’t understand why Nintendo felt compelled to port the n64 version of banjo and not the Xbox version since to me it’s the superior version of the game in terms of graphics and features.
I do agree with a lot of this review, though I'm gonna have to disagree with the feather system and Grunty battle entirely. Personally, I find that using feathers and eggs, for flight, invincibility and ammo, to be a good incentive to look around levels to stack up on those things, while doing your main objectives. I'll concede the fact that the Beak Bomb attack doesn't work the best sometimes. I tend to find that, if you pay attention to the amount of eggs/feathers you have, you'll rarely run out. Not to mention that you only run out of reds when you start ascending, which doesn't happen enough to cause problems, at-least from my experience. I'll have to disagree with how YL being better about it. While I think the special meter or whatever to be an interesting concept, I found it to be more intrusive then anything. I just don't really like how the flight controls in that game either. I get that it's supposed to emulate Laylee struggling to carry Yooka around, but in execution, it feels bad to control. The last world in YL just involves flying around aimlessly, until you finally find something. It just felt so aimless and poorly put together. Probably one of my least favourite levels in a collectathon. As for Grunty, I just don't see it. I'll agree that the flying section can be annoying, but besides that, I find it to be a fun final challenge, where you have to keep spacial awareness on what Grunty's doing while saving the Jinjos, and you have to have good aim with eggs at the start, while being wary of your positioning and Grunty's fireballs. Personally I find it to be a good challenge and a worthy final boss for the game. That said, the "bosses" in the worlds, leave a lot to be desired. I think they are harmless, but they are basically just glorified mooks. Maybe it's just because I know this game so well, but I don't see the issue of unlocking worlds either. Sometimes they can be out of the way, yes, but by the end of the game, it should get more difficult to figure out where the world painting is. I don't really see what's so hard about finding out you can bust open that gate outside MMM, when there are tons of gates that are exactly the same in MMM itself. It's a mechanic the game teaches you about in the world, and you have to use that knowledge to access an area that will lead the way to RBB's world entrance. It's clever game design that teaches you things without saying a word. I do think that placing the CCW painting so early on, to be a bit of a weird design choice, but eh. I can live with it. Funnily enough, the one thing I disagree with, that I don't like much, is Grunty's Furnace Fun. I love the presentation, and that it's just Grunty screwing with you, but I really don't like the structure of it. I'm not a fan of the Grunty, insta-death, or the minigame questions. They either take forever, just kill you, or don't give you enough time to respond. I enjoy Tooie's interpretation more, because it's just testing your knowledge about the game itself, without having dumb insta-death crap, or intrusive minigames. While yes, GFF is doing the same thing, I just find the way it's structured to be annoying to sit through, and you basically know what type of questions you'll get every time. Tooie's feels more fresh, because you never know what the next question might be. God I didn't think I had THIS much to say. I fear for how long my Tooie comment will be..
Totally agree about everything you said. His taste is whack and his opinions were a bit forced at the end. This game oozes charm throughout with great pace. CCW and Grunty are legendary
@@tophario1492 I just don't agree with his mindset half the time. It comes off like things have to be fast paced and easy to pick up and play for a game to be good and replayable. Not everything needs to be speed runnable. Whenever anything is even remotely challenging for him, he complains about it I swear. Not everything needs to be like Sonic, and not everything needs to be beaten in one try. (And this is coming from a Sonic fan no less. It's okay to slow down sometimes.)
The essence of Banjo is to slow down and enjoy the levels. It's not episodic like Mario. Banjo Tooie is going to be hell for him at this rate. It's all about reveling in the ludicrous banter with npcs and giggling at the dry British humor. These aren't obstacle courses but fully fleshed out worlds brought to you through the lens of an affable country bumpkin and his snarky partner.
@@tophario1492 Exactly. I'm fairly certain 80% of the Banjo Tooie review is just going to be complaints about the size of worlds and backtracking. God I'm going to end up going off on one. It doesn't help that it's basically my FGOAT. (Also if it takes over 2 hours to find 4 jiggies in Jolly Roger's Lagoon, then that's your own fault. This may be personal experience, but I can average every world's completion around 1 hr 30 minutes, and that's just from playing naturally, I don't even try speedrunning.) I can already hear all the complaints and nitpicks now, nothing he says is gonna surprise me about this.
@@tophario1492 Furthermore, I can already tell he's gonna complain about the length and that, "it's too long to be a replayable collectathon". Not everything needs to be beaten in a couple sittings, collectathon or not. A big reason I love Tooie, is because I get to feel immersed in this weird interconnected world, and help out these NPCs only Rare would create. It feels like a living, breathing world, where-as Banjo-Kazooie felt a lot more closed off and disconnected by comparison. (That being said, A Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie hybrid, where EVERYTHING was interconnected sounds like it could be really cool. I always wondered where those worlds were in coloration to the Tooie ones.)
Kinda late, but I just wanted to briefly mention that "reprise" is a term most commonly used in music that basically means "the same thing over again" or a "repeat" (or "to resume"). So in this case it seems to imply "basically the same thing and not significantly different enough to be worth mentioning". Admittedly "Repeat" might have gotten the point across better, and Re-meh gets the feelings across a little more clearly up front
I'm pretty sure the Xbox version of BK still has mip mapping, just like every other modern (and most N64) game. They just also have anisotropic filtering now, which prevents inaccurate neighbor sampling at steep angles. Aside from an additional 1/3 cost of vram, mip mapping is a nice performance boost and only makes distant textures look better. Without it, you would see a lot of noisy shimmering as sub-pixel texels would fight to be selected. Trilinear filtering was a pretty big selling point for N64 hardware, and that necessarily interpolates between mip levels.
You probably know this already but they were actually going to do it at some point, before they started to work on nuts and bolts they were considering doing a remake of banjo in the style of what they did with conker live & reloaded where they change some things, and one of the think they were going to have was grunty hovering around the worlds changing things as you were playing them if I remember correctly
@@chrisfratz Yeah, maybe with Banjo being in Smash Microsoft might try to revive the brand with a remake or even a new game. They've clearly not completely abandoned him, unlike Conker.
Yep with Microsoft and Nintendo parterning up now, and Banjo in Smash now, it's actually looking possible that we'll get a remake. Whereas before it looked like it'd absolutely never happen. But a remake and release on a Nintendo console (as well as a Microsoft console), it'd print money
The XBLA version actually still uses mip mapping. They just dont kick in until very far away. Mip Maps also solve the issue of textures shimmering. This is because if the texture is so small on the screen that the actual texture itself is higher res than the amount of pixels on the screen the sampling will bounce between two or more pixels when moving the camera.
"Kazooie also gives Banjo a bunch of other bird like moves such as shooting eggs..." Man, I hate it whenever birds spit eggs at me whenever I walk outside. You go near a tree and they just spit egg after egg at you
7:16 In the original N64 releases of BK and BT, you can skip full exchanges by pressing L+R+B. 18:10 - 18:20 I saw and heard this from somewhere before, maybe a vision… 18:59 The N64 releases use Comicrazy as the text font, while the XBLA releases use Andy Bold from Nuts & Bolts. 42:07 Took me _3_ hours.
I'm sorry if that ended up coming out wrong, as I have not intended to gloat; Me taking 3 hours to 100% Click Clock Wood, rather than Exo's 2, is basically me saying that I suck.
I honestly like the review, however I think your being quite a bit whiny about the Grunty fight. Its not made to be a difficult fight, its made to be rewarding. Your using EVERY skill you learned in your Adventure to beat her. Thats extremely satisfying. You need to lighten up about that
Yeah, while it *is* a bit annoying it's the only instance of it in the game, which compared to other games I've played, one instance of backtracking is pretty much harmless imo
i mean,there was a minor negative undertone towards that games pacing in the review. i am honestly interessted how that review will go considering this one already went into some of the improvements it made
+Identified as Toast Okay, but how would anybody know to do that? Unless it's in the manual or something. As far as I know the games themselves never say as much.
@@ExoParadigmGamer yeah I know the game doesn't tell you it at all so I can't really blame you for not knowing it, I only figured it out because of a speedrunner. Even then it is still a handy feature to use
Click Clock Wood is an interesting level for me. It's absolute hell for beginners/people who haven't played the game in a while, but it's nowhere near as bad the second time through. I'd say if you can climb the tree competently enough without falling down, the level becomes much more manageable, though I understand that's not always easy, especially if you're playing it for the first time. And while there were too many Cluckers coming out of the walls all over the place and having all the music notes spread all over the four seasons was pretty tedious, I feel there were some aspects Click Clock Wood offers that doesn't make it THAT annoying to replay through the seasons. Like how Autumn and Winter have slopes on the ground floor to have you travel that area easier after Spring guided you the first time, how Summer and Autumn had those leaf platforms on the side of the tree so you didn't have to take the exact same path up all the time, and how putting the flight pad in the final season, Winter, gave a nice bit of catharsis after having enough time to understand fully how the level works. Not to mention that level is probably the prettiest one in the game, and those attention to details are really really nice once you notice them. The beautiful colors of Autumn, the desolate feeling of Winter, how those Robin Hood enemies change depending on the season, how Mumbo has all his torches' fire off during the Summer because it's too hot, how Gobi returns for some reason making him the only character introduce in a stage to reappear in another, there's just so many cool aspects to the stage. The bee transformation was underwhelming though. Either more of the stage should've utilized it or it shouldn't have been introduced at all (which would be a shame since it's a great transformation). Anything other than the half-cocked take they took in the final game where it was given in the first season and then never used again for the entire rest of the stage. So yeah, there's a lot to like about the stage, but probably more to dislike as well, especially for first-time players.
You may have been told this already in the comments, but the theme for Grunty's Lair actually references Teddy Bear's Picnic on accident. During the first Guest Grumps with Grant Kirkhope, he's asked about it by Jon, but Grant doesn't recall basing the track on anything, and they decide it must have been done subconsciously.
Holy shit Grunty's Lair is _actually_ based on the "If you go down to the woods today..." nursery rhyme!? I sing it every time I hear it, but I wasn't sure if it was just a coincidence or not.
I consider it a remaster. Its a complete replacement for the original in my eyes. It may still have flaws from the original, but it doesn't make anything worse. It makes the original an inferior version, and I think thats what a Remaster score is to me, although I can respect you giving it just a remake.
Aren't the music notes the main collectible seeing as they are ultimately what decides if you can progress or not for most of the game? Also, jesus the Jinjos looks like nightmare beasts with the black levels like that
Are We Not Gonna talk About How The Same Company Who Put Banjo Kazooie On Xbox 360, is the same company who helped with the Minecraft Legacy editions? (Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360)
Great video. It’s rare to find a review that looks so objectively at such a beloved game, without feeling like it’s just for attention. Regarding the Beak Bomb (divebomby move) and how you felt that it was difficult to aim - did you know that you can hold “R” when flying or swimming to centre the camera directly on Banjo’s back? This makes it much easier to aim as you can centre Kazooie’s head on your target. Keep up the awesome vids!
I'm sorry but despite Microsoft ruining the Banjo-Kazooie franchise, the Xbox One version is better looking of the two and I'm not afraid to admit that. It's much clearer and cleaner. Also, nice jab at Ocarina of Time. That got a laugh out of me
Forgot to put this in my other comment, but I'm gonna say this as well, when you said you "100%'d CCW in an hour" 1. No you didn't. The time was over an hour, not under. and 2. You had the pause screen up showing 9/10 jiggies collected. 9/10 is not 100%.
The way I see it, Furnace of Fun is the casual ending, and the Grunty Battle is the true ending for the hard core. I will disagree with you on your assessment of the final battle. I understand your complaints with egg aiming and the beak bomb. As a child, I struggled significantly with especially the beak bomb and died several times trying to defeat the snowmen and Grunty. If you master the mechanics, then it becomes less of an issue. Thus, the Grunty battle is the true ending for the hard core. The true ending is deserved if you defeat her. I get why you would think it tedious, but maybe I just have too much fun with it now that I have the mechanics down after replaying every year or so. Also, inventory management and strategically activating cheato's cheats after using up a certain resource on a stage circumvents your issues with feathers. That also takes experience too. It's all subjective complaints and these are just my subjective opinions against them. I love your analysis and look forward to hard disagreeing with you on Tooie since it sounds like you may have some beefs with it. ;)
Probably didn't have to spend almost two minutes explaining at the start that this isn't a for Xross Console, right after explaining the difference between ROR and XC, we are aware of why it isn't straight away. Sonic, Crash, all of that could have been omitted to save time (and work) as you had literally just pointed out the channel difference a minute earlier, and then proceed to do it again (but in more detail than was necessary). Keep out of my bay or else xox
The "Gruntilda Effect" is pretty well executed in Dissidia Final Fantasy, of all games. The game constantly reminds you how much you need to defeat Chaos, but keeps on putting obstacle after obstacle in your way; when you finally reach that final fight, it's such a cathartic moment.
Tedious, exhausting and too many phases. My initial knee-jerk reaction on hearing that was to go "pssh, lightweight". I do see some of your points though, the beak bomb did need a bit more work done to it in retrospect. However, I get the feeling you're in the minority regarding Grunty's viability as a final boss. She's a fun test of many of the moves you've learned up to that point, both in terms of abilities and knowing how to control them, and tends to keep you on your toes at all times. And certainly there are times in the fight where you can't reliably see her shooting fireballs, but as I recall the flames are generally aimed at you and there's a very distinct and pronounced sound effect that plays when she fires one off. When the eyes fail, use the ears. And yeah, maybe delivering the final blow was more satisfying in Tooie, but considering we have ourselves a final smash now, I'm cool with the jinjonator. Particularly since that thing wouldn't have been freed unless you were there to free it, so you are still the cause of Grunty's downfall. But overall, I do appreciate the amount of depth and thought you put into this analysis. And I do appreciate learning new things, I had no idea mipmapping was a technique until this video. So thanks for that! People may disagree on things like Grunty's viability as a final boss, how enjoyable Click Clock Wood is, or how enjoyable boss battles in general are in Tooie, but in the end we all still love these two games. From one fan to another, I tip my hat to you.
Quick note for you Exo. Those facts about Grunty Brentilda tells you aren't random, they are the same three choices every time, but which one ends up being used as the correct fact is dependent upon which save file you are playing on. Also that ramp in Mad Monster Mansion you found isn't isolated from the pumpkin transformation. It is accessible from around the back gate to the hedge maze from the Church area. Just thought I'd give you the nice fun fact and advice. Still a great video as always either way.
It's not obvious but there IS a aiming reticle in the game, though it's not a typical crosshair or similiarly. You use Kazooie's head while flying to aim for the enemies or areas to Beak Bomb. Knowing how to use this trick makes it much easier to aim.
Some ROR episodes I hope to see are Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. I would personally give Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy a remake and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled a replace, but it would still be nice to see them officially covered.
Honestly I think Click Clock Wood is much less of a pain than Rusty Bucket Bay. The latter feels like a detour into highly punishing speedy platforming which the game had primarily not emphasized prior to it. Most of the game is puzzle solving via expansive exploration, and while it employed the occasional careful jump section, the fact that bottomless pits appear virtually nowhere in the game except in the engine room is telling. Moreover, the kind of exploration on the ship itself feels contrasting from the rest of the game. The random windows and portholes feel a far cry away from the various unique pyramids of Gobi's Valley. The former just isn't terribly engaging visually and it makes the level feel far more repetitive than something like Mad Monster Mansion which also utilizes windows as points of entry for rooms but doesn't feel nearly as monotonous. The former though has numerous collectibles for jiggies, specific use of golden feathers, red feather flight mastery, exploration of four sub worlds, the most dynamic Mumbo transformation, & multi-layered puzzles that require specific steps for each season. That level felt like the culmination of Banjo Kazooie's strengths versus Rusty Bucket Bay which feels like it belongs in another type of 3D platformer.
I can only speak for myself, but for my most recent 100% playthough of Banjo-Kazooie, on Rusty Bucket Bay I died 8 times. On Click Clock Wood I didn't die once. The central tree in it is big and more extensive, but its much more forgiving of bad falls than anything in the engine room of RBB.
I'm surprised you found Click Clock Woods to be so problematic. Even on the N64 the only level I really ever had (significant) trouble completing the musical notes challenges in was Rusty Bucket Bay, and while I've played the game a LOT I've only 100 completed it twice . . . and both times were less than 4 hours total playtime each. I'm excited to see your breakdown of Tooie though. I never got to play it until the 360 release, and the backtracking and confusion of the design make it a lot harder to get into than BK. Gonna admit, I love Nuts 'N' Bolts though.
I can't wait for a Nuts and Bolts review, should he ever make one. This guy breaks down the games he reviews in Videos with great length and detail. I'd love more People to do this but Nuts and Bolts and particular only has 10 minute reviews of people mindlessly bashing it for not being a platformer to the point where I would've never really found out how good the game actually was until I played it. I'd love to know the ins and outs of what is actually in there, not a critique based on what it is not.
@@ddd7038 a completely different team made the Crash and Spyro trilogies and they turned out great so that's not an issue. Microsoft and Nintendo now are partnering up, with former xbox one/pc exclusives like Cuphead now on the switch, and Banjo and Kazooie are in Smash Ultimate. It's definitely a possibility it'll happen. And hey if they wanted to they could hire the old rare guys to make the remake anyway, as they've already kinda done that themselves when they made Yooka Laylee. Hire Playtronic (I think that's the company's name) while Nintendo themselves publish, perhaps. Nintendo have already published games from other game developers so that's also a thing that has precedence on top of all the other stuff
"...backtracking that adds nothing to the experience"... yeah... well, that's just like, your opinion man. When you're a wee lad and you remember something you can do in a previous level due to a newly acquired ability, that's the kind of magic spark that keeps you chasing the pink dragon for years to come. Sure it doesn't quite work for replayability, but as a developer they KNEW that first time was gonna be great.
I appreciate the video and your opinion but I completely couldn’t disagree more with all your negative points on banjo kazooie. First of all I like when a platformer is a challenge and it seems like your complaints are mostly about the challenges in this game and you want an easy no challenge game. If there were fly pads everywhere then what would be the point of even platforming when you could easily just fly anywhere you want? Also as of Click Clock wood I think its the best level in the game. It isn’t repetitive at all it feels fresh with every new season and its cool to see the changes within the level when the seasons change. Also once again why would you want flying pads in every season. You literally could just fly to the top of the giant tree, that wouldn’t be very challenging or fun if you ask me. Also the cameras in this game feel great I have no complaints at all for a 1998 plat former. Grunty in my opinion is an amazing final boss. More fun then bowser in mario 64 just tossing him around in a random bomb. Its cool to see her in person and get to peck her fat gross ass. I think your forgetting that this game was made in 1998, of course theres going to be some issues with frame-rate and graphics on newer Tvs. I do agree with some of your points howerver like the level design. Anyway sorry for this long comment from this banjo fanboy...
Holy crap, that part about modern open world design is so freakin true. My biggest issue with BoTW is how bloated and empty it can often feel. I to prefer more condensed environments in games. I’m glad you brought that up.
33:00 I hate how they do this, they don’t add more content, they just literally make the game world bigger so they can say “the game is bigger” and technically be correct. Mario Odyssey isn’t full of giant emptiness like Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey as a game is that exact size, but every square inch is filled with things to do and everything is placed with a purpose, that purpose being “fun”. Breath of the wild feels like they saw the total lack of an overworld in Ocarina of Time and thought “oh, I know how to fix this” and just made the empty space between towns way bigger. Stupid to try and fix a problem by actively making the problem itself much larger.
Funny how Banjo-Tooie actually fell into this trap too. It is bigger than Kazooie, but it's more empty and boring. While in Kazooie, the worlds were smaller but there was something in every corner.
33:00 A massive truth bomb right there! We need more games like Deus Ex: Mankind Divided that utilize every square meter in its fullest. Unique rooms, lots of objects, every place having a story to tell through people, environments, emails, hidden stashes, etc.
The thing to realize about Kazooie's flight, is that she didn't know how to fly before and learned how to fly from a Mole. Moles don't exactly have the means to take off and fly at a moment's notice, necessitating the Flight Pads. Reminder as well that in the sequel that Kazooie had to be informed that she could glide by spreading her wings after leaping. Kazooie never had another bird to inform her of how to do bird things and learned to do bird things from things that are most certainly not birds. Can't fault her for having some weird methods.
I don't know why, but on my first playthrough of Banjo Kazooie, Click Clock wood wasn't that big of a problem, even if i died while doing something, the stage was so well made I'd just gleefully collect my notes back and move on, i guess it has a lot to do with the stage design which is really engaging with the four seasons gimmick, the one stage i actually had the most trouble with, was Rusty Bucked Bay, which is a really hard stage with a design that just makes you look at it and say "ugh, do i really gotta play there" the industrial theme was already done with Clanker's Cavern, so you just feel like there could be something different there
Believe it or not, the note-glitch actually affected my playthrough on my let's Play-channel. The four notes in the beehive were gone. Apparently, the patch isn't a guaranteed fix, so definitely save the silly puzzle-minigame for last 😐
Grunty’s potshots involve you listening to the audio. If she fires while you’re standing still, it’ll go for you. If you’re moving, it’ll go in the direction you were headed when the noise sounds. The best thing is to fake her out with your moves. Hitting Grunty with the beak bomb is much safer it you don’t aim down. You can beak bomb straight, and you won’t run the risk of tumbling off the roof. Finally, and most confusing of your complaints, Grunty takes a break from her fireballs so you can shoot eggs at her. Each part of that phase has a pattern with pauses for you. It’s not as simple as just dealing with a clunky mechanic with no room for error.
Couple of points from the comments I wanted to address.
1. Apparently you CAN skip cutscenes with L + R + B. If that's true, then there's absolutely no indication whatsoever that you can do this. I read every dialogue box and even checked my copy of the instruction manual and can confirm this is never mentioned once. Maybe it was a debug tool for the developers.
2. I've been informed multiple times that the ramp is a shortcut for the pumpkin after all. There's a hole you can squeeze through somewhere, though I'm not sure how I missed it. The Pumpkin was a minor criticism anyway but I'll be sure to do use that route from now on.
3. "Your complaints are nitpicks." It's fine to disagree and your mileage on any criticism will vary, but I'd like to note that any game can seem perfect if we disregard any and all criticisms as nitpicks. I recieve similar comments when reviewing many classic games. Nitpicks may be small, but they add up quickly and can detract from the experience in sufficient numbers. I wanted to be thorough because I found there were a lot of things other reviewers were glossing over or not mentioning.
Forgot to pin this my dude
I never knew you could skip cutscenes :) I absolutely agree with your points with the n64 version's notes, click clock woods as a whole and the whole backtracking thing with Gobi's Desert and Freezeezy Peak. Also it is possible to collect the stop n swop items in the n64 version, but they are permanently in your inventory and completely useless
ExoParadigmGamer What I just started noticing about Banjo's level design (which i CANNOT believe I didnt notice before) is that pretty much EVERY LEVEL is made like a wheel. The center point is ALWAYS a some major building or obstacle that defines the zone you are in (The Termite Mound in world 1. Clanker in World 3. The ship in world 8) and then the other objectives are branched out like the spokes. And every level is like this and it is so crazy that I didnt think about this! especially so considering how well it works too and how it makes the worlds easy to navigate and get around in, unlike Tooie which I would say is a pain in the ass to find stuff to do in or get anything done in a good amount of time. Its why I never understood the team making Yooka-Laylee making their game more like Tooie and less like Kazooie.
That would be due to the inherent urge to make everything "bigger and better", Mugen. Sometimes though, "more" is a better adjective to apply. Still enjoy Yooka immensely, but I do hope they take the criticisms to heart when they make the next one.
I'm incredibly envious of your PVM monitor. Those are the gold standard of CRTs. I keep looking on ebay for them, but can't really afford one. I really hope some company starts making CRT TVs and monitors again for the retro gaming and e-sports and speedrunning communities. It can't be that hard right? Cos all these old ones will die eventually
Also have you seen the new HDMI adapter for the N64 that requires no modding? In case you're interested in that sort of thing
New ror is always makes my day better
what are you doing here? XD
@@ajddavid452 yeah what are you doing here?
I agree
Really? Strange🧐
Love your videos!
When somebody mentions "4J Studios" the only thing I think of classic Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition
Perfect dark though
Same, there was a Banjo-Kazooie skin in one of the skin packs.
I have over 500 hours in Minecraft Wii U edition, thanks 4J
To be honest, that'd go for most people, but instead of thinking about the Xbox 360 version, they think about the PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One (pre-bedrock), PS Vita, PS4 (pre-bedrock), Wii U, and the Switch (pre-bedrock) versions.
Fun fact, they're still involved with Minecraft, even if not as much as before.
I'm saying this because they have published a multitude of resource packs on the Minecraft Marketplace.
@@crying2theocean203 pathetic i have 1,500
You do not have to navigate the top of the hedgemaze as the pumpkin.
There is a ramp you can walk up as the pumpkin that lets you on top of the mansion in like 2 seconds.
And no, that ramp is not enclosed. Theres a small hole you can slip through under the wall as the pumpkin.
OmegaChase1002 And even if it was enclosed you can just climb onto the church roof like you would with Banjo (hop onto the gravestone then roof etc) and then jump from the tower into the hedge ramp area.
Never would I have ever thought to go that far out of my way to get onto the hedges by jumping around a fence... It just doesn’t even make sense with regards to the rest of the games design...
@@linearlink
wait, you can do that?
OmegaChase1002 that’s how I’ve always done it. It always felt a little weird to do it that way, especially now that I know there is a hole in the wall, but not as weird as going all the way across the map and navigating the hedges like in the video. To be honest it’s not much slower than using the hole since there both in the same area.
Navigate? The hole is literally right there.
I actually laughed so hard at that point, the ramp and the little hole in the hedges are so clear! There's no way the intended route would be so difficult/complex in a game so relatively easy
19:07 “found that it fit the BK universe”
woah so we talkin’ burger king now?
aceclutchh U Braggin Bout Burger King w/ Me?
That's Banjo-Kazooie, not Burger King, you moron.
Benito Sierra ...you...you don’t get it.
@@xXSpongeBroBrownPantzXx At least I understand what Exo says.
@@benitosierrajr3958 nice bro u got him
It's crazy how difference our opinions can be sometimes. Me personally I loved Click Clock Wood and consider it the Climax of Banjo Kazooie. The idea of doing a full stage four times but in different seasons is in a way a summary of the entire Banjo Kazooie experience. The stage even has it's own mini hub world. This stage uses everything you have learned up to that point for a pretty good challenge that will test your skills in the game.
Very well put. Hearing the lair theme change to Click Clock Wood is a total vibe
Now, on N64, it sucks but on XBLA, it's a great level. I agree with you.
Gotta say, I think Click Clock Wood is probably the best (Or at least, most memorable stage) It's like a game in itself.
Funny how opinions are, cos yeah, I remember loving that stage.
Click Clock Wood is my 2nd least favorite stage.
Was about to comment the same thing
I always felt Click Clock Woods was overrated, and also a pain in the butt to complete on the N64. There were a lot better levels in Banjo-Kazooie.
I read that in your voice, Goomba
CCW is a nice stage, but I simply love the theme of MMM.
You said Kirby lacks story? Oh man... Kirby ooses story and lore... Thing is... It is hidden inside of pause screens
I beg your pardon?
Don't have much experience with Kirby, so maybe the story/lore make up for it, but pause screens sound like a shit way to convey story.
@@joeytoby1 you wouldnt like souls games
Kirby lore is just flavored text, and the localization sometimes changes or entirely removes some part of the pause screen descriptions
@@pee-bot true
"Spiral Mountain may be the best opening stage theme in video game history"
City Escape : Am I a joke to you?
great review btw exo
I feel like they're conveying different styles/moods, and both of them do their job perfectly.
Frigate Orpheon has entered the chat
I think Grunty doesn't beauty swap right away because she sees this as a game just as much as we do. Thatd explain the quiz at the end. She wants to toy with banjo.
As for the jinjos, maybe they cant move unless touched because of a magic spell? Grunty is a witch after all.
In that cutscene when you enter the lair Klungo says that that the machine will start soon. Meaning that there may be a cooldown period.
@@enigmatixthecringechampion5004
a bit of a stretch, but okay.
at least tooie outright state thereis a cooldown period.
Eh, yeah.
It is explained very briefly in the opening that the Beauty Machine is "Getting ready" so it is outright stated that there is a cooldown time; it's just glanced over in a very quick sentence.
The idea of Grunty having a Quiz Show with Tootie as the prize was pretty much just because "Nobody would expect this." Grunty toying with Banjo also seems fitting; but I would think she would've had a fake Tootie instead in that case; and remind him that they are both at the top waiting; but even still.
To DK64 and Tooie's credit; this is something both of them do better. DK64 explains early on that the Blast-O-Matic is still under construction due to the incompetence of the Kremlings, and Tooie explains that the BOB requires a longass cooldown to blast the whole island.
@@OmegaChase1002 not a stretch lmao it's why it's mentioned
GOOD REVIEW BUDDY ❤️❤️
Haedox lives!
Timestamps for Mobile User
00:00:40 - Introduction
00:05:30 - The Story
00:12:10 - The N64 Graphics
00:17:14 - The 360 Graphics
00:20:38 - The N64 Sound
00:22:22 - The 360 Sound
00:23:21 - The Mechanics
00:28:11 - The Camera
00:30:28 - The Combat
00:32:41 - The Level Design
00:35:01 - Exo's Four Criticisms
00:39:43 - The Bottles Bonus Glitch
00:41:13 - Exo's Four Criticisms Continued
00:43:02 - Mumbo Transformations
00:43:56 - SPOILERS: Ending and Final Boss
00:48:17 - Stop 'n' Swop
00:49:34 - Conclusion
00:52:29 - Remake or Rebreak
00:54:52 - Ending and Credits
The hero we need but dont deserve
48:34 Slight nitpick. The N64 couldn't keep RAM when it was turned off. It kept RAM if you removed the cartridge, and changed it while it was still on. It's called "hotswapping". Though, doing that in practice could potentially damage your console, which is part of the reason why it was scrapped.
Spoiler alert: While the Xbox Live Arcade version does feature Stop 'N Swop as it was originally intended, what they did with it is kinda... Disappointing.
I like Tooie more. I love how interconnected the worlds are, it makes it seem deeper to me, and I don't find the re-visits to worlds to be annoying at all (except Grunty Industries).
Of course I love BK as well!
16:53 Anyone remember the cheese you could enter in Banjo-Tooie? That were some solid 5 fps.
lol you picked the worst example, the cheese wedge is a stable 30fps inside
Microsoft is literally sitting on a gold mine with Banjo. Like if they would just remake Banjo 1 and 2 and bundled them together like a Crash N'Sane Trilogy deal and shortly there after, maybe a year after they annouce an offical Banjo 3 using the engine from the remakes and money would pour in but for whatever reason, they don't do that. Shame really.
20:32 top scan line has a tendency to bug out.
Me: *staring intently at the screen as he is zooming up*
Video: *Surprise Ad*
You and KingK just casually dropping reviews on the same day. Man you spoil me and I love it
Prayin for the XBLA ports to come to Switch
This was supposed to be it's own comment but I only just noticed I accidentally typed it as a reply :(
Cake Jerry It’s alright my dood, everyone makes mistakes
@Zachary Erickson unlikely but it is possible, B&K are coming to Smash and Microsoft have published a couple of Rare games on Nintendo handhelds in the past. They seem to be on pretty good terms so, while unlikely, it's not totally outside the realm of possibility.
At least this guy is not an asshole, unlike KingK who attacks other reviewers for wanting to stay objective just because he thinks objective critique doesn't exist.
"It still doesn't explain how eggonizing it can be"... Lmao nice almost slipped that one by me.
Click Clock Wood is actually my favorite level! Such a great game and it features a handsome hippo!
Where is this hippo?
@@TaurusToyVideos Second level! Captain Blubber on the pirate ship! You can't miss it!
@@captainblubber That's Treasures Trove Cove, Click Clock Wood is the last main level
@@TaurusToyVideos Haha, I think you are just confused. I said the 'game' features a handsome hippo, not the 'level'.
35:50
No, there is a hole. I'm sure you don't feel like booting up BK just to go see it, but there is indeed a hole near the ramp, I believe on the left side. It saves you like 5 minutes.
Though it's not like it's well conveyed, since no natural camera angle readily displays it.
What’s the hole for?
With big open worlds, there needs to be enough content to go with it. 76 shows that you can't just make the world bigger without the content to complement it.
I like big open worlds but if there is too much nothing between areas it's rather boring and tedious.
You and many will probably disagree, but that's exactly why I enjoy BK so much more than Tooie.
Tooie does some great things to the controls of Banjo&K, but the world is too big and empty compared to the first in my opinion.
@@cxx23 It's fine
Can you do the Crash Bandicoot trilogy Remake or Rebreak (Original PS1 vs N Sane Trilogy PS4)?
I think he would play it on PC because of the 60fps.
@@oscarzxn4067 Besides, he will review Spyro Reignited Trilogy the same way that he will do for Crash Bandicoot N'Sane Trilogy.
He said it’s in the pipeline
*Switch Trilogy
Watch the video
If you found the very minimal backtracking of Kazooie to be an annoyance, I can't wait to hear you rag on Tooie. That whole game was one big clusterfuck of backtracking. Still was a great game though.
Where is our real banjo kazooie remake and not a port
This is a remake
with the original rare team gone, it would definitely not be good imo. The only way it would turn out well is if Nintendo somehow acquired the IP but thats not going to happen.
We've also seen the spiritual successor Yooka-Laylee, which was kind of underwhelming.
@@seandonovan7062 What if Nintendo and Microsoft pay Playtonic to remake Banjo Kazooie?
Cliffordlonghead it’s a remaster
N Sane Trilogy, Nitro Fueled and Reignited Trilogy are great and they were not Made by Naughty Dog or Insomniac, so I'm not sure about that.
Didn't expect for this short of a wait for another Exo video but ok 😁👌
My nitpick for this game, you never fight Klungo. He just disappears.
Although they make up for this in the sequel.
10:57
Yes they are randomized. Brentilda is literally random every time. It was a time sink for speed runs for a while.
This is really the only thing that I want to give to the comment section community
43:30
Oh man! Not knowing there's a hole in the wall by the graveyard with a ramp leading right up to the house would suck! I feel sorry for you
I don’t understand why Nintendo felt compelled to port the n64 version of banjo and not the Xbox version since to me it’s the superior version of the game in terms of graphics and features.
10:46 It is randomized. It was hard to speedrun furnace until the BK speedrun community found an exploit
I do agree with a lot of this review, though I'm gonna have to disagree with the feather system and Grunty battle entirely. Personally, I find that using feathers and eggs, for flight, invincibility and ammo, to be a good incentive to look around levels to stack up on those things, while doing your main objectives. I'll concede the fact that the Beak Bomb attack doesn't work the best sometimes. I tend to find that, if you pay attention to the amount of eggs/feathers you have, you'll rarely run out. Not to mention that you only run out of reds when you start ascending, which doesn't happen enough to cause problems, at-least from my experience.
I'll have to disagree with how YL being better about it. While I think the special meter or whatever to be an interesting concept, I found it to be more intrusive then anything. I just don't really like how the flight controls in that game either. I get that it's supposed to emulate Laylee struggling to carry Yooka around, but in execution, it feels bad to control. The last world in YL just involves flying around aimlessly, until you finally find something. It just felt so aimless and poorly put together. Probably one of my least favourite levels in a collectathon.
As for Grunty, I just don't see it. I'll agree that the flying section can be annoying, but besides that, I find it to be a fun final challenge, where you have to keep spacial awareness on what Grunty's doing while saving the Jinjos, and you have to have good aim with eggs at the start, while being wary of your positioning and Grunty's fireballs. Personally I find it to be a good challenge and a worthy final boss for the game. That said, the "bosses" in the worlds, leave a lot to be desired. I think they are harmless, but they are basically just glorified mooks.
Maybe it's just because I know this game so well, but I don't see the issue of unlocking worlds either. Sometimes they can be out of the way, yes, but by the end of the game, it should get more difficult to figure out where the world painting is. I don't really see what's so hard about finding out you can bust open that gate outside MMM, when there are tons of gates that are exactly the same in MMM itself. It's a mechanic the game teaches you about in the world, and you have to use that knowledge to access an area that will lead the way to RBB's world entrance. It's clever game design that teaches you things without saying a word. I do think that placing the CCW painting so early on, to be a bit of a weird design choice, but eh. I can live with it.
Funnily enough, the one thing I disagree with, that I don't like much, is Grunty's Furnace Fun. I love the presentation, and that it's just Grunty screwing with you, but I really don't like the structure of it. I'm not a fan of the Grunty, insta-death, or the minigame questions. They either take forever, just kill you, or don't give you enough time to respond. I enjoy Tooie's interpretation more, because it's just testing your knowledge about the game itself, without having dumb insta-death crap, or intrusive minigames. While yes, GFF is doing the same thing, I just find the way it's structured to be annoying to sit through, and you basically know what type of questions you'll get every time. Tooie's feels more fresh, because you never know what the next question might be.
God I didn't think I had THIS much to say. I fear for how long my Tooie comment will be..
Totally agree about everything you said. His taste is whack and his opinions were a bit forced at the end. This game oozes charm throughout with great pace. CCW and Grunty are legendary
@@tophario1492 I just don't agree with his mindset half the time. It comes off like things have to be fast paced and easy to pick up and play for a game to be good and replayable. Not everything needs to be speed runnable. Whenever anything is even remotely challenging for him, he complains about it I swear. Not everything needs to be like Sonic, and not everything needs to be beaten in one try. (And this is coming from a Sonic fan no less. It's okay to slow down sometimes.)
The essence of Banjo is to slow down and enjoy the levels. It's not episodic like Mario. Banjo Tooie is going to be hell for him at this rate. It's all about reveling in the ludicrous banter with npcs and giggling at the dry British humor. These aren't obstacle courses but fully fleshed out worlds brought to you through the lens of an affable country bumpkin and his snarky partner.
@@tophario1492 Exactly. I'm fairly certain 80% of the Banjo Tooie review is just going to be complaints about the size of worlds and backtracking. God I'm going to end up going off on one. It doesn't help that it's basically my FGOAT. (Also if it takes over 2 hours to find 4 jiggies in Jolly Roger's Lagoon, then that's your own fault. This may be personal experience, but I can average every world's completion around 1 hr 30 minutes, and that's just from playing naturally, I don't even try speedrunning.) I can already hear all the complaints and nitpicks now, nothing he says is gonna surprise me about this.
@@tophario1492 Furthermore, I can already tell he's gonna complain about the length and that, "it's too long to be a replayable collectathon". Not everything needs to be beaten in a couple sittings, collectathon or not. A big reason I love Tooie, is because I get to feel immersed in this weird interconnected world, and help out these NPCs only Rare would create. It feels like a living, breathing world, where-as Banjo-Kazooie felt a lot more closed off and disconnected by comparison. (That being said, A Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie hybrid, where EVERYTHING was interconnected sounds like it could be really cool. I always wondered where those worlds were in coloration to the Tooie ones.)
Should've kept Re-meh. Easier to understand than the more vague Reprise.
Gonna agree with this, and as a long time viewer I find it iconic!
Adding a fifth rating is a good idea though
I agree.
Kinda late, but I just wanted to briefly mention that "reprise" is a term most commonly used in music that basically means "the same thing over again" or a "repeat" (or "to resume"). So in this case it seems to imply "basically the same thing and not significantly different enough to be worth mentioning". Admittedly "Repeat" might have gotten the point across better, and Re-meh gets the feelings across a little more clearly up front
reprise is more clever tbh
I'm pretty sure the Xbox version of BK still has mip mapping, just like every other modern (and most N64) game. They just also have anisotropic filtering now, which prevents inaccurate neighbor sampling at steep angles. Aside from an additional 1/3 cost of vram, mip mapping is a nice performance boost and only makes distant textures look better. Without it, you would see a lot of noisy shimmering as sub-pixel texels would fight to be selected. Trilinear filtering was a pretty big selling point for N64 hardware, and that necessarily interpolates between mip levels.
In the N64 version, Mumbo’s talking sprite always creeped me out. His eyes seem more sunken in... but in the XBLA version, his eyes bulge out more
XBLA seems to use the Banjo-Tooie heads for almost all characters. Those who don't appear in Tooie will retain their original B-K heads here.
Now I want a from-the-ground-up Banjo Kazooie Remake...
You probably know this already but they were actually going to do it at some point, before they started to work on nuts and bolts they were considering doing a remake of banjo in the style of what they did with conker live & reloaded where they change some things, and one of the think they were going to have was grunty hovering around the worlds changing things as you were playing them if I remember correctly
@@chrisfratz Yeah, maybe with Banjo being in Smash Microsoft might try to revive the brand with a remake or even a new game. They've clearly not completely abandoned him, unlike Conker.
DenshiDraws In the Banjo Tooie engine? Yes.
I hope we get BK and BT remasters in the same vain as the Crash and Spyro ones!
Yep with Microsoft and Nintendo parterning up now, and Banjo in Smash now, it's actually looking possible that we'll get a remake. Whereas before it looked like it'd absolutely never happen. But a remake and release on a Nintendo console (as well as a Microsoft console), it'd print money
Huh. On the same day Masae Anela ends her LP of Banjo Kazooie. That’s some funny timing there.
Literally who
pejnismiggle a friend of Chuggaconroy
@@pejnismiggle get out
And around the same time that The Completionist's review of Banjo-Kazooie was uploaded.
B-K is one of the best games ever made, and Click Clock Wood is an epic masterpiece. Fight me. ;)
After having played Spyro 3 and Toy Story 2 so many times, I would love to give Banjo Kazooie a proper try someday.
@@ultrairrelevantnobody1862 I just got an Xbox One S and Rare Replay. Absolutely worth it.
The XBLA version actually still uses mip mapping. They just dont kick in until very far away. Mip Maps also solve the issue of textures shimmering. This is because if the texture is so small on the screen that the actual texture itself is higher res than the amount of pixels on the screen the sampling will bounce between two or more pixels when moving the camera.
"Kazooie also gives Banjo a bunch of other bird like moves such as shooting eggs..."
Man, I hate it whenever birds spit eggs at me whenever I walk outside. You go near a tree and they just spit egg after egg at you
omencito This comment is so underrated
7:16 In the original N64 releases of BK and BT, you can skip full exchanges by pressing L+R+B.
18:10 - 18:20 I saw and heard this from somewhere before, maybe a vision…
18:59 The N64 releases use Comicrazy as the text font, while the XBLA releases use Andy Bold from Nuts & Bolts.
42:07 Took me _3_ hours.
Ew for the last one.
I'm sorry if that ended up coming out wrong, as I have not intended to gloat; Me taking 3 hours to 100% Click Clock Wood, rather than Exo's 2, is basically me saying that I suck.
I honestly like the review, however I think your being quite a bit whiny about the Grunty fight. Its not made to be a difficult fight, its made to be rewarding. Your using EVERY skill you learned in your Adventure to beat her. Thats extremely satisfying. You need to lighten up about that
I really don't agree with the criticism of the backtracking. I honestly don't think it was bad or a honest problem to address.
Yeah, while it *is* a bit annoying it's the only instance of it in the game, which compared to other games I've played, one instance of backtracking is pretty much harmless imo
well,i mean,he said too that it was not a bigger problem. just that it doesnt really add anything and it would have been better without it
@@lpfan4491 That's true, it could've been reworked so it wasn't necessary, but at the same time I'm not losing sleep over it :P
If he hated the backtracking *here* he’s gonna despise it in tooie
i mean,there was a minor negative undertone towards that games pacing in the review. i am honestly interessted how that review will go considering this one already went into some of the improvements it made
I genuinely love Tooie. It really deserves more praise.
I can't get enough of Banjo Kazooie, thanks for bringing more content of this bear and bird
And I just had a mini ROR marathon this evening.
Goddamn!
Edit: Nice visual gag at 17:27
Ikr jesus christ
You can skip the dialogue in game by holding the L R and B button for the N64 version
+Identified as Toast Okay, but how would anybody know to do that? Unless it's in the manual or something. As far as I know the games themselves never say as much.
@@ExoParadigmGamer yeah I know the game doesn't tell you it at all so I can't really blame you for not knowing it, I only figured it out because of a speedrunner. Even then it is still a handy feature to use
@@ExoParadigmGamer In the PAL version (my copy) you can use JUST B. Even then, why use L, R, B, in place of Z, R, B?
Rebecca Stewart Is the PAL copy optimized for PAL50?
@@theobserver4214 Yes, it is. My copy at least is, I don't know if that's not the case for some copies.
Click Clock Wood is an interesting level for me. It's absolute hell for beginners/people who haven't played the game in a while, but it's nowhere near as bad the second time through. I'd say if you can climb the tree competently enough without falling down, the level becomes much more manageable, though I understand that's not always easy, especially if you're playing it for the first time.
And while there were too many Cluckers coming out of the walls all over the place and having all the music notes spread all over the four seasons was pretty tedious, I feel there were some aspects Click Clock Wood offers that doesn't make it THAT annoying to replay through the seasons. Like how Autumn and Winter have slopes on the ground floor to have you travel that area easier after Spring guided you the first time, how Summer and Autumn had those leaf platforms on the side of the tree so you didn't have to take the exact same path up all the time, and how putting the flight pad in the final season, Winter, gave a nice bit of catharsis after having enough time to understand fully how the level works.
Not to mention that level is probably the prettiest one in the game, and those attention to details are really really nice once you notice them. The beautiful colors of Autumn, the desolate feeling of Winter, how those Robin Hood enemies change depending on the season, how Mumbo has all his torches' fire off during the Summer because it's too hot, how Gobi returns for some reason making him the only character introduce in a stage to reappear in another, there's just so many cool aspects to the stage.
The bee transformation was underwhelming though. Either more of the stage should've utilized it or it shouldn't have been introduced at all (which would be a shame since it's a great transformation). Anything other than the half-cocked take they took in the final game where it was given in the first season and then never used again for the entire rest of the stage.
So yeah, there's a lot to like about the stage, but probably more to dislike as well, especially for first-time players.
when your mad because a bear is more pretty than you
Hey, thanks for making fun of OOT!
In all seriousness though I hate the text speed.
Not even perfect games are perfect.
Can we all at least agree Banjo-Kazooie is better than Super Mario 64?
BK is more polished overall (graphics, music, level design), but SM64 has more involved platforming.
woah EPG is really pumping these out, good for him!
You may have been told this already in the comments, but the theme for Grunty's Lair actually references Teddy Bear's Picnic on accident. During the first Guest Grumps with Grant Kirkhope, he's asked about it by Jon, but Grant doesn't recall basing the track on anything, and they decide it must have been done subconsciously.
Holy shit Grunty's Lair is _actually_ based on the "If you go down to the woods today..." nursery rhyme!? I sing it every time I hear it, but I wasn't sure if it was just a coincidence or not.
I'm gonna say it. Banjo Kazooie is the best platformer on N64.
I consider it a remaster. Its a complete replacement for the original in my eyes. It may still have flaws from the original, but it doesn't make anything worse. It makes the original an inferior version, and I think thats what a Remaster score is to me, although I can respect you giving it just a remake.
Aren't the music notes the main collectible seeing as they are ultimately what decides if you can progress or not for most of the game?
Also, jesus the Jinjos looks like nightmare beasts with the black levels like that
Yo... I think a Remake or Rebreak of Resident Evil could be good, considering how high-quality the remake, and it’s later re-release is.
Spyro's next after Tooie?
Does that mean Crash Bandicoot is coming...
10:16 WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOOOOOOOOOOOAR
Many tricks are up my sleeve, to save yourself you'd better leave!
Are We Not Gonna talk About How The Same Company Who Put Banjo Kazooie On Xbox 360, is the same company who helped with the Minecraft Legacy editions? (Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360)
Great video.
It’s rare to find a review that looks so objectively at such a beloved game, without feeling like it’s just for attention.
Regarding the Beak Bomb (divebomby move) and how you felt that it was difficult to aim - did you know that you can hold “R” when flying or swimming to centre the camera directly on Banjo’s back?
This makes it much easier to aim as you can centre Kazooie’s head on your target.
Keep up the awesome vids!
I'm sorry but despite Microsoft ruining the Banjo-Kazooie franchise, the Xbox One version is better looking of the two and I'm not afraid to admit that. It's much clearer and cleaner. Also, nice jab at Ocarina of Time. That got a laugh out of me
Yuuup
When?
@@NitroIndigo When they made Nuts & Bolts? Duh?
@@robynwolph3836 When was the jab at Ocarina of Time?
Forgot to put this in my other comment, but I'm gonna say this as well, when you said you "100%'d CCW in an hour" 1. No you didn't. The time was over an hour, not under. and 2. You had the pause screen up showing 9/10 jiggies collected. 9/10 is not 100%.
He said 2 hours.
The way I see it, Furnace of Fun is the casual ending, and the Grunty Battle is the true ending for the hard core.
I will disagree with you on your assessment of the final battle. I understand your complaints with egg aiming and the beak bomb. As a child, I struggled significantly with especially the beak bomb and died several times trying to defeat the snowmen and Grunty. If you master the mechanics, then it becomes less of an issue. Thus, the Grunty battle is the true ending for the hard core. The true ending is deserved if you defeat her. I get why you would think it tedious, but maybe I just have too much fun with it now that I have the mechanics down after replaying every year or so.
Also, inventory management and strategically activating cheato's cheats after using up a certain resource on a stage circumvents your issues with feathers. That also takes experience too.
It's all subjective complaints and these are just my subjective opinions against them. I love your analysis and look forward to hard disagreeing with you on Tooie since it sounds like you may have some beefs with it. ;)
Probably didn't have to spend almost two minutes explaining at the start that this isn't a for Xross Console, right after explaining the difference between ROR and XC, we are aware of why it isn't straight away. Sonic, Crash, all of that could have been omitted to save time (and work) as you had literally just pointed out the channel difference a minute earlier, and then proceed to do it again (but in more detail than was necessary). Keep out of my bay or else xox
The "Gruntilda Effect" is pretty well executed in Dissidia Final Fantasy, of all games. The game constantly reminds you how much you need to defeat Chaos, but keeps on putting obstacle after obstacle in your way; when you finally reach that final fight, it's such a cathartic moment.
Ah so the score are
1 platinum
2. Gold
3. Silver
4. Bronze
5. Avoid
I love the better understanding scoring :D
18:12 - Mmm, delicious foreshadowing.
Tedious, exhausting and too many phases.
My initial knee-jerk reaction on hearing that was to go "pssh, lightweight". I do see some of your points though, the beak bomb did need a bit more work done to it in retrospect. However, I get the feeling you're in the minority regarding Grunty's viability as a final boss. She's a fun test of many of the moves you've learned up to that point, both in terms of abilities and knowing how to control them, and tends to keep you on your toes at all times. And certainly there are times in the fight where you can't reliably see her shooting fireballs, but as I recall the flames are generally aimed at you and there's a very distinct and pronounced sound effect that plays when she fires one off. When the eyes fail, use the ears. And yeah, maybe delivering the final blow was more satisfying in Tooie, but considering we have ourselves a final smash now, I'm cool with the jinjonator. Particularly since that thing wouldn't have been freed unless you were there to free it, so you are still the cause of Grunty's downfall.
But overall, I do appreciate the amount of depth and thought you put into this analysis. And I do appreciate learning new things, I had no idea mipmapping was a technique until this video. So thanks for that!
People may disagree on things like Grunty's viability as a final boss, how enjoyable Click Clock Wood is, or how enjoyable boss battles in general are in Tooie, but in the end we all still love these two games. From one fan to another, I tip my hat to you.
43:50 there's a hole along the hedge to let you get in that area
I take it you didn't know about the HDMI adaptor for the N64 when you started making this video.
Quick note for you Exo. Those facts about Grunty Brentilda tells you aren't random, they are the same three choices every time, but which one ends up being used as the correct fact is dependent upon which save file you are playing on.
Also that ramp in Mad Monster Mansion you found isn't isolated from the pumpkin transformation. It is accessible from around the back gate to the hedge maze from the Church area. Just thought I'd give you the nice fun fact and advice. Still a great video as always either way.
It's not obvious but there IS a aiming reticle in the game, though it's not a typical crosshair or similiarly. You use Kazooie's head while flying to aim for the enemies or areas to Beak Bomb. Knowing how to use this trick makes it much easier to aim.
Was not expecting this to come out, Great work as always Exo
Some ROR episodes I hope to see are Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled.
I would personally give Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy a remake and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled a replace, but it would still be nice to see them officially covered.
I was JUST watching a Rare Retrospective where it was focusing on Banjo and Kazooie!
It’s funny to think the entire game Grunty is just cramped into that machine until Banjo & Kazooie actually confront her
I can't believe he doesn't like Click Clock Wood! I LOVE that place! Playing through it for the first time was magical
It's my favorite level but it is pretty long and punishing
Honestly I think Click Clock Wood is much less of a pain than Rusty Bucket Bay.
The latter feels like a detour into highly punishing speedy platforming which the game had primarily not emphasized prior to it. Most of the game is puzzle solving via expansive exploration, and while it employed the occasional careful jump section, the fact that bottomless pits appear virtually nowhere in the game except in the engine room is telling.
Moreover, the kind of exploration on the ship itself feels contrasting from the rest of the game. The random windows and portholes feel a far cry away from the various unique pyramids of Gobi's Valley. The former just isn't terribly engaging visually and it makes the level feel far more repetitive than something like Mad Monster Mansion which also utilizes windows as points of entry for rooms but doesn't feel nearly as monotonous.
The former though has numerous collectibles for jiggies, specific use of golden feathers, red feather flight mastery, exploration of four sub worlds, the most dynamic Mumbo transformation, & multi-layered puzzles that require specific steps for each season. That level felt like the culmination of Banjo Kazooie's strengths versus Rusty Bucket Bay which feels like it belongs in another type of 3D platformer.
Nah, Rusty Bucket Bay is a cake walk compared to Click Clock Woods.
I can only speak for myself, but for my most recent 100% playthough of Banjo-Kazooie, on Rusty Bucket Bay I died 8 times. On Click Clock Wood I didn't die once.
The central tree in it is big and more extensive, but its much more forgiving of bad falls than anything in the engine room of RBB.
FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YES!
Now, we need Banjo-Tooie in there!
"Rebreak isn't an actual word." Did you look up rebreak on Wiktionary? I did, and it turns out that rebreak is an actual word.
Since I already know you're going to do reviews on Tooie, Grunty's Revenge, and Yooka-Laylee; I'm wondering if you're going to do one on Nuts & Bolts.
it's remastered mate, not remade.
Spyro HD collection, Crash and even resident evil 2 are remakes.
I'm surprised you found Click Clock Woods to be so problematic. Even on the N64 the only level I really ever had (significant) trouble completing the musical notes challenges in was Rusty Bucket Bay, and while I've played the game a LOT I've only 100 completed it twice . . . and both times were less than 4 hours total playtime each.
I'm excited to see your breakdown of Tooie though. I never got to play it until the 360 release, and the backtracking and confusion of the design make it a lot harder to get into than BK.
Gonna admit, I love Nuts 'N' Bolts though.
I can't wait for a Nuts and Bolts review, should he ever make one. This guy breaks down the games he reviews in Videos with great length and detail. I'd love more People to do this but Nuts and Bolts and particular only has 10 minute reviews of people mindlessly bashing it for not being a platformer to the point where I would've never really found out how good the game actually was until I played it. I'd love to know the ins and outs of what is actually in there, not a critique based on what it is not.
I hope that they remake banjo kazooie and tooie for the switch
@@ddd7038 a completely different team made the Crash and Spyro trilogies and they turned out great so that's not an issue. Microsoft and Nintendo now are partnering up, with former xbox one/pc exclusives like Cuphead now on the switch, and Banjo and Kazooie are in Smash Ultimate. It's definitely a possibility it'll happen. And hey if they wanted to they could hire the old rare guys to make the remake anyway, as they've already kinda done that themselves when they made Yooka Laylee. Hire Playtronic (I think that's the company's name) while Nintendo themselves publish, perhaps. Nintendo have already published games from other game developers so that's also a thing that has precedence on top of all the other stuff
"...backtracking that adds nothing to the experience"... yeah... well, that's just like, your opinion man. When you're a wee lad and you remember something you can do in a previous level due to a newly acquired ability, that's the kind of magic spark that keeps you chasing the pink dragon for years to come. Sure it doesn't quite work for replayability, but as a developer they KNEW that first time was gonna be great.
I appreciate the video and your opinion but I completely couldn’t disagree more with all your negative points on banjo kazooie.
First of all I like when a platformer is a challenge and it seems like your complaints are mostly about the challenges in this game and you want an easy no challenge game. If there were fly pads everywhere then what would be the point of even platforming when you could easily just fly anywhere you want?
Also as of Click Clock wood I think its the best level in the game. It isn’t repetitive at all it feels fresh with every new season and its cool to see the changes within the level when the seasons change. Also once again why would you want flying pads in every season. You literally could just fly to the top of the giant tree, that wouldn’t be very challenging or fun if you ask me.
Also the cameras in this game feel great I have no complaints at all for a 1998 plat former.
Grunty in my opinion is an amazing final boss. More fun then bowser in mario 64 just tossing him around in a random bomb. Its cool to see her in person and get to peck her fat gross ass.
I think your forgetting that this game was made in 1998, of course theres going to be some issues with frame-rate and graphics on newer Tvs. I do agree with some of your points howerver like the level design.
Anyway sorry for this long comment from this banjo fanboy...
Holy crap, that part about modern open world design is so freakin true. My biggest issue with BoTW is how bloated and empty it can often feel. I to prefer more condensed environments in games. I’m glad you brought that up.
33:00 I hate how they do this, they don’t add more content, they just literally make the game world bigger so they can say “the game is bigger” and technically be correct.
Mario Odyssey isn’t full of giant emptiness like Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey as a game is that exact size, but every square inch is filled with things to do and everything is placed with a purpose, that purpose being “fun”.
Breath of the wild feels like they saw the total lack of an overworld in Ocarina of Time and thought “oh, I know how to fix this” and just made the empty space between towns way bigger. Stupid to try and fix a problem by actively making the problem itself much larger.
Funny how Banjo-Tooie actually fell into this trap too. It is bigger than Kazooie, but it's more empty and boring. While in Kazooie, the worlds were smaller but there was something in every corner.
Finally I was Looking forward to this Review !
33:00 A massive truth bomb right there!
We need more games like Deus Ex: Mankind Divided that utilize every square meter in its fullest. Unique rooms, lots of objects, every place having a story to tell through people, environments, emails, hidden stashes, etc.
If this video gets dislikes, it's Patrick Boivin and all his alternate accounts.
Dr.ErikNefarious lmao pat and his alternate accounts he needs to compensate for his height
who?
Best Friends Pat?
The thing to realize about Kazooie's flight, is that she didn't know how to fly before and learned how to fly from a Mole. Moles don't exactly have the means to take off and fly at a moment's notice, necessitating the Flight Pads. Reminder as well that in the sequel that Kazooie had to be informed that she could glide by spreading her wings after leaping. Kazooie never had another bird to inform her of how to do bird things and learned to do bird things from things that are most certainly not birds. Can't fault her for having some weird methods.
You should look at Gauntlet: Dark Legacy for the cross platform videos
I don't know why, but on my first playthrough of Banjo Kazooie, Click Clock wood wasn't that big of a problem, even if i died while doing something, the stage was so well made I'd just gleefully collect my notes back and move on, i guess it has a lot to do with the stage design which is really engaging with the four seasons gimmick, the one stage i actually had the most trouble with, was Rusty Bucked Bay, which is a really hard stage with a design that just makes you look at it and say "ugh, do i really gotta play there" the industrial theme was already done with Clanker's Cavern, so you just feel like there could be something different there
FINALLY DREAM 64 HAS FOOTAGE
Believe it or not, the note-glitch actually affected my playthrough on my let's Play-channel. The four notes in the beehive were gone. Apparently, the patch isn't a guaranteed fix, so definitely save the silly puzzle-minigame for last 😐
Grunty’s potshots involve you listening to the audio. If she fires while you’re standing still, it’ll go for you. If you’re moving, it’ll go in the direction you were headed when the noise sounds. The best thing is to fake her out with your moves.
Hitting Grunty with the beak bomb is much safer it you don’t aim down. You can beak bomb straight, and you won’t run the risk of tumbling off the roof.
Finally, and most confusing of your complaints, Grunty takes a break from her fireballs so you can shoot eggs at her. Each part of that phase has a pattern with pauses for you. It’s not as simple as just dealing with a clunky mechanic with no room for error.