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Ex-Rare staff want to make 'spiritual successor' to Banjo-Tooie
Rare rests comfortably within Microsoft, cranking out Avatar items and Kinect Sports games. Some who have left the British development studio have taken to Twitter under the moniker Mingy Jongo, and it's these folks who yearn to get back to the studio's roots: they want to get to work on a spiritual successor to Banjo-Tooie, the direct sequel to Banjo-Kazooie – a pair of 3D platformers published by Nintendo back in the N64 days.The account sent out missives declaring this potential game would be a 3D platformer (natch) and that while this would be a "spiritual successor" to Rare's iconic series, Mingy Jongo says the goal "wouldn't be to try and recreate Banjo" but rather to create "something new." Microsoft owns the rights to the particular bear and backpack-bird in question, you see.Kickstarter also came up as a means to fund this potential new game, and Mingy Jongo even suggested the Unity engine might be a good fit for maintaining the same "level of detail and googly eyes close to the original." But right now, all of this stuff is hypothetical ... until we see that Kickstarter page go live, anyway.
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Sorry!, Banjo Tooie, Virtual On
We've got three new games on Xbox Live Arcade this week covering a pretty broad range of tastes. We've got a board game in Sorry!, the latest addition to Hasbro Family Game Night. Then we have the classic platformer, Banjo Tooie. Topping it all off there's Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram, an arcade mech fighting game from Sega. All in all, it's a pretty full week, and an expensive one too -- both Banjo and Virtual On clock in at 1200. Check out the latest episode of XBLA in Brief and see if any of 'em are worth a spin. Download the trial version of Sorry! Download the trial version of Banjo Tooie Download the trial version of Virtual On [iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon). [RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [M4V] Download the M4V directly.
This Wednesday: Virtual On, Banjo Tooie & Sorry! [update]
It's really just a reminder at this point, but we thought you might like to know that Microsoft has confirmed that both Banjo Tooie and Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram are headed to XBLA this Wednesday. If you're up for some giant robot blasting action, we suggest Virtual On. If you're more of an anthropomorphic-bear-jumping-on-things kind of guy, then you'd probably prefer Banjo Tooie. If, however, you like cheap Arcade games, you're out of luck. Both games cost 1200 ($15). Update: As a commenter points out, Sorry! is coming to Hasbro Family Game Night as well for 800 ($10) %Gallery-46149% %Gallery-43257%
Banjo-Tooie's Stop 'n' Swop feature grants fabulous prizes
The original N64 version of Banjo-Tooie was met with near-universal critical acclaim, though some were disappointed by the cancellation of one of the title's most lauded additions -- a feature known as "Stop 'n' Swop," where special eggs located in Banjo-Kazooie could be imported into Tooie to exchange for various prizes. Now, nearly a decade later, the feature has found its way into the XBLA re-release of Banjo-Tooie -- but this time around, the rewards are a tad more tangible. As seen in the video after the jump, an achievement, gamer pic and a Banjo-Kazooie NXE theme (as well as a few in-game cheats and items) are all up for grabs if you've got the mettle to go egg hunting in Banjo the First. And by "the mettle," we of course mean "the GameFAQs guide."
Rare releases new Banjo-Tooie trailer on Xbox Live
The release of Banjo-Tooie is quickly drawing near, and to keep the hype up, Rare has presented a new trailer for the game. Featuring FPB gameplay (first-person birding), you'll be able to scope out some boss fights and oh man that's a freaking playable washing machine and it shoots underwear. Now that's charm you can't put a price on. Well, actually, you can. Banjo-Tooie is scheduled for release on April 29 for 1200 ($15). Who's ready to Stop 'N Swop? %Gallery-43257%
Banjo-Tooie explores XBLA on April 29
Fans eager to play the sequel to Banjo-Kazooie will get their chance to Stop 'N Swop on April 29 when Banjo-Tooie releases on Xbox Live Arcade. As with the first game, Banjo-Tooie will be priced at 1200 ($15) and will sport "a super-charged frame rate," which is crazy developer speak for "gewd grafix." Rare also promises more on the Stop 'N Swop feature leading up to Banjo-Tooie's release, and we'll be sure to update you all on that when it's available. %Gallery-43257% [Via Eurogamer]
Video: Rare celebrates the holidays with Stop 'N Swop
As an early Easter present, Rare has compiled the video you see above and released it onto Xbox Live. Like the good bloggers we are, we traversed the virtual landscape of Xbox Live to retrieve it for you. In fact, many Bothans ... ah, nevermind. The video shows off the Stop 'N Swop feature in Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie, which unlocks content for one of the games granted you achieved a certain goal in the other title, and was promised in the original N64 games, yet never fully implemented. Now, with Banjo-Tooie on its way to Xbox Live Arcade, Rare has had ample time to get the feature into the games, and offers the above video as a teaser on what to expect.
Banjo-Tooie to beat up on XBLA this April
When Microsoft said Banjo-Tooie was coming to Xbox Live Arcade in early 2009, we were hoping for something in the first quarter or so. Rare's announcement this week puts the game just beyond that window and into April. Rare is calling it a "note-perfect migration" with upped graphics and framerate. BT will also feature the ill-fated Stop 'n' Swop, a relic from the Nintendo 64 days allowing items collected in Banjo-Kazooie to materialize in the sequel. No indication on what such items will be or how they'll affect gameplay. As for the cost, mum's the word for now, but our guess is it'll be at or near BK's 1200 ($15) price tag. %Gallery-43257%
