banjo-tooie
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Xbox 360 strums a tooie-in-one Banjo bundle, available now
It's been a while since the last bundle on the Xbox 360 store, but it looks like Microsoft's found the duct tape again. Rare-developed platformers Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooei are newly stuck together in a 2-in-1 bundle, and you can grab it now for $15 or £12/15 euros. The two N64 games were released on Xbox Live five years ago, and Rarely seem to make their way onto sales. So, what's effectively a half-price bundle is perhaps a decent deal if you've yet to check them out. After all, Banjo Kazooie and Tooie are widely regarded as two of the strongest early examples of 3D platforming. Also, it's not like you're going to get that Banjo Kazooie spiritual successor anytime soon... [Image: Microsoft]
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.
Trials HD voted best XBLA game of 2009
For the third year in a row, Microsoft hosted a community poll on Xbox Live to determine the best Xbox Live Arcade games as judged by the players. And like last year, when Joystiq favorite Braid was overthrown by those persistent party castle crashers, 2009's "Best Overall Arcade Game" goes to Trials HD over Joystiq Best of 2009 winners Shadow Complex and 'Splosion Man (which both did manage to win lesser awards in the Xbox Live poll). We've posted the complete list of awards and winners, which also include Battlefield 1943, Hasbro Family Game Night and Banjo-Tooie, after the break. What, no love for Watchmen: The End is Nigh? We demand a recount!
Xbox Live Top 10: Halo 3 maintains top spot, VOOT takes top honors on XBLA
It's good to be the king, and no other title would know that better than Halo 3, which still reigns supreme at the top of the Xbox Live activity charts. According to Major Nelson, the latest figures show Bungie's crouching-on-dead-enemy-faces-sim beating out other fan favorites, Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty 4. On the XBLA side, the dual release of Virtual On and Banjo-Tooie proved to be quite the alluring mix, as both titles populated the top of the XBLA list. Now if only we could get a game that combines birds, backpacks, bears, and gigantic death machines ...
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.
Rumor: Rare 'accidentally' reveals Perfect Dark XBLA
Click to perfect-size The above image (used to promote the Banjo-Tooie premium theme for Xbox 360) was revealed via the Banjo-Kazooie forums. Notice anything? No, not the huge, red arrow. Look at what it's pointing at. What could that be?Forum users are saying it's an icon for Perfect Dark on XBLA, though it could be anything, really. We should also mention that Rare does like messing with fans. Remember that Christmas card debacle? This could be another tease that goes ... nowhere. Also, how do we know that Rare isn't developing a game called "Person Stuck in White Room"? Hey, it could happen!Regardless, we contacted Microsoft about the possibility of Perfect Dark on XBLA. The company's response: "We have nothing to announce at this time."[Via Xbox360Achievements]
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%
Banjo won't be straying to Virtual Console
Oh, woe is us. Microsoft just dispatched (and then pulled) a press release boasting about the imminent arrival of Banjo-Kazooie on Xbox Live Arcade, describing the game as an XBLA "exclusive." We can safely assume this means the bird and bear won't be made available on the Virtual Console, news that conclusively crushes whatever slim hopes we had for the game appearing on Nintendo's service. We suppose $540 million buys you these kind of perks, eh?To rub salt in our open wounds, Microsoft also disclosed that sequel Banjo-Tooie would be made available on XBLA early next year, "making Xbox 360 the new home of the beloved Banjo-Kazooie franchise." We think we're going to sigh sadly now, reader. Feel free to join us.* sigh *[Via Joystiq]
Rare on Banjo VC: "It's possible"
In a response to a young Rare fan's letter posted in their Scribes column, Rare discussed the possibility of some of their franchises coming over to the Virtual Console. The Donkey Kong Country sequels are likely, because Donkey Kong is a Nintendo-owned property. But games starring Diddy Kong, the Rare-created pal of DK, are not as clear-cut.The main focus of the letter was Banjo-Kazooie, which is a Rare-owned property. The Rare "scribe" diplomatically said that "it's possible" for Banjo games to appear either on the VC or on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade. Our advice? Don't wait for any N64 games to come to VC, because they are slow in arriving.[Via Play-Nintendo]
