Banjo-Kazooie review

Banjo-Kazooie was originally released when Rare were at the top of their game. It was a collect-em-up/platformer that some felt even surpassed Mario 64. While Gamestyle doesn't want to get into that debate - it was done to death ten years ago - we can say that much to our delight it hasn’t aged as badly as we once thought. God bless the HD and Widescreen era.

Words by Adam Gulliver , playing on a Microsoft Xbox 360.

Going back to an N64 game is perhaps unadvised in this modern era we now live in. Even the classics are somewhat ruined by grainy visuals and impenetrable fog. If Rare just decided to port the game untouched and charge the 1200 points that theyre asking for everyone would be up in arms. But thankfully theyve not done that. The visuals have been cleaned up considerably and the smearing of colours the N64 used as a trick to hide the anti-aliasing has been thrown out. Its shocking how good it looks, though this still hasnt stopped some people complaining about overpricing.The impressive move arsenal has been transferred seamlessly to the 360 controller. The only problem we found was the camera, which was far more erratic than we remember it being. Often changing viewpoints on its own leading to a certain death. Swimming can also be cumbersome as youll constantly get turned around. It can be frustrating when trying to gather every collectible you can find. Collecting being the be all and end all of Banjo-Kazooie.Theres an old joke we remember hearing on how you can recreate your favourite Rare platformer in the real world. Just grab some coins, go into the garden and thrown them in random directions, then head off to find them all. Its harsh, but true. This is never considered a problem though because it does feature some of the best level design ever. At the bottom it may just be a Mario style kidnap plot (replacing the princess with a sister), however this is merely an excuse to traverse the wonderfully crafted worlds Rare have created. All of it is centred around a main hub that is very much a level in itself. Similar to that of Mario 64s (the last time well mention that game, promise) castle you just have to make your way to the top, collecting notes and jiggys (jigsaw pieces) to open doors and enter worlds. Its well designed with an awful lot of hidden passages and secrets. The collecting is now made easier with an auto save that saves after each item is collected. Suddenly the achievement for collection all 900 notes doesnt sound so difficult.The worlds within the hub are of a similar quality. They may follow the platformer handbook a little too close with desert, ice and haunted mansion levels all present, it does take what its given and made great areas to explore. The desert level has plenty of sand dunes and pyramids to traverse, all made the more impressive with the power of flight, which is one of Kazooies more impressive moves. And the Christmas themed level has a giant snowman towering above, which needs careful jumping skills if you dont plan on taking a tumble to the bottom. They all have unique features that make them all the more memorable. Of course the jiggys and notes are all hidden well, while some may be obvious to veterans of the genre others will need a little more thought.The Internet world may have been up in arms over the 1200 points price, but to us we pay for quality, and there is more than enough quality here to ask for such a pricey sum. On a console starved of the genre, Banjo-Kazooie really stands above all the others and for a ten year old N64 game, thats some achievement.