Banjo-Kazooie (N64)
Banjo-Kazooie arrived in stores this month of July 1998, and the hype is it's a worthy competitor for Super Mario 64. Showing features such as fifteen to twenty cool moves, rumble pack compatibility, more than ten gigantic worlds, and a whole bunch of enemies. Created by Rare and fully three dimensional, you can expect this game to be sort of a cross between Super Mario 64 and the Donkey Kong Country series. From the look of things, its a real winner.
Graphics 9 out of 10
The graphics on this game would have received a ten, but they closely resemble the graphics from Super Mario 64. All the characters were created with good detail. In contrast to Super Mario 64, when you change your view you won't find the camera being forced through walls. Sometimes the "sticky camera" in Banjo's House and other scenes gets frustrating. Even though it looks like Super Mario 64, these graphics are great compared to the tweaked looking graphics you will encounter in such great Nintendo mistakes as Mischief Makers and Yoshi 64.
Music and Sound 8 out of 10
Some people might rate the sound higher, but I knocked it down simply because it got repetitive in the witch's cave (Gruntilda's Lair), because every time you went into a different room for a different world it would change just a little bit. The rest of the music is great, its just it seems like they could have put more effort into the "Gruntilda's Lair".
Game Challenge 7 out of 10
This game had either no challenge or a frustrating puzzle at any given point. It seemed like there was no median - either a totally obvious scene or something I couldn't find out on my own and had to look up on the Internet. Still, compared to the other trash that seems to be leaking onto the N64, its top of the line.
Game Play-Fun 7 out of 10
Can't give it too much credit because, like I said, you either new the obvious answer or you get completely confused. Don't take this is a bad sign, though, compared to the other junk on the N64, the only contender for this game is Super Mario 64. So really, if I were to compare it to the other games on N64, it would rate a 9 or 10.
Rumble Pak 8 out of 10
Yeah, what's there to say, it um, rumbles a lot. I would have marked this down, but I can't blame the game on how unexcusably dumb the rumble pak is. It seems overdone sometimes, but then again the flaw is within the rumble pak - it will eventually get so annoying that you'll remove it from your controller and never put it back.
Frustration
Well you would get frustrated if you didn't have the Internet, but since you obviously do, you can cheat all you want when you get frustrated. But if you let someone play whose anywhere younger in age than 8 years they'll probably get frustrated (because chances are they don't know how to use the Internet).
Replayability 8 out of 10
Well gee, it just didn't seem to have the same effect as Super Mario 64. Even so, don't rent this one, return it, and forget about it, because if you really like video games, then you'll play it over and over and over again (but that might just be because most of the other games on the N64 aren't worth the money you'd pay for them). Just buy it, its worth it.
Game Value 10 out of 10
Like I said above, when you chose N64 you don't get much for your money these days, unless you pick a really great game (namely this one or Super Mario 64). Yes you will get you're money's worth, so buy it now!!!! Well for the conservative buyer who can only buy one game at a time, you might want to check out some information on "Quest 64". I haven't played this game yet as it is relatively new, but from all the hype it could be a worthy competitor to Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie.
Overall 9 out of 10
This is a great game, worth your money, and if you look really hard and go places you might find a game as good as this one but it will take a lot of effort (I already told you about Super Mario 64... I'm sure you've heard more than enough about it). If you really want to see more games of equal quality you might want to wait, don't compulsively buy something dumb like "Chameleon Twist" and then want to kill yourself for it.
