User reviews

This game is EXCELLENT! a perfect family game that someone of any age can play! Its a decently lengthy game so you wont be able to beat it in 2 days. When I played it it took me and my family about 8 months to beat it. There are some parts that are hard, but still fun. And after your figure out how to get through the hard part, you see that it was very obvious. A goofy story line and great characters, this game is #1 on my list for ever! Banjo and Kazooie's hilarious comedy keeps you into it all the way! If you have played this game, or are planning to, I would also recommend Banjo-Tooie. The sequel to this great game.

Rareware is planning on making a Banjo-Kazooie 3 sometime soon. There has not yet been a release date on this, but it will definitely be on the Xbox 360.

If you haven't played this game yet then you have NO IDEA what your missing! So get out of your mom's basement and go play: Banjo-Kazooie for N64

Rare was once a promising video game developer, particularly during their days with Nintendo. Their first big seller game was Diddy Kong Racing where the characters Banjo and Kazooie made their debut.

Following the release of that racing game, Banjo and Kazooie became star characters in their own right when they appeared in the game Banjo-Kazooie. Lucky for them, that game too was a big seller. Banjo-Kazooie would have sequel in Banjo-Tooie, and that one made even a bigger sale.

After getting booted by Nintendo years later, Rare saw new life after teaming with Microsoft. Banjo and Kazooie then appeared in a new game called Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. Although it did not sell as many copies as the two previous games, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts was able to achieve platinum hit status, a title achieve by Xbox or Xbox 360 games that sold 400,000+ copies within 9 months of release.

Because of showing such marketability, Banjo and Kazooie are absolutely Rare's true cash cows. Conker the Squirrel could have been a cash cow too but Rare destroyed that character.

Banjo-Kazooie was without a doubt one of THE best N64 games ever to be created, but sadly Nintendo's not making anymore Banjo games>:(. It's really a shame too because this was a fun game. Anyways the levels were fun to explore (Especially Freezy Peak or whatever it's called). The moves were creative and original and the animation, hoo boy. The animation in this game was a MAJOR improvement over some of the N64 games' animation. If they still sell Nintendo 64 games where you live and you have an N64, then make sure there's a copy of Banjo-Kazooie that's being sold because like they say: Chances like this don't come around often(Especially not anymore).

Overall a really great and addicting game that Nintendo should re-release on the Gamecube.

Banjo-Kazooie is one of the most different video games on the N64! The characters, the jumping, the power-ups, and the sure thrill of adventure makes this entire series a fun non-stop playing time! Below is a brief look how I think the game is!

Game Play: The game play is very good. There is really basic controls here and is easy to perform. Novice gamers should have a good time here!

Graphics: The graphics are wonderful. The backgrounds are really beautiful!

Difficulty: The game is easy but as it goes on you find out that it will become more difficult!

Music: The music is great! Just fantastic catchy tunes through out the game! In My opinion its some of the best music ever in a video game!

Sound: The sound is great. Nuff said!

Overall: I have always loved Banjo-Kazooie! If you like excellent adventure games then I strongly recommend you play this game!

To purchase this video game check out Amazon.com!

Banjo-Kazooie is a joy to play after all these years, with so much atmosphere, lush worlds loaded with things to collect and puzzles to solve, using you own wits and sense of navigation to track down all the jiggies aswell as learning an array of creative moves with the help of your feathered friend. With memorable characters and the unique and charming Rareware humor sprinkles throughout, this game will always put you in a cheerful mood when you sit down and play it.

The overworld of Gruntilda's castle is complex and layered with many secrets to find aswell with some very well crafted and designed worlds that will leave a memorable impact on you that just begs to be explored. There are secrets behind every corner as the people who designed this game are british crackwits, the game's soundtrack by Grant Kirkhope is what makes the game however and it just wouldn't be the same without him.

It really is suprising just how smartly designed this game really is, oozing with charm and creativity. It's still just as great to play today as it was years ago and I recommend it to anyone

This is a timeless classic every adventure gamer should try, and it undoubtedly marked Rare's peak as a game developer.

The story is simple but effective: Gruntilda the witch is envious of the beauty of a young bear named Tooty. Abducts the bear to steal her beauty via a machine created by her henchman, Klungo. Now, it's up to Banjo Bear and his rude, foul-mouthed breegull companion, Kazooie, to rescue Tooty before it's too late. Assisting the duo are Bottles the short-sighted mole, who teaches them new techniques throughout the game, and Mumbo Jumbo, a skull-faced shaman who can perform transformative magic in exchange for collecting his missing skull shaped tokens.

The game has a similar formula to Super Mario 64, enter different worlds to collect items necessary to proceed further. But Banjo-Kazooie expands on this formula in a masterful way that also cleverly allows the player to control of two characters in one setting. Plus, the goofiness, humor, and cartoonish atmosphere made it highly endearing and suitable for all ages.

You'll travel across 8 huge, well-designed platformer levels in search of golden jigsaw puzzle pieces called Jiggys to unlock new worlds. You'll acquire the Jiggys via completing various tasks, such as exploring, defeating enemies, solving puzzles, racing, and others. You'll also collect golden notes that are necessary to break spells on doors throughout Gruntilda's lair, the hub world that connects all of the other worlds together.

The game is very much a collectathon, but in a positive way. There is plenty to discover in these levels make fully exploring them is as engrossing as it is rewarding, since collecting every Jiggy in the game nets you a highly valuable upgrade. Plus, Bottles new moves are both necessary to beat the game and help the duo become stronger and more versatile as you progress through the game, that way they show their growth and strength as heroes by the end credits.

Mumbo's transformative spells allow you to turn into different animals with their own unique abilities that allow you to explore and obtain otherwise unreachable Jiggys. A termite which can climb steep slopes, a walrus that can travel through freezing cold water, and a bee that can fly wherever he wants.

The graphics were beautiful for the time and have aged well. The character models are fleshed out and have smooth and fluid movements and the sheer variety of colors and textures is amazing. The lack of distance fog beautifully displays the landscape and size of the levels.

The soundtrack contains some of Rares best music and consists of many bright and catchy tunes from composer Grant Kirkhope that perfectly fit each level and suits the games wacky nature. Mumbo's Mountain and Mad Monster Mansion are my personal favorites. I still listen to them once in a while.

The characters emit voice clips instead of actual voice acting which gives the game a cartoonish charm and are sufficient in bringing the characters to life.

The creative variety of characters you'll meet really help make the game lively and interactive. They include Captain Blubber the pirate Hippo, Gobi the beleaguered thirsty camel, Loggo the sentient toilet (yes, you read that right lol), and many others. The enemies are numerous and as unique and dynamic in design as the friendly characters.

I have only a few complaints. First of all, as typical for early 3D games, the camera was a pain at times, even though the controls were good. Sometimes it would get stuck on walls in narrow spaces. There was a bit of backtracking involving certain moves, such as the Beak Bomb and Turbo Talon Trot shoes, which were required to obtain certain Jiggys or other items. But other than that, no serious flaws.

This was, and still is, a spectacular game that gave Super Mario 64 a run for its money and is definitely playable 26 years later.

Banjo Kazooie is a very good plat-form game. Although not as good as Banjo Tooie, the sequel, this game is still good.

Graphics- Since this is an N64 game, the graphics are a bit dated. They're still colorful and fun looking, like some of the stages in Super Mario 64 and Donkey Kong 64.

Sound- The sound is really good, but the music easily gets stuck in your head, and may annoy some people. It doesn't annoy me.

Gameplay- The gameplay is very good, but some moves are very difficult to pull off, and there are tons of them. Sadly, you can't play as Mumbo like in Banjo Tooie.

I give Banjo Kazooie a 7 out of 10.

One of my sisters friends lent me this game, and it is too damn hard! It carries the appearance of a kids game, but you have to learn how to do tons of intricate moves that require you to twist and turn your hands into all sorts of awkward positions, and you have to search seemingly endless levels for 100 notes, to improve your 'score'! You also have to find these impossibly hidden jigsaw puzzle pieces, that require you to do almost impossible tasks to get them! AND I AM ONLY UP TO STAGE THREE!!!!! Maybe if you have no life nad can stay home all the time you might get some enjoyment out of this, but otherwise keep away! AND IT IS DEFINATELY NOT RECOMMENDED FOR KIDS - THEY WILL PULL THEIR HAIR OUT WITHIN THE HOUR!

This is one of the funniest games I have ever played. Great Gameplay with excellent moves to learn. Zany story that might catch your interest. Recommended for any Video Game Fan who will try anything once. Don't take my word for it, Rent it or buy it yourself.

This game has to be one of my favorites. I was instantly hooked to the strangely-entertaining story, goofy characters, assortment of levels, music, graphics and control (which are surprisingly good for N64), and difficulty. Everything from Gobi's Valley to Freezeezy Peak (sp?), from Mad Monster Mansion to Click Clock Wood, from Treasure Trove Cove to Grunty's Furnace Fun. I guarantee at least one of the tunes to get stuck in your head for good, especially Gruntilda's Lair. It may look just like your average kid's game, but it is actually quite hard to beat, since you must collect about 99.9% of all items, which is no small task. If you are bored and have a loony sense of humor, check this game out and its sequel, Banjo-Tooie. Rare Ware makes great games.

This game was stunning at the time graphics wise, however it's best know as that 'other N64 platform game'. It sadly didn't get deserved recognition like Super Mario 64 and the more recognisable Donkey Kong 64, which was released the following year.

It's almost an interactive cartoon, you play the friendly redneck bear Banjo AND his irritating/irritated partner Kazooie (who is a 'Red Crested Breegull'). They behave like one character control-wise. You are on a quest to rescue Banjo's little sister Tootie from the clutches of the witch Gruntilda. The plot is nothing special but there is plenty of humour, aimed at children but amusing nonetheless.

The greatness of this game is not in the story but more in the varied cleverly designed worlds, the perfectly set controls, the ingenious moves (which are not complicated to anyone who knows how to use an N64 control pad), and the funny characters. I still remember it for it's brilliantly implemented context-sensitive music system, the best use of music I have still ever seen.

This game is a joy to play from start to finish, the only downside is the rather tedious note collecting, which busy gamers would struggle to persist with (although I had an almost infinite amount of spare time at the age of 15 and was happy to do it). Overall, a classic.

8/10 (9/10 for 15-year-olds with a lot of spare time on their hands)