Banjo-Kazooie

The Good
One of the game's biggest selling points is that it focuses more on humor than any other platformer on the Nintendo 64. Not only is the dialogue centered entirely around characters insulting each other in increasingly elaborate ways, but it also has weirder settings and enemies that are actually funny (as opposed to the characters in Mario that seemed mostly like an artist stopped giving a damn). It isn't without throwing distance of Psychonauts yet, but at least it can see the game on the horizon if you know that I mean.

One of the fields where Mario 64 beats this game to it though is in the weirdness of the level design, although this is not necessarily a bad thing. The levels in Banjo and Kazooie are still deliciously odd and therefore interesting, but they pick more detailed themes. Whereas Mario would say "We take a snow level" and then make a snow level, Banjo would say "Let's make an island level" and then make a pirate island. It might not seem like much, but the result is stages that are a little more coherent. What I also like is that the stages aren't as repetitive as in Mario 64 which I quit when I arrived at the second snow-themed level after beating the second water-level.

All the items you need to collect in the worlds in order to progress further in the story are available from the second you enter the level. This means you don't constantly have to leave and enter a level to get everything you need to get and accidentally getting an item you already collected before doesn't have any huge effects on what you were trying to do. I also like it that the game never puts items in locations you can't reach without going through another level first with the exception of that damn sledding minigame. It's also nice that unlike the coins from Super Mario 64, the music notes in this game are actually useful for something.

The combat is of a really high quality for Nintendo 64 adventure games standard (we need an abbreviation for that term). Of course it doesn't touch upon Ocarina of Time territory just yet, but it gets awfully close due to the huge variety of ways you can kill an enemy. Both Banjo and Kazooie have a number of attacks that range from simple slaps to firing eggs like a turret. Switching between attack is a simple button combination away and no menus are nowhere to be found when fighting.

The game is very good at making you want to keep playing it. This may sound odd because well, every game wants you to keep playing it and you will likely do so as long as it is fun, but Banjo and Kazooie does it just a little better. While playing you are constantly harassed by the villain of the game who taunts you and this does a great job at keeping you hyped for the final battle. As you progress through the levels you also work your way through the HUB world in a very linear way and the design does a great job at reflecting that you are getting closer to your destination.

The soundtrack is also simply marvelous because of how it changes depending on what you do. A great example is the theme of the HUB world, when walking around you simply hear this theme, but as you approach a level entrance the music slowly changes pitch, volume and instruments to better reflect the theme of the level you are nearing. I have also failed to find even a single song that I didn't like and I did my absolute best. Soundtrack is up to par with Ocarina of Time in terms of greatness.

Playing this game has made me realize that Mario 64's graphics really could be better than what we got. Having seen levels like the Haunted Mansion in this game made it look absolutely ridiculous that Mario's level design sometimes had polygon mountain and textures that were just all over the place. There is such an eye for detail in this game and the levels have so much atmosphere due to their design.

The Bad
Banjo definitely doesn't move as fluently as Mario did, which is a big problem, a problem the size of the Titanic to be precise. Instead of the fluent turns and precise jumps, Banjo has to settle with a movement system that reminds me of R.C. Pro-Am, which was also developed by Rare oddly enough. You mostly switch between different angles when you walk and getting Banjo to look anywhere else than these set angles is a terrible chore. This also makes jumping with the camera Mario was also notorious for even harder, but luckily we have a center-camera button that sometimes helps out.

Every time you die or leave when collecting items in a stage you will have to collect them all over again (except for the Jiggies which always stay with you). At first I accepted this as a little challenge for my 100% run, but that all ended when I got to the Rusty Bucket Bay and had to officially cancel my 100% run. The reason for this was engine room which has a lot of moving components, enemies, small platforms and NO FLOOR. So if you fall in this pit of hell you are instantly send back to the start of the stage with all your notes and jinjos gone. Also, you can't just get them all before going in there because pretty much half of these items are hidden in places you can't reach unless you went into this room.

Every time you want to stop playing the game or switch to another save you are forced to sit through this big cut-scene that is an elaborate way of explaining you that you failed big time. This wouldn't be a problem in a game that can be finished in a day, like Lylat Wars, but not in a big adventure game that even the fasted speed-runner can't pull off in a single sitting.

The Bottom Line
I like Banjo and Kazooie a lot, it contains a very good adventure, a great soundtrack, detailed level design and it's just overall very fun to play. Most of the problems I have with it were things I had to write down really fast because I would become absorbed into the game's fun again very soon after. This is also a nice game to do a 100% run on if you are willing to push past the rather obnoxious engine room in the Rusty Bucket Bay. Overall, I'd say that this is my second-favorite game on the Nintendo 64 (Ocarina of Time still standing proudly on number 1).

If you liked Mario 64 than I can pretty much guarantee that you will like this game too. Adventure fans in general will probably like this game too, as well as kids and parents (no real violence involved). If you aren't all that much into adventure games though, than this game will likely not be that one to change your mind and I would sooner recommend something more Zelda to get you into this genre.