Gamers often have a unique bond with their childhood games, even if they’re now considered outdated. The nostalgic pull of these “museum pieces” – games that were once fun but are now seen as clunky – fascinates me. Simultaneously, I’m intrigued by others’ disdain for anything produced before the PlayStation 2, suggesting such games should be discarded like unwanted meat.
Reviewing retro releases becomes a delicate dance. Criticism risks angering those who hold fond memories, while over-praising may offend those who view older games as relics. This tension has often led me astray, notably when I criticized the Ninja Turtles arcade game as being utterly dreadful and Kristan’s scathing review of Banjo-Kazooie’s decline on the N64.
The sequel, Banjo-Tooie, now available on Xbox Live Arcade, reintroduces this challenge. Striking the right balance between critique and praise is crucial, lest you’re hailed as an old soul or dismissed as a jaded critic.
After the first game, Banjo the bear and Kazooie the bird bask in the tranquility following Gruntilda’s supposed demise. But peace is short-lived as her sisters revive her skeleton to conquer Spiral Mountain and its surroundings with a malevolent death ray.
This setup echoes the familiar storyline, a hallmark that was celebrated by N64 players but may seem stale to newer audiences. The wait for Banjo-Tooie was two years for its initial release, making its similarity to the first game less of a flaw than a selling point. For Xbox Live Arcade gamers, the wait is considerably shorter, making the sequel feel more like a routine addition rather than an eagerly awaited installment.
Despite this, Banjo-Tooie remains enjoyable. While it falls short of the elegance and innovation of Super Mario 64, it surpasses its contemporaries like Gex, Croc, and Bubsy in terms of design quality. Levels are expansive and diverse, offering numerous activities alongside the search for elusive Jiggys. The game feels cluttered, packed with elements like eggs, feathers, Jinjos, musical notes, Glowbos, Cheato pages, honeycombs, and shoes, each with its own purpose, requiring players to locate and gather them in the midst of unskippable dialogues.
