Banjo-Kazooie (universe): Difference between revisions
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A third console entry was greatly contested within Rare, as the team initially struggled to find a central focus. Concepts for this third game included an expanded remake of the first game with certain gameplay segments altered, and a game focusing more directly on the duo's rivalry with Gruntilda wherein they would compete in a series of rapid-fire challenges. None of these ideas came to fruition; instead the team landed on the concept of constructing vehicles to traverse large, sandbox-like hub worlds and complete missions. This became the foundation for ''{{s|wikipedia|Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts}}'', released for the Xbox 360 in November 2008, which prominently features a 3D editor in which the player can construct a multitude of vehicles ranging from four-wheelers to hovercrafts to biplanes. The character designs were also tweaked, becoming more angular and cuboid to match the building-block aesthetic, and the environments and hub worlds were designed to complement the themes of construction. Though it received mostly positive reviews from critics, it was highly polarizing due to its deviation from the traditional 3D platforming formula of the original duology. The game became infamous in the following years as fans felt their expectations were subverted, and in the meantime Rare temporarily shifted focus away from its original properties to develop games for the Kinect starting in 2010. | A third console entry was greatly contested within Rare, as the team initially struggled to find a central focus. Concepts for this third game included an expanded remake of the first game with certain gameplay segments altered, and a game focusing more directly on the duo's rivalry with Gruntilda wherein they would compete in a series of rapid-fire challenges. None of these ideas came to fruition; instead the team landed on the concept of constructing vehicles to traverse large, sandbox-like hub worlds and complete missions. This became the foundation for ''{{s|wikipedia|Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts}}'', released for the Xbox 360 in November 2008, which prominently features a 3D editor in which the player can construct a multitude of vehicles ranging from four-wheelers to hovercrafts to biplanes. The character designs were also tweaked, becoming more angular and cuboid to match the building-block aesthetic, and the environments and hub worlds were designed to complement the themes of construction. Though it received mostly positive reviews from critics, it was highly polarizing due to its deviation from the traditional 3D platforming formula of the original duology. The game became infamous in the following years as fans felt their expectations were subverted, and in the meantime Rare temporarily shifted focus away from its original properties to develop games for the Kinect starting in 2010. | ||
Between 2008 and 2010, ''Nuts & Bolts'' was followed up by downloadable HD remasters of the two N64 titles on Xbox Live Arcade courtesy of 4J Studios (while also implementing a retooled Stop 'N' Swop feature), as well as Banjo and Kazooie's guest appearance in the Xbox 360 version of ''{{s|wikipedia|Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing}}''. ''Banjo-Kazooie'' series characters also appear as downloadable skin packs in all versions of ''Minecraft''. Finally, at E3 2015, Rare shifted focus back to its intellectual properties when they announced ''{{s|wikipedia|Rare Replay}}'', a compilation of thirty titles from across Rare's storied history in celebration of their 30th anniversary as a development studio. Released exclusively for the Xbox One in August 2015, this collection features all three home console installments in the ''Banjo-Kazooie'' series, including achievements, developer interviews, and remixed challenges. However, apart from these rereleases, the ''Banjo-Kazooie'' series has stayed largely dormant since the release of ''Nuts & Bolts''. In that time, the majority of the original creative team had split away from Rare to form an independent studio, {{s|wikipedia|Playtonic Games}}; they crowdfunded and released their first project, a spiritual successor titled ''{{s|wikipedia|Yooka-Laylee}}'', in 2017 although the game comparatively speaking did not as well as the Banjo-Kazooie series for various reasons. | Between 2008 and 2010, ''Nuts & Bolts'' was followed up by downloadable HD remasters of the two N64 titles on Xbox Live Arcade courtesy of 4J Studios (while also implementing a retooled Stop 'N' Swop feature), as well as Banjo and Kazooie's guest appearance in the Xbox 360 version of ''{{s|wikipedia|Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing}}''. ''Banjo-Kazooie'' series characters also appear as downloadable skin packs in all versions of ''Minecraft''. Finally, at E3 2015, Rare shifted focus back to its intellectual properties when they announced ''{{s|wikipedia|Rare Replay}}'', a compilation of thirty titles from across Rare's storied history in celebration of their 30th anniversary as a development studio. Released exclusively for the Xbox One in August 2015, this collection features all three home console installments in the ''Banjo-Kazooie'' series, including achievements, developer interviews, and remixed challenges. However, apart from these rereleases, the ''Banjo-Kazooie'' series has stayed largely dormant since the release of ''Nuts & Bolts''. In that time, the majority of the original creative team had split away from Rare to form an independent studio, {{s|wikipedia|Playtonic Games}}; they crowdfunded and released their first project, a spiritual successor titled ''{{s|wikipedia|Yooka-Laylee}}'', in 2017 although the game comparatively speaking did not as well as the ''Banjo-Kazooie'' series for various reasons. | ||
Banjo & Kazooie were particularly popular character requests for the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series as far back as the release of the [[Super Smash Bros.|original Nintendo 64 installment]]; on an official Japanese poll regarding characters for a potential sequel, they placed 8th, above characters such as [[Marth]] and [[Meta Knight]].<ref name="N64">https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/PostResult2.html</ref> Similarly, after the release of ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', [[Masahiro Sakurai]] noted in response to a fan that Banjo & Kazooie could be considered a natural inclusion, but including them was "unlikely for a variety of legal and financial reasons".<ref name="melee">[https://www.sourcegaming.info/2016/04/29/duflupdate/ The Definitive List of Unused Fighters in Smash | Source Gaming]</ref> The duo were meant to cameo as a [[trophy]], but had to be cut for similar reasons.<ref>[https://twitter.com/PushDustIn/status/1138759804208291841 PushDustIn on Twitter:] In an old Nintendo Dream (from 2002) Sakurai confirmed that Banjo & Kazooie were planned to be a trophy in Melee. However, since Rare is a company in England it became difficult for them to approve the trophies and still have Melee on schedule. Joanna Dark was also mentioned.</ref> | Banjo & Kazooie were particularly popular character requests for the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series as far back as the release of the [[Super Smash Bros.|original Nintendo 64 installment]]; on an official Japanese poll regarding characters for a potential sequel, they placed 8th, above characters such as [[Marth]] and [[Meta Knight]].<ref name="N64">https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nalj/smash/PostResult2.html</ref> Similarly, after the release of ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'', [[Masahiro Sakurai]] noted in response to a fan that Banjo & Kazooie could be considered a natural inclusion, but including them was "unlikely for a variety of legal and financial reasons".<ref name="melee">[https://www.sourcegaming.info/2016/04/29/duflupdate/ The Definitive List of Unused Fighters in Smash | Source Gaming]</ref> The duo were meant to cameo as a [[trophy]], but had to be cut for similar reasons.<ref>[https://twitter.com/PushDustIn/status/1138759804208291841 PushDustIn on Twitter:] In an old Nintendo Dream (from 2002) Sakurai confirmed that Banjo & Kazooie were planned to be a trophy in Melee. However, since Rare is a company in England it became difficult for them to approve the trophies and still have Melee on schedule. Joanna Dark was also mentioned.</ref> | ||
