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[No Means Nomad]

I've noticed I have a high tendency to abandon my vehicle and finish a challege/note collecting/exploration on foot. I'm not sure what that means though.

Abandonment issues.

Did your parents ever "accidentally" leave you at a highway rest stop for a few hours?

Just got this game today. Was lukewarm on the demo the first time but started to really dig it the second time I messed around in it. Loving the actual game so far. Threw about 4 hours in and have something like 26 jiggies.

Opening the Jiggoseum level was a right pain in the ass. I kept trying to bring the globe up to the top and drop it in the chute before it closed but it turned out all I had to do was attach it to the crane. So weak.

 

[grandjedi6]

I can definitely see why you'd be frustrated. Rare probably should have blocked access to Banjoland until the player

Spoiler

gets the cart upgrade from Act 3 of Logbox 720.

I liked transporting a huge pile of jiggies from one place to another. I thought it was a neat way of letting the player feel like he'd accomplish something. But yeah, without the floaters that would make me want to kill someone.

I'm guessing you haven't unlocked the floaters for your trolley yet. Go beat the witch in the Jiggoseum, then the lake will cease to be a problem for you.

I kinda figured there was a trolley upgrade involved here. But the logbox witch fight hasn't appeared yet. (?)

You know despite how much the game pushes the player's creativity, I find it kinda weird that Rare assumed no one would try to swim across to Banjoland immediatly after it opened.

 

[WordAssassin]

So I just got Banjo-Kazooie XBLA, and I played through a shit load of it, and I got the Pink Egg and Ice Key, and booted up Nuts & Bolts.... and are you fucking kidding me. I've waited 8 years and even bought the same game twice... for that.

Banjo-Tooie better see release on XBLA with the real Stop N Swap intact. I'm so angry and disappointed right now.

 

[Kuroyume]

:lol

 

[timetokill]

I got this game for Christmas, here are my impressions after my first 16 jiggies.


- Building is pretty fun, more fun than I expected. I definitely feel like I spend too much time doing it though, and I hate making failed vehicles :lol

- Making you swim across Banjoland lake is absolutely retarded. I swam a bunch of jiggies across it before I got the floaters. Absolutely moronic game design here.

- Game is buggy as hell. I've done a few games with the "go for distance" thing where my vehicle just screws the game up and won't stop moving. You know, the ones where they take control away from you and wait to see where you stop?

For example, the Jiggoseum launch jiggy. I made a vehicle covered in springs, and I got it to keep circling forever, and my score kept improving so I figured, "hey, maybe it stops and I get a best high score on the online leaderboard." After my score got into the tens of thousands, I got bored and just restarted the challenge, knowing the game would never allow me out on my own. Then of course, I took a glance at the online leaderboard, and the scores are like in the 200,000 range >:\ stupid, stupid, stupid.

- Love the humor of the game. Very amusing and actually keeps me going.

- Rare's character designs have improved, but Banjo and Kazooie still look retarded. Especially Kazooie, who looks nightmarish.

- Music is great as always

- Not sure if I should ever buy parts because I feel like I might just find them on my own, but then again, is there much else to spend Notes on?

- Overall, I keep playing the game and having fun getting the jiggies, but the game makes me pine for a real platformer game. I like to just get out of the damn buggy and explore Showdown Town and things, especially to get the jiggies, and it just makes me miss the old Banjo games. I hope Banjo Fouriee or whatever goes back to the platforming.

 

[Psychotext]

- Making you swim across Banjoland lake is absolutely retarded. I swam a bunch of jiggies across it before I got the floaters. Absolutely moronic game design here.

I think the point is that you don't explore the lake until you have aquatic vehicles... but no accounting for play style.

 

[timetokill]

I think the point is that you don't explore the lake until you have aquatic vehicles... but no accounting for play style.

But you open those doors soooo early.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

You should also buy parts so you can use more of a certain part. Jet Engines for example. The more, the murderier!

 

[grandjedi6]

I think the point is that you don't explore the lake until you have aquatic vehicles... but no accounting for play style.

Again though it's like Rare didn't imagine anyone would just swim across without the vehicle. In fact alot of the game's design seems to make these assumptions that no one would ever try something on foot.

Also I'm still confused as to why Rare required the floaters in the first place. Because upon getting the banjoland orb I tried to put it in only to encounter a slope that I could not climb. Thus I had to run around until I figured (coughbottlescough) that I had to beat Grunty to get the upgrade. Then I do so, go to banjoland, get jiggies and then find I need another upgrade to easily get the jiggies across? Two upgrades in a row seems kinda like stupid game design to me. In a game that promotes creativity so much I'm annoyed that it keeps trying to restrict me in rather stupid ways.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Again though it's like Rare didn't imagine anyone would just swim across without the vehicle. In fact alot of the game's design seems to make these assumptions that no one would ever try something on foot.

No, there are places you can swim to but anything worth getting to is up a hill you need sticky tires to get to.

Although, can you swim across while carrying the ShitBox?

 

[grandjedi6]

No, there are places you can swim to but anything worth getting to is up a hill you need sticky tires to get to.

Although, can you swim across while carrying the ShitBox?

You can summon the Tray Vehicle across the lake, carry the vehicle across the lake or even drive it underwater to the other side. The floaters do nothing (so far) but make carrying your jiggies 100 times less annoying

 

[bigmakstudios]

I just got to

Spoiler

Spiral Mountain, and I need to build a boat/helicopter/car.

I'm trying, but it seems that no matter how I construct the bow, the boat moves sluggishly through water. Is there any specific way that boats should be built? I've built decently functioning, fast boats before, but now I can't seem to get it to work for some reason...

 

[Uncle AJ]

I picked this up yesterday after suddenly coming into $66 of Best Buy store credit (had enough left over to buy The Dark Knight on blu-ray - thanks Rare!).

30 jiggies later, I'm totally revising my GAF GOTY picks.


EDIT: just realized that voting ended this afternoon.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

I picked this up yesterday after suddenly coming into $66 of Best Buy store credit (had enough left over to buy The Dark Knight on blu-ray - thanks Rare!).

30 jiggies later, I'm totally revising my GAF GOTY picks.


EDIT: just realized that voting ended this afternoon.

We needed you.

 

[grandjedi6]

EDIT: just realized that voting ended this afternoon.

The voting is still open for 10 more hours

 

[affableamerican]

LOGBOX Act 4: Red Bear Racing

I want to kill myself.

 

[WordAssassin]

LOGBOX Act 4: Red Bear Racing

I want to kill myself.

Why? That one is really easy - just build a very simple airplane and test it in the race a few times to make sure it's not overpowered. I only failed twice: once because I made my plane too fast and I couldn't control it, and the second because I slammed into a wall at the very last checkpoint. :lol

Edit: I have no idea how to do it but can you send people blueprints? If you're still having trouble on it I could send you my race-winning plane.

 

[No Means Nomad]

LOGBOX Act 4: Red Bear Racing

I want to kill myself.

Make a fast plane with a decently long wingspan. If the wings are too far apart you'll hit everything, but if you hit a good balance it shouldn't be a problem to hit the markers without having to mess around.

 

[FateBreaker]

I really love this game, and I even voted it pretty high on the game of the year voting thing here (Lost Odyssey and MGS4 were above it. Sorry, I'm a LO lover.) Anyway, I can only hope that the next one integrates platforming elements more BUT does not destroy the awesomeness of building vehicles. I think that would be a happy medium. For instance, Showdown Town could actually be the place where you have all the vehicular objectives, while the worlds are the platformers -- in other words, the opposite of Nuts and Bolts.

 

[affableamerican]

So you're saying to *remove* the small jet engine?

Actually, I was using the jet to give a quick burst to get ahead of the competitor, but then only for short bursts to quickly correct myself. I'll try without it though, and I'll try bringing in my wings for a shorter wingspan. If all else fails, I'll try not to suck so much. There's the rub.

 

[aidan]

Again though it's like Rare didn't imagine anyone would just swim across without the vehicle. In fact alot of the game's design seems to make these assumptions that no one would ever try something on foot.

Also I'm still confused as to why Rare required the floaters in the first place. Because upon getting the banjoland orb I tried to put it in only to encounter a slope that I could not climb. Thus I had to run around until I figured (coughbottlescough) that I had to beat Grunty to get the upgrade. Then I do so, go to banjoland, get jiggies and then find I need another upgrade to easily get the jiggies across? Two upgrades in a row seems kinda like stupid game design to me. In a game that promotes creativity so much I'm annoyed that it keeps trying to restrict me in rather stupid ways.

I dunno. I somehow managed to get my vehicle there and back without floaters – damned if I can remember how I did it, though. Had two jiggies to get across and didn't want to swim them. It was a hell of a trek.

 

[affableamerican]

Another quickie -- I've got a little over 50 jiggies. Should I know wtf those

Spoiler

ghostly pigs

are yet? If I don't find out soon in-game, I'm going to be very tempted to do a Web search!

 

[Sydle]

Another quickie -- I've got a little over 50 jiggies. Should I know wtf those

Spoiler

ghostly pigs

are yet? If I don't find out soon in-game, I'm going to be very tempted to do a Web search!

Not yet.

 

[affableamerican]

Thanks!

 

[mittelos]

The hell? Just went to Best Buy to pick up the game, and they said they were out of stock; checked their website and it says "backordered". Maybe the game had a good Christmas. Will never understand Microsoft's marketing strategy with this game. Seems to me this would have been a game MS would have been pimping hard to the family audience.

 

[Alphahawk]

Again though it's like Rare didn't imagine anyone would just swim across without the vehicle. In fact alot of the game's design seems to make these assumptions that no one would ever try something on foot.

Also I'm still confused as to why Rare required the floaters in the first place. Because upon getting the banjoland orb I tried to put it in only to encounter a slope that I could not climb. Thus I had to run around until I figured (coughbottlescough) that I had to beat Grunty to get the upgrade. Then I do so, go to banjoland, get jiggies and then find I need another upgrade to easily get the jiggies across? Two upgrades in a row seems kinda like stupid game design to me. In a game that promotes creativity so much I'm annoyed that it keeps trying to restrict me in rather stupid ways.

Opening Banjoland doesn't require the floate: Even the Jiggy dispencer doesn't require it.

 

[timetokill]

Again though it's like Rare didn't imagine anyone would just swim across without the vehicle. In fact alot of the game's design seems to make these assumptions that no one would ever try something on foot.

Also I'm still confused as to why Rare required the floaters in the first place. Because upon getting the banjoland orb I tried to put it in only to encounter a slope that I could not climb. Thus I had to run around until I figured (coughbottlescough) that I had to beat Grunty to get the upgrade. Then I do so, go to banjoland, get jiggies and then find I need another upgrade to easily get the jiggies across? Two upgrades in a row seems kinda like stupid game design to me. In a game that promotes creativity so much I'm annoyed that it keeps trying to restrict me in rather stupid ways.

I just drove my trolley through the lake to the other side, got out, swam to the surface, and lifted the trolley onto land on the other side. :lol

 

[hylian_pirate]

How can I get the Ultimate Combo achievement? I put all three pieces on my vehicle.

Edit: nvm.. restarted and got it.

 

[Martial Loh]

Did you use the environment ‘cheat’ to explore parts of Showdown Town you couldn’t reach yet because of the slippery slopes?

err I don't really consider it cheating or spoiling the game..its just using/testing out what the game allows me do. For the most part, just being persistant in jumping on small ledges & nooks & crannies got me to most places! Also I just like to explore and wander around.

 

[Alphahawk]

Last night I discovered that the game had an image upload option, so without further ado here's my best creations.


Banjoborg floats high above Nutty Acres

Who dare rouse Banjoborg from his slumbers

Banjoclopse, Banjoborgs less powerful brother

I didn't save this vehicle but I thought it was too cool not to snap a picture of, he's land based but as you can see he can also storm through water with the greatest of ease.

Here's my Sofa Roller, it's a Sofa that moves! I started out with the intention of making a Toilet but in the end I decided a Sofa was a better choice.

 

[Kujo]

Man, fuck T.T. for inverting the driving controls in 'that' race. Ugh. Probably payback for me using a fast flying vehicle against him in the previous land-based races.

IMO, the game is at it's best when you're sort of exploiting it. Constructing overpowered vehicles that finish missions in a snap, taking advantage of glitches like trolley surfing, etc. Eg. I tried for a good 20 mins to get a T.T. trophy in that golf game with the sheep ball, then I check the leaderboards and see people managed to do it in 0 hits. Turned out that using the air cushion does not register hitting the ball...

 

[TTG]

Man, fuck T.T. for inverting the driving controls in 'that' race. Ugh. Probably payback for me using a fast flying vehicle against him in the previous land-based races

That one and the rail shooter challenge were the worst. :lol

 

[Alphahawk]

I've come to the realization that the game would of been far better if it didn't consist entirely of Minigames, don't get me wrong some of these games are great and theirs a place for them in the series, but the fact that every single jiggy is won this way is a little tiring.

 

[rollingstart]

Man, fuck T.T. for inverting the driving controls in 'that' race.

I actually turned my controller over and used my right thumb to steer and my middle finger to accelerate.

 

[No Means Nomad]

I've come to the realization that the game would of been far better if it didn't consist entirely of Minigames, don't get me wrong some of these games are great and theirs a place for them in the series, but the fact that every single jiggy is won this way is a little tiring.

I don't think I'd really call them minigames though. Their presentation isn't hidden so it like minigames they feel approachable, but the content itself is usually pretty compelling for me. I'm constantly finding myself building new vehicles or modifying vehicles for certain missions. While proper execution within the task itself is necessary the fun part is designing a vehicle for the task(s).

For example, one of my favorite missions so far involves you taking an object up hundreds of feet (by car or by air) and then going down into a pool and navigating tubes to drop the object off deep underwater. The game isn't about getting to the bottom as much as it is about being creative about how you get there.

The creation system is pretty deep and varied, with drawbacks to certain design choices forcing you to think outside of the box.

 

[Martial Loh]

I sort of agree that Jiggies shouldn't only be won through the "minigame" challenges. They sort of address this issue with the

Spoiler

Jiggy-tampering switches & Jolly's dodgy Jiggies

(dunno if that requires spoilering, but what the hey)

I'm having problems with the flying challenges, due to being lame..is there a foolproof component/tactic that might aid me?

 

[Zoso]

I had family over yesterday and the day before and I was in charge of keeping my 7 & 9 year old cousins occupied. I showed them Banjo Kazooie N&B and they seriously thought it was like the coolest game ever. It took them a little while to get a hang of the vehicle creation system, but once they did they were making a buttload of vehicles. They never even tried any of the challenges, they would just keep coming up with ideas for vehicles and then build them and play around with them in Nutty Acres - that kept them occupied for a total of 8 hours. I thought it might be a little too complex for them, but they grasped it quickly. I'm still not that far into the game so they didn't have the best parts to play with, but they didn't mind.

Anyway, it was great to see how this game greatly appeals to kids, and that it's not too complicated for them. Rare did a great job in making it accessible for all ages and incredibly deep for the hardcore peoples.

 

[CrunchinJelly]

MS have started bundling this with the Arcade's in the UK for the RRP of the console. Has a sticker with a picture of Banjo and 'Banjo-Kazooie inside!'

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Two great posts for Two Banjoand Nine!

;D

 

[GhaleonEB]

I've done a few game worlds now. Does the structure of them change any as the game progresses? What I'm seeing is this:

1) The game world is open and scattered with a few of those golden notes and some roaming enemies. Otherwise, I need to talk to someone and enter their "quest mode".

2) Basically, enter a world, use the map to find a guy that give me puzzle piece, complete their fetch quest/race, and repeat for the rest.

3) Return to game hub, dump pieces into the collector, go to the new worlds. Find more guys with pieces, complete their mini game to get them.

I'm assuming at some point I get better wheels, so I can go up those ramps in the hub and get to the better part crates. But otherwise - does the structure of the game worlds shift any? Or is the pattern for the rest of the game?

 

[vhfive]

I've done a few game worlds now. Does the structure of them change any as the game progresses? What I'm seeing is this:

1) The game world is open and scattered with a few of those golden notes and some roaming enemies. Otherwise, I need to talk to someone and enter their "quest mode".

2) Basically, enter a world, use the map to find a guy that give me puzzle piece, complete their fetch quest/race, and repeat for the rest.

3) Return to game hub, dump pieces into the collector, go to the new worlds. Find more guys with pieces, complete their mini game to get them.

I'm assuming at some point I get better wheels, so I can go up those ramps in the hub and get to the better part crates. But otherwise - does the structure of the game worlds shift any? Or is the pattern for the rest of the game?

pretty much the structure
you do up grade your cart (new wheels and such)

 

[RBH]

MS have started bundling this with the Arcade's in the UK for the RRP of the console. Has a sticker with a picture of Banjo and 'Banjo-Kazooie inside!'

I wish they had done that in the U.S. instead of bundling that piece of garbage Sega Superstars Tennis with the Arcade.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

I've done a few game worlds now. Does the structure of them change any as the game progresses? What I'm seeing is this:

1) The game world is open and scattered with a few of those golden notes and some roaming enemies. Otherwise, I need to talk to someone and enter their "quest mode".

2) Basically, enter a world, use the map to find a guy that give me puzzle piece, complete their fetch quest/race, and repeat for the rest.

3) Return to game hub, dump pieces into the collector, go to the new worlds. Find more guys with pieces, complete their mini game to get them.

I'm assuming at some point I get better wheels, so I can go up those ramps in the hub and get to the better part crates. But otherwise - does the structure of the game worlds shift any? Or is the pattern for the rest of the game?

No, that's how it works. You open more worlds, which upon up more Grunty battles, which give you better ShitBox parts, which get you more building parts, etc.

 

[baphometbones]

First of all, let me say that I thought the first two Banjo games were average at best. I'm not trying to start anything here, they just never grabbed me in the same way Mario 64 did. When I saw Nuts & Bolts had been released, I couldn't have cared less. As this year was closing out, I kept seeing this thread get bumped and heard more and more rumblings about how excellent the game actually was. Against all better judgment, I decided to give it a shot on New Years Eve. Three words: Holy. Fucking. Shit. It's like I'm playing "Baby's First Crackdown: Vehicles Edition" (I know Crackdown had vehicles, but I felt like I was playing it wrong if I wasn't leapfrogging from building to building). That is in no way meant to be derogatory though, I'm just surprised by how similar the two games feel. I'm a sucker for collecting upgrades and seeing something really high up and wondering how in the world I'm ever going to reach it and BK:N&B is going out of it's way to satisfy both urges. Toss in the surprisingly humorous storyline (which reaches near Psychonauts level of quality at times) and I feel safe to say that this is probably the most overlooked game I've played all year.

Congrats BenjaminBirdie, you and the rest of this thread have converted yet another believer. Bring on Nuts & Bolts 2!

 

[Unregistered007]

okay I started playing this game for a bit and I have to say that the graphics in the game are superb.

 

[Patrickula]

I started playing this yesterday. Wonderful so far, and for me it's the hardest game to put down from 2008 aside from Fallout 3.
That's after only one day's playtime though :lol

 

[[Nintex]]

The biggest strength of the game is easily the vehicle builder and messing around with your own creations. The problem is that that's actually more fun than the real game.:lol

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

The biggest strength of the game is easily the vehicle builder and messing around with your own creations. The problem is that that's actually more fun than the real game.:lol

That kind of is the real game.

 

[CitizenCope]

okay I started playing this game for a bit and I have to say that the graphics in the game are superb.

I came here to say the same.
I just popped it in for 30 minutes or so to check it out as I have to finish up PoP and Tomb Raider first. THIS GAME LOOKS AMAZING!!
I've played Uncharted, MGS4 and Gears 2 and this game makes me say wow more than any. Shouldn't really compare as the games do different things but just wow!!
Anyways I'll be visiting here more often and I'm sure I'll need some help along the way.

 

[GhaleonEB]

No, that's how it works. You open more worlds, which upon up more Grunty battles, which give you better ShitBox parts, which get you more building parts, etc.

Yeah, that's how I figured the progression would work. What I don't like is how the actual game worlds are structured. I was hoping they would be more of a sandbox, with stuff stashed away so as to encourage exploration. I wanted stuff visible so I would say, "how do I get that?" and then build a vehicle to do so. But none of the worlds I've played so far have rewarded exploration. I swam out to the islands in the first two, and down to the bottom of the ocean surrounding the main island. I never found any hidden stuff to reward my exploration. I spent quite a bit of time scouring those levels, and all the collectible stuff was right around the main areas. So instead of exploring further, I found myself starting to just head for the puzzle piece icons, doing the mini game, and moving to the next.

The problem is none of those minigames have been any fun so far. A gaggle of fetch quests and races. The biggest problem is the vehicles just aren't fun to drive. I still haven't figured out how the physics in the game work; they're really unpredictable. Sometimes I bump something and go flying in the other direction, some times I just get stuck. The vehicles don't feel like they are a real part of the world; it just feels disconnected somehow. I can't really describe it, but driving around in them is just boring and a bit frustrating. I was hoping the vehicles would be fun to use, and the game worlds a big sandbox to play in. But they're not; they're just a rather empty place where I have to track down a couple of characters to do something that's not entertaining.

And why is the town not also the test track? Imagine if the town was designed more like a city in Crackdown, and the vehicles were your abilities. Early on you'd be operating on the lower levels, and gradually got to get to the higher or out of reach areas as better parts, and different styles (airplanes, etc.) get uncovered. It would be a hoot. Instead they restrict that world to the trolley, and the test track is a big empty arena. Both are boring. I wonder if they tried to make the town the core area, and just couldn't get it to work and so the test track was developed. It's a really weird split.

I probably won't play any further into this game. The graphics are astounding, but that's not enough. My kid likes it, and since it was her Christmas present it's money well spent from my perspective. But I'm done with it; the way the game is structured is just mind-boggling bad IMO - one missed opportunity after another - and the core gameplay just isn't fun.