Microsoft and Rare have finally let the bird out of the bag, announcing that Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is the newest game in the BK franchise, scheduled for a 2008 holiday release on Xbox 360. Though the game will retain some of its traditional platforming elements, the game’s primary focus is on vehicles — the collection, construction, experimentation, and piloting thereof. Banjo, Kazooie, and the whole gang will be going up against Gruntilda the witch in a series of vehicular challenges — some of which, yes, will be races — in homemade contraptions, promising endless customization and multiple strategies for success.
From an official fact sheet, the game is detailed thus:
Throughout their adventure, players create their own abilities by building vehicles for Banjo to pilot over land, water and air. Vehicle parts, which range from simple devices such as engines and wheels to more unusual equipment such as springs and egg guns, are earned and collected throughout the game. Players use their imagination to combine parts in any order to create whatever vehicle they choose. LOG’s challenges have one goal, but players’ choice of vehicle and tactics will determine how they get there. By exploring worlds and solving puzzles, players both young and old will be rewarded with more advanced and diverse vehicle parts in their quest to defeat Grunty once and for all.
Honestly? I’m a little disappointed. To be fair, however, I am a curmudgeon who fears change. Still, this game sounds like a lot of fun, if the hands-on over at Wired is any indication. It sounds like the kind of game you could fuss with for hours on end. Who hasn’t gone into a game with a robust physics engine and just screwed around? If there’s a solid game attached to it, so much the better.
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