Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
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Developer(s)	Rare Ltd.
Publisher(s)	Microsoft Game Studios
Designer(s)	Gregg Mayles
Composer(s)	Robin Beanland Grant Kirkhope Dave Clynick
Series	Banjo-Kazooie
Engine	Havok (Physics)
Platform(s)	Xbox 360
Genre(s)	Platformer, adventure, vehicle construction
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer (2-4 players split-screen or online via Xbox Live)

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is an upcoming action and platform game in Rare's Banjo-Kazooie series, first announced at the X06 Media Briefing. It is the fifth game in the franchise to be released and takes place eight years after Banjo-Tooie. It is also the first game in the series released for a console unaffiliated with Nintendo, as it is exclusive to the Xbox 360. Director Gregg Mayles stated that roughly 80 percent of Nuts & Bolts involves the use of vehicles. Rare has announced several characters for the game, including returning characters from the series. In an ending sequence for Banjo-Tooie, character dialogue led players to believe that the game would be entitled Banjo-Threeie. The game is stated to be released on November 11, 2008 for North America, November 14, 2008 for Europe and November 20, 2008 for Australia.

Plot synopsis

Set eight years after Banjo-Tooie, the plot of the game involves Banjo and Gruntilda competing to determine the true owner of Spiral Mountain. Banjo wishes to preserve his home while Gruntilda hatches an urban development scheme to replace the vegetated area with towers and malls. A new character named Lord of Games (also known as LOG) attempts to settle the conflict between the two by devising a series of worlds and challenges. LOG transports the other characters to Showdown Town, his headquarters, and starts the contest. The winner would be set to own Spiral Mountain; the loser must endure eternal hardship at LOG's video game factory. While Banjo and Kazooie seek to win by completing the challenges, Grunty uses her powers and abilities to try and stop the duo. An army of mechanical Gruntbots also assist the witch in her goal.

Gameplay

The game is not entirely a traditional third-person action and platform game like the previous entries in the series, but instead utilizes vehicles to transport Banjo and Kazooie around the levels. According to game director Gregg Mayles, about 20 percent of the game retains traditional platforming elements, which include ledge grabbing and tightrope walking. There are however no conventional "moves" for Banjo and Kazooie to use, apart from attacks Kazooie performs with her wrench.

Vehicles

Vehicles play a prominent role in the game. The player can build them from over 1,600 different components available, such as body panels, engines, wheels, wings, propellers, fuel and weapons. It is also specified that vehicle presets from these parts would be available. "Banjoprints" of these machines and their statistics have been revealed. They include the Banjo 4x4, Banjo Boat, Banjo Copter and Banjo Plane. Gruntilda also operates a vehicle called the Grunty Coco-Carrier. The vehicles can be built in many shapes, as demonstrated in a video where one was constructed to resemble an 8-bit Mario sprite that was later blasted apart.

Items

The original teaser trailer showed several gameplay elements from the previous games that will be included in the upcoming game, including music notes, honeycombs, and jigsaw puzzle pieces ("Jiggys"). The Jiggys are among several golden objects that are collected to progress in the Banjo-Kazooie games and will once again be used in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. In an edition of Scribes, Rare said that "the player will determine the difficulty level by how they approach the Jiggy tasks", hinting at what the game would offer. It was later specified that the challenge level of these tasks depends on how the player builds the vehicles. Other items in Nuts & Bolts include honeycomb pieces, which are used to refill Banjo and Kazooie's health gauges in the games. Musical notes can be collected in Banjo-Kazooie to unlock note doors, and in Banjo-Tooie were used to unlock new moves for Banjo and Kazooie. For Nuts & Bolts it has been stated that the notes will be used as a currency to buy parts for the vehicles, with gold, silver, and copper notes worth different amounts. A new item, tentatively called "Mumbo's magic wrench" was also revealed. It plays a significant role, as it is used to both build and move objects via a yellow beam fired from the device. The wrench is also stated to be used by Kazooie as a primary weapon for on-foot gameplay, sending enemies magic and electric bolts, and other not yet revealed features.

Abilities

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Banjo and Kazooie walking a tightrope

Various abilities from Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie will not be at Banjo and Kazooie's disposal for Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. This approach was first mentioned in the December 20 of Rare's Scribes column, which stated, "Banjo and Kazooie haven't got many of the abilities that they used in previous games". The ability introduced in Banjo-Tooie to split up Banjo and Kazooie as separate playable characters will be unavailable in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. A previous Scribes mentioned that they "thought about using two different controllers" to account for the new moves and all the old moves as well, but that a simpler system had been used for the game. It was eventually revealed that the approach involves using vehicles instead of the previous attack moves. According to Rare, the in-game explanation is that the older abilities were taken away by Gruntilda.

The player can disembark from a vehicle and explore the environment in a manner similar to that of the previous games. In a screenshot, Banjo and Kazooie are seen walking on a tightrope crossing a river. At first Banjo and Kazooie have limited attack power and speed on foot, but the player can upgrade their mobility and strength at the local GYM.

Multiplayer

The idea of multiplayer options was first discussed at the Rare Witch Project, where Mayles said that there would be multiplayer capability in the game unlike that found in Banjo-Tooie. It was later revealed that multiplayer will be purely vehicle-based where players will be able to take their custom built vehicles to Xbox Live and compete in online races and activities. One of the game modes is a variant of King of the Hill called "Queen of The Knoll". Another is "Sumo", where two players have to knock each other out of the arena. An announcement also stated that the game features a co-operative mode and offline multiplayer options.

Levels announced

New hub world

In Rare's December 20 Scribes edition, they stated that Isle O' Hags, the hub world for the second game Banjo-Tooie will not return. On December 31 Gregg Mayles said, when asked whether there would be a new hub world, "YES - You've seen Grunty's Lair and Isle o' Hags, now get ready for "Conflagration Violent" (work this out and you'll have the answer to one of richjonny's questions)". richjohnny is a poster on the Rare Witch Project who posted nine questions to Mayles. On May 13 it was announced by Rare that Showdown Town will be the new hub world for Nuts & Bolts. The "Conflagration Violent" comment made in Scribes is an anagram of "Confrontation Village", which is a synonym for Showdown Town. It is reportedly 16 times larger than any other single area that Rare has created.

The town holds several "game globes", which allow access to the game's levels once a certain amount of Jiggys are obtained. Placing the globes onto special stands will open the world door and allow the player access to the worlds. Each Jiggy extracted from the levels must be inserted to Jiggy collection units scattered around Showdown Town and then lifted into the "Jiggy Bank" device to open certain world doors. This method is similar to the note door system in the original Banjo-Kazooie and the Jiggy system in Banjo-Tooie; each door needs more Jiggys than the last. The town's police force will attempt to stop the player from putting the Jiggys in the bank.

New levels

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Banjo in Nutty Acres

Two images were leaked on Sunday, May 11 showing Banjo piloting and driving two mechanical vehicles: a plane and a boat, respectively. They also show an artificially created level called Nutty Acres. A sign above Banjo's plane has a drawn picture of Mumbo with a coconut and a metal nut for eyes. A castle-like structure, a cityscape, and a desert beach were also revealed among the set of screenshots. A "volcano with double entendres" and an area with "inflatable sheep and polystyrene buildings" had also been mentioned by Rare. The game consists of 15 different challenges throughout each of the levels, including bonus challenges in Showdown Town for a total of approximately 150 missions. The game was to feature six worlds, but only five exist in the final version. All of the levels are purposefully designed to look artificial and will appear to be inside a dome. The walls of the dome will change to match the theme of each level.

• Nutty Acres — The atmosphere of the level is an artificially made grassland with a beach and a volcano. The ground and trees are held together with stitches. The clouds are made of metal and held by strings. The level is in a giant globe with screens showing images of the sky. Enemies of the level include big cow-like robots and metal ball Gruntbots that spin and smash into Banjo. The level also includes tiny robotic bunnies. Mr. Patch, the boss of Witchyworld in Banjo-Tooie, is seen in a Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts trailer. In this video, Banjo is seen shooting missiles at Mr. Patch.

• LOGbox 720 — A vertically oriented, computer themed level named after and designed to resemble the Xbox 360 console. Banjo and Kazooie are required to fix numerous technical issues that cause malfunctions throughout the stage. For example a firewall threatens to burn through the entire console. The player can help Bottles tone down the level's brightness so that he can run the console at "1000 gigaflaps".

• BanjoLand — It is a museum-themed world that is constructed from portions of several levels in the Banjo-Kazooie series. It has an introductory sequence that spoofs the one seen on The Love Boat. Some of the areas that have been revealed include a melted Frezeezy Peak snowman with his red and yellow scarf, the walls and floorboards from Mad Monster Mansion, and Clanker from Clanker's Cavern dismantled and spread across the world. Similarly detached from their original environment are the Click Clock Wood trees, a pyramid from Gobi's Valley, a pile of gems and tunnels from Glitter Gulch Mine, the Salty Hippo ship from Treasure Trove Cove, and the Stonehenge-like monument from Mumbo's Mountain. Golden Goliath's head from Mayahem Temple also appears, as well as Boggy's igloo, the "Cactus of Strength" game from Witchyworld, Grunty's oil tanker from Rusty Bucket Bay, Cheato the spellbook, a Jinjo display and numerous pictures of Banjo-Kazooie characters with Nintendo 64 graphics. Guffo's trash can from Cloud Cuckooland is also shown filled with copies of Grabbed by the Ghoulies, a poor-selling Xbox game developed by Rare.

• The Jiggosseum — A sports themed level set inside a giant Colosseum-like structure with numerous patterns on the floor in the shape of footballs and basketballs. One of the challenges will involve jumping off a ramp with a vehicle and trying to get as much distance as possible. Another challenge has the player building a vehicle to knock over dominoes. This level was previously titled "World of Sports".

• Terrarium of Terror — An outer space themed level made up of interconnecting tubes and honeycomb patterned chambers full of gigantic plant life. This level was revealed in a developer's blog on the official website for the game.

Returning levels

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Spiral Mountain shown in an introduction sequence

It was reported early in development that some of old levels in the previous Banjo-Kazooie games will be remade in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Mayles also said "There will be some levels remade, but not the way you would expect them".

Spiral Mountain, as shown in the teaser trailer, was the first returning level revealed. It will make its fifth appearance in the Banjo-Kazooie series, including Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge and Banjo-Pilot. In the teaser trailer, Spiral Mountain is more cartoon-like than the previous games, and has different things added, such as more hills and areas. In the December 20 edition of Scribes a reply stated that the music in Spiral Mountain will be upbeat, like that in Banjo-Kazooie. Although Gruntilda does not appear in the trailer, Gruntilda's Lair can be seen past a slight fog in the distance. The moat around Spiral Mountain seems to have disappeared. Also there is no bridge connecting from the mountain to Gruntilda's Lair. However, it is revealed in the trailer that Spiral Mountain is a flat image painted onto a wooden set. In the August 30 edition of Scribes, a reply stated that "We've just copied the old level from the previous games and tried to tart it up a bit with some lens flares and lots of blowing grass, hopefully you won't notice." On February 13, 2008, they announced on Scribes that someone had noticed, so they created a new model of the Mountain that includes cacti.

That edition of Scribes announced that Mad Monster Mansion will return. They also announced the return of Clanker, Mr. Patch, Weldar and the snowman from Freezeezy Peak, which led to the belief that the original levels these characters inhabited would return in some form. It was later revealed that some classic characters like Mr. Patch will be involved in new levels like Nutty Acres, while other characters and elements, such as the snowman, will appear in a game world called BanjoLand that is a amalgamation of all previous levels in the Banjo-Kazooie series. Showdown Town will also feature an area called Klungo's Play Emporium as shown in a screenshot. A screenshot also revealed the Rusty Bucket ship of Rusty Bucket Bay.

The development team has stated that in tradition with previous games in the series, Nuts & Bolts will end with a trivia quiz.

Characters announced

Returning characters

• Banjo—He is a main protagonist in the Banjo-Kazooie series. Banjo is a lovable, yet somewhat confused bear, who is the hero of this tale. He appeared in Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, Banjo-Pilot, Diddy Kong Racing, and Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, and will return in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts as revealed in the trailer released on September 27, 2006. Banjo is characterized by his trademark yellow shorts and shark tooth necklace. Banjo's appearance is noticeably different from previous games in the series, as he appears more blocky than his original incarnation. In an edition of Scribes, it has been stated that Banjo and Kazooie's new look will be kept. As said by Scribes: "Banjo's new look will not change. When you see the rest of the game and what it's about, the look will make more sense."

• Kazooie—She is the secondary protagonist in the Banjo-Kazooie series. Kazooie is an elegant bird with a cunning wit, and a sharp tongue to boot. She is Banjo's partner in action. She will return in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts as revealed in the trailer released on September 27, 2006. Kazooie's appearance is visually different from previous games in the Banjo-Kazooie series, as she has a larger plume of feathers and looks more feminine than her earlier basic cartoon-bird form. In Nuts & Bolts she will act as the vehicle parts collector by wielding a tool tentatively called "Mumbo's magic wrench," which fires a yellow beam that can lift objects and place them into certain positions. The wrench also allows quick modification of the playable vehicles within the levels. Throughout the game, Kazooie will complain about the wrench and say that her old moves were better. It can also be used as a weapon, to turn cranes, and to dispense Jiggys.

• Gruntilda Winkybunion—She serves as the main antagonist of the Banjo-Kazooie series. Grunty is a witch that vows revenge on Banjo and Kazooie. She will return in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts as announced in the following quote from Rare; "The beloved 'Banjo-Kazooie' franchise will breathe new, high-definition life on Xbox 360 exclusively from famed developer Rare Ltd.; astonishing next-generation visuals and presentation reunite beloved characters Banjo, Kazooie and Gruntilda - among other fan favourites - with their sharp wit and hilarious sense of humour." At the end of Banjo-Tooie, she stated that she would return for the third game in the series, referred to there as "Banjo-Threeie". Rare released a Christmas picture showing her lower body in a portrait on the wall. An image of her head can also be seen in the fireplace within the picture. Gregg Mayles has said that she will speak in rhymes once again. Her new design resembles a mechanical version of her original body, seeing as her original body rotted to the bone while she was trapped under a boulder between the end of Banjo-Kazooie and the beginning of Banjo-Tooie. Her skull, which was all that remained of her at the end of Banjo-Tooie, is placed inside of a glass exterior where her head should be.

• Mumbo Jumbo—He is a shaman who appears in Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, and as a playable character in Banjo-Tooie and Banjo Pilot. Gregg Mayles stated in his second set of answers that Mumbo Jumbo will return as the main shaman, and that he will also have a new, highly significant role. It was later revealed that the player utilizes a workshop named Mumbo's Motors for building vehicles in the hub world of Showdown Town. It has been announced that he will be playing the roles of a mechanic in Showdown Town, and a farmer in Nutty Acres.

• Humba Wumba—She first appeared in Banjo-Tooie and later as a playable racer in Banjo Pilot. Humba Wumba will return in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, according to Gregg Mayles, with a "new role". In currently released pictures, she appears to be dressed more as a cowgirl, yet still retains elements of a traditional indigenous American. Her new role is selling pre-designed vehicle blueprints and vehicle parts to Banjo and Kazooie.

• Jolly Roger—A character who first appeared in Banjo-Tooie, Jolly Roger has been announced as a character in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. On the Rare website in response to a fan question on whether Jolly Roger would return, they replied "Yes he will, hopefully in an expanded role that doesn't involve camp bartending." He is shown wearing pink apparel with a top hat and briefcase, and the properties of his concept art list the file as "Jolly Dodger". George Kelion later stated on the Rare Witch Project that the change to Jolly's name is a reference to the Oliver Twist character called the Artful Dodger.

• Bottles—In the February 13 edition of Scribes Rare announced that Bottles will return in Nuts and Bolts. His family had left him due to the trauma of his death and resurrection, as stated in the May 9 Scribes. Bottles will act as a tour guide for the hub world of Showdown Town.

• Jamjars - Although previous announcements implied he would not have a role in the new game, Jamjars makes an minor appearance in the introduction. A recent video walkthrough on IGN shows the start of the game, which features Spiral Mountain and Banjo's now-dilapidated house. A radio hops over to Banjo and reveals that Jamjars has become a DJ on "Spiral Mountain FM". He states that it has been 10 years since Banjo and Kazooie were invented. He also tells the duo how fat they have become since Banjo-Tooie. The February 13 edition of Scribes stated that Jamjars had been fired from his previous position of teaching moves.

• Jinjos—It has been stated that the Jinjos may return, or will at least be mentioned in the game. On the Rare Witch Project website, Gregg Mayles (under the username "Ghouly Boy") answered a question by stating, "expect some changes to the Notes and Jinjos". Their purpose has yet to be stated, but their presence in the game was implied. Mayles later affirmed that the Jinjos would play a role in the game. They also appear in BanjoLand in a museum style glass box. Many also appeared on a wallpaper that winners of the competition for the storyline received.

• Klungo—A screenshot shows that he has built a play emporium on a pier on a beach. He also appeared on the winners wallpaper with much darker green skin. Klungo was later seen in E3 2008 in the new Nuts & Bolts trailer.

• Loggo—A response was stated to a question in Scribes about the return of Loggo the toilet, who first appeared in Banjo-Kazooie in Mad Monster Mansion's bathroom and then appeared in a cameo in Banjo-Tooie as the faculty restroom toilet in Grunty Industries. Rare answered "Although not guaranteed almost certainly that he will appear..." It was then later revealed that he would indeed be returning in the most recent edition of Scribes, along with the symbol of his homeworld, Mad Monster Mansion. An enlarged model of Loggo appears in the game as part of the Lord of Game's BanjoLand exhibits.

• Clanker—Stated in the February 2008 edition of Scribes, "Clanker fans worldwide will be pleased to know that Clanker is making his comeback in the new Banjo game". His mouth can be seen hanging from a wall in BanjoLand. Clanker's head and tail are also shown but are disconnected. His eyes are intact and can move freely, but he is unable to protect himself from enemies.

• Freezeezy Peak snowman—Although not a major character in the game, the snowman from Freezeezy Peak (as stated in the February 2008 edition of Scribes) will also be making a return. It is not yet specified what role he will have in the new game. The snowman appeared in a trailer released on May 13.

• Mr. Patch—Rare implicitely announced his return in February 2008 Scribes, when they answered to a fan named Mr. Patch "EVERYONE will love the new Banjo game because it is great. Well, hopefully. You should be happy anyway as you're in it." On May 13, a trailer revealed Patch as one of the enemies in the game fought in the air.

• Tiptup—On May 9, Rare announced that "Tiptup will indeed make an appearance, complete with wooden acting skills."

• Weldar—May 9, Rare announced that Weldar will return.

• Big Al—The rhinoceros that sold hamburgers in Witchyworld has appeared in gameplay footage. His role in the game has yet to be specified.

• Salty Joe- The weasel who sold fries in Witchyworld has appeared in an IGN video. He is shown as a member of Showdown Town's police department and owns a restaurant called "Salty Joe's Fish & Chips."

• Gobi—On May 14 Gregg Mayles participated in a chat with several Rare-related forums and revealed that Gobi would return, but in unexpected fashion.

• Captain Blubber—The Xbox page for Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts lists Captain Blubber as a returning character. He was later shown in a IGN video walkthrough of BanjoLand.

• Boggy—A wallpaper image released by Rare shows the head of the polar bear along with those of his children, Groggy, Soggy and Moggy. He runs a gym in Showdown Town and is a janitor in BanjoLand.

• Mr. Fit—The aardvark from Cloud Cuckooland can be seen in a wallpaper image released by Rare as part of a contest. He is also present in screenshots released on July 8 by IGN.

• Roysten—Banjo's goldfish, who appeared cooked at the end of Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie, has been announced to appear twice in a cameo in Nuts & Bolts.

• George and Mildred Ice Cube—The talking ice cubes from Banjo-Tooie return in Nuts & Bolts. They are featured in a challenge called "Ice to See You" where they are in danger of melting in the desert heat.

• Vegetables with Googly Eyes— In an edition of scribes, they announced that either these vegetables, Tooty or Brentilda Winkybunion, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, having escaped the "'Rubbish Characters in Video Games' Police", according to Loveday.. After the intro to the game was leaked, it was revealed the Vegetables were the returning character as they were seen bouncing around Spiral Mountain, and Banjo attempts to attack them, but fails because of how unfit he has gotten. Though in showdown town there is a store caled Tooty's Fruits, but it is unkown wether she makes an actual appearence, and in a more recent edition of Scribes, Brentilda was confirmed as to not being in the game.

• King Jingaling-The King of the Jinjos who appears in Banjo-Tooie can be seen as a shadow in the wallpaper image. A recent video showed him in Showdown Town, juggling a bingo ball in his hand. The demo reveals that he will have a playable Bingo game in Showdown Town.

• Minjos—The enemy Jinjos from Banjo-Tooie are set to return, as a reported Xbox Achievement mentions they are to be locked up in Showdown Town.

• Wozza—George Kelion, Rare's community manager has stated through Xbox Live that Wozza the walrus will appear in BanjoLand.

• Dingpot-Dingpot is a cauldron that once belonged to Grunty, but changed sides and helped Banjo and Kazooie in the other games before the final battles. He will reappear in Nuts and Bolts, as part of Gruntys vehicle; the "Grunty Coco Carrier", as Gruntys seat, but he looks a bit more mechanical.

• Cheato - Cheato will appear as an exibit in BanjoLand.

New characters

• Trophy Thomas— In a screenshot, one can see a character in the distance standing next to a sign that says "Meet Trophy Thomas" with an arrow pointing towards him. He is described as being an "overly competitive braggart".

• Pikelet—He is a pig chief of police, as mentioned on the Rareware website.

• Lord of Games—Also known as LOG, he claims to have designed every video game ever created. LOG is responsible for devising the levels in which the game's challenges are presented.

• Piddles—With Klungo going off to create "ssstupid gamesss" [sic] near the end of Banjo-Tooie, Rare announced in Scribes that they have created a new sidekick for Grunty that was not in any of the previous games nor anyone related to Klungo. In an IGN video released on July 8, a small purple cat could be seen jumping up and down next to Grunty in Showdown Town. Later, Rare's community manager George Kelion revealed that the cat, named Piddles, is Grunty's new sidekick. In the game, Piddles is given to Grunty by LOG after he gave Kazooie Mumbo's wrench. Grunty reacted to this by kicking Piddles into the air, causing Piddles to attack her.

Development

According to Eurogamer magazine, the original team from the earlier Banjo-Kazooie games will be working on the new game. In a video interview, concept artist Ryan Stevenson said, "It's still gonna be the same characters, and it's still gonna be the same thing. It was just so many years ago that Banjo was around and we've got a lot of technology and a lot of new things to pour into that world. It's a game for all the people that appreciated the game years ago, and also for new people coming to the 360."

The game was absent from the E3 2007 show floor. However, Peter Moore, the former Senior Vice President of IEB at Microsoft, stated in an interview that they could have shown games such as Banjo-Kazooie but they decided to focus more on games being released in 2007. Moore stated, however, that it would be included in next year's E3 line-up, implying that the game would be released in the third or fourth quarter of 2008. Phil Spencer wanted to reassure gamers that Banjo's Xbox 360 debut is very much in the right hands. He revealed: "Team sizes are so different now and we have more animators now than the full Banjo 1 team, but the key core team is really the same." Originally Rare hinted at intention for making a third Banjo-Kazooie game, referred to in the ending of Banjo-Tooie as Banjo-Threeie.

Rare announced in an edition of their website's email-answering column, "Scribes", that they will release trailers and game screenshots when they feel the time is right. The August 30 edition of Scribes at the Rareware website announced that Banjo and Kazooie will both speak in the "gibberish" language the original games have been known for. The announcement stated "You'll be pleased to know that we have gone for the 'last-gen' option – no fancy speech for us!" As of October 17, 2007, the game is still in designing stages.

A podcast of 1UP Yours from the website 1UP.com stated that "A big Microsoft first-party title that has been in the works for a very long time, that people are very excited for, sounds like it's being canceled." This led to the belief that Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts was the canceled title. However, Rare later announced that it had not been canceled. As of December 30, 2007, the game "is more than halfway done."

On February 11, 2008 in an interview with MTV.com's MTV Multiplayer blog, head of Microsoft Game Studios Shane Kim said "I’m super-excited about what they’re doing with ‘Banjo’. I think ‘Banjo’ is going to be a big hit for us this holiday". On February 12, 2008 Microsoft UK revealed to ComputerAndVideoGames.com that the game is "still on target" for a 2008 release. According to Rare's community manager George Kelion, posting on NeoGaf, "The game is scheduled for a holiday 2008 release - barring the coming of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, you should be playing Banjo 3 before the end of the year (providing you buy the game, that is)." Kelion went on to state that Banjo's creator, Gregg Mayles, is the lead designer on the game, and sought to calm the fear that it's going to be one for the kids. "I can assure you that we haven't been focused on four year-olds when creating the new Banjo game," he wrote. "We hope that you'll be pleasantly surprised with what we've cooked up." On October 29, a demo version of the game was released through Xbox Live Marketplace. The development team consists of many Rare people that have previously worked on the Banjo-Kazooie series, including designers Gregg Mayles and Steve Malpass.

The music is composed by Robin Beanland, Grant Kirkhope and Dave Clynick. It was suggested that the soundtrack would be orchestrated, following in suit to Viva Piñata and Kameo: Elements of Power.

Initial concepts

Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts was Rare's third idea in their plans to create a sequel to Banjo-Tooie. In an interview with Gregg Mayles, he said that the first idea was to create a remake of Banjo-Kazooie that would purport to be a direct port, but would feature extreme changes unexpectedly. For example, a massive queen termite would emerge from the termite hill in Mumbo's Mountain, causing Banjo to have to get oranges for Conga to throw at it. The second concept involved more traditional platforming, but with Gruntilda trying to follow Banjo and Kazooie around every world and replicating their moves in an effort to better them. The working title for the vehicle idea was Banjo-Buildie, but Mayles stated that it was too similar to the previous titles to have an impact.

Stop 'N' Swop

On the subject of the notorious Stop 'N' Swop feature from the original game, Gregg Mayles said in a 2007 interview with Retro Gamer, "[…]I'm going to say nothing yet again, although we are considering revealing the truth somewhere in the third game, as some kind of anniversary treat." Similarly, Chris Sutherland commented, "For reasons I can't explain I doubt if all the details could ever be revealed on this, but in the meantime I guess you'll have to wait for the Xbox 360 game to see…" In a trailer released on May 13, the ice key can be seen inside a small alcove in BanjoLand. A picture of Banjo holding the pink egg can also be seen in the level. Rare later announced that the original Banjo-Kazooie would be released through the Xbox Live Arcade and feature Stop 'N' Swop connectivity with Nuts & Bolts. In the demo version of Nuts & Bolts Bottles offers a "Stop 'N' Swop Secret" for 6000 music notes. The Rare Witch Project extracted the demo's text string, which revealed that when Bottles is paid 6000 notes he says "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you, and we couldn't show that in a game with this rating. Put it out of your mind and think happy thoughts! Thanks for the notes!"

Web-related promotion

The Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts teaser trailer, which was released online in September 2006, introduced Banjo and Kazooie with their new looks, trying to get past a mysterious door. The trailer concludes showing a wall that says "Banjo is back!" The teaser trailer features many gameplay elements that were used in the previous games such as Jigsaw pieces, musical notes, and honeycomb pieces. Although Gruntilda does not appear in the trailer her lair can be seen past a slight fog. Also the moat around Spiral Mountain seems to have disappeared.

Rare released a Christmas card on their website. A lot can be seen in the picture, such as Grunty's picture on the wall, Banjo holding a crown or a Christmas ornament of some sort, Kazooie holding a wrapped item later revealed to be a magic wrench, several Burger King toys for Viva Piñata, and a stocking that says "KI3". Another piñata can be seen wearing a wireless headset.

Speculation around the flame in the fireplace has caused a great deal of controversy on the Rare Witch Project and SpiralMountain.co.uk websites. The speculation revolved around the fact that there was either an old bird design or the head of Gruntilda Winkybunion in the image. After further inspection among many users of the Rare Witch Project, a pinpointed skull of Gruntilda seems to be what is hidden in the fire. The picture of an out-of-frame headless Gruntilda in the top right-hand corner of the image also seems to be pointing directly towards the fire, which also suggests that the likeness of a big-beaked bird is in fact Grunty. Gregg Mayles was asked if this was Grunty's head, his answer was "yes".

In late March 2008, Rare updated Banjo-Kazooie.com to a Silverlight-based page showing a spinning golden Jigsaw piece reflecting both a render of Banjo and the words "Coming Soon!" On March 20, Rare changed the image of Banjo to a silhouette of both Banjo and Kazooie. Rare has stated that the site will be updated with new information "relatively soon". "I really wouldn't base your ultimate judgements of the final Banjo model from what you've glimpsed on the teaser site if I were you," warned Kelion. "All shall be revealed in due course, not that long to wait now." Rare also stated that the Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts teaser site is not a hoax.

On April 1, 2008, Rare updated their main website providing five story possibilities for readers to determine which is real; a love story between Banjo and Grunty, a Super Mario Galaxy-like plot, a time travel adventure (similar to Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge), a race to claim ownership on Spiral Mountain, and a war storyline with real-time strategy elements (a nod to Halo Wars and Conker's Bad Fur Day). Starting on May 10, Rare held a competition for fans to guess which is the correct storyline for a prize. The hidden competition was to be found in the middle of a Scribe's fan letter. The game detail page for Nuts & Bolts at Xbox.com revealed that the story focuses on Spiral Mountain and the ownership thereof. The prize for guessing the correct storyline was a Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts wallpaper.

On May 11, 2008, supposed screenshots of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts were released. The screenshots were later confirmed to be real by Rare and feature gameplay as well as character designs.

On October 29, a demo version of the game was released through Xbox Live Marketplace that includes a portion of Showdown Town and BanjoLand. The player has the ability to create vehicles, but not to paint them. Additionally, the demo allows for online play with pre-made or player-generated vehicles.

Reception and sales

The first reviews of the game were published prior to the game's commercial release. IGN gave the game a score of 8.3/10, calling it well designed, full of replay value and the feel of being "in a children's suit". The publication however went on to say that the online multiplayer seemed promising during development, but did not deliver the experience they were looking for. The game was not as well received by IGN UK, who scored it 6.5/10. Overall reception to the game was positive.

NZ Gamer - 9/10

GamePro - 4/5

IGN - 8.3/10

GCHD - 3/4

MeriStation - 8.5

Team Xbox - 7.4/10

Eurogamer - 7/10

VideoGamer - 9/10

1UP - A- / A+

OXM US - 8/10

IGN UK - 6.5/10

Vandel.net - 9/10

OXM UK - 8/10

External links

• Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts on the Banjo-Kazooie Wiki, an external wiki
• Official Rare website
• Official Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts website
• Official Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Xbox.com game page
• Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts open directory project
• Developer's commentary on Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts