Great addition to the series (Banjo-Tooie (N64))

Member Name: Lauren06

Product:	Banjo-Tooie (N64)
Date:	05/09/07 (87 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: new lands and characters as well as old ones, easy to play but loads to do

Disadvantages: a few small changes

This game has become one of the most highly sought after and therefore hard to find N64 games around. After finally completing Banjo-Kazooie (after about a year!) and hearing about it at the end of the game I couldn't wait for this sequel. Although it was released here in April 2001 - for some reason a whole five months after the American and Japanese releases - I didn't manage to get a copy until a couple of years ago and even then it cost £30 without an instruction book!

Banjo-Kazooie was the first game I owned and remains a favourite of mine, so I was really looking forward to this sequel after playing through the first one several times and wanting something new from the series. Banjo-Tooie builds on all the elements of the first game which were what made it great and adds more, although I couldn't say that it's better since I like them both the same. Although it features the same characters along with new ones, and some of the locations from the original Banjo-Kazooie it does have a whole new feel to it. The graphics are mainly the same apart from one character design for the Shaman Mumbo Jumbo who looks different in this sequel, but I don't understand why. Banjo's voice has changed slightly when he performs attacks and when you're so used to the original sounds this is a bit strange, but these are minor things. In this game, Gruntilda the witch is freed from under the rock she was crushed under in Banjo-Kazooie by her sisters, two new characters Mingella and Blobbelda. Although she's released Gruntilda's body is just a skeleton and together the three of them work on a machine that will restore her body to normal.

There are a few new characters in this game like Gruntilda's sister which make it all the more enjoyable if you've played Banjo-Kazooie. Other new characters include Jamjars the mole who teaches you moves and he is the brother of Bottles the mole who taught them in Banjo-Kazooie. You also meet Bottles wife and kids who weren't even mentioned in the first game. Another great feature of this game is that you can control Mumbo. There are a load of new worlds to explore in this game accesible from the Isle O' Hags including a Mayan themed land and and a prehistoric world that features dinosaurs and cavemen. Overall there's loads to do in this game, like I'd expect from a Rare game as they also produced Donkey Kong 64 which is another I've owned for years and still haven't completed! The control system is easy enough to use with the control stick being used to move around and various buttons being used to make different attacks and control the camera. This game has loads to do and plenty of places to explore and it'll have you hooked!

Another new thing about this game is that it has boss battles, something that didn't exist in Banjo-Kazooie and this makes the game even more challenging. There's more transformations available not just from the Shaman Mumbo but another new character Humba Wumba the Native American woman. With all these comparisons to the original it might seem like this is the better game but I rate them both the same and recommend that you play both, since they each have their own worlds and characters. I wouldn't say that you need to have played the first one before you get this, but it does make the plot a little easier to follow.

Banjo Tooie must have been released in limited quantities as it's been hard to find now for a while and still sells at around £30 on ebay, which along with the Amazon marketplace seems to be the only place to find it. It may be expensive but it's worth it if you're a fan of the series. If not, then getting Banjo-Kazooie first is probably the best way to go if you want to play the games in this series, since it's cheaper.

Summary: I wasn't disappointed with this sequel!