Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts

• by Will Herring
• November 10, 2008 00:00 AM PST

With gameplay that strays from its platforming roots, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts is sure to split hardcore fans of the franchise, but even with the game's new vehicle-based focus, I found it to be absolutely charming from start to finish, nicely complimenting the already vibrant world of Banjo-Kazooie.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Straying away from their platforming roots, Banjo and Kazooie branch out into the wild world of vehicular hilarity in this deep and satisfying effort from Rare.

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Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and& Bolts picks up ten years after the events of Banjo-Tooie, with the franchise's titular heroes really letting themselves go, trading in their fit hero frames for ample flab. They're soon approached by a mysterious figure known only as the Lord of Games (or LOG for short) and asked set out on on a new adventure in the hopes of working them back into shape. Banjo and Kazooie are transported to Showdown Town, an open-world hub that links them to several Game Worlds where the dynamic duo can prove that they're still hero material.

In true Rareware fashion, Nuts and Bolts never takes itself too seriously. It constantly seizes every opportunity to poke fun at its outrageous premise, even offering up a few friendly jabs at past Rare releases with a hilarious script that really enhances the game's overall experience. Nuts and Bolts' detailed graphics and overall visual presentation is gorgeous and vibrant, really complimenting it's already varied and innovative level design and greatly adding to its already stellar presentation.

The game's new vehicle-based emphasis will probably turn off some long-standing franchise fans, but I found myself really enjoying the game's build-it-yourself premise. Nuts & Bolts comes pre-packed with an incredibly deep garage tool allowing players to create vehicles of all shapes and sizes from the ground up -- if you can imagine it, odds are you can build it, and the feeling you get upon the completion of a difficult challenge with a custom-built rig is simply unmatched.

One of the game's biggest downsides, however, is that some of the challenges get a little repetitive. You can only race and collect on-track items for so long before it gets a little tiring, but Rare constantly throws unique obstacles and quirky challenges your way that definitely keeps repeat players from getting too jaded.

Nuts and Bolts might not be for everyone, and while some hardcore platforming fans will no doubt pine for a return to the series roots, I found enough charm and innovation in its vehicle based gameplay, cleverly written script, and deep customization options to keep me mixing and matching car parts, retrying various challenges, and exploring Showdown Town long after I'd wrapped up the game's single player campaign.

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