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Banjo-Tooie: My Favorite Game on the Nintendo 64

I know there are a lot of games on the Nintendo 64, and looking back on it, I think I have actually really only played a small fraction of what games the system has to offer. But that's more due to not having a lot of games to play back in the day when I had the console originally. But the games that I did play left a huge enough impact to where I can talk about them even today and still remember clearly what I was doing the first time I played. Well, in most cases. Some things are fuzzy and with having played a couple of these a few times after that point, it's hard to say what the first time really felt like. Obviously for those that I have played multiple times after, they left a big impact. There are still a lot of games I plan to talk about this month, but as we are in the realm of Banjo-Kazooie, I figure I could do two things at once and not only talking about the sequel to an already great game, but certainly my favorite game on the system as a whole, based on my own personal experience of course.

Banjo-Tooie. That's the game we're here to talk about today. And I will attempt to answer the question as to why I consider this game to be my favorite on the system. Even up to today's standards, this game can still hold its own. I actually played through Banjo-Tooie somewhat recently as it's available on Game Pass and I had an absolute blast. I remember the first time I ever played this game I just sat in my room and did nothing but 100% every level as I went to finally get to the end to fight the drill monster thing that Gruntilda bones is controlling. Did I say Gruntilda bones? Yes, Gruntilda is a skeleton in this game. Due to you throwing her off the top of her castle and putting a rock over her in the first game. Now she's back and she's come back with more.

The game no longer focuses on Gruntilda's Lair, however you do still have very limited access to its entrance. But that's about it. The real fun is realizing that you are about to venture into a whole new world that has seemingly been here this whole time, and we just didn't know it. After a fight with good ol' Klungo of course. Once you progress enough, you'll waltz into Jinjo Village, and off you go on perhaps one of my favorite adventures on the console and in gaming in general. This game is just absolutely jam packed with creative areas and interesting things to do in each level. And the level design has certainly stepped up from the previous game, as you'd expect surely. To what extent I had no idea, but god damn when I say that these levels are crafted so beautifully and perfectly, that is still seemingly an understatement. What we got in Banjo-Kazooie is nowhere near what Banjo-Tooie accomplishes with these worlds you fall into. Once again oozing with individuality and things in each of them that relate to the world around them as opposed to feeling like a to-do list. The levels feel alive and it often if not every time feels like you're walking into somewhere that has been around for years, instead of feeling like places that were just crafted for the time that you walk in. Hence feeling alive and moving.

You've got your original arsenal of moves that Banjo and Kazooie have learned in the prior game, but there is so much more to come in Banjo-Tooie when you add even more to your arsenal of badass moves. Kazooie can turn into a fire breathing dragon if you want. You can separate from each other and do tasks on your own and learn your own moves separate from one another. Making it even more rewarding when you get to those moments that split you up, because maybe you'll learn something unique to the character or maybe something else. It's all wonderfully crafted to keep you wondering throughout and making it all the more worthwhile to finish everything you can and collect everything you can to see the game in its entirety.

But why is it my favorite game on the system? Well as you've probably read already, I really like this game a lot. I have had nothing but great times playing through this game each time I have played through it, and each time I always find myself in awe of how meticulously crafted everything is to make it move as smooth and refined as it does. But it also shows what it means to make a sequel to an already great game. Rare didn't have to go above and beyond with Banjo-Tooie, they could've rehashed old tricks and left us with what we already had. Instead, they decided to go bigger and bigger and it really paid off in many ways. Added more opportunities to see how creative you can be when controlling Banjo and Kazooie either together or separately, and even the idea of separating them and being able to do so in game was really something special. We spent so long with them in the previous game stuck together that you'd always sort of wonder what it'd be like if they did play as their own. And it really worked out throughout this whole game. Little details and big details much like that just proves continuously that this game is truly a remarkable piece of art that unfortunately did not have a great sequel itself, despite it being one of the best sequels if not the best sequel to any game on the system.