Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Reckons "It Would Be Cool" if Rare's Banjo Was Voted in as Super Smash Bros. DLC

He is talking about Diddy Kong Racing for DS

brb voting for banjo

This is why mostly everyone loves Phil Spencer. He wants the XBOX and it's related properties to be great, but he wants gaming as a whole to be great as well.

Banjo-Kazooie would be amazing

That's pretty awesome. Phil Spencer has earned my respect.

I think he is also talking about Banjo Kazooie Games for GBA

Find it unlikely, but then again, DK 64 is on the Virtual Console despite having a Rare game on it, so who knows.

I would love to see cooperation from Nintendo and Microsoft to get classic Rare games on the eShop. Heck I would even be willing to pay a premium price for them. Of course that may be too much to ask, only time will tell.

I'm liking Phil Spencer more and more. If he had any responsibility for DK 64 showing up on VC (Which Im still waiting for NOA) then I have the upmost respect for him.

Voting for banjo and kazooie was an option? It would be amazing though.

Well, now we gotta vote for Banjo-Kazooie!!!
...also Wolf but one miracle at a time.

Phil alright but I doubt this one would happen.

@NintyMan
Jetpac?

So, how about signing a contract for those lovely Banjo games on the N64 VC then ? And while were at it, pu Diddi Kong Racing on the same bill.

It would be a real waste if those game became exinct by ridiculous contract fumbling. Sure, B&K are on the 360 but lets be honest, they are just guest visitors, their real home is on a Nintendo Platform

Bury the hatchet, work together and release some of the finest games ever made.

A dream come true, well... if it DID actually come true

Banjo-Kazooie's moves would fit perfectly
and the finally smash would be a transformation, probably performed by Mumbo Jumbo

No I'm good.

As much as I love banjo, having him in smash bros as a 3rd party character would be miserable where he stands now. Maybe back in melee days before rare whored themselves out to microsoft, but now the name banjo has been tainted.

Oh crap, he opened the floodgates. Brace yourself!

That's a pretty interesting concept. It would be fun to see. Nintendo, though, I don't think likes to play fair on this stuff.

Rare, MS, and Activision had agreed upon remaking the original N64 Goldeneye for XLBA on the X360, and originally Nintendo was in agreement, but then yanked their permission at the last second (kind of a jerk move), screwing over the nearly complete game.

Had Nintendo been smart about this, they could've used it as an opportunity to rerelease the N64 Goldeneye in some form for the Wii.

http://www.unseen64.net/2010/02/07/goldeneye-007-remake-xbox-360-xbla-cancelled/

So can Banjo could be in Smash Bros

@Einherjar

I think it would be brilliant if Nintendo and MS worked together to bring these games back and put them on their respective platforms, but as I illustrated above, Nintendo does not like to play nice with the other people in the industry--having killed the Goldeneye007 XBLA remake mere months before completion.

For all the complaining about MS that goes on in this site, Nintendo are the real "bad guys" in a deal like this.

Give us Banjo Kazooie and Tooie on WiiU VC, plus the new Banjo Kazooie game and we'll have a deal

@NintendoFan64

The difference there is, like the DKC games, Nintendo owns those outright and Rare was just filling a "contracted developer" role.

Banjo-Kazooie was owned by Rare (now MS) and published by Nintendo, so there are some shared rights issues there.

More complex was Goldeneye, which was developed by Rare, published by Nintendo, and is now licensed by Activision. I put a link up there about it--at one time, unbelievably, all these companies were in agreement about a Goldeneye remake for the XBLA, as helmed by Rare. But Nintendo yanked their support at the 11th hour, screwing over a nearly complete game.

I voted for Banjo and Kazooie. Can't have one or the other but as a team =)

@BarryDunne i did

@NintendoFan64 Nintendo owns Donkey Kong 64 though because Donkey Kong is their IP.

@NintyMan Based on what characters like Megaman and Pac Man looked like I'd say we would probably get designs closer to the originals.

@ikki5 But Nintendo doesn't own Jetpac which is playable in Donkey Kong 64.

I wouldn't mind them being in, though I feel now that they'd be redundantly similar to Duck Hunt in a few ways (with an animal and a bird on back that also attacks and pecks and a few other similarities like DH's 8th alt that matches their colors exactly). Of course, they'd definitely be far different in specials and other ways, but still- similar concept to the character that would take away the uniqueness a bit. Honestly, there are a lot of third party characters I'd pick over them, especially when the duo don't at all scream "Nintendo" anymore..... at least Pacman and Megaman still publish on Nintendo systems. But that's just my view on it.

@ChuJelly There hasn't been a new Megaman game for 5 years.

@Grumblevolcano Yeah, I know. Capcom has been pretty awful with it's treatment of the Megaman IP. Him being in Smash was the best thing lately to happen to Megaman. But at least the latest main series game (Megaman 10) was released on WiiWare, the older series was mainly on Nintendo systems, and there's even still been a lot of Megaman VC titles put up on the eShop.

@Quorthon Man, so sad to hear this.

I wonder what ninty was thinking.

Goldeneye 007 was great.

Perhaps they aren't that hard hat now.
Perhaps...

@Whisnant That and Viva Piñata.

@ThomasBW84 Pretty sure by previous work he means Viva Pinata on DS.

No surprise he's saying that considering it would technically be free advertising for Microsoft. I've no interest in Banjo, not to mention he's but a shell of his former self. Though no doubt those who are nostalgic will go for this.

Simon Belmont would be so much more fitting as well as iconic character, that I would recommend every one to vote that instead.

So...wait, then the two Banjo games could show up on Virtual Console? Or does he just want him in Smash, I rather have the games on VC first. >.>

Think I may go ahead and vote for BK. A new Banjo game (traditional) would be all the incentive I need to buy an Xbox One.

@ChuJelly

Yes but that's the difference between Smash and other fighting games. All the characters are unique and they don't just reskin models. I doubt they'd even have similar normal attacks. Seems Sora makes sure to put the extra effort in to prevent that scenario from happening.

No thank you, Banjo just isn't relevant for Nintendo anymore. Even Snake is more relevant for Nintendo right now.

He says this, but it probably won't happen. Microsoft would be better off making their own beat 'em. I just see a win only for Nintendo in this case, which is why I don't think it will happen, but if they insist.

Bear and bird can take five, what Smash needs is the presence of INCOMPARABLY HANDSOME shaman Mumbo Jumbo. No, better yet! Grunty herself! With a Final Smash that has her host a gaming quiz that penalizes wrong answers with comically harsh punishments!

Wait, there's an even better candidate --- MR. PANTS FOR SMASH BROS.! You KNOW you want him in! (If not, you're lying to yourself. Stop lying to yourself.).

By "previous work" I guess he means Diddy Kong Racing DS, that featured some characters owned by Rare itself, and, consequently, Microsoft. (Yet still had Conker and Banjo replaced with Dixie Kong and, uh, a now-adolescent Tiny Kong.). Or the fact that DK64, now available on the VC, includes Ultimate Play the Game's Jetpac.

Rather have conker and banjo on the VC instead. But at least he's open to a good working relationship.

Phil is the reason I'm buying a Xbox one later this year. But my vote and everyone's phone I can borrow for 5 mins is getting Krystal votes. I almost went with random army guy from battalion wars, since he can be a "snake clone".

@Grumblevolcano Then they just change the game to something else.

Translation: "There is going to be a Banjo game for the XB1 in an attempt to capture the non dudebro market. We'd like a free advertisement in one of Nintendo's most popular games so we hawk our VCR looking box to the slender fanbase the Wii U has."

Or am I just a cynical Nintendo fanboy?

@ikki5 but they don't own jet force gemini which is unlockable in dk 64

@ikki5 but they are not changing it. this implys that microsoft and ninty came to an agreement on dk 64 hitting wiiu vc

Hm, Duckhunt Duo is the beast-bird combo already, so Banjo probably wouldn't have such an original moveset.

@faint, you can play Jet Force Gemini from DK64? That is in my top 5 favorite games ever.

If they were in Smash they should totally go with their classic designs since this is a Nintendo game, so it's best to represent their Nintendo days.

Not to mention Mega Man & Pac-Man retained their classic design rather than going with their modern looks.

But won't this also mean they'll need to have an amiibo?

It would also be cool if we got Banjo Kazooie & Banjo Tooie for the Wii U's Virtual Console.

Unfortunately, it looks like the poll is for Nintendo characters only, if a recent official tweet is to be believed.

@GeminiSaint link to said tweet?

That would be nice. Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie on the VC as well. Too bad it's unlikely. But, if they were in Smash, I would like for them to use the classic design. I hate the blocky, Madagascar-esque current design.

I'd pay to see almost any of Rare's old works on my Wii U. Even some of the stuff unavailable on any Nintendo system.

speaking of Rare, I voted for King K. Rool. Not sure who owns the rights to him, but I'm assuming Nintendo, although he's only been in the Rare DK games I believe.

@faint well then they probably have them give permission to keep those in there. If they didn't then they probably would have changed the stuff just as Microsoft changed the Nintendo stuff in Banjo Kazooie

I appreciate that Phil Spencer looks at a deal with Nintendo positively, but Microsoft still has a tight grip on Rare's throat, and if Banjo and Kazooie showed up in Smash Bros today, no doubt Microsoft would want them to be the Nuts & Bolts design.

I feel as if something could be done almost similar to Marvel and Sony's deal, but there's nothing left of Rare to do with other than nostalgia value.

You know, considering Spencer's stance on the matter, it might be a good cross-promotional technique for Nintendo and Microsoft to do this. I'd imagine that if such a thing takes off, Microsoft could easily make it so (like Minecraft on Playstation) Nintendo is allowed to use the Banjo licence for new games and re-releases. I'd imagine such a partnership would be a win-win all around, for Nintendo, Microsoft and the fans of the Banjo series.

Of course he would want this! Smash bros level of exposure for an Xbox IP. He would be moronic to not want that.

@liljmoore wat.

It would straight up not be in Nintendo's best interest to advertise a character from a competing company and Microsoft has everything to gain from it. I don't know why some people don't seem to understand this.

That's what's my brother put down!

@Tsurii897 Well, the answe why i didnt include concer is because i dont like conker and pretty much forgot to mention it

@Quorthon Nintendo does NOT outright own the entirety of the DKC trilogy. They own character and publishing rights, the Rare still own their rights to the games codes.
Thats why these games vanished from the VC for a short time, because these deals had run out.

And when it comes to "whos to blame", there is no definite bad guy in this, as both companys have traded blows equaly.
MS prevented Nintendo from releasing games they had distribution / publishing rights to and they pretty much did the same to them.

Licensing was the core issue behind the XBLA Goldeneye game getting cancelled, not Nintendo "being a jerk" http://mundorare.com/news/2008/01/did-microsoft-cancel-goldeneye-for-xbla-at-the-last-minute/

Dream on Spencer. Rare is dead. The glory days was branded by a Nintendo "Seal of Approval".

@JtotheY

...

You're joking, right?

I voted for Sora. Kingdom Hearts 3 WiiU all the way

@Quorthon They probably only had the permission of some lesser Nintendo execs, or maybe even Reggie saying he'd love to see that before it was vetoed.

Dixie Kong
Rayman
Shantae
Shovel Knight
Bayonetta
Wonder Red

Any of these would do nicely. Just PLEASE don't say Solid Snake. What a waste that would be.

@Nico07
Any company that starts development on a game without having the signed contractual permission of all parties involved FIRST, has no one to blame but themselves.

well now I know whom I'm voting for!

I would support them. But I am a Golden Son fan and had to vote Isaac. But id be happy with anyone.

@Nico07 I would think. 007 is a complicated property to license given how many hands are in the pot, Lord of the Rings is somewhat similar.

"In any case, this positive message is certainly welcome, and is sure to get fans of Retro's Nintendo days rather excited - and no doubt submitting even more votes."

Correction- RARE, not Retro

P.S Simon Belmont for Smash. I loved Banjo Kazooie before the RARE sellout but the characters are dead to me now. And goodness, I'm sure that the 'generous' Phil Spencer would love the free advertising platform to a hardcore gaming audience on a rival console for an Xbox exclusive IP.

Seriously folks, wise up.

I'd be interested but at the same time I'd sort of like to see microsoft put the IP to more use themselves.

@WiiChuck103
you are my favorite right now! VOTE FOR WOLF!!!!

Thing is Nintendo would only be doing Microsoft a favor by letting banjo in a major game, so if i were them I'd make some kind of deal not only for Virtual console banjo kazooie games, but no royalty pay either.

Oh yeah, and while your at getting him into Smash, GIVE US RARE!

I think Microsoft was mentioning the DS titles Diddy Kong Racing and Viva Pinata Pocket Paradise. Those were both made during the time when Microsoft owned Rare, and Viva Pinata -WAS- an Xbox exclusive up to that point. It doesn't seem to happen often, but Ninty and Microsoft do get along sometimes!

That being said, give the fans Banjo & Kazooie. We'd love it. And if you could also let Nintendo re-release Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie, that'd be swell!

Damn, if I knew Rare characters weren't out of the realms of possibilities I would have voted for Conker.

@Quorthon "Allegedly" does not equate to "definitely"

I'd love to see it, the Banjo games on 64 are some of my favourites.

Never played any Banjo games, I plan on playing them sooner or later so this news doesn't really effect me.

That a Microsoft person is saying this is reason NOT to vote for Banjo and Kazooie! Though I must admit, I would have loved Gruntilda. But I voted King Rool instead!

Sure, I'd love to see it if they could work something out.

I feel like there are soooo many other characters that would be way cooler than Banjo & Kazooie... It was a good game (i still own both to this day) but not Smash Bros. Level. Just my opinion.

@JaxonH Any of the suggested characters but Rayman, Shovel Knight and Shantae would do just fine. Agree with you that Snake should not make a comeback.

Banjo & Kazooie would be perfect fits for the game, shame Nintendo doesn't own the company that owns them now. Personally, I'd rather see them than that duck and dog tag team.

Well, Nintendo did confirm that Donkey Kong 64 would be released for Wii U VC, and it was devved by Rare. They also published both Banjo & Kazooie games on the N64, plus some game featuring them on the Game Boy, so if they can get one or some of those games on their VC, they would be seriously considered.

As nice as this is, I encourage everyone who can breathe and type to please consider voting for Shantae.
WayForward liked the idea so much they Tweeted a sample ballot and it was awesome! Bring in the half genie!

I have always felt that Banjo and Kazooie would be a perfect fit for Smash so if by the off chance they are in fact introduced as dlc I can pretty much guarantee I would main them.

Spencer is actually a pretty straight shooter. I read an interview with him recently, and he openly admitted to the early mistakes of the Xbox one. He has a clear vision of pushing the Xbox one as a multimedia gaming device that will interact with Windows acting as a Steam like device. They were able to secure Sling Box, and they have some interesting games coming in terms of 3rd party and exclusives. All I can say is that this guy is out there trying to push his vision and system. There's no way any Nintendo exec ever does stuff like this.

There were definitely rights issues involved with adding DK64 to the Virtual Console, with it containing the completely Rare-owned game Jetpac.

Phil Spencer seems like a really cool guy. Microsoft is lucky to have a person who's genuinely passionate about gaming-at-large in charge of Xbox.

I voted for a different Rare character duo in Smash.

KRYSTAL & TRICKY from Starfox Adventures.
Reasons:
1. She's a new character.
2. She's a girl.
3. She uses a fighting pole which is unique in Smash.
4. Tricky the dinosaur can attack as a sidekick.
5. A Dinosaur Planet stage with some gorgeous music can be added in an update.
6. More Starfox love, especially now with a new Starfox game on the horizon.
7. These two Rare characters are owned by Nintendo.
8. You know you want that Krystal&Tricky amiibo.

Banjo-Kazooie does not belong in Smash as he Is no longer a Nintendo-exclusive character, nor is Rare keen on releasing any future (or past for that matter) Banjo-Kazooie games on Nintendo devices. They just want the free publicity and prestige that comes with being on the Smash roster.

This is why people like Phil Spencer, he's open minded and he seems like a stand-up guy.

I still voted for Bayonetta though.

My heart belongs to Hades. And soul.

@SCAR392 We all saw what happened when Sony attempted to copy SSB. With fighters like Dead OR Alive, Soul Calibur , Tekken, StreetFighter, Guilty Gear, Blaze Blue, Dark Stalkers,and persona I think MS&Sony are good on fighters.

Wow! I voted for a Castlevania character, but honestly, I probably would have voted for Banjo and Kazooie if I saw this earlier. I don't even think the games are THAT great, but they deserve to be in the game for sure.

@Gamecubed Bayonetta would be awesome!

@ikki5 Yes, but DK 64 has Jetpac in it, which is a game owned by Rare.

@sillygostly Gotta hate those EVIL corporation's

Banjo-Kazooie is my absolute favourite video game of all time and both are massive parts of my childhood.

I won't be voting for them though because MS utterly destroyed Rare and I don't want them getting free advertisement to destroy more IPs.

@MrGawain
I'd say your guess is the most accurate. Phil Spencer is a businessman after all and a good businessman knows a good opportunity when he sees one. I don't hold anything against him for that but I'm not going to kiss his a$$ and say this is just him wanting to make gaming better as a whole either because that most definitely is not the case.

I must admit this would put hype levels beyond all imagination. I'm voting Banjo Kazooie. I bet it would get more downloads than Nuts N Bolts. - They might even think 'the only time we made money from Banjo was on Nintendo'

Crap, I voted for Rayman. Didn't think about Banjo. D:

I already voted for BONK.

The problem with opening up voting to the public is that majority of voters im suspecting will be the more recent generation meaning they wont even know what im talking about.

It was
Bonk
Excitebike Racer
Thomas from Kung Fu
Mike Tyson (would be totally awesome. They could create a Dream Bout level.)
Wart from Super Mario Bros 2 USA
Birdo (why not)
Mother Brain
QBert
Frogger
Popeye
to name a few...

@Jazzer94 Oh, cool. You have one of those silver things next to your name now. Lol.

Yeah, it would be cool. Cool for Microsoft that is. They would no doubt get a portion of the profit.

no

@Gridatttack
https://www.facebook.com/SmashBrosEN/posts/416170928556593

@GeminiSaint It still doesnt confirm its nintendo only.

They say, "which nintendo character", not "nintendo only character", so it goes either way until a concrete declaration is given.

I don't want free Xbox One advertisement DLC. I know B&K were cool beans but rare lost its shine long ago and It seems iffy having them in Smash.

@Gamer83 @MrGawain same thought here.

@NintendoFan64 I guess you missed the replies after.

I hope Nintendo will disconfirm Banjo & Kazooie very soon. It's not even twenty-four hours since the announcement and the Smash community has been swamped with discussions in regards to them being in Smash; a character that can't even get in Smash. Everyone voting for Banjo & Kazooie is wasting their vote that could have put in someone that could actually appear.

Banjo & Kazooie have no shot of getting in and this is coming from someone that loved both N64 games and would be excited to see them in Smash.

Nintendo wouldn't do this unfortunately. A VC and XBLA version of Goldeneye was all finished and ready to go up but Nintendo pulled the plug at the last minute after letting them do all the work.

@Quorthon Just to clarify a few details here, the donkey Kong franchise IS owned by Nintendo. Rare invented the character diddy Kong and all his assets, therefore they have rights as he is their intellectual property. When he refers to recent licensing issues, he means the on going management of this in games like dk;tf and smash bros and even his amiibo.
As you mentioned above, goldeneye is similarly 'owned' by many companies in various ways through legal rights. I didn't know they were remaking that at some point btw. I'll read up on the link you posted .
and one more thing while I'm being a geek, banjos first n64 game wasn't banjo kazooie as mentioned in the article. It was diddy Kong racing, a game which a has since been released again on ds, giving us a fighting chance that an agreement COULD be worked out to see future Nintendo involved banjo games.

Move over Reggie there is a new king in town.

ALL HAIL THE GREAT PHIL SPENCER!!!

@ULTRA-64 umm, no? Check your facts. Diddy Kong was created by Rare, yes, but it is completely owned by Nintendo. The recent work with Nintendo Spencer is talking about are:

GBA Donkey Kong Country
Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge
Banjo-Pilot
It's Mr. Pants
Sabre Wulf
Diddy Kong Racing DS
Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise

And knowing how scared NOA specifically is of releasing anything made by Rare, probably some consulting / permission for Donkey Kong Country, Land and 64, but all of those are as far as we can tell, only because they are developed by Rare (so a lot of code that may be in a gray area at the moment). The IPs have very set in stone homes: Donkey Kong related? Nintendo, everything else Rare made? Microsoft, Code and Assets? co-owned.

@DarkKirby Nintendo's already done this with Snake in Brawl. the Metal Gear franchise has mostly been a Sony exclusive so what's different here?

I just wish the original Banjo Kazooie or Tooie (N64) could come to the 3DS. If there was to be any collaboration between Microsoft and Nintendo, I would want that to take the biggest priority. I have wanted another handheld Banjo Kazooie for more than a decade (yes, I played and still own the GBA game). Especially since Microsoft does not have a handheld competitor. So many memories with those two games from back in the N64 days (one of the best consoles that I ever owned - and still own).
On the other hand, I would love a Banjo Kazooie Amiibo (but based around the N64 design). Anything to do with Banjo Kazooie merchandising would be great though, we have not seen anything from either of them for way too long.

@DGGames I'm not disputing your facts, but I think I should mention at this point that intellectual property and ownership are very different things. It is quite common for a franchise to have rights of characters and assets spread over multiple companies. That's why remakes and rereleases are often not made quickly or at all despite major commercial appeal. In terms of the cooperation he mentions in the article, I could be wrong, we don't really know so I'm speculating and some of the titles you mentioned are just as likely. Maybe we're both wrong . Bottom line, we want more good games featuring our favourite characters so agreements over licensing are only a good thing if it delivers more of this =)

@Nintendzoey
If I remember correctly, Rare's handheld division was closed in 2010. No more games for Nintendo handhelds by Rare then.

I was really surprised to see DK64 in eShop. Did they edit that Rare IP Jetpack out of it? I really would want to play Banjo games on Wii U.

@Luffymcduck Well I do have an Xbox 360 that I have both games on (as well as on my N64 - though I have not touched it in years), I guess the XBox will have to suffice for now. I don't really bother with home consoles anymore though, I much prefer handhelds, which is why I would have loved the games on the 3DS. Too bad..

@Luffymcduck Nope, DK64 on Wii U VC is exactly the same as the N64 cartridge.

It would also be cool if Rareware's N64 games could be released on the Wii U Virtual Console, but I doubt we'll even get Diddy Kong Racing.

while that is cool and all but why not approach nintendo and release the VC games at least? make that a start?

but i guess im the only one who is planning to vote Majora's mask kid as a playable character? he could have his final move be the moon dropping down to the stage how cool would that be?

@DreamyViridi I'm with you on that: I don't give a hoot about Banjo-Kazooie either and am kinda surprised at how many people in the comments actually would care to vote for the character(s). I always thought the games were lame and boring and even though I had left Nintendo console-wise after the SNES, I would've rather played DKC instead of Banjo if I had a choice. To each his own.

I would absolutely LOVE to see Banjo-Kazooie be the next fighter in Suoer Smash Bros! Huge fan of all the Banjo-Kazooie games so this would be great news. Probably won't happen though.

Already casted my vote. And the way I see it, if they get enough votes, there's no doubt a deal will go down and that deal could very well add the hd rereleases of the first two to virtual console along with getting us the duo in smash. And I love duos in smash. My mains are ice climers rosaluma and duck hunt.

Their current "relevance" doesn't matter if you loved, and still love them as characters, see the epic potential in Smash, and understand that this would break the freaking gaming world if it happened.

I just don't understand these negative ***es..

It makes sense. It would be good for both parties. Nintendo would please fans by having one of the N64's most iconic characters added to SSB, and Microsoft would remind people that Banjo exists, possibly before a new game comes out. I don't know if it would happen though. Even if Microsoft is willing, Nintendo might not want to connect itself to one of its competitors.

@NintyMan I'm really hoping that if Banjo-Kazooie were to get added in, he/they would be in their original, N64 form. While I haven't played Nuts and Bolts, I've heard that the general consensus on it is that it wasn't too good a game and completely strayed away from its predecessors.
Getting Banjo-Kazooie in the game would be great, but it would be perfect if he was in his N64 form (I'm sure that would fit in with the roster better, too).

They'd fit pretty well.
I just went and voted for Shovel Knight though.

It would be cool if Windows 10 was treated as a first class gaming platform equivalent to the Xbone. (Or even if just buying an Xbone version allowed playing a port via crossbuy).

They can do it easily (They proved it with Forza).

Even though I'd like to see Banjo and Banjo Tooie back on a Nintendo console, are there really that many people here who don't have an Xbox 360? They're dirt cheap now as well, just download the Banjo games (and Perfect Dark) on that, the Xbox 360 ports at least make proper use of the second analogue stick for camera control. Anybody played Donkey Kong 64 on Wii U VC? As much as I enjoy the game, just mapping the N64 C buttons to the right analogue stick rather than revamping the control properly is HORRIBLE. It's extremely tricky rotating the camera left and right as you have to hit the directions dead on....it's so bad that I eventually redefined the controls and put C Left and C Right on 2 of the Wii U controller face buttons (X and A) just to make the camera more controllable. Same for Super Mario 64 on Wii U VC as well, it's just been ported 'as is' rather than with modern controllers in mind.

@JtotheY I couldn't see Banjo being a clone happening even if Sakurai had tried to make him one.

@ToxieDogg They aren't 'porting' anything, they're emulating the N64 which is then running the game 'natively'.

Shovel Knight. That is all.

I can't honestly think of a better choice than Banjo for being representative of the N64 era in Sm4sh. This would be the perfect opportunity for Nintendo to claw back the Banjo IP too; canonise the bear and bird in Smash Bros, it may be the last chance

I'd rather see conker with his frying pan and alternate costumes as specials such as the saving private Ryan and matrix parodies.
I'd like to see this followed by the emergence of banjo, Banjo tooie, conker, battletoads in battlemaniacs, killer instinct, killer instinct gold, blastcorps and perfect dark all being released on virtual console

@Gigan how do you kid if it's true? They don't, they're useless and the work they do with them serves only to tarnish whatever memory is left of them

I like Banjo and Kazooie just fine, but I'd rather see one of the BattleToads rear it's ugly head, even if it was just an assist trophy.

@dereq No problem. Some people thrive on being negative I guess in addition to being arrogant and condescending.

Here's a good article that talks about some of the complexities with LOTR licensing. http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/23/6414775/lord-the-rings-tolkien-video-games

Have a great weekend.

@ikki5 I think the problem is that while Donkey Kong and crew are owned by Nintendo, the Kremlins and King K. Rool, etc are owned by rare. I believe they had to make a deal with Xbox for the Donkey Kong Country virtual console games and that would explain why the DKC Returns games feature different enemies.

This could be in response to the "project ukulele?" I mean... maybe they are afraid? I don't know... just is a crazy thought

People are confusing this 'competition' for a popular vote ie an election. Nowhere does it state that the winner is the character with the most votes. It's what's deemed acceptable by Sakurai etc.
apparently it takes the equivalent of one year to create a character from scratch, votes don't close until October. The winner has probably been decided,.. And it's Wolf, or a single Ice Climber!

Good, good. Nintendo the ball is in your court!

@ToxieDogg It would be nice if Nintendo offered a wealth of customization options that many bedroom programmers can provide in their emulators. Dead zones, aspect ratios, filters - I can do this on my Android phone.

Why do Nintendo continue to hate on their fanbase and force people to piracy?

@fumjum Sorry but you are wrong.

Nintendo own all Donkey Kong related IP including characters Rare designed without question.

As for changing the crocs in Donkey Kong Returns it seems more like a design decision - Miyamoto was known for disliking certain elements of Rare's DK.

The only IP Nintendo don't own are Perfect Dark, Conker, Banjo Kazooie.

@liveswired Blast Corps? Jet Force Gemini? i'm sure they're examples of original Rare IP that you forgot to mention, but I'd love to see either/both of these titles on the VC!

But but

Banjo can never come back...Jontron attended his funeral.

Banjo Kazooie on the Virtual Concolse? Yes please

@TingLz

If you have conflicting accounts, by all means, I'd like to see them. Thus far, the only information we have is that MS and Rare had a nearly complete game, Activision was fine with it, and Nintendo--who has a history of not playing nice in deals like this (coughstabSonyinthebackcough) completely fits the bill.

Activision only went ahead making their own remake when this one was killed as they saw the potential in reviving it at that point.

The Wikipedia article on it backs up that Nintendo is the one who most likely killed the project: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GoldenEye_007_(2010_video_game)

There were notably a number of legal problems, but most of this seems to point to Nintendo. Who, again, has a history of handling things like this poorly.

@Quorthon Ehm, they did! http://www.ign.com/games/goldeneye-007/wii-867280

@liveswired Nobody forces you to do anything, but have you even thought about the possibility that Nintendo actually WANTS you to use those emulators because they're good? Otherwise there wouldn't be any emulators.
On the other hand: Why would Nintendo need Dead zones, aspect ratios, filters? Dead Zones are only needed if the software can't assign the Controllers correctly, which isn't the case on a Nintendo console where everything works fine out-of-the-box (in comparison to an emulator). Besides, the Wii offers different aspect ratios (still don't know, why anyone would change their aspect ratio?) and the VC on Wii U does actually have a filter (and it looks a lot better than those of let's say SNES emulators).

BTT: I'd love to see Banjo & Kazzoie (you simply can't split them up!) in Smash, but equally Conker and Joanna Dark. But to be honest, I think I'd much rather prefer if they implemented some different kind of characters for the next DLC, because the roster is getting a little bit boring with all those characters coming mostly from only one side of the video game universe. How about Ryu and Ken (as one character with different outfits), for instance? Street Fighter IV is still my favourite Beat 'em up and using Capcom characters actually isn't such a long shot like using those posessed by Rare/MS.

But there's one thing I don't get: Why are you all criticizing Nintendo for not cooperating on the Goldeneye thing? I think it's completely comprehensible. I mean MS basically ripped Rare from Nintendo and since those years MS and Sony, both huge multi-business enterprises, used their power and sheer wealth (since unlike Nintendo they don't rely on their gaming products) for expensive marketing and later tried to push Nintendo out of the market by abusing their monopoly power. Of course if you're the financially inferior company which gets treated that way you don't want to help the big ones getting bigger while you yourself gain nothing from it.
And that's not coming from a fanatic, I don't feel any specific hate towards Sony or MS. I just see this difference: Those two use their power to make as much money as they can and sometimes (RAREly ) there actually comes a good game out of it. Nintendo on the other side always primarily focusses on making good games and sometimes they make a fortune with those.

I voted for Earthworm Jim!!!

@EvilChameleon sure, this isnt about marketing the next banjo kazooie game on xbox one...

Love it.

I voted for Banjo-Kazooie myself...

I miss old school RARE </3

@NintendoFan64 When Microsoft purchased Rare, DK did not come with the package. Nintendo owns the DK IP, and a few of the other characters also.

@shani As as side not, this guy Quorthon, has quoted Wikipedia info to me and others many many times. I don`t know that he understand, ANYONE can add info on there, certainly does not make it true.

@dereq A drink for that man there. Could not have said it better. The number of people he goes out of his way to upset on here, and other forums, gets bigger and bigger each day.

@akaDv8R Well then you don't understand how Wikipedia works. If something inputs wrong information it usually gets corrected instantly. That's the beauty of it!

@akaDv8R

At this point, I think there needs to be a "Wikipedia Fallacy" where one blindly dismisses Wikipedia because it's Wikipedia, while being woefully ignorant of the surprisingly rigorous standards of Wikipedia or the fact that there are links and references at the bottom of every page.

You sir, demonstrate the Wikipedia Fallacy.

No doubt, if Wikipedia sided with something you chose to believe, you would behave differently.

Why look, there's a Wikipedia page on Gravity! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity

By your logic, because it's Wikipedia, it's probably not real.

@Quorthon You really are the definition of an "IDIOT", as said by many others on here, I NEVER said Wikipedia was totally wrong. I stated that, as anyone can add information to the said site, lots of the info is wrong. For your information, I have never used Wikipedia as a reference to a topic I was talking about.

You however, have used it many many times. Only a lazy or stupid person would use the information from just one source (that anyone can add to), to backup their argument.

Also, I take it you have looked through every single page of the Wikipedia, otherwise you would not be able to say, there are links and references at the bottom of every page? No, don`t say something that is not true then.

@shani I understand how Wikipedia works perfectly thanks. On a topic I have quite a lot of experience with, the British Army. There are quite a few articles on that site I have come across, that are clearly wrong, and nobody has corrected them. So that blows your theory out of the water about how Wikipedia ACTUALLY works.

@akaDv8R: Ehm okay, well then why don't you go and correct it? I always do that immediately whenever I stumble upon wrong information in Wikipedia.
That's what I meant about understanding how Wikipedia works. Wikipedia correcting itself includes you correcting the info whenever you see it. Otherwise it wouldn't work, Wikipedia doesn't correct itself, but the people who have the knowledge and dedication. So if you have the knowledge, where is your dedication?

On the other hand: Are you sure the information is really wrong and not just in your perspective? I mean the Wikipedia Admins monitor such things and usually set markers there if the given information incorrect or incomplete. And the British Army isn't exactly a small and insignificant topic, I can't really imagine how it could be wrong (although I'm not an expert), except maybe if the military itself knowingly places wrong information there (have you thought about that?).

@shani I understand what you mean, and yes, I guess the information that I have seen is wrong, I could have gone in and corrected. That I guess is bad on my part.

As for the info I am referring to, it was about the British Tanks, and having proudly served for over 25 years in the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, I believe I do have some experience and expertise in that particular field.

Point taken about correcting wrong info. I guess I am of the opinion, if I put something in there, it is easy for someone else to come along and change it.

Yeah I totally get that, people do place misinformation there. Maybe it's a bit idealistic but my point was that there are people out there like you who have the actual knowledge (while I am a noob regarding British tanks ) and can prevent misinformation from being spreaded.
Anyway, it's good to have real experts on such topics to spot the incorrect information.

And to the rest: Sorry for the Offtopic, now BTT.

@akaDv8R I was referring to the fact that DK 64 has Jetpac in it, which is a game that was released in 1983 for the ZX Spectrum by Rare, making it a Rare IP.

@NintendoFan64 Sorry my friend, I should have read your post more thoroughly, something I have a habit of not doing. I apologise whole heartedly for any misunderstanding.

Why? Banjo isn't midna.

I voted for Bootsy Collins... I probably should have voted for Simon Belmont though.

There was a Viva Piñata on the DS, too.

@akaDv8R It's okay.

@SCAR392 - Sorry to trouble you, but I know you spent way too many hours messing around w/ the Wii U and your new surround system a couple of years back and I'm wondering if you ever played Xenoblade Chronicles on your Wii U? No matter what I try I can only get 2 channel out of it and I have a fairly new Sony system - which I bought specifically for the Wii U as it didn't have optical out and my old audio system didn't have HDMI.

They really should have made an HD version of Xeno w/ proper 5.1 rather than that "new" only 3DS version. Or at least a proper Wii U download w/ 5.1.

Anyway, if you have any helpful suggestions for Xeno on Wii U I'd appreciate it, Google is coming up mostly empty except for your thread.

Nah. Nope. Nuh-uh. Shovel Knight or bust!

@rjejr: Never saw this comment... if you see this, your Wii U should be sending Dolby Pro Logic II through the HDMI during Wii mode. You might have to manually change the codec to one of the Dolby Pro Logic II codecs or just leave it at Auto Format Direct(A.F.D.), on the receiver. Those are the only things I can think of, and I have played Xenoblade on the Wii U, but I never had to manually do anything as long as the Wii U was set to surround sound.

@SCAR392 - Thank you, going to keep a copy of that near the Gamepad. I'll let you know how it went. Thanks again.

@SCAR392 - Well I switched it from HD D.C.S. to A.F.D like you said and it did sound a bit more spread out. PLII Moive also sounded better. I think HD DCS may work better for actual 5.1 it seems.

https://www.avforums.com/threads/so-has-anyone-compared-sonys-hd-d-c-s-against-plii-movie-for-sony-avs.1589915/

Thanks again for the feedback, AFD it is.

@rjejr
Yes. A.F.D. will switch the codecs automatically. That's how the Wii U will put out 5.1 PCM when you are on the Wii U menu, while it will resort back to Dolby Pro Logic II for Wii mode.