Banjo-Kazooie on a Nintendo console in 2022. It's mind-blowing! Not just because Rare and Nintendo parted ways long ago, or because we still haven't got our hands on Rare Replay, or because there will most likely never be another Banjo-Kazooie game, but because it actually looks really good.
There were a few concerns, especially around the time that we found out that Nintendo's N64 emulation was a bit pants, that Banjo-Kazooie wouldn't stand up to modern play. But it totally does, and it actually made our Alex Olney a little bit emotional. It is his favourite game, after all, and it comes with quite the story. (Or, according to the thumbnail for the video, it's his Favouritš» game.)
If you don't know what we're talking about, here are the steps to take:
- Watch the video at the top of the page
- Read this article about Banjo-Kazooie coming to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass
- Watch this video comparing the emulation to the Xbox version
- Read our guide on how to get the NSO Expansion Pack
- Make yourself a cup of tea
- Play Banjo-Kazooie
- Maybe have a little cry
Has Banjo-Kazooie on Switch made you Feel Things? Tell us all about it in the comments.
Comments (34)
Apparently the emulatorās actually been patched. Ocarina of Timeās water almost looks right, itās just missing the fog. Although I think the lack of fog is intentional.
I could hardly get past the file select screen with the nostalgia flooding in. I was file 3 with the game boy back in the day š
@nessisonett youāre right. Thatās great news! Emulation will be perfect when I hop into the service a year from now.
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/switchs-latest-n64-update-suggests-nintendo-could-be-improving-emulation/amp/
its a fun first experience for me too. altho i just finished clanker's cavern and that one wasn't a fun level at all for me. Also, im kinda missing bosses. But oh well, fun game !
Thoroughly enjoying Banjo Kazooie! What a brilliant game it is - right up there alongside Mario 64 for me.
What a strange world we live in where Microsoft gave the greenlight to Super Luckys Tale and yet still no third Banjo game. I really don't understand it.
The reason Nintendo is so successful and has the best gaming IP in the world? They know a good thing when they see it and they run with it - Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby et al.
@hawkylr You're at the exact same point in the game as me! Also didn't love the third world quite as much, although the Dire Dire Docks / Jabbu Jabbu Belly vibes were fun!
I haven't played this game in years, and I'm almost scared to play it again and sully my pre-teen memories with shoddy N64 camera controls.
I recently played Donkey Kong 64 and WOW that game is not as fun as I remember it being
Playing it proper for the first time (back then I only got a chance to play it at other people's places), and I gotta say I can certainly see now why people hold this game in such high regard. Really good game, and I'm only in the first world so far!
The camera is still a bit dodgy, but it great to revisit it after 20ish years
This truly was a great game.
@nocdaes Microsoft made a remake and a third, Nuts and Bolts
I only played bits of Banjo back when I was a child.
I remember renting it on a Blockbuster.
Can't believe I will play the whole game now.
I'm still going through Paper Mario. But I'm on Chapter 6 so I hope I will end it in a couple of days and the dive in Banjo Kazooie.
Got the game along with the Nintendo 64 for my birthday. In retrospect it was certainly the perfect first game to get for the console..
Time to play through it all over again I think š
I had to fire it up before work today, and was not disappointed. As much fun as it always was š
@CharlieGirl
When I replayed DK64 on the Wii U, I couldnāt believe how I had liked that steaming pile of garbage when I was younger. Iāve only played the first two worlds in Banjo so far, but itās been fantastic. The camera is fiddly, but everything else has awakened that hopeful little child trapped within me.
@CharlieGirl I've replayed BK a few times over the years and while it's not perfect, it has aged so much better than DK64. A truly timeless Rare classic. The camera controls are also so much better than many of that era like Mario 64.
For those that have it, does it play decently without an n64 controller? It's been so long that I've forgotten the control scheme.
Has anyone experienced this possible glitch in Banjo Kazooie? This is the Xbox Rare Replay version but in Click Clock Wood I am 99.99% certain I got all 10 jiggies but the game shows 9/10. I went through the walkthrough and went to each jiggy location twice and couldnāt find that I missed any including the one you get at the very top as a bee. Anyone else experienced this issue?
@plurgy It plays great! But I also havenāt had a problem with any of the N64 games on Switch, and I use a Pro Controller or split Joy-Cons.
The way each game utilizes X and Y slightly different is really smart, so I havenāt felt any need to get an N64 controller for any of them.
@Hav @CharlieGirl Yall are making me nervous about replaying DK64 (eventually).
Now all we need is Diddy-Kong Racing and Mischief Makers on the service and my nostalgia itch will be cured. Provided it works well on the service that is.
I remember back in the day playing Banjo and being like āwow, how is this better than Mario 64ā? That was a paradigm shift when you realised Nintendo could be outNintendoād. Fair play to Rare. What an achievement this game is.
Personally, I think the 64 Switch Online has been great. The games are fun, the emulation isn't a "deal breaker" to me, and it's so much better getting to play these games on a regular style controller. Banjo is a great game and I'm happy Microsoft is still friendly with Nintendo and allows little surprises like this to come to the Switch.
@Friendly That's VERY optimistic. They'll probably address the other really big issues (no controller pak support) at an incredibly slow pace if we're lucky. I'm not expecting many of the smaller problems to ever get fixed.
@hawkylr Not that it's available yet, but Banjo Tooie has bosses (it's my favorite one).
Easily one of the best games I've ever played even over two decades later. A true masterpiece. Only issue I'm having is with the camera but that's to be expected as the C-buttons have to be mapped to a stick. An exceedingly minor inconvenience that is nearly irrelevant given my love for this game.
@NotoriousWhiz
my advice? don't.
@hawkylr All these years growing up with Tooie, I've forgotten the original game didn't have bosses. I probably wouldn't have thought of it had I not read your comment.
@Don Maybe post that on the NintendoSwitch subreddit! I'd imagine it'll get lost in this comment thread and on Reddit you could actually see if there's others with the same issue!
@Solomon_Rambling
Sheesh, that's harsh. There are far worse games out there you know. DK64 may have... aged quite a bit and isn't as good as Banjo or Mario 64, but it's in no way ''a steaming pile of garbage''.
@Mauzuri
One personās trash is anotherās treasure, and vice versa!
@CharlieGirl š
Well, it's certainly nice to know that the service is being tweaked a bit.
We have Banjo now, why not DK64? If I can hear the DK Rap on my Nintendo Switch, my chance of getting the Expansion Pack will quadruple.
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