There is no doubt in my time through the life I’ve lived, I have played a great number of video games, and it’s safe to say a great chunk of them have left me overall pretty satisfied, whether they be 2D or 3D. But when it comes to 3D gaming, thanks in a large part to Super Mario 64, the gaming world of platforming was never the same and having played the game in question (as well its DS remake) more than once, I find it a rather fun-filled and exciting game to play, it is for sure, one of Mario’s finest, even if the graphics are a just a little outdated.
Anyway, that aside, there is something I have to admit about it that I was saving for a special occasion, and now that the occasion in question is here, I’d like to say that while Super Mario 64 is tons of fun and has its great gimmicks and all, I think it is quite possibly, just maybe… A little overrated? Now don’t get me wrong, I love Super Mario 64, it helped many other game franchises make their own transition, such as Sonic, Zelda, and Donkey Kong, but when all is said done, it was the start of a new era for Mario.
However, perhaps as a result of Super Mario 64, it would not be until 16 years after Super Mario World on the SNES that gamers would get old fashioned Mario game with another side-scrolling and platforming of world to world, fight Bowser and so on in the likes of New Super Mario Bros. on the DS, and oh boy was that reboot NOT fun for me. So yeah, I love Super Mario 64 in the end, but while it’s not by any means to me, godawful if anything, there’s one action-adventure themed platformer video game that WAS my favorite, dear friends… and before you can guess, no, it was NOT Conker’s Bad Fur Day, I personally really never cared to play that game. The game in question that was my favorite, was as follows:
“It really does sound absurd, adventure of a bear and bird!”
Now granted Kazooie didn’t appear in Diddy Kong Racing herself until a year later, but you get my meaning. For those of you who don’t already know, Banjo-Kazooie is action-adventure platformer game that borrows from a lot the Super Mario 64 engine, but it takes all the fun and excitement and sends it up to an 11.
So, what’s the story? In a nutshell, Tooty, Banjo’s younger sister has been captured by “Ms. Green with Envy” herself (Gruntilda Winkybunion), her goal is to steal Tooty’s beauty so she can be transformed to a beautiful woman instead of working out like a sane person would. And as the dynamic duo (and no, I don’t mean Batman and Robin), you will travel through 9 worlds inside Grunty’s Lair to not only rescue Tooty but gain new abilities, gather Jiggy’s and Musical Notes to access new worlds compared to Super Mario 64‘s Power Stars.
One of the great things that Banjo offers right of the bat, which if your new to the game, or a returning is giving you training to learn your moves, which is a nice change of pace. And as you start of in Spiral Mountain, the other main hub world besides the Lair, it’s a great place to start. “But what are these 9 worlds we’re going to be exploring?”, you ask? Let’s find out!
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Big Max's Site of Insight 