A timeless classic that's always easy to 100% for fun on a whim. It's simple yet never dull given how creative and varied every single level is. Very well paced, and every sound effect and musical track is iconic.
I love every single thing about this game. I genuinely don't think this game has aged a day, and I don't say that about every nostalgia-packed game believe me. Controls well and movement for advanced players is just complex enough to keep me engaged after playing for decades. Flying and swimming is tight enough to make precise movements but still allow for hard turns by holding R. Early 3D platformers didn't have camera issues, 99% of "camera bad" complaints are a skill issue if you ask me. The graphics are so stylized that it holds up still even blown up to HD on the xbox360 Port. Which btw that port is not a half bad version of the game. For some reason they removed dialogue skipping in that version which is kind of annoying but otherwise, love the leaderboards it features. And if you're put off by losing your notes on death the Xbox one's the way to go.
Rare hiding unobtainable collectibles and obvious doorways you can't open during the early days of the internet set off the imaginations of so many people. Many fans know the story by now but at the time it was almost an ARG with how fans took it and ran. Especially because my copy of the game just happened to have the sharkfood mountain raised out of the water. Whoever owned the game before me somehow knew how to raise it and get the pink egg in the early 2000's and I'll never know how they got the dev sandcastle code to do that back then.
It's crazy how even after 25 years, just how few games have even attempted BK's take on the genre despite its endlessly iconic status. Even projects that start with the explicit inspiration of Banjo, they often end up going different directions entirely. Perhaps it's the limitations behind the beginning of 3D platformers that fostered experiences that simply can't be replicated without those same limitations. Because this game absolutely got the most it could possibly get out of the hardware at the time. Every obstacle in making a game for the N64 forced the devs to think of something wholly unique. Manifesting into an incredibly charming, one of a kind experience. BK is inherently tied to the unique strengths of the N64 and this is why despite it being functionally a dead franchise for decades...It's surpassed the test of time. Not every 90's platformer mascot with no game releases in sight after a 15 year drought survives strong enough to make it into the latest smash bros. You genuinely do not get games this fully realized anymore. Also the final boss is one of my favorite final bosses in all of gaming, h*eckin sick finale.
I love every single thing about this game. I genuinely don't think this game has aged a day, and I don't say that about every nostalgia-packed game believe me. Controls well and movement for advanced players is just complex enough to keep me engaged after playing for decades. Flying and swimming is tight enough to make precise movements but still allow for hard turns by holding R. Early 3D platformers didn't have camera issues, 99% of "camera bad" complaints are a skill issue if you ask me. The graphics are so stylized that it holds up still even blown up to HD on the xbox360 Port. Which btw that port is not a half bad version of the game. For some reason they removed dialogue skipping in that version which is kind of annoying but otherwise, love the leaderboards it features. And if you're put off by losing your notes on death the Xbox one's the way to go.
Rare hiding unobtainable collectibles and obvious doorways you can't open during the early days of the internet set off the imaginations of so many people. Many fans know the story by now but at the time it was almost an ARG with how fans took it and ran. Especially because my copy of the game just happened to have the sharkfood mountain raised out of the water. Whoever owned the game before me somehow knew how to raise it and get the pink egg in the early 2000's and I'll never know how they got the dev sandcastle code to do that back then.
It's crazy how even after 25 years, just how few games have even attempted BK's take on the genre despite its endlessly iconic status. Even projects that start with the explicit inspiration of Banjo, they often end up going different directions entirely. Perhaps it's the limitations behind the beginning of 3D platformers that fostered experiences that simply can't be replicated without those same limitations. Because this game absolutely got the most it could possibly get out of the hardware at the time. Every obstacle in making a game for the N64 forced the devs to think of something wholly unique. Manifesting into an incredibly charming, one of a kind experience. BK is inherently tied to the unique strengths of the N64 and this is why despite it being functionally a dead franchise for decades...It's surpassed the test of time. Not every 90's platformer mascot with no game releases in sight after a 15 year drought survives strong enough to make it into the latest smash bros. You genuinely do not get games this fully realized anymore. Also the final boss is one of my favorite final bosses in all of gaming, h*eckin sick finale.