Banjo Nuts & Bolts demo on Xbox Live News

Anybody here tried it yet?

I loved the old games on N64 but this really looks bad... hope I'm wrong!

Turned on the download before I left the house this morning, I've liked what I've seen of it so far so hopefully it's as fun to play as it looks.

Ooo cool.... will check it out this weekend. Looks awesome.

please let me know what its like on here . I have got it on preorder but my xbox is still being fixed.

Definitely checking this out tonight. Put my pre-order in last night so I can get the XBLA original for free so I'm hoping this confirms I made the right decision.

I'm really excited about this game... so excited I feel like a little kid at Christmas actually! It's the game I want more than anything else, even Fallout 3.

I do hope it's not a disappointment after all the waiting for it though. It does look sensational in the videos... all colourful and cute and a bit different... very unlike most other Xbox 360 games, well non-Rare ones anyway, so that should help it stand out from the masses of samey game-ies. If it *is* good though then I hope it is a big, big, big success for Rare unlike the Viva Pinata games which don't seem to have done as well as expected. Perhaps Microsoft should actually... you know... *advertise* this game, eh? Releasing it a week AFTER Gears of War isn't really ideal IMO, I feel it will get overlooked by a lot of people unless it is really exceptional. Should have come out in early October I think or been held back for next February/March when it might have more impact.

Anyway, I cannot wait to play this demo and be reacquainted with Banjo and co... roll on 5pm! :D

put my preorder in months ago, looks absolutely brilliant. Gonna be all over the demo tonight

Pleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegood...

Rare should be making games for Nintendo they'd reach a much bigger audience.. this has a good chance of bombing like Viva Pinata2 whether it's good or not.

"I'm really excited about this game... so excited I feel like a little kid at Christmas actually! It's the game I want more than anything else, even Fallout 3. "

Really?

I'm surprised... think it looks incredible bad based on the movies. Build-a-car-Lego-style-and-go-racing? I want a real 3D platformer!

I really want to try this tonite, but my wife will be watching Arsenal.....bloody gooners!

Tried it at the Expo last night, was not overly impressed. However I have managed to give it another go today on the demo, and it is really growing on me very quickly.

First impressions - it is fun but the physics are a bit weird at times, graphics are very nice at times and overall saw myself buying this where before I was a lot more cagey about it.

The demo's great. Feels much more like the original Banjo games than I was expecting, and the vehicles are really fun. I'm looking forward to this more than ever now.

Hooray, with this and Tomb Raider demo I have some games to play till Friday (need to find money for Fallout 3)

@Mortey.

I will gladly watch the gooners with your wife.

Top girl you got there ;)

Anyone know if the demo is locked out to us 2nd class silver membership owners?

@PierrePressure

She is, if it wasn't for her awful tatse in Football teams and men......

(It could be worse she could like Man U or Chelski!)

Clearly Mr. Beano hasn't read a single preview of this game recently, nor watched any recent videos :P

I have seen a bunch of videoes but nothing that looked like a platformer.. looked like a build-a-racer with a bit platforming tacked on.

But I can be completely mistaken of course - haven't tried the game after all :)

Can you give me links to some videoes I can check out?

Like some others, for some reasons I m very very keen on this as felt its was a new direction and quite creative at allowing everyone opporunity to produce something individualistic. Sure not to the same scale as LBP but would be fun seeing if your product beats everyone else in multi player sessions.

I dont think its bad looking or bad direction to take the platforming franchise forward, If it was just third iteration of Banjo and Kazooie, I would have not be as interested.

Well I'll be trying this tonight for sure - looking forward to it for a while now.

Started playing Fable 2 last night, but my 2 rotties went mental at the dog scenes so I had to switch it off!

Beano : Nuts & Bolts is no more a racing game than MGS4 is an 'interactive' movie...

*runs

Let's not turn this into a PS3 vs. 360 thread or let's-bash-the-skeptic. I'm just asking for links showing the platforming elements.

Here you go then - bit of driving and platformy stuff

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/40959...

Thanks :)

I will check it out later - Gametrailers are down right now :(

Ok, seen it... no platforming shown what so ever.

Still looks like a adventure where the player collects bits to buid a racer. Far from the old platformer-focused games.

On the positive side, it looks different and original... but unfortunately also very dull to me. I want a platformer!

My thoughts on a quick go of the demo - I've not played any previous Banjo games

Visuals aren't great. Quite a bit of slowdown (mostly during a four vehicle race around the first land and mostly when the other vehicle and/or water on screen). Also jaggies are quite bad. Lovely art style though of course. Reminded me quite a bit of Viva Pinata (although not quite as slick although this is a lot more busy so comparison probably unfair).

Gameplay was ok for what I played. The Vehicle workshop is brilliant and I can imagine creating mental vehicles being the games main draw for lots of people. Tried a race and a 'football' game. The race was OK. Took my boys (age 7 & 8) a few attempts to get used to the handling before they won. The vehicles were on long stalk legs so was quite easy to get them tangled up and thrown off track. The football mini game was a bit dull really, entailing getting a oversized footie into a goal while avoiding obstacles. Not much of a challenge.

Overall I would say a game for my kids when the price comes down a bit. I imagine you'll love it if you are a Banjo fan though.

Downloading.... It's great to be self employed. ;)

"It's great to be self employed. ;)"

Is it also great when pay-day comes? :s

Played very briefly, then watched my 5yr old try to navigate up the hill to the first globe.

Looks very nice (some slowdown as mentioned earlier- and some pop-in as seems norm at the moment) and the soundtrack is from the Wallace and Gromit mould which is no bad thing.

Upon checking the game looks to be 7+ but I'm still surprised that much of the explanatory stuff is text based (and none too legible on an SDTV) with the usual 'character grunts and mumbles' instead of decent voice acting. I'm sure many 7 year olds won't take it all in - but then maybe the game is aimed as much at the existing Banjo audience?

Will need to spend a bit more time on this but was hoping for an easily accessible game to share with the kids - more so than VP:TIP.

The reason for it being text based is part of the charm of the first games was the strange noises the animals made when they speak, if they'd have added voice acting the fans of the old games would have been up in arms. I'm personally glad they stuck with that style, but I can understand that people new to the series my find it a bit odd.

I personally think it is good that Banjo-Kazoiie: N&B relies on the text not spoken dialogue as it encourages people to read for a change, especially youngsters who might be playing the game. My young nephew actually improved his reading skills by playing the first two games on the N64 so it isn't all bad. Anyway, Banjo doesn't speak as such and I think it would have spoilt the game if he had in this 360 version. He is an animal after all, not a human being! ;)

Yes, an animal which use tools and build complex mechanical vehicles... speaking would be completely unrealistic :)

Funny because when I first saw 'Nuts and Bolts' in the title back when this was announced, I immediatly thought Ratchet and Clank.

Yeah, fully understand not giving the characters 'human' speech but they don't seem that expressive in their range of noises/grunts!

Oh and I'm sure Dead Rising was more legible on my SDTV than this and look how much grief that brought on itself.

Just played the demo.

Not sure about this. The vehicle builder is great, could definately come up with some good designs. The graphics are brilliant, looks like Super Mario Galaxy's wet dream. But through playing it, I personally did not enjoy it that much. Maybe the full game itself may change my mind but I just didn't find it that fun to play.

heh.. charming, pretty and great fun. Full of Rare magic.

My son already adores it.

This has gone from "maybe" to "definitely".

All these games turning out good.. it's killing my wallet

This and LBP within a couple of weeks is cuteness overload too. Lovely.

I don't like it, never really been a fan of vehicle based games, too much of a departure for me :(.
Shame, it looks nice.

Sometimes text-based instructions are better because you don't have to worry about missing someone saying something vital.

Can't wait to play!

I did enjoy what I played (which is good as it's been the only game I've EVER preordered - need the original) but I hope that there is a lot of variety as the game continues. Also, hoping for moments of proper platforming as well. I can't see why some challenges simply don't require a vehicle but good old fashioned jumping. Not that I'm complaining too much, I'm sure the vehicle customisation will be fun.

Banjo-Kazooie & Tooie are amongst my favourite games ever.
Actually they're probably my faves as they're the only games i've actually kept with my 64!
I've been waiting for this for a long time and while the vehicle-based platforming had me sceptical at first i really couldn't care less anymore.
My Girlfriend's buying me an Elite, Banjo-Kazooie N&B, Fable 2 and Gears 2 for Christmas... Will be a long wait. ):
Selling my PS3 too as there will be no point in having a 360 and PS3 and a Wii as i've recently realised during nights in friends houses on XBL, the PS3 seems to just be a more expensive 360 but just not as good...

Whoops. (:

Are Reviews far off by the way?
I'd love a good review right about now :)

"there will be no point in having a 360 and PS3 and a Wii as i've recently realised during nights in friends houses on XBL, the PS3 seems to just be a more expensive 360 but just not as good..."

Indeed!

Tried the demo and while the first impressions were quite good and graphics are nice (but unpolished), the gameplay seems very annoying.
The handling of the vehicles is off - flips and skids all over the place and sticks to other vehicles... terrible!
There is virtually no platforming to be found here (as some has claimed) and was simply not fun for me, sorry. Hopefully the demo does not represent the full game.

I predict Eurogamer's score to be 8 or 9 :)

"Pleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegoodpleasebegood... "

+1

Not a good game.
Very confusing. I thought it would be perfect for my 6 year old but it won't work.
Basically it is very very stupid.

Tomb Raider demo yesterday was pretty good and I liked it.

Scratch Banjo off the list and now it is down to two:
GOW2 & Tomb Raider.

BtW Fallout is very overrated.

You're overrated, see what I did there? :D

@TiredRiver : Get both... or.... get GOW2 first and buy TR:U 8 hours later when you have completed GOW2 ;)

EDIT: TR:U is out a week later than GOW2 so it's not really a choice now is it? ;)

TBH after seeing it yesterday Banjo is well off my list, I know you can't really get a feel for a game after only watching my girlfriend playing it but I thought it was terrible (couldn't be bothered to try it myself I was that unimpressed). Oh well the original is on live soon, that and LBP will cover the cute platformer genre for me this winter :)

/ moves on.

Just been messing around for a few hours building and flying many different vehicles I have constructed - personally I love it.

Even though you are only allowed to drive the "trolley" round the maps hub - you can go into Mubo's garage and build away (even saving blueprints) and test the to your hearts content in the Test Track - which is selectable from inside the garage.

Graphics are fab (could possibly do with reworking the shadow LOD transformation).

Loved the quip from Grunty about fans hating Banjo's new Square nose - she was right!