Rare dates Banjo-Tooie for XBLA

By Robert Purchese Published 15 April, 2009

Bear this April date in mind.

Rare has just given Banjo-Tooie a 29th April Xbox Live Arcade release date.

But there's still no word on cost, although 1200 MSP (GBP 10.20 / EUR 14.40) - the same as fellow retro-revamp Banjo-Kazooie - makes sense.

Developer 4J Studio is handling this port, and brings Banjo-Tooie back to life with a "super-charged framerate" and the Stop 'n' Swap feature, according to the Banjo blog.

We're told there are various updates and tweaks to the original N64 formula from 2000, too - plus a variety of Gamerpics to accompany the release.

Pop over to our Banjo-Kazooie XBLA review for an idea of what Banjo-Tooie will deliver.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (24) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Colin8703 #1 3 years ago

    Not really fair to direct people to the Banjo Kazooie review to get an impression of Tooie if it's being revamped.

    Just my thought.

  • BBIAJ #2 3 years ago

    Yuh-huh!

  • DoctorZoidberg #3 3 years ago

    especially considering how poor and incorrect said review is colin8703.

  • Red_Bool #4 3 years ago

    I am still occasionally playing this on my N64. This game is *huge*

  • mikew1985 #5 3 years ago

    Nut's and Bolts is actually quite good. Rare have actually produced some good games this generation just no absolute blockbuster AAA title. Definitely a studio that is beneficial for MS to keep around and I certainly think they still have relevance especially if N&B is anything to go by.

    In fact I think putting the Banjo name onto N&B crippled it a bit and it would have had much greater critical acclaim had it been some new character instead of Banjo.

  • the_dudefather #6 3 years ago

    @Coin-Op
    'We don't want no more fucking Banjoe, you fucked it all up with Nuts and Bolts'

    speak for yourself

    /has poured hours of love into N+B

  • haveasafeday #7 3 years ago

    Safe! Been looking forward to playing this again.. now I just have to get round to finishing the first one..

  • Toothball #8 3 years ago

    Hmm, Banjo Tooie is one of the few N64 games I wanted but never got round to finding. Spent ages on finishing the first one as fast as possible, and I still enjoy playing platform games. Will probably look into getting this. Might need to practice on the first a little before then.

  • Rirekon #9 3 years ago

    Rare have made some awesome games, unfortunately for them who ever is doing their marketing utterly misses the point most of the time. End result is the people the marketing is aimed at hate it, those it's not aimed at love it.
    Shame really, I really want them to have a big success as the deserve it so much.

  • Darren #10 3 years ago

    I'm glad it's the end of April because I might have my Xbox 360 back by then (hopefully). Banjo-Kazooie is one of my all-time favourite games but I sold my N64 before the sequel came out so I never really got the chance to play it properly. I'm, therefore, looking forward to this a lot. Nuts & Bolts was pretty OK but it lacked the addictive factor of the earlier N64 classics IMO.

  • jonsaan #11 3 years ago

    Banjo tooie is good, just not as good as the original IMO.

  • schnide #12 3 years ago

    They really should be doing something new, assuming they still can.

  • Monkey_Puncher #13 3 years ago

    Banjo Tooie excellent, god knows how Rare ever managed to get such large, detailed and varied levels running on N64. Should be great, especially if they've smoothed out the framerate which for a hairy on the later levels.

    Can't wait!

  • Tetsuo_Shima #14 3 years ago

    "Has any studio had a bigger fall from grace than Rare?"

    Free Radical, surely.

  • LowEnergyCycle #15 3 years ago

    I wonder if Conker's Bad Fur Day will make and appearence someday then.

    I'd buy that for a dollar. Or likely, 1200 MS Points.

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #16 3 years ago

    @ Coin-Op

    Considering Rare created the MS Avatars and have a team dedicated to producing Avatar content, and are basically MS's Avatar production line, overseeing the whole thing, then I doubt they'll be fired into space any time soon.

    This aside from the fact that most of their games are, at least, good-to-great (VP an 8, N&B a 7 I'd say), and that they their games occupy a different demographic to most MS studios, and I think they're very, very safe, and, indeed, very, very good.

    I do still wish they'd make a triple-A PD game, mind.

  • Martin85 #17 3 years ago

    I'm looking forward to this. I had hoped it would arrive during the Easter holidays. Oh well. I have this one my N64 (twice!), but the frame-rate dives a fair bit. It pushed that machine quite hard. It'll just be nice to play it in a lovely clear resolution, with an updated HUD, reinstated Stop N' Swap, and a solid frame-rate. This one has more mature humour than the first game. It even has a gay bar! In fact, the adult humour in Nuts & Bolts is toned down from 'Tooie levels, back to the level of the humour found in the original game.

  • spliffhead #18 3 years ago

    Sorry Eurogamer but I agree the original Banjo game on XLA is excellent.

    Even if you don't like the game it does it's job really well.

    A dark day for reviews here that was.

  • Jimbob89 #19 3 years ago

    I don't understand. People are saying Rare should concentrate on making new games.....but the developers who have ported banjo kazooie and banjo tooie are someone else?

  • Machetazo #20 3 years ago

    LowEnergyCycle: "I wonder if Conker's Bad Fur Day will make and appearence someday then. "

    Live & Reloaded can be played on the 360 anyway.
    As far as this article goes...I don't really feel like playing Tooie, again, sorry. (I'm not even sure I need a copy of B-K, in this fashion, it's a great game - but...I still have N&B to play!)
    I'll probably get Stubbs on Xbox originals for the same MSP, instead, since I've been interested in that game since it was released, but never got round to actually giving it a try. :)

  • dudefella #21 3 years ago

    1200 points, does, in fact, not make any sense at all, as this is a bleeding Nintendo 64 game we're talking about. 15 Euros? Really Microsoft? Even Nintendo's horribly overpriced VC only charges 10 euros for N64 games.

    Vote with your wallets, don't buy it. 1200 points should be reserved for games that are actually great, new original titles or at least ports of somewhat recent games.

  • the_dudefather #22 3 years ago

    You could argue that at least Banjo kazooie/tooie are improved in the ports, both have better performance, draw distance and other enhancements (persistent note collection in BK and Stop n' Swop in BT), while a VC game is simply going to be the original game with nothing added to it (except for Sin and Punishment, which is more expensive as a result)

    1200 MSP is also cheaper than most copies of Tooie these days :p (anywhere from 20-40 quid on ebay)

  • metalangel #23 3 years ago

    I'll laugh and laugh and laugh when this sells more than Nuts and Bolts. Yes.

    Rare have great ideas, but have to stop putting CRAPPY ANNOYING GAME-RUINING SHIT into them. Point in question: Professor fucking Pester in VP: Trouble in Paradise. NOBODY cares about the 'story', NOBODY wants to have to fend off Ruffians and have their garden smashed, and NOBODY WANTS TO HAVE THEIR FAVOURITE PINATA SMASHED BY THIS CUNT. The number of incredibly grateful thankyous from people of all ages, male and female, that were posted in response to the way to glitch the bastard out of your garden should tell you something, Rare.

  • beep #24 3 years ago

    Banjo-Tooie was ruined for me when they decided it was a good idea to separate Banjo and Kazooie, thus making it more DK64-esque. BOO!