Original Banjo heading to XBLA
Dormant Stop 'N' Swop links to 360 title.
Microsoft plans to bring the original Banjo-Kazooie to Xbox Live Arcade.
Originally released on N64, Banjo was one of the properties Microsoft picked up when it bought Rare, and the XBLA version will be released this year to support new Xbox 360 title Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. No word on a price yet.
Nuts & Bolts will also activate additional features in the XBLA re-release thanks to an element called "Stop 'N' Swop" through which "players' accomplishments in the new game will be rewarded with extra content and features in the Xbox Live Arcade game".
Stop 'N' Swop was originally intended to allow for cross-over with N64 follow-up Banjo-Tooie but was never fully realised.
The N64 Banjo was an expansive platform game in which Banjo explored Mario 64-style worlds morphing into different creatures to complete levels and collecting jigsaw pieces, which worked in a similar way to Mario 64's stars.
Look out for a big old hands-on with Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts later this week as we report live from the industry's annual festival of cramp and sunburn, the E3 Media & Business Summit.