Video Games - http://maxpages.com/gamesrule11/Banjo_Tooies

Banjo-Tooie picks up exactly where its predecessor left off. Your adventure begins in the same overworld hub that was in Banjo-Kazooie, and you can even go back to the original lair where the last quest began, but fallen rocks block it off. While a lot has remained the same, some of the rules have changed. This time to get to Gruntilda and her two sisters you're going to have to go through the almighty Master Jiggywiggy. He, and he alone, will open up new passages on your quest. Naturally he'll only point you in the right direction and open doors if you have enough jiggys. But it doesn't come without a test. After you have enough jiggys you have to solve a puzzle by putting the jiggys together in the allotted time. With each puzzle that you solve you'll open up a whole new world to explore.

In Banjo-Kazooie you had to find enough notes to break the spells on doors to advance. Not this time. Jiggys are the most important item for your quest, just as they should be. As for the notes, they are used to get new moves for Banjo-Kazooie. Bottles' brother, Jamjars, is a military-driven fellow who will teach you all kinds of fancy tricks to help you on your way to Grunty. There's an absolutely huge number of moves that you can learn. It's somewhere over 40 different moves that you'll be able to execute by the end of the game. It sounds difficult, but keep in mind that one of the new moves involves playing separately as Banjo or Kazooie. Alone, they can learn new moves of their own. Because most of the moves are performed in the same way, it's not too hard to remember how to do each one. Each and all of the moves you learn will play an integral part in your quest. And often, you have to return to previous areas where you can finally use your new move to get yourself a jiggy.

There are eight primary environments in Banjo-Tooie that encompass an ancient jungle, a coal mine, an amusement park, a lagoon, an prehistoric wasteland, a factory building, and much more. The sheer diversity of all the worlds is one thing to be in awe of, but there's an even more surprising fact: all of them are connected. In all of these worlds is where you collect your jiggys. It's all very similar to the first game, but this time Rare made sure that it was all part of the same world. You don't jump into a treasure chest to find your fantastical world, you simply realize it's already part of the one you're in. Also, because all these levels are connected and found in the same world some tasks require you to go back to the other world. One example of this is bringing a train to Witchyworld so you can haul a giant dinosaur back to Terrydactyland. You'll have to use your wits and constantly remember to refer to the previous lands you've visited.

In each land there is a way to be someone else. Mumbo, the resident shaman, is a playable character now, and you can use his spells for all kinds of different tasks -- things such as turning a train right side up or raising platforms in a swamp. Your other helper is the new character, Humba Wumba. She waits in her wigwam with her pool of magic and will change your form in so many ways it will make your head spin. Depending on the world you visit you may become a T-Rex, a stone statue, or a washing machine. With your new form you can perform new tasks that you never could before like, err, washing clothes and blasting opponents with wet undies. Needless to say, many jiggys await you in your new form.

Equally impressive is the clever writing. In classic Banjo-Kazooie style, Banjo is still as thick as a rock and Kazooie is just as mean as ever. The dialogue, if you can swallow the limey humor, is full of very dry sarcasm. A few examples of this are when a turtle is "tipped up" on its back and Kazooie jokes about it. The joke being that Tip Tup is an original character (a turtle) from Diddy Kong Racing. Rare has also placed a ton of suggestive adult humor throughout the game, too. Much of it, only adults will get. If you know Rare games, you'll recognize this humor right off the bat.

All in all, if you're a fan of platform-based games, Banjo-Tooie is amazing. It continues to improve on the formulas set forth by Super Mario 64, the original innovator. There's a lot of polish in the gameplay department. The worlds are too big? There are warp zones. Got a new move? Go back to a previous world and get that jiggy you could never get before. Tired of collecting things? Banjo-Tooie actually makes it fun. In fact, collecting stuff has never been more fun, really. You have to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles to find things such as the classic Jinjo characters. Point being, Banjo-Tooie is a really fun game. It will provide at least 25 solid hours of gameplay, if not more. We can't imagine where this title will go next.

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Page Updated Thu Feb 22, 2001 7:45pm EST