I've made it no secret that I have a very unpopular opinion about Rare: much of their Nintendo 64 library has not aged gracefully. I know I wrote a glowing review of the "Rare Replay" collection and I love it as a way to preserve games, but taking a step back, I came to realize just how many of the Nintendo 64 games Rare has put out are just not all that fun to play today. I can respect a lot of them from afar, but often, that's pretty much the best I can do. In and out of the collection, games like "Killer Instinct Gold," "Blast Corps," "Jet Force Gemini," "Donkey Kong 64," "Perfect Dark," and even titles like "Banjo-Tooie" and "Conker's Bad Fur Day" feature great ideas and were groundbreaking for their times, but the passage of time makes many of them awkward today. And since I mentioned "Banjo-Tooie" in there, between my distaste for that game as well as "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts," I've also held the opinion that the original "Banjo-Kazooie" is one of the biggest one-hit-wonders in gaming. But what a one-hit-wonder it is. With all I could say about Rare's Nintendo 64 games, I can without question say that "Banjo-Kazooie" has aged gracefully, and is still one of my favorite games to this day.
"Banjo-Kazooie" continues to win thanks to its fantastic gameplay. The controls remain super smooth, the level design is so superb that it even puts some modern 3D platformers to shame, the puzzles can actually be quite fun, and the collect-a-thon elements are very addictive. I say this as someone who very rarely shoots for 100% completion in my games, "Banjo-Kazooie" is a game I did 100% complete. I was just having too much fun exploring every nook and cranny of each level and finding everything I could that I didn't want to stop. The game is also elevated even more by its graphics that are still sharp to this day, the fun storyline and characters, and its incredibly clever, inventive, and memorable soundtrack. From top to bottom, "Banjo-Kazooie" taps into all the hallmarks of what can make a 3D platformer so amazing.
If there's one minor gripe I have with the game, it's that some elements of the controls and camera can take a little bit of getting used to. It's nothing too bad, though, even if it can rear its head a bit near the tail end of the game.
Overall, "Banjo-Kazooie" may still arguably be the best Nintendo 64 game that Rare created. While much of their library on that system hasn't aged with the most grace, "Banjo-Kazooie" is still boatloads of fun today, and it's a stunning example of a 3D platformer that pretty much gets it all right. If you choose to play any Nintendo 64 Rare game, make it "Banjo-Kazooie."
Final rating: 10 out of 10 "Fantastic"