Banjo Kazooie shows the meaning of true platforming prowess.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A_J5g3cRHc
It's another beautiful day in Spiral Mountain. The birds are singing, the trees are swinging, and the crazy green witch with boils on her face is wreaking havoc around the mountain. Ahhhh it doesn't get any better than that. Whoa, what? In Banjo Kazooie you play as a back pack wearing bear named Banjo alongside his obnoxious bird partner Kazooie. Together they go on adventure to save Banjo's sister from the clutches of the evil Gruntilda, a rhyming witch who feels very insecure about her looks. Okay, I bet you're thinking that I made all that up just now, but to tell you the truth, I'm not lying. That's pretty much the gist of the game. It's an incredibly funny yet simple story; you just have to look at the BIGGER picture. If you know what I mean. It's okay if you don't.
Banjo Kazooie is a plat forming game of the highest caliber. Even though the game was released nearly ten years ago, it still holds up incredibly well with all the other recent platformers such as Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty and the Jak and Daxter series.
Throughout the game you will spend most of your time running, jumping, swimming, and flying your way through levels to obtain jigsaw pieces. That's right jigsaw pieces. How else do you expect to open doors to other worlds without jigsaw pieces, it's elementary my dear Watson. There are also many collectibles for you to ummm….. collect within levels from floating magical skulls to hopping musical notes. All of which will benefit you one way or another. Musical notes, for example, allow you access to doors around the world while magical skulls give you the power to transform into things like animals, and pumpkins? Yeah, I know, the game is weird. In the end, there are a sheer variety of things to do and collect within the game. Banjo Kazooie will keep you busy until the credits start rolling.
Banjo and Kazooie have a variety of moves at their disposal to make their life, and yours, a little bit easier. Banjo has the ability to climb trees (he's a bear duh), swim, roll, and perform melee attacks. Kazooie plays as a support character for Banjo, she can help Banjo swim faster and move quickly. She can also be used as a devastating weapon to strengthen Banjo's attacks- she's sort of like a pocket knife with a beak. Sort of.
The level design within the game is absolutely phenomenal. The levels vary from ice covered mountains to run down haunted mansions. Every level has its own unique appeal, you'll never be caught playing the same thing twice. After playing an area you'll want to continue in the game just to see what's next in store. The game is just that satisfying and addicting.
The in-game soundtrack is…..how do I put it…. phenomenal, no wait I just said that, did I say breathtaking? No, well then it's breathtaking. Every song in the game is incredibly catchy, there should be a law prohibiting a single game to have this many catchy songs. It's a crime people, a very good crime. The voice acting on the other hand is……passable yet annoying. I'm not even sure if making a bunch of random noises counts as voice acting, but oh well, it's all good.
Overall: Banjo Kazooie stands the test of time and proves what a TRUE plat former should be like. With it's simple yet intriguing storyline, lovable characters, amazing levels, and painfully catchy music, this is one gaming experience you'll want to enjoy again and again.