E3 2008 Aftermath: The Nintendo Connection
Mii...crosoft avatars by Rare, plus BK coming to XBLA with Stop 'n' Swop!
The conference has come and gone, and Rare has not only impressed us with the games they announced, it was the game they didn’t announce until later on in the road.
It all started with the non-Rare stuff, some interesting and some not. A while into it, Microsoft talked about the new Dashboard for the 360, a familiar looking Xbox Vista kind of interface that most likely will work better than its PC counterpart. There was something everybody was expecting to see as part of it, though. An avatar system pretty much like the popular Wiis of Nintendo that, sometime ago, was rumored to have been designed by Rare. When prompted to reveal who did the thing, what else but Rare’s logo was shown, proving that they were responsible indeed for the new avatar design and the new features that will be included.
The new system will include several new games and is ready for all games by Rare. It will be launched this coming fall and the very first game designed for it will be Uno Rush. As it happens in the Wii version, users will be able to customize the look of their little self, choosing among different hairstyles, clothing, facial expression and stuff. Just like Nintendo’s, but with better graphics. Through the Xbox Bazar we also will be able to buy new accessories to show off online. Avatars will be visible right on the front end and are attached to all user profiles.
Microsoft also announced a party area where users can chat, share photos or play games together, which will be known as Game Shows. This place is similar to the Wii Plaza where Nintendo users can check out their Mii collection while the little fellas march.
A few minutes into that, brand new trailers for Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts and Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise were shown, and while the trailers themselves were beautifully made, the announcement made afterwards overshadowed the great upcoming titles. No, it wasn’t GoldenEye 007 for the Xbox Live Arcade. But instead of that, the original Banjo-Kazooie will take its place. And if that itself wasn’t enough, Stop ‘n’ Swop, the fabled connection that never was, will be intact in this remake, thereby making do on their promise… ten years later, according to IGN. It will connect with Nuts & Bolts to give us the connection we never got. They’ve really thought of everything.
An article by CVG not only has confirmed that the game will be just the same as it was (Nintendo logos and everything), but it won’t be made by Rare themselves. According to the article, it is being developed externally by a third party developer. Not that it is worth complaining about, by the way. In any case, haters of Nuts & Bolts are not only getting the original Banjo, but a revamped version with the legendary Stop ‘n’ Swop fuction. You all should be grateful. It will connect with Nuts & Bolts to give us the connection we never got. Rare thinks of everything.
Needless to say, this was definitely better than last year’s event, and MundoRare has much more where that has come from. Stay tuned as the week goes by!
Somehow related news
- Composer Grant Kirkhope leaves Rare ()
- Nintendo finally sets Diddy’s PAL releases ()
- Diddy drives down to PAL territories ()
- Banjo-Tooie also coming to XBLA ()
- Diddy DS: missing in action ()
3 Comments
Banjo-Kazooie being re-released on Live Arcade is a nice gesture, but it’s the Nuts and Bolts trailer that blew my socks off.
I just want to see a high-resolution version of it now!
Comment by SummerSky — 14.Jul.08 @ 10:58 pm
E3 2008 was just like a repeat of E3 2007, a game was announced in both of the events, and we all thought Rare was developing them but in the end, it was just another third party developer.
Comment by Grant McLachlan — 14.Jul.08 @ 10:55 pm