Mark Mazzei

Two worlds and in-jokes galore await in the Nuts & Bolts Demo

Keep an eye out for the Killer Instinct 3 and Stop 'n' Swop references

Nuts & Bolts has been one of the most debated games within the Banjo fanbase. Even with time, people are still afraid of change and/or completely hate the prospects that come along with the recent titles. However, today may or may not be different.

The Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts demo is available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for Gold members at 1.07 GB just like Brother Mike promised it would: “I don’t think playing the demo will spoil much and it will give everyone a little taste of what is to come.”

And right he was. As for the content of the demo, it begins with a simple tutorial of the beginning of the game. Kazooie gets her wrench and verbally abuses LOG for stealing her powers, you get to learn how to use said wrench to carry things around, and you learn the basics of vehicle riding as well as being able to build your own vehicle. The demo takes place around Showdown Town free for you to explore, as well as the most recent build of Banjo-Land, which we previously reported on.

Banjoland

There’s plenty to do in this demo and tons of in-jokes for fans to explore and find out (such as Bottles’ comment on the long-teased Killer Instinct 3), so if you’re a fan or you’ve hated it since the start, you owe it to yourself to form an opinion by actually playing it.

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19 Comments

This is an awesome demo! Being able to make unique vehicles and exploring Showdown Town and Banjo Land is so much fun. I’m really stuck on the challenge that Blubber gives you. Anyone got any tips?

Comment by Darkonyx88 — 29.Oct.08 @ 9:09 pm

horrible demo. just what i expected sadly… game is filled with “protect this character, race against this character” challenges. you know those racing challenges in grand theft auto that suck because they take an environment NOT made for racing into a race track? that’s this game. im def not gonna buy this, hope it falls flat on it’s ass and rare gets another grabbed by the ghoulies. rare raped banjo

Comment by billy — 30.Oct.08 @ 1:41 am

rare did not rape banjo, and it’s only the demo that has purely those types which was pretty cool since it wasn’t the same thing over it was multiple things like race, beat the time limit, protect something etc.

Comment by saicambanjo — 30.Oct.08 @ 4:08 am

I really want to like this game, but after sinking substantial time into the demo I can’t say I do. I admit to having doubts since they added Nuts and Bolts to the title, but expected Rare to prove me wrong in my ignorance. I am still getting it and will try to love the new Banjo, I just wish that it wasn’t such a hard thing to do.

I am not sure that the easy make-Banjo-again-with-better-graphics idea isn’t the better way to go than ‘Wacky Racers Mini Game Adventures’. But heck the preorder bonus is worth the price tag to me! Banjo with achievements! SOLD.

Comment by Lobodestroyo — 30.Oct.08 @ 4:01 pm

I really like the demo and has re-affirmed my desire for the game, The visuals are brilliant, the humor is the same as the originals and i really really like it!

I am surprised how im always winning in Queen of the Knoll by a stupidly high margin! But i really like this game! I can see my self playing it for hours and hours!

I like the vehicle aspect. I think allot of people are just going to bash it cause there afraid of the unknown. The people who seem to not like the Vehicle aspects seem to be the ones who are always crying out for sequels to old games. Wake up! Its not 1998 anymore! lets have some originality!

Comment by Gregory — 31.Oct.08 @ 5:57 pm

For the Blubber challenge i made a helicopter thing with the missle launcher and hovered there shooting the robots, though i ran out of ammo near the end so i had to jump out and punch them, but it got me the jiggie!

Comment by Blade Wolf12 — 01.Nov.08 @ 8:34 pm

I had lots of trouble with the Blubber challenge at first. What I ended up doing was sticking the egg shooter and a bunch of springs to the front end of my vehicle to shove the gruntbots away. It worked remarkably well!

Comment by Aaron Mayer — 02.Nov.08 @ 3:51 am

billy ur an idiot this demo is amazing, i dont really like the challenges so far, but the online test-o-track is so much fun to make vehicles and play with your friends. and darkonyx to beat the blubber challenge all i did was get out of my vehicle and attack the ball things, i just barely beat it.

Comment by rumit — 03.Nov.08 @ 3:29 am

When the poor silverish account people are going to be able to download the demo?

Comment by B.O.B. — 05.Nov.08 @ 12:21 am

This poor silverish person downloaded the demo last night. The challenges in BanjoLand were aggravating to say the least. Maybe I’ll give it a little more time tonight.

Comment by Silver Surfer — 06.Nov.08 @ 10:08 pm

Ok i have crappy internet so i cant download the demo what is banjoland?

Comment by Banjo-Kazooie — 07.Nov.08 @ 12:33 am

I’m still a poor silverish person, but I already downloaded the demo. And it’s ok until now, BUT it has the smalles text ever! In other words, the best part of the game is unreadable!

Comment by B.O.B. — 07.Nov.08 @ 3:18 am

I was surprisingly amused playing this game. I’m a HUGE fan of rare and the banjo series, although I was one of the ones who said ‘no talon trot? Fail.’

But after playing the game, the more I put in, the more I enjoyed it. I bounced around for nearly an hour in the test-o-track, with just a seat and a spring underneath it. Fun was had.
Its far too vehicle based, but the Rusty Bucket, I found, was totally platformer, back to banjo, climing ladders, walking on ropes…
I just hope the actual game has a bit more for Kazooie to do. She was everything that was good in the first two games, so its sad to see her moves clipped (if you’ll pardon the pun.)
All in all, good game in its own right, but not the Banjo we know and love.

Comment by Mingella — 14.Nov.08 @ 12:30 am

Raped? This game is getting 9 out of 10. Call that rape?

Comment by Syyd — 14.Nov.08 @ 2:34 pm

what ever happened to pure old school platforming like the last two console games? The demo isn’t fun. if i wanted a racing game i would have bout Dirt or midnight club Los Angeles. even if it has other features it want be like the last two classics.

If you are a fan of the first two than i would think if you really want this game. They should of improved the series with more levels and puzzles and moves

Comment by Arnoc 64 — 06.Dec.08 @ 5:27 am

what ever happened to pure old school platforming like the last two console games? The demo isn’t fun. If i wanted a racing game i would have bought Dirt or midnight club Los Angeles. even if it has other features it won’t be like the last two classics.

If you are a fan of the first two than i would think if you really want this game. They should of improved the series with more levels and puzzles and moves. (sry about the spelling mistakes)

Comment by Arnoc 64 — 06.Dec.08 @ 5:29 am

To prove my point go to this site for a review.

http://www.gametrailers.com/game/3272.html

Comment by Arnoc 64 — 06.Dec.08 @ 5:32 am

The game is not horrible but is a disappointment

Comment by Arnoc 64 — 06.Dec.08 @ 5:41 am

This game had an awesome concept, but it didn’t fit as a banjo game. Rare should’ve made it with new characters and backstory.

Comment by Gust — 02.Jan.09 @ 1:01 pm

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