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Banjo-Kazooie

Banjo-Kazooie Duet statue

A new Banjo-Kazooie Duet statue has just gone up for pre-order from First 4 Figures.

The statue is inspired by the game’s intro. It shows Banjo strumming the banjo and Kazooie playing the kazoo, “perfectly capturing their upbeat expressions and the joyful atmosphere of the intro.”

First 4 Figures Banjo-Kazooie Gruntilda statue

First 4 Figures has revealed a new addition to its Banjo-Kazooie line. Gruntilda, the primary antagonist of the N64 platforming series, is receiving a new statue.

Each unit includes the Gruntilda painted resin statue, detailed base inspired by Gruntilda’s Lair, limited edition numbering, and authentication card. If you opt for the exclusive edition, it’ll come with LED functions for torch and green bubble details.

mario 64 banjo kazooie 3d platformers

Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64 are both at this moment available to play on Switch via Nintendo’s online service. It’s great to see those two together considering how important they were for early 3D gaming. I decided to revisit them recently and I was impressed by how well they still hold up.

In today’s video, I talk about the different ideas that Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64 brought to the industry, how they understood the best ways to bring the full potential of 3D environments, and also how they failed in some aspects due to how early ideas and the technology were at the time. You can check the video down below.

Banjo-Kazooie Switch Online gameplay

Banjo-Kazooie has officially landed on Nintendo Switch Online as part of the service’s Expansion Pack tier, and we now have gameplay. IGN uploaded a video containing 14 minutes of footage.

For those that need a recap on the type of game Banjo-Kazooie is, check out the following overview:

Banjo-Kazooie comparison

Thanks to GameXplain, we have a new graphical comparison for Banjo-Kazooie on the N64, Xbox, and Switch.

As many fans know, the 3D platformer made its debut on the N64 in 1998. It then saw a remastered version on the Xbox in 2008. The game is now back on Nintendo with its upcoming arrival on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service.

According to a translation by Gematsu, the next game slated for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass’s Nintendo 64 library is the classic 3D platformer Banjo Kazooie. The game is scheduled to arrive on the platform sometime during January 2022.

Here’s an overview for the game:

First 4 Figures has revealed more statues, this time based on Banjo-Kazooie. There’s one planned for Mumbo Jumbo and another for the crocodile transformation.

Here’s the official product description:

As reported by VGC, Banjo-Kazooie’s name has ties to former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi.

Yamauchi has a grandson called Banjo Yamauchi. His son is named Katsuhito Yamauchi, otherwise known as ‘Katsuhi’ for short. When they’re combined, you get ‘Banjo-Katsuhi’. That sounds a whole lot like Banjo-Kazooie, doesn’t it?

Series creator Greg Mayles says that the part about ‘Banjo’ is spot on while composer Grant Kirkhope says the story is true:

There isn’t a whole lot of Banjo-Kazooie merchandise floating around, but First 4 Figures is looking to remedy that. Revealed today is a brand new statue featuring the classic N64 characters.

Two different versions of the statue will be sold. Fans can either go with the regular version, or pick up the exclusive release.

Rare is still sharing neat videos and secrets for some of its games. That continues today with “Five Things You Didn’t Know About Banjo-Kazooie”, which you can watch below.


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