Game Review: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts

Lou Kesten - Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The platform game has fallen on hard times. Maybe it's that name, which came about in the 1980s when Mario was actually jumping on moving platforms in "Super Mario Bros." But the genre needs a catchier title, like "running-jumping-bouncing-super-fun-action-adventure." There has to be a Japanese word that encompasses all that.

Platform games used to represent a huge chunk of the video-game market, but now they're largely restricted to the kiddie market. There's the occasional gem like Nintendo's "Super Mario Galaxy," but platformer addicts usually have to settle for media tie-ins like the new "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" game.

Still, a few developers are keeping the faith. Insomniac Games' superb "Ratchet & Clank" series has upped the ante with an amusing assortment of bizarre weaponry. The independently developed "Braid" added mind-bending puzzles. And Sony's "LittleBigPlanet" could inspire a rush of fresh, creative approaches to the genre.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
(Microsoft, for the Xbox 360, $39.99)
Banjo and Kazooie, a bear-and-bird team that haven't been seen on a console since 2000, have gotten fat and lazy in their downtime. So when the Lord of Games (who has the face of a "Pong" screen) shoves them into a new adventure, he gets rid of most of the old-fashioned platforming that made them popular.

Instead, the boys spend a lot of time in an assortment of vehicles - cars, planes and boats - that they have to use to collect "jiggies." One event may be a simple race; in other levels, you need to fetch passengers or push around dangerous objects. The limited running-and-jumping sequences are where you find new parts for your machines.

The core of "Nuts & Bolts" is a robust, Lego-like vehicle construction system that lets you build dozens of different contraptions. It may be too complex for kids who are attracted by the game's vivid cartoon look, but it's easy to lose hours just tinkering with your new toys. The latest B-K adventure may disappoint hardcore platformer fans (the Lord of Games actually makes fun of them), but it offers a lot of depth and challenge for more open-minded gamers.

Three stars.

Crash: Mind Over Mutant
(Activision, for the Xbox 360, Wii, $49.99; PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, $39.99; Nintendo DS, $29.99)
Most gamers stopped caring about wannabe mascot Crash Bandicoot years ago, but the games keep coming out. Last year, developer Radical Entertainment tried to liven up the old coot by letting him absorb the powers of his enemies. This year ... well, it's the same gimmick, with slightly tighter controls.

"Mind Over Mutant" makes a halfhearted stab at a sort of open-world design that theoretically lets you go anywhere, but in execution leads to a lot of repetition and backtracking. It has some clever comedic interludes, but game play is ruined by drab level design and horrible, unadjustable camera angles. It's time for Activision to let this geezer retire.

One star.

----

More Game reviews 

Game news

Copyright 2009 by Associated Press