Banjo-Kazooie

While not the first 3D platformer, I would say that this is probably the first actually good one (sorry Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot). As far as mascot collect-a-thons, I'd say this popularized the dual protagonist approach—and they utilize it to good effect. There's a pretty robust moveset that takes advantage of both characters strengths, which I really appreciate. The Talon Trot was always fun to move around with, the double-jump felt great, and I absolutely loved flying. In fact, I liked all the mechanics surrounding limited resources—like flying, shooting eggs, and invincibility (aside from it having the worst input of all time). The camera is also shockingly usable for an N64 game, but I'd still struggle to call it "good." Each world just felt like a big playground to mess around and have fun in. A standout for me was Click Clock Wood, which spanned multiple seasons, with your actions affecting the others. The hub-world was interesting, I guess. It felt way too big, and the shortcuts were unlocked too late into the game. Unlocking the worlds involved using jigsaw pieces to make puzzles that unlock them, but they were never anywhere near the entrance to the actual world in question for some reason. This was fine, I just can't think of a legitimate design reason for this approach. There is still some neat stuff hidden in the hub-world, like a secret spellbook that gives you passwords to plug into the various spelling puzzles in the worlds. This would net you a bonus that increased your max amount of resources, which is helpful. There was only a couple instances of "how on earth would I have ever known that," which is shockingly low for a game this old unfortunately. Most of these instances involved knowing whether to shoot eggs out of front or back of Kazooie, and I still don't really understand the difference. Everything was all well and good...until Rusty Bucket Bay. This level is just dogwater, and filled with obtuse nonsense. It's so unbelievably poorly designed that it sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the other levels. Also, one of the biggest disappointments for me was actually the mechanic I was most excited for: Mumbo's Transformations. I love power-ups like this in platformers—things that change you into different animals with completely different movesets and abilities. Unfortunately, it's not handled very well here. Every transformation seems to take place in a world that already features an upgrade that does essentially the same thing, basically rendering the transformation redundant. Why is the ant transformation (that lets you climb steep surfaces) only available in the same world that you unlock Talon Trot (an ability that lets you climb steep surfaces)? Why is the crocodile upgrade (that lets you travel through poisonous swamps) available in a world that already has the Wading Boots (a power-up that lets you travel through poisonous swamps)? I dunno, it just feels superfluous. The Walrus one was fine, though. The last level is amazing, serving as a gameshow to test your knowledge of the game. From answering questions about the levels, to identifying screenshots or audio cues, and my favorite—remembering all the gross gossip that Gruntilda's sister spilled about her periodically throughout the game. It's such a weird way to conclude a platformer, with basically no platforming whatsoever—and I kinda love it. So yeah, neat game.

Also, Banjo makes the most annoying sounds ever (why does he sound like Mickey Mouse?). And why is Kazooie such a jerk?? AND WHY DOES GRUNTY STEAL THE LOOKS FROM AN UNDERAGE BEAR AND TURN INTO A GOTH MOMMY BADDIE??? Important questions.

Story - 8
Gameplay - 9
Replayability - 8
OST - 9

Gruntilda, eu te odeio.

Almost 100%, some mysteries left.
Overall I had a great experience. The controls were very n64-y, especially the camera. I played it with the NSO n64 controller which made me appreciate the controls a bit better. Overall the game was very fun, creative with whacky characters 🤪
The camera would often times snap to a crazy position as it was afraid of touching walls with a 2m pole and since the game always uses camera-relative directions, Banjo would snap to the opposite direction to where I wanted him to go.
The level design was great, and the jiggies were very well hidden, pretty much always felt good to find. Although! Thank god for save states as without them I'd've had a much more miserable time(mostly in the boat level with the instant death pit and the giant tree level where one wrong jump would send you falling down, losing a bunch of time). Death was very punishing as you'd lose all note progress, which could be seen as a valid punishment, but for me it felt like a total time waster.
Otherwise, a very fun game, I def like it better that Mario 64

NOW THAT WAS CALLED "RARE"

An aged masterpiece collectathon. The controls are a little clunky today especially when underwater. The game oozes charm and wonder around ever corner and always keeps you wanting more