Tag Archives: microsoft gamer’s day

We just chanced across the full PR introduction to Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts’ plot in this Amazinhiddenbanjofolder on Rare’s site. Sneaky buggers.

“Tired of the feuding between bear, bird and witch, a new player has stepped in: the mysterious Lord of Games (LOG), said to have been involved in creating every videogame ever released,” says the blurb. “He whisks the rivals away to his creative HQ in Showdown Town, and into an elaborate series of challenges held within his hand-made worlds. The winner gets the ownership deeds to Spiral Mountain, the loser an eternity of toil in LOG’s videogame factory. The game is on!

“However, things are a bit different this time around. The core gameplay mechanic – and the method by which worlds are traversed, challenges tackled and progress made – is the creation and customisation of vehicles, using components found, bought and won throughout Showdown Town. From wheels and weapons to springs and wings, all of which can be combined in any number and style, there’s a staggering level of experimentation and personalisation for those willing to dabble. If you can imagine it, you can probably build it. But any adventurer with less confidence, experience or time on their hands can still jump in and take on the game with a pre-built range of vehicles. The Lord of Games might be heavy-handed, but he’s big on equal opportunities.

“However, it’s not all change in Banjo-Kazooie country, as Banjo will still compete for Jiggies to unlock new destinations and hoard the musical notes that serve as legal tender. Familiar figures on hand to help include everyone’s favourite shaman down at Mumbo’s Motors and newly appointed tourist information officer Bottles; new faces on the block include porcine police chief Pikelet and overly competitive braggart Trophy Thomas. Outside Showdown Town you might just meet them all again, persuaded by LOG to turn thespian and act out hilarious themed roles in different worlds. You’ll also have to take on Grunty’s shiny army of mechanical Gruntbots, riding roughshod over Banjo’s efforts to save the day.”

Read the full thing after the link. We properly want this now.

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The cast list for Banjo 3: Nuts & Bolts has been revealed on a top secret Banjo site that we fell over earlier.

Aside from the obvious, the game will feature all the familiar faces: Gruntilda, Mumbo Jumbo and Bottles.

Intriguingly, there is a mysterious character called Lord of Games. Lord of Games is described as a “mysterious widescreen deity not only claims to have had a hand in every videogame ever made, he has taken it upon himself to build entire worlds to host the latest Banjo vs. Grunty showdown. The feud must end once and for all: the deeds to Spiral Mountain go to the victor!”

Check out the hush-hush Amazinghiddenbanjofolder. Don’t tell anyone though: they’ll all want to visit.

By Mike Bowden

Amazing what can materialise out of thin air when you least expect it. Hit the link for three brand new screens of Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, in lovely high resolution. Don’t say we don’t do anything for you.

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Kotaku’s just posted a new Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts trailer which we’re reliably informed gives a far better indication of what the game’s like to play than the previous footage. Take a look right now. If you’re not excited by this you’re dead inside.

Talking with OXM, Banjo Nuts & Bolts producer Shaun Read said that the team has built Star Wars and Star Trek vehicles using the game’s building blocks.

“We’ve got the full complement of Star Wars vehicles, all working,” he said.

“We’ve even built the USS Enterprise and a space shuttle with the boosters detaching. It’s amazing that you can make all these things: that’s when we knew we’d nailed it.”

Sorry, but we think that’s pretty amazing. Full interview through the link.

By Mike Bowden

Having recently made the trip over to Lionhead in Guildford to see Fable 2, Danish site Xboxlife tells of how your actions at the start of your journey in the game could have dramatic consequences for entire towns later on.

“Actions that you make early in the game can affect large parts of the town that you start in,” writes the site in a language you most likely couldn’t understand unless we translate it for you. “Under the demonstration we arrived at a mission where we had to gather incriminating evidence against some villains.

“If you choose not to give this evidence to the police the criminals will take over a certain part of the town, and the town itself will be affected by this action. The opposite is also true: if you choose to give the evidence to the authorities…”

We’re hot for Fable 2. Check out all our stories on the game here.

By Mike Bowden

According to Danish site Xboxlife, the dialogue for Fable 2 was written by top Hollywood scriptwriters.

“One of the main focus points in the game has been the dialogue,” said the site, translated by your friends here at videogaming247. “This time round the story and dialogue has been written by professional Hollywood writers to make sure that Fable 2 is a fantastic experience.”

However, these Danes aren’t that easily impressed:

“But dialogue isn’t always enough to secure a good story,” the article rightly pointed out. “Good voice acting is also an ingredient and Fable 2 delivers the goods. What we heard under the demonstration was convincing: it seemed as though it belonged in the Fable universe, and it made sure that you will drawn into the game world.”

In case you hadn’t heard, Fable 2 has been pushed back to holiday.

By Mike Bowden

According to this Kotaku report, Too Human will no longer have four-player co-op, and instead will ship with only two-player.

C’est la vie. There are some new screens over there as well. Have fun.

They’re on GamersHell. No idea if this is going to be shown at the Microsoft Gamer’s Day today, but it’s not on the list. Heading for 2009? Take a look at the screens.

Update: Apparently these were released in January. Still, pretty, aren’t they?

Missed these earlier. XboxLife.dk’s published a ruck of new screens and artwork from Fable 2, and very pretty it looks too. Take a look.

Exactly what it says on the tin. Watch AceyBongos (don’t ask) and his side-kick chat to the crazy Brits at Rare HQ here.

All in HD Technicolor too!

By Mike Bowden

Wonder how hard they had to beg for this? IGN’s posted one solitary new Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts screen. And here it is. Taken with this gallery, we reckon that’s everything Microsoft’s put out so far for the brilliant looking titles for the Microsoft Gamer’s Day. So there we are.

This looks to be the last of the media of the Microsoft Gamer’s Day for now, sports fans. Tecmo’s put out what appears to be the final trailer for Ninja Gaiden II before the super-slasher launches in the beginning of June. See it on Shacknews.

According to this MTV report, Microsoft games boss Shane Kim said yesterday that Gears of War is the biggest game to release on Xbox 360 this year.

And looking down the list, we can confirm that Shane is indeed correct. File that one under case closed, Miss Bunbury.

Kotaku’s got it. And yep, the dog’s in it. The environments look good enough to make us wish we lived up a mountain. Go see.

After the break. Jumping, shooting, hitting things, bosses: all you could ever need. The action RPG has now been confirmed for an August 29 release.

Take a look. The Microsoft Gamer’s Day has now kicked of in California, so hopefully there’ll be plenty more to report on throughout the evening.

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IGN’s published a load of new Fable 2 media now the Microsoft Gamer’s Day’s underway in San Francisco, thankfully plenty more than had previously been leaked. There’s some lovely art there as well, so go see.

GamerScoreBlog’s just posted a video overview of today’s Microsoft Gamer’s Day in San Francisco, which includes new footage of Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts and the very first video of Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise.

It also includes confirmation that Too Human co-op will be playable for the first time at the event. The chaps promise to be posting video interviews with developers throughout the day – remember GamerScoreBlog’s run by MS staffers.

Games featured are:

• Gears of War 2
• Banjo Kazooie – Nuts and Bolts
• Viva Piñata – Trouble in Paradise
• Too Human
• Fable 2
• Ninja Gaiden 2
• Penny Arcade Adventures

Go see right now.

It’s on CVG, exclusively from the look of it. Microsoft’s issued the 10 leaked shots on its site, but these are from some special, secret place. There’s four bits character art mixed in with the screens, there. Go see.

Speaking to CVG, Gregg Mayles, head of design at Rare has confirmed that if you want to just get on and finish Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts in a reasonable time-frame, you’ll be able to.

“The trick is not forcing everybody to play it for a colossal amount of time. So if people want to try and complete it in like 20 to 30 hours that’s fine. If people want to then carry on, that’s fine,” he said.

Mayles added: “The player will be able to play it, collect a certain number of vehicle parts, build vehicles to get through the game and then finish it – but to go back and retry all the challenges to try and improve their rankings, and by doing so you unlock the very best vehicle parts.”

More through the link.