Between Battletoads, remote-controlled cars and Snakes that rattle ‘n roll, this has been a big year for Rare games hitting the Nintendo Switch Online. Now we get one more, as Nintendo just announced that fan-favorite sequel Banjo-Tooie will be available for Expansion Pack subscribers on October 25th. That's genuinely cool new, but is this game actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Computer & Video Games, Nintendo Power and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when this game first came out. I sure hope you like collecting random trinkets, because this is another platform-hopping episode of the Nintendo Switch Online Review Crew.


Banjo-Tooie came at a weird time for both the Nintendo 64 and the games industry as a whole. Released in late 2000, this sequel bumped up against the launch of the PlayStation 2. With all eyes on the wave of next-generation consoles hitting the market, the Nintendo 64 was in real fear of being forgotten about. Thankfully, this platforming sequel (along with the release of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask just one month earlier) helped to pump some much-needed life into the aging console. This was Rare doing what they did best, creating expertly-crafted stages full of likable characters and literally hundreds of things to collect. The fans love this game, but were the critics still interested in this style of 3D platformer in the year 2000? Let's find out.

As we like to do, let's go ahead and kick things off with Electronic Gaming Monthly, who gave this sequel a score of 8.8 out of 10. That's down a bit from the 1998 original, which earned a 9.4 out of 10 from the same critics. Mark summed up the sequel this way: “Blurble-blurble, blurble blurble. Blurble. That's how everything talks in Banjo-Tooie, and yes, it's annoying as hell. I don't care much for most of the characters, either – outside of Banjo and Kazooie, most look like generic Disney rejects and are quickly forgettable. But there's much to enjoy here, too – good controls, a huge quest, tons and tons of power-ups, transformations, moves and modes – it's boggling how much they stuffed into this cart. I would have preferred more emphasis on bosses and combat instead of exploration, but there's no denying what's here is fun.” Chris, on the other hand, liked the game a lot more than Mark, arguing that “Rare has topped themselves this time. Donkey Kong was a bit of a letdown, but Tooie makes up for it, becoming the genre's new benchmark. It's got some of the best visuals I've ever seen on the ol' 64 without using the Expansion Pack. The only problem is the slowdown that pops up when bashing enemies or when you're in larger areas. A great reason to keep that N64 out of storage.”

EGM's score was right in the middle of the scale, with N64 magazine giving the game a slightly lower 81% and Next Generation going with a still-pretty-good 4 out of 5 in their 74th issue. As expected, the lowest score comes from Next Gen's sister publication, Edge. Giving it a 7 out of 10, they explained that “Tooie's slick, involving play isn't enough to exorcise the nagging feeling that Rare is capable of far more, and that the N64 should have graduated beyond Mario wannabes in what is now its sixth year. Edge hopes that the ribald, 18-certificate exploits of the upcoming Conker's Bad Fur Day better demonstrates Rare's capacity for doing things its own way, rather than attempting to do things Miyamoto's.”

Going back up the scale, we have GamePro giving Banjo-Tooie a score of 4.5 out of 5, down from the 5 out of 5 they gave the first game. Over at Game Informer, they gave the sequel a very similar 9 out of 10. That's the same score you saw from Nintendo Power. Chris called the game “complex and engaging,” while Drew raved that “each level is filled with ingenious surprises.” Jennifer wasn't as into it, arguing that “some levels are quite tedious.”

Now, if you're looking for the highest score, then look no further than Computer & Video Games, who gave it a perfect 5 out of 5 in their 232nd issue. Asking if Banjoe-Tooie is worth playing, CVG concludes: “Not if you're a boring old misery who withers and crinkles at the mere thought of endless hours of fun and frivolity. If, however, you love to laugh and get sweaty palms at the prospect of a monumental challenge, you should dust off the N64 pronto. Cartridge games may be a little more expensive to buy, but in the case of Banjo-Tooie, you really do get plenty of value for money. It will probably take you about 40 hours to finish the game without collecting every Jiggy or Jinjo and the multiplay mini-games are almost good enough to be a separate game, ensuring the game's longevity. Your precious pounds will be spent and your N64 will love you forever.”

This is a big fan-favorite among 3D platforming fans, and it's easy to see why. There's just so much to do and see in this game, you'll be at it for dozens of hours. It's a good value for the Nintendo Switch Online, and worth playing (or replaying), whichever applies to you.