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Banjo Pilot

Even after Rare hopping the Microsoft bandwagon they have still been granted the ability to develop games for the Game Boy Advance, and in what seems to be the system that will carry out the Banjo-Kazooie franchiese that started back on the Nintendo 64. Banjo-Pilot has gone through quite a few face lifts over its years of development, what was originally planned as the continuation of the Diddy Kong Racing series under the name Donkey Kong Racing has had to under go some changes due to Rare being unable to work with Nintendo's own license and characters, and although displays some very impressive visuals doesn't differentiate itself enough to set it apart from the mass of racers on the market.

You are indeed a pilot, as the title says and instead of the typical cart racer you'll be operating your own personal airplane to race, and even battle against your opponents. As always you'll have an array of characters to choose from. Starting off with four characters, and even five more to unlock, from the friendly faces of Banjo and Mumbo Jumbo, to the evil Grunty, Banjo-Pilot sports a cast of familiar faces from the Banjo-Kazooie universe. Each character has their own unique stats, and specialize in different categories of racing, while in some cases boasts advantages over others, also comes disadvantages. A character like the foul mouthed bird Kazooie sports some solid stats in categories like top speed, acceleration and handling, while someone like Humba Wumba is the top of her in class in acceleration and handling, but has the worst top speed in the game. You'll have to use their techniques in different scenarios, and how you feel fit.

What really makes the game unique is the ability to manuever your craft in a variety of ways that will give you an edge over the competition. By the use of the shoulder buttons drivers are able to perform stunts like barrel rolls to dodge enemy fire or even backflips which can result in a special boost. The planes are also capable of making sharp turns to further cut down race times, and out play your opponents. Rare really made sure that the flying aspect of the game was carried far enough into the gameplay to spice up the somewhat lackluster formula that the racing scene has become. Although the intention was a good one, the moves can be difficult to pull off at the right time, and the majority of the time will result in a hit, and a waste of your time. But practice makes perfec, and if you dedicate enough time to learning it, you'll adjust and it'll almost come naturally.

Similar to the mechanics of that in Mario Kart, item boxes can be found on the track courses, which once you come into contact with, you will be given a random power up to use at your disposal. Of course you'll have the typical items at your side, such as a homing space ship which will lock-on and automatically hit the closest foe in front of you, or even a Mumbo Skull which can be used to attack all other racers on the track. Just another example of how Banjo-Pilot follows the similar guidelines of the other racers out there. Plus the whole attacking scheme isn't able to blossom to its potential as it's nearly impossible to attack enemies from the rear, and the Ice Eggs (items you "lay" from the backside of the craft) don't work on enemies, but rather their attacks, which isn't exactly horrible, but seeing as how they are pretty much the most common weapon, it can be frustrating in a tight situation.

Where it really shines is the length, and although it doesn't follow the adventure style gameplay to that of its N64 predecessor you'll have plenty of modes to choose and dozens of tracks to race on. There are 32 unique tracks spread across eight cups in two grand championships, and an additional two more as a bonus for beating the game. With all the figures aside, Banjo-Pilot will last you a while, because even after you've raced through the championships you can then fly your way through the other modes which include the obvious Time Trial, where you race against the clock to beat the current standings. Although a new mode, unique due to the Banjo universe, is the Jiggy mode, where you must race against a certain pilot (Bottles and Grunty respectivly). You'll be pitted against them in a one on once race where you must collect six Jiggies scattered across each course, and beat your opponent to the finish line.

To ice the cake Banjo-Pilot comes jammed with quite a few unlockables to add even more length on an already lengthy game. The familiar Cheato has made his way back to the series, and by completing races and other areas of the game you are rewarded book pages, which you can then trade the famous Cheato for special secrets. They range from special "Glowbo's" that result in boosts on each course, to even battle arenas in the multiplayer mode. Book pages are certainly not hard to come across, but you aren't rewarded all too many, which you may have to replay past missions to get enough book pages to unlock the secrets.

Banjo Pilot boasts some quality visuals. Wait, scratch that. Some visuals that could quite possibly be some of the best on the Game Boy Advance. It really shows that 3D can work on the little handheld. Even though the course design isn't very fluid or even very detailed, the backgrounds are breathtaking. The game features almost no frame rate drops either, which is nice for such a fast paced game like this. The game's tunes are almost equivalent to that of it's console counterparts and may bring back some nostalgia to those who are truely fond of the Nintendo 64 titles.

This game gets an N-Philes score of B-.

With a few nuts and bolts aside, Banjo-Pilot, even though pushing to be an outcast from other games of the genre, still feels too much like the average cart racer. And the fact that you take hold of a plane rather then a cart is entertaining, but still doesn't feel any different, and has just as many boundries (and some odd ones at that). The weapon system needs some work, but gets the job done. Regardless of its problems, it's still one of the top racers for the system, with some amazing visuals and music scores. The long development time has really paid off in the long run. It may be glitchy at times and the overall design may get a bit boring, but it provides solid gameplay and that's all that really matters.

Posted in: Reviews