Regardless of what people might say, Banjo-Kazooie has been a good series that, while definitely inferior to the Mario franchise (but which isn’t?), showed off what a great developer Rare was. They’ve had their fair share of duds (i.e. Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo), but this year might be good for the British team.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is due November 18 to the tune of a surprisingly cheap $39.99. As an incentive for pre-ordering the game, buyers will get a code to download the original N64 Banjo-Kazooie two weeks prior to the release of the XBLA re-release…for free.

We kind of like the idea of getting free stuff when we pre-order games around here, especially when the full game is $20 cheaper than the bloated regular price of other titles.

You guys plan on taking Rare up on their pre-order offer? Here’s a video of what you can look forward to if you do:

written by Carlos Macias \\ tags: Bolts, dark, developer, franchise, Friendly, game, isn, Kazooie, Mario, Nov, Nuts, Perfect, price, series, share, Zero

“I don’t think the investors give a sh*t about our quality. They care about our earnings per share. They wait for it to happen. We had three years where we didn’t make our expectations. If I were an investor, I would wait and see. That’s fine with me.” - Electronic Art’s CEO, John Riccitiello

While some people may not believe Riccitiello’s statement, I certainly do.  It’s sad that video games have gotten so mainstream that quality may no longer be a primary concern for the companies.  I see the gaming industry becoming more and more like the Hollywood movie machine every day.

Quote via GoNintendo

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: Art, CEO, Concern, didn, Don, Electronic, fine, gaming, Hollywood, industry, investor, mainstream, make, quality, Riccitiello, share, statement, video

While the first Beyond Good & Evil is famous for having been a tremendous flop, it did please more than a few gamers who tried the photography-focused gem. Sure, it featured its share of slowdown and, at times, frustrating controls but hardcore gamers dug it. This time around, though, it looks like the sequel will be geared towards a more casual audience. In talking with Next-Generation, Ubi Soft’s Chief Executive, Yves Guillemot said the following:

“We think the game was probably a little too difficult for the general gamers at that time. We’re going to make it more accessible and make sure that it’s really done for the new generation that’s come into videogames.”

Let’s just hope Mr. Guillemot wont take the much-anticipated sequel too far out and make it so that the controls consist of only waggling and an “A” button.

Via Next-Generation

written by Carlos Macias \\ tags: audience, Casual, Evil, flop, Gamers, gem, Generation, hardcore, Mr. Guillemot, Next, sequel, share, slowdown, Soft, time, Ubi, Yves Guillemot