This new developer diary shows more info on numerous, miscellaneous things in Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts. It looks at Grunty's new sidekick, references to other games, Spiral Mountain, the detail of the night sky, the physics and other things. Mostly it's opinionated but it talks about a lot of interesting aspects of the new game.

Banjo Dev Diary 2: Banjo and the Giant Robot
Hello, Banjo fans.

I’ve continued to play the game over the last couple of weeks, and the improvements between builds are getting more and more dramatic. For example (and this could turn into an awfully long list), the game’s opening has now been fully populated and animated—you’ll see various contraptions flying and driving around Spiral Mountain dynamically—they don’t follow a set path, so no two presentations of the opening scene will be 100% alike.

Players yet to be indoctrinated into the Banjo lore (outrageous, I know, but apparently they do exist) will also be in for a special treat, as we’ve included a rather snazzy intro to the game that should bring them up to speed. I shan’t ruin it by saying more, but we hope to raise a few smiles—just remember that nothing is sacred and we enjoy poking fun at ourselves.

As you might expect, the game is peppered with references to our other games, like Viva Piñata and Grabbed by the Ghoulies, right from the get-go. LOG makes a great addition to the cast in this regard, as he claims to have created every videogame ever made—just don’t expect him to be so precious as to not send up his previous works. In fact, I’ve half a mind to run a competition on release with a prize for whoever manages to spot every single in-joke. I’ll have more details when we launch the Banjo-Kazooie Community Site forum, which is coming soon.

I think my favourite new addition to the game is Grunty’s reluctant sidekick, Piddles the Cat, who has, without question, the most adorable sound effects I’ve ever heard in a game. I’m pretty sure she’ll be a hit with the community once you get to meet her in game, too.

Kazooieman via banjo-kazooie.com »