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Banjo Team: lol j/k We'll Fix it.

Ryan Fulton — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:07:23 -0600

Congratulations luddites! Rare is going to be fixing the text for your standard def TVs. Expect the fix to be implemented sometime within the next month. That's... well, that's pretty much so it. I'm sure you guys can find something else worth playing until then. Maybe read a book? Paint a picture? I don't know. Just be patient I guess.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts Text Difficult to Read on SDTVs

Zach Lott — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:28:34 -0600

If you've yet to make the jump to a high-definition television, then you might be a bit disappointed with this news: Joystiq is reporting that the text for the upcoming 360 title Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts is muddled when viewed on standard-definition televisions.

Worse yet, Rare has announced that they aren't planning to take action in order to fix it, stating that it would require too much "time, resources and money to alter."

While there are certainly many gamers who already own HDTVs, this should be a huge annoyance to those still relying on standard ones. It shall be interesting to note how this affects the November NPDs.

Banjo Kazooie Demo Arrives on Xbox Live

Solomon Lee — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:49:44 -0500

Following the special preorder bonus, the demo for Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts has made its way to Xbox Live. The demo is sized at 1.07 GB and allows you to explore vehicle building and "Jiggy" challenges.

Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts is set for release on November 11.

Rare Announces Details On Banjo-Kazooie Preorder Bonus

Zach Lott — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:00:14 -0500

If you're a Banjo-Kazooie fan, then there's no doubt that you've been waiting since last month for details on how to pre-order Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, as it was then that Rare revealed that those who do pre-order will receive an Xbox Live Arcade version of the original Kazooie game as a bonus. Wait no longer; those details are finally here.

"You'll get the free B-K download token on or near the time you pick up Nuts & Bolts, and for the period between the launch of the two games (Nuts & Bolts on November 11th/14th in US/Europe, B-K XBLA on November 26th), only N&B pre-order customers will be able to download and play B-K XBLA," says a news post on Rare's official website.

You'll be able to download the game for fifteen dollars if you don't want to pre-order, but it's certainly a good way to save some money if you're planning on picking up Nuts and Bolts.

Here's a full list of participating retailers:

U.K.: Amazon, Play.com, Game, and Gamestation
U.S.: Amazon, EBGames, GameStop, and GameCrazy
FRANCE: Micromania and Game
SPAIN: Game
ITALY: GameStop
SCANDINAVIA: Game and GameStop

E3 2008: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Images

Aaron Dunlap — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:57:38 -0500

Microsoft has released these first images of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts for the Xbox 360. The game is developed by Rare and is said to be available this November.

Launch Gallery: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts

(8 images)

New Banjo Kazooie Imagery

Solomon Lee — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:35:09 -0500

Previously known as Banjo Kazooie 3, Microsoft has officially announced that Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts for the Xbox 360 is set for a November release. The game is a radical departure from the series' platforming roots as the gameplay ventures into vehicle building and customization modes.

Hit the jump to view more images.

Banjo Kazooie 3 Coming In 2008?

Solomon Lee — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 19:43:22 -0600

According to CVG, Banjo Kazooie 3 is rumored to be scheduled for a 2008 release following an earlier discussion between Microsoft Game Studios head, Shane Kim and MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo at this year's DICE summit.

Quoth directly from the news story, a Microsoft spokesperson issued this comment:

"As announced at E3 last year, the next installment in the popular Banjo franchise is still on target for 2008."

Those that wish to read the full interview can do so here.

Hirai Looks for PS3 to Start Turning Profit Thanks to 40GB Model

Shiva Stella — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:22:08 -0600

The vibe from the Sony camp is definitely positive since the holidays, with chief executive of SCE Kaz Hirai recently commenting to Reuters that it is possible for Sony to begin turning a profit on the PlayStation 3 console over the next fiscal year.

Hirai stated, "The next fiscal year starts in April and if we can try to achieve that in the next fiscal year that would be a great thing. We are going through the budgets right now. That [profitability] is not a definite commitment, but that is what I would like to try to shoot for."

Hirai explained that the cost of making the machine - specifically the cheaper 40GB model - is what is helping Sony reach this goal. Here's a nice summary:

"Component costs are coming down, and the number of components ... we are seeing a reduction. The 40 gigabyte PlayStation 3 obviously has fewer components, and uses less power, which means that components required to dissipate heat, for example, can be smaller, so there is some cost reduction there... So costs are coming down significantly."

Makes one wonder why they didn't offer the 40GB model from the start.

Sony President Comments on PS Home, BC issues, and Price Drops

Shiva Stella — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:19:24 -0600

According to a Famitsu interview of Kaz Hirai, SCE's President and CEO, as translated by 1UP, Hirai is "not satisfied" with the current state of PlayStation Home, the online service meant to vastly improve the PlayStation 3's multiplayer experience. He stated that "[Home] is a very big project for the PS3 and we want to make sure that we deliver to our hearts content. We hope everyone will look forward to its spring release next year."

Hirai also commented on the company's decision to remove backwards compatibility features from the new 40GB version of the PS3, stating that they "concluded that it is only one of many features of the PS3. What is more important is for the users to play PS3 games on the PS3, so our top priority is for them to be playing Bluray games and downloadable contents."

Finally, regarding potential PS3 price drops, said Hirai, "When there are more games on the console and the unit itself has also shipped a fair number, one trend is that we are able to reduce the costs... This is a common trend so the PS3 doesn't need to go against [it]."

Hit the link to view the translated interview.

Kutaragi Out, Kaz In

Aaron Dunlap — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:50:52 -0600

The father of the PlayStation, Ken Kutaragi, has been shuffled out of his developmental position and reassigned as a CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc (SCEI). This may sound like a promotion, but it effectively removes him from his position as the reins-holder of the PlayStation franchise. Anaylists believe this is due to a lackluster PS3 launch and a generally disappointing performance of the PSP.

Replacing Kutaragi will be Kaz Hirai, currently the President/CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA). He's the one in charge of stateside operations of PlayStation stuff, and will now be in charge of the entire Sony Computer Entertainment company.

This seems a bit strange, for if I had to attribute the failures of the PS3 and PSP to anything, it would have been the crappy marketing and branding (the things Kaz was responsible for) and not the systems' technologies (which Kutaragi was responsible for).

Some are saying this will change Sony's direction from hardware to software (effectively what happened to SEGA after the Dreamcast died). Could this mean no PlayStation 4? Is Sony already deserting the console war? Can any more hype and outlandish predictions be siphoned from a single corporate shakeup?

X06 Unwraps Halo Wars, Other Major Microsoft News

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:28:00 -0500

This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.The original author is Evan Lahti.

Microsoft's annual European show, X06, has shed significant light on the company's plans for major software franchises -- revealing new information about Halo, as well as planned exclusivity for upcoming next-gen titles BioShock, Ubisoft's next Splinter Cell, and others.The two-day show began yesterday in Barcelona, Spain, and leading the pack among other prominent announcements were a pair of four-letter words: Halo Wars -- a real-time strategy title based in the Halo franchise currently in development by both Ensemble Studios (creators of the Age of Empires series) and Bungie for the Xbox 360, set prior to the original Halo: Combat Evolved. A release date was not disclosed for Halo Wars, but Microsoft confirmed that the title is in a playable form.

The game's official website answers the question of how a Halo RTS came into being by saying: "Warthogs are cool. Scorpions are cool. Controlling lots of Warthogs and Scorpions and sending them into battle is really, really cool. We've been big fans of Halo for years at Ensemble Studios, and when we sat down to discuss our next project we thought Halo would be absolutely perfect as an RTS on the Xbox 360." A statement on Bungie's website endorsed the company's choice of Ensemble as the best fit for creating Halo Wars.

"The folks at Ensemble are the only team we trusted to make a Halo RTS and from what we've already seen (and played), it's going to be awesome. And yes, the controls do work great on a 360 pad.

Bungie has been working with Ensemble primarily in the area of the game's fiction to help inspire the story and ensure continuity with the existing Halo Universe. Aside from that, Ensemble is applying their skills to deliver a great Halo experience in a whole new genre, which is ironically where Halo began in the first place. If you've seen some of the very early Halo videos out there, you might recall that before it ever became an FPS, it was in fact designed as an RTS (building off of Bungie's experience with the Myth franchise). Now, many years later, Ensemble is able to take the franchise full circle and bring it back to the place where it all began.

Ensemble brought their prototype to Bungie quite a while back, to show the guys that an RTS could not only work on the 360, but kick ass too. Frankly, Ensemble is one of very few folks on Earth that we would trust with our baby, and that trust is doubled thanks to the excellence of the Age of Empires franchise."

Another additional, but untitled Halo project was also made public at the event, though we only know that the game is being developed by Peter Jackson's Wingnut Interactive and is slated to be the "next chapter" in the series.Jackson, who made his intentions to partner with Microsoft Game Studios transparent, said this when asked about his teaming with the company: "From a movie-maker's point of view, it is clear to me that the Xbox 360 platform is the stage where storytellers can work their craft in the same way they do today with movies and books but taking it further with interactivity." Jackson last collaborated with Microsoft when his game based on the movie, Peter Jackson's King Kong, was a launch title on the Xbox 360, and released on other major platforms as well.Aside from Halo, Microsoft spilled the beans on exclusive content en route to its console, including two Xbox 360-specific episodes for the next Grand Theft Auto game that will be available online near its release in fall 2007. Likewise, the next game to follow in Ubisoft's Splinter Cell series, titled "Conviction" is now a Microsoft exclusive (it will appear on the PC as well), along with Irrational Games' Bioshock, the successor to System Shock, which was originally also being developed for the PlayStation 3. Rare, a MGS-subsidiary, is also currently developing Banjo-Kazooie 3 for the console.With Sony boasting at the Tokyo Game Show last weekend that its low-end model of the PlayStation 3 will now come equipped with HDMI, the head of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment division, Peter Moore, countered, stating that 160 high-definition, 1080p-supported titles will be available on the Xbox 360 by Christmas. Moore also underlined that along with the console's HD-DVD attachment being priced at $199, at least 50 films on the format will be in stores by the end of the year.Expect more news on Halo Wars and other Xbox 360-exclusive content to become available as the holidays draw near. You can also check out five promotional images released for Halo Wars below.