...-Kazooie.

Banjo-Kazooie is one of those games you don't forget. Its legacy is undeniable. It and its sequel are, in my opinion, the greatest games on the Nintendo 64. That's right, I said it.

Banjo-Kazooie and its sequel just have a certain something that few games on the platform have. It's hard to pinpoint the specific thing that makes the games so excellent. Is it the tight-for-the-N64 controls? The depth to the games? The great music? The excellent-for-the-time graphics? Sense of humor? Excellent gameplay? Atmosphere? I believe it's all of these things combined that makes the games so great. Think about it. Every other real classic that could compete for the spot the Banjo-Kazooie games hold has a flaw or two or three or more that drag the experience down. Super Mario 64 has the camera that's out to kill you and can get extremely repetitive and Ocarina of Time is too cryptic in some parts. With the Banjo-Kazooie games, there are no flaws so huge that they drag the whole experience down. And I've played both games 100% so I'd say I know a thing or two about them. I challenge you to find a game that you can say the same thing about, excluding puzzle games like Tetris and stuff, because they're not exactly large-scale games. Not to say puzzle games are bad, just saying comparing them to large-scale 3D games wouldn't be fair because it would be like comparing apples to oranges.

Banjo-Kazooie was my introduction to the system. I think I can safely say that it largely influenced my taste in games, since to this day I tend to prefer games with heavy elements of exploration and item collecting, and games such as Cave Story and Treasure Adventure Game capture my attention far more than FPSes or whatever.

But I wouldn't say it's nostalgia goggles that make me hold the Banjo-Kazooie games in such high regard. If that were the case, I wouldn't be able to pick them up and enjoy them today, despite the fact technology has advanced so much since 1998. They're still fun to this day, where I honestly believe a good remake of Super Mario 64 would be in order if you wanted to play it today and fully enjoy it without needless annoyance.

Sadly, the series is now in limbo, with Microsoft having acquired Rare and having them make Wii Sports ripoffs. But what we got are three great games in the Banjo-Kazooie series that are unique, presented excellently, and most importantly, fun.

Yes, three. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts was a game I actually thorougly enjoyed. Sure, it deviated from the formula. So? When another Mario Kart game, which is a vehicle-based game based on a largely-platforming series gets released, nobody complains. So why are people so offended by Banjo-Kazooie, a platforming series, getting a vehicle-based game? Sure, it has its problems, but a lot of the Banjo-Kazooie spirit is there, albeit in another form. The characters are there, the collecting is there, the wit is there, the music is there, the visual presentation is there. If you accept it for what it is, it's a really fun game. Sure, Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie are better than it, but look at what it had to compete with. It's the latest in a series of excellent games and came out years after the previous two. The expectations and pressure was high. You can't really blame them for trying something new, and the fact what we got was good is a miracle enough, expecting it to actually SURPASS the games would be insane.

I admit, I would do anything for a true successor. Banjo-Threeie, as hinted by Gruntilda in the ending sequence of Banjo-Tooie. A modern-day Banjo-Kazooie game, with the old gameplay elements there, but improved upon. With the benefit of modern-day controllers with their more accurate control sticks. Graphics that look excellent and take advantage of the power of today's machines to be more detailed, but still in the Banjo-Kazooie style. Grant Kirkhope doing the music. Heck, maybe throw in co-op and reasonable DLC such as more levels. I'd sell a kidney to play five minutes of that. I'd rip the thing out myself if I had to.