Banjo and Kazooie weren’t the only 3D platformer mascots Rare created for the Nintendo 64. Often lauded as one of the console’s best, Max Roberts and Logan Moore decided to both play Conker’s Bad Fur Day for the very first time. Was Rare firing on all cylinders in the late 90s or is Conker actually a great and mighty pile of poo?
It is time to pack away your backpack and order a large pizza to get fat and lazy because the Banjo-Kazooie season of Chapter Select is done! We just barely got one season done within the first six months of the year. It wasn’t my plan to cut it that close, but we have been busy with other seasons of the show. 👀 I know I have said it in bothpreviousLooking Back posts, but Chapter Select remains to be my creative highlight. I suspect it will continue to be for years to come.
Season 3 – Banjo-Kazooie was our toughest season yet. There were creative hurdles. The show’s structure was tested. As is now tradition, I want to take time to pull back the curtain on the production of the show. I’ve got more data, insight, and pre-production assets than ever before. I think a lot of this was bore out of the challenges we faced this go around. I also think it has led to a better product – both this season and in future ones.
It’s time for Banjo and Kazooie to make their debut on the go! Max Roberts and Logan Moore wrap up Season Three-ie of Chapter Select with the portable (and mobile) debut of the legendary duo. Is this entry worthy of the name or would it be better to time travel back and forget Grunty’s Revenge?
Has there ever been a more perfect name for a sequel? Max Roberts, Logan Moore, and special guest Brian Henken explore the Isle o’ Hags to see if Banjo-Tooie is more than just a clever name. Is it possible to have too much of a good thing?
After an eight-year long slumber, Banjo-Kazooie comes out of hibernation with a brand new owner. Max Roberts, Logan Moore, and special guest Michael Ruiz pick up the pieces left behind by Rare and try to understand what Rare built on the Xbox 360. Are the bones of Nuts & Bolts strong or does it all fall apart under scrutiny?
Welcome to Season Three-ie of Chapter Select! Strap on your backpack, work on your rhyming schemes, and prepare to nab a lot of collectibles because this season revolves around Banjo-Kazooie. Max Roberts, Logan Moore, and special guest Michael Koczwara climb up Spiral Mountain to face the green witch and all her cronies. If Microsoft won’t give the Bear and the Bird a proper three-quel, we will (…talk about them).
Spending so much time with Banjo-Kazooie lately for Chapter Select reminded me of Rare’s Dinosaur Planet. I remember the build leaking last year and Digital Foundry publishing this analysis, but I never got around to watching it. Now in full blown Rare mode, I’ve finally come back to watch. A fascinating look at cross-generational development back in the early 2000s. We don’t get leaps like this between console generations anymore.
Logan and I are thrilled to be exploring the Banjo-Kazooie series for the third season of Chapter Select. It’s been a long time coming, but it is still a shorter turn around than a proper Banjo-Tooie sequel.
This season has the highest ratio of guests to episodes so far in the show’s history. While tied with Season 1 – Paper Mario with three guests, there’s more variety to go around this season. We are stoked for the voices you’ll hear alongside Logan’s and my own as we explore Banjo-Kazooie.
The art this season was a challenge for me. I’ll save the deep dive for the “look back” post when Season 3 wraps up, but I was heavily inspired by my own Wiki Stories and the recent emoji kick I have been on. It’s like I just discovered the variety emoji have. 👀 Finding the font designed by Oakland Elliff gave the art the final push it needed.
The teaser we released is one of my favorite ideas come to life. It would not have been possible without the technical prowess and knowhow of Michael Koczwara. I am eternally in his debt for bringing my whacky idea to life.
I hope you are as excited for Season 3: Banjo-Kazooie as I am. The first episode will be launching next Wednesday, with new episodes following in a fortnightly manner. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts!
Update (8/5/2022): I added the Conker’s Bad Fur Day episode. At the time of publication, this episode was a secret. We wanted to surprise listeners with a bonus episode.
