Nintendo Branding Removed from Banjo Kazooie XBLA #1 at Nintendo Cubed3

A leaked video of the forthcoming release of Banjo Kazooie on XBLA has revealed Nintendo's presence removed from the game.

During E3 2008, Microsoft announced plans for the Banjo franchise - including a port of the N64 original title as a download for Xbox 360, complete with graphical touches, achievements and Nintendo branding.

It seems that Gruntilda has had her wicked way and Nintendo's presence (except everyone's favourite save slot; the GameBoy) has been stripped bear, more so bare.

The game will be making its way to the system on November 26th, complete with sequel Tooie next year.

It seems also that the pair are exclusive to the Xbox 360, and the Wii may not be recieiving the N64 versions:

Microsoft announced today that the N64 classic "Banjo-Kazooie" will be released exclusively on Xbox Live Arcade on November 26 , 2008.

Share this article

About Jorge Ba-oh

Comment on this article

Comments on this Article

«s previous1next »

SuperLink on 25.09.2008 at 19:47#1

Cool.

I can imagine why they didn't take out the GameBoy, but I wonder if Nintendo will react?

Twitter | C3 Moderator | Backloggery

ohm on 25.09.2008 at 19:51#2

Damn, I don't want it anymore.

jb on 25.09.2008 at 19:56#3

SuperLink said:
Cool.
I can imagine why they didn't take out the GameBoy, but I wonder if Nintendo will react?

Probably not, as the GB in there does look like a GB, but can also be passed off as a generic device like cartoons do a lot.

Cubed3 Admin/Founder & Designer

Mandown on 25.09.2008 at 20:03#4

To be expected I suppose. I wonder how the two companies resolved this, if they even have

dartmonkey on 25.09.2008 at 21:06#5

Banjo-related topic=stars for all while my stars last!

Sucky about brand-removal, I was all for a new era of Rare/MS/Nintendo love and affection and bumsex but what the hey. Question is, will the script reference to Mario get through the net when Tooie's released? Ooo it's so exciting I think I need a cup of tea!

Less posty, more gamey.

RudyC3 on 25.09.2008 at 23:08#6

There were more nurmerous nintendo references in Tooie like donkey kong's face appearing here and there. I'm waiting to see how much they'll remove, and maybe what they'll add to replace those references/textures/etc...

Also i wonder if the Nintendo logo on the xylophone was removed in the intro cutscene, this video doesn't show it.

Cubed3 Limited Staff :: Review and Feature Writer

TimoteiWest on 26.09.2008 at 00:06#7

They went to the trouble of re-doing the text which is nice. Naturally, the console will remove the blurry graphics, which also nice.

WTF FRAMERATE?

Guest on 26.09.2008 at 01:45#8

OMG not the GAMEBOY! Smilie lol

SuperShyGuy62 on 26.09.2008 at 02:42#9

i wish rare never went too microsoft and just stayed with nintendo. i would have love too see a sequel to DK 64

Mario, Mega Man and Rayman FTW!!!

Martin_ on 26.09.2008 at 14:56#10

jb said:
Probably not, as the GB in there does look like a GB, but can also be passed off as a generic device like cartoons do a lot.

This. As long as it doesn't say "Nintendo" on it, it passes as just a generic handheld console.

Kafei2006 said:
There were more nurmerous nintendo references in Tooie like donkey kong's face appearing here and there. I'm waiting to see how much they'll remove, and maybe what they'll add to replace those references/textures/etc...

I imagine spoken-references (by the characters) to Nintendo games and/or characters will be legally sound, and won't be changed. A character mentioning the name "Mario" or whatever is not a grounds for copyright infringement. "Fair use" allows for the use of/strong reference to copyrighted material in the context of satire. How do you think comedy programs get away with making uncountable amounts of pastiches out of copyrighted commercial products?

In the context of XBLA Banjo-Tooie, I imagine all of the Nintendo in-jokes will remain, and merely the Nintendo logos will be removed, as we see here in XBLA Banjo-Kazooie.

hde226868 on 26.09.2008 at 20:47#11

Banjo-Kazooie is a so innatural franchise on the Xbox.

Martin_ on 26.09.2008 at 21:24#12

hde226868 said:
Banjo-Kazooie is a so innatural franchise on the Xbox.

This makes no sense at all.

russraine on 26.09.2008 at 21:58#13

It's so funny to see Rare re-releasing games that are 10x better than the current crop of titles.

Laurelin on 28.09.2008 at 20:35#14

russraine said:
It's so funny to see Rare re-releasing games that are 10x better than the current crop of titles.

...the current crop of Rare's titles, actually!

Since Rare went to Microsoft, not only half of the original crew left, but they didn't release any really cute, great game. Always the final touch is missing, since Nintendo commented on this before release. Viva Pinata is a good game, so is Kameo, but both are not new, have fresh ideas and the high polished finnish Rare's Nintendo-titles had.
Hell, I saw more ideas in this 10 minutes of Banjo then I saw in the mentioned 2 games above.
I don't miss Rare.

I think they only removed the Nintendo-logo because Nintendo wasn't involved in the release of the x-blah version. All references in text may be removed, but it takes a lot of redoing to remove textures or even models. That's to high an effort, so I think the Gameboy and Donkey-Kong-heads will stay there.
Nintendo was publisher of the first N64 game and Microsoft is publisher of this game here. So Nintendo's not involved.

I find your lack of faith disturbing!

«s previous1next »