Banjo-Pilot

Banjo-Pilot
Developer(s) Rare
Publisher(s) THQ
Composer(s)
Series Banjo-Kazooie
Platform(s) Game Boy Advance
Release
  • NA: 12 January 2005
  • EU: 1 February 2005
Genre(s) Kart racing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Banjo-Pilot is a 2005 kart racing video game for the Game Boy Advance (GBA) and the fourth instalment in Rare's Banjo series. It plays similarly to the Mario Kart series by Nintendo: the player must control one of the nine playable characters around tracks to win races. While racing, the player must attack other racers using bullets, and features that assist them, such as power-ups, are scattered across the tracks. The game features a number of game modes, such as time attack and searching for collectibles, for both a single-player and multiple others. Banjo-Pilot is distinguished from other kart racing games because the characters control airplanes instead of go-karts.

One of the first GBA games announced, Banjo-Pilot had a tumultuous development period. Rare and Nintendo announced the game at E3 2001 under the title Diddy Kong Pilot. At this point, it was the sequel to Rare's Diddy Kong Racing (1997), and featured characters from Donkey Kong and Mario. The game was set to release in 2002 but number of problems arose, such as Nintendo being unhappy with it and company politics making progress impossible. When Microsoft acquired Rare in September 2002, Rare lost the rights to the Nintendo-owned Donkey Kong characters and was forced to replace them with characters from their Banjo series. Banjo-Pilot was published by THQ in January 2005. Reviewers criticised its lack of originality and failure to innovate, but praised its detailed visuals and animations. Ultimately, they labelled it an inferior clone of Mario Kart.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot showing the player character, Banjo the bear, racing in one of the playable tracks

Banjo-Pilot is a kart racing game[1] featuring characters and environments from the Banjo-Kazooie series of platform games.[2] It plays similarly to the Mario Kart series by Nintendo:[3] the player, controlling a character in their vehicle, must race opponents around tracks. The player views the gameplay from behind the character's back, and must manoeuvre their character throughout the race. Each race is three laps long, and the tracks have features that give players temporary advantages, such as hoops that give the player bursts of speed when gone through and power-ups to attack others.[3][4] Collectible, golden music notes are scattered around tracks as well.[2] Banjo-Pilot is distinguished from other kart racing games because the player controls airplanes instead of go-karts,[1] allowing them to move up and down.[4] However, the planes do exhibit behaviours normally associated with karts, such as slowing down over rough ground.[5] The planes are equipped with bullets that can be shot at other players; they can also do a barrel roll to avoid attacks from others.[5] The game features a total of nine player characters,[4] although some are not available at the start.[6]:12—13

The game features sixteen tracks[7] accessible through four different game modes for a single-player.[6]:5 In Grand Prix, players race opponents through a series of four consecutive tracks and earn points based on their finishing position.[3] At the end of Grand Prix, players must participate in a Champion Challenge—an aerial dogfight against a boss.[2][3] Jiggy Challenge retains the emphasis on collecting items from the Banjo platformers: the player must look for puzzle pieces called Jiggies while racing Bottles the mole, and collect as many as they can to earn additional points.[2] Quickrace allows the player to choose from any of the game's tracks to race on, while time trial challenges players to finish a course in the fastest time possible.[6]:5 The game also features multiplayer modes for up to four players: a multiplayer version of Grand Prix; a one-on-one race; and a dogfighting game.[2] Competing in races will earn players pages of a book, which serve as a form of currency. How many they earn is based on their race placement and how many musical notes they collect. These pages can be given to the anthropomorphic book Cheato in exchange for various bonuses.[2]

Development

Promotional artwork for Diddy Kong Pilot

Banjo-Pilot was developed by Rare for the Game Boy Advance (GBA). It was one of the first GBA games announced[1] and had a tumultuous development period[8] that spanned nearly five years.[2] At the beginning of development, Rare was a second-party developer for Nintendo and was known for creating games in its long running Donkey Kong franchise.[9] As such, the game was originally titled Diddy Kong Pilot and would have been a sequel to Rare's 1997 game Diddy Kong Racing.[10] Nintendo and Rare announced the game at E3 2001[11] alongside Donkey Kong Racing, another Diddy Kong Racing sequel for the GameCube.[12] They presented demos to attendees at E3 and Nintendo Space World in August 2001.[11][13] While it could be played using the GBA's D-pad, Diddy Kong Pilot was to feature the option to control the playable characters (from Donkey Kong and Mario[10]) by tilting the system, as the cartridge contained the same accelerometer technology used in Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble.[11] Rare chose to focus on planes rather than cars because they wanted the game to stand out against other GBA racers.[14] Journalists reacted positively to the demos, with particular praise directed at the visuals.[11][13][12]

Nintendo aimed to release Diddy Kong Pilot on 4 March 2002,[15] but it became concerned with the quality of the game around the time of Space World. One programmer retrospectively summarized Nintendo's concerns as: "Tilt is not working well, a racing game with planes is pointless if you don't have a 3D world, the GBA's LCD is not well suited in situations where the GBA is not held perfectly in line with a light source, etc."[16] Rare was expected to finish the game by October despite the fact they still had to implement numerous game modes; the programmer stated he believed it should have been cancelled instead. Company politics also complicated development. According to the programmer, Rare management was "micro-managing us into different directions, disregarding any hardware or cartridge space limitations."[16] By September 2002 the game was still yet to be released and Nintendo rival Microsoft acquired Rare.[17][18] While the buyout did not affect Rare's plans to produce GBA games because Microsoft did not compete in the handheld market,[19] they lost the Donkey Kong intellectual property (IP).[10]

After developing the GBA port of Donkey Kong Country 2,[14] Rare staff were told they still needed to finish Diddy Kong Pilot, but would have to retool it using elements from the Banjo series.[10] Banjo was one of the IPs Rare retained after the Microsoft buyout,[17] so the project was retitled Banjo-Pilot.[10] Rare's Paul Rahme said retooling it took five months.[10] The game underwent "radical changes" during the transition; the graphics and presentation were altered, and different racetracks were added. Rare also removed the tilt controls, which they determined did not work well.[20] The soundtrack, composed by Robin Beanland and Jamie Hughes,[21] was unaltered as Rare was unable to implement new music.[10] Rare staff that developed the Nintendo 64 (N64) Banjo games did not have much involvement, but the lead designer did supervise to make sure the content was in line with the N64 games.[14] The IP change came to light in July 2003 when Microsoft trademarked the Banjo-Pilot title.[22] Both the Diddy Kong Pilot prototypes and the final game use a Mode 7-style game engine, but at one point Rare switched to one that rendered environments using voxels.[1][23] The voxel engine was quickly discarded because of frame rate problems that arose when characters and weapons were added to it.[14]

On 11 August 2003, Microsoft announced it was collaborating with THQ to publish Rare's GBA projects, including Banjo-Pilot, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, a remake of Sabre Wulf, and It's Mr. Pants.[24] Banjo-Pilot was released in North America on 12 January 2005[1] and in Europe on 11 February 2005.[25] Years after Banjo-Pilot's release, in 2011 a prototype version in its Diddy Kong Pilot form was leaked online.[16]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic68/100 (22 reviews)[26]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Eurogamer6/10[3]
GameSpot7.2/10[4]
GameSpy[2]
GameZone8.2/10[27]
IGN8/10[1]
Nintendo World Report7.5/10[5]
VideoGamer.com4/10[7]
Cubed39/10[8]

According to Metacritic, a video game review aggregator, Banjo-Pilot received "mixed or average reviews".[26] Many reviewers were quick to point out that the game lacked originality, and believed placing the characters in planes was not enough to set it apart from other kart racing games on the GBA.[1][7][4] GameSpy and Nintendo World Report (NWR) noted the planes still had behaviours traditionally associated with go-karts, such as slowing down when not on the track.[2][5] NWR also argued the manoeuvres the planes could do were worthless and did not add anything to the experience.[5] Eurogamer thought the planes made the game feel more 3D but reduced it to favoring luck over skill.[3] Additionally, NWR believed Banjo-Pilot lacked what made Rare's prior racing games R.C. Pro-Am (1988) and Diddy Kong Racing great,[5] while VideoGamer.com wrote that removing Nintendo characters and the tilt controls prevented the game from bringing innovation to the kart racing genre.[7]

The game was often labelled a clone of Nintendo's Mario Kart games.[3][7] While reviewers generally felt Banjo-Pilot was one of the better Mario Kart clones—Cubed3 and IGN both called it the second-best GBA racer after Super Circuit (2001)[1][8]—they wrote that players would be better off playing a game from that series.[2][3] Eurogamer thought players should try Banjo-Pilot before deciding to buy it,[3] and GameSpy and VideoGamer.com said there was no reason to have it when better games like Mario Kart and Konami Krazy Racers were already available on the GBA.[2][7] IGN, on the other hand, argued that the similarities to Mario Kart were not necessarily a bad thing as it allowed for balanced game design,[1] and GameSpot said the game was still entertaining and favorably compared it to the original Super Mario Kart (1992).[4] Eurogamer and VideoGamer.com also questioned how appealing the game would be to players, noting characters such as Banjo were relatively obscure and would likely only be recognized by those who played the N64 Banjo games.[3][7]

Reviewers generally felt that Banjo-Pilot, as a Mario Kart clone, was fine gameplay-wise, but disagreed over whether this was enough to make it a successful game.[1][4][3] While IGN argued Banjo-Pilot improved upon the kart racing formula because of its new game modes and believed its planes controlled better than go-karts,[1] Eurogamer said the planes made the game favor luck over skill.[3] Reviewers from Cubed3,[8] GameZone,[27] IGN,[1] and NWR,[5] praised the controls as intuitive and simple, although IGN believed they "scream[ed]" for compatibility with an analogue stick.[1] However, GameSpy called the controls overly sensitive and noted they were set to those of a standard airplane, which they called counter-intuitive.[2] Eurogamer characterized the controls as hard to get used to.[3] Reviewers singled out the multiplayer mode as a highlight, with GameSpot and GameZone respectively calling it the game's strongest feature[4] and the GBA's best since The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords,[27] although Eurogamer wrote it was challenging to find others who owned the game.[3] The boss fights were criticised for their inconsistent difficulties and some felt they distracted from the overall experience,[1][7][3] although Cubed3 and GameSpy praised Rare's effort to innovate.[2][8] VideoGamer.com was enraged by the difficulty of opponent AI.[7]

Critics were more generous towards the presentation; many praised the amount of detail in the visuals and animations.[2][3][27] Cubed3 and GameSpot respectively compared them to that of a a low-end N64 game[8] and a Mode 7 Super Nintendo game,[4] Eurogamer felt they were impressive and used the GBA's otherwise subpar 3D capabilities to the fullest,[3] and GameZone called them eye-catching.[27] The steady frame rate was also praised.[1][2][3] One of the only problems IGN noticed was pop-up that occurred when weapons were picked up.[1] Visual perception was an area many reviewers found fault with, as they noted sometimes other racers would block their line of sight.[1][4][8] The audio was praised by VideoGamer.com and GameZone, who respectively called it one of the bearable aspects of the game[7] and humorous.[27] IGN felt the music was well-composed and fit the Banjo theme, although they did note similarities the tracks bore to those from other games and films like Aladdin.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Harris, Craig (20 January 2005). "Banjo-Pilot". IGN. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Theobald, Phil (31 January 2005). "GameSpy: Banjo-Pilot". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 8 October 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Reed, Kristan (25 February 2005). "Banjo Pilot". Eurogamer. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Navarro, Alex (31 January 2005). "Banjo Pilot Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Metts, Jonathan (January 15, 2005). "Banjo Pilot". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 Rare (2005). Banjo-Pilot (instruction manual). THQ.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Carvell, Steven (22 March 2005). "Banjo Pilot Review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Riley, Adam (3 September 2005). "Banjo Pilot (Game Boy Advance) Review". Cubed3. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  9. ↑ Edge staff (October 2010). "Rare Vintage". Edge. Future plc. ISSN 1350-1593.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sanchez, David (4 May 2012). "Canceled Diddy Kong Racing Sequel Surfaces". GameZone. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Harris, Craig (19 May 2001). "E3: Hands on: Diddy Kong Pilot". IGN. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  12. 1 2 Metts, Jonathan (13 August 2001). "Diddy Kong Pilot Preview". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  13. 1 2 Satterfield, Shane (24 August 2001). "Space World 2001: Hands-on: Diddy Kong Pilot". GameSpot. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  14. 1 2 3 4 NWR staff (3 February 2005). "Banjo Pilot / It's Mr. Pants Interview". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  15. ↑ Metts, Jonathan (9 October 2001). "Nintendo's New Release Dates". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  16. 1 2 3 Cowan, Danny (7 November 2011). "Unreleased GBA Racer Diddy Kong Pilot Emerges As Playable Prototype". GameSetWatch. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  17. 1 2 Bramwell, Tom (24 September 2002). "Nintendo working on new Donkey Kong". Eurogamer. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  18. ↑ "Microsoft Acquires Video Game Powerhouse Rare Ltd". Microsoft. 26 September 2002. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  19. ↑ McLaughlin, Rus (28 July 2008). "IGN Presents: The History of Rare". IGN. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  20. ↑ Harris, Craig (18 September 2003). "Rare Interview". IGN. Archived from the original on 10 July 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  21. ↑ Rare (12 January 2005). Banjo Pilot. THQ. Level/area: Credits roll.
  22. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (25 July 2003). "Microsoft planning Diddy Kong Pilot IP switch?". Eurogamer. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  23. ↑ Harris, Craig (21 April 2004). "Banjo-Pilot". IGN. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  24. ↑ "Rare Line-up Revealed". IGN. 11 August 2003. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  25. ↑ "Banjo Pilot sur Gameboy Advance". Jeuxvideo.com. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  26. 1 2 "Banjo-Pilot for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Banjo Pilot Review". GameZone. May 4, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
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