Banjo Tooie (N64)

Banjo the bear is alive and kicking, too, with some awesome enhancements and new abilities. Also, Mumbo Jumbo the shaman makes an appearance with his amazing bag of spells. He's even a playable character in some levels.

It will come as no surprise to gamers that Gruntilda the witch is once again up to no good, spreading her bad breath and venom across eight new worlds. Aside from the returning cast, gamers will be introduced to more than 125 new characters.

In this sequel, Banjo has the ability to get Kazooie off of his back... literally. The dynamic duo of Banjo and Kazooie must separate in order to solve the many puzzles and overcome obstacles that will confront them in this game. Both of them can also transform into different creatures, each with specific abilities that allow them to perform special tasks, which would otherwise be impossible for them to execute in their native forms. Banjo, for example, can turn into a washing machine or a submarine, but still maintains the familiar yellow shorts and blue backpack that gamers have become accustomed to him wearing.

The gameplay has more of a cinematic approach this time around--there's support for widescreen and surround-sound--and the camera system has been tweaked to provide better shots of the action. What's more, Banjo-Tooie is loaded with 10 multiplayer games that will accommodate--get this--four players. Two favourites are the unique egg-blasting first-person shoot-outs and one called "Bottles Revenge". --Todd Mowatt