It all started on a random June afternoon in 1998. The day had likely been spent the same as so many others during my summer vacation…glued to the tv, most likely watching cartoons on Nickelodeon. I can still vividly remember seeing a commercial that started with some guys sitting around the campfire as one of them described this unbelievable creature they had witnessed while out in the woods shortly before one of them is snatched from their seat and carried through the air. The commercial then cut to some gameplay shots of a new Nintendo 64 game featuring a bear with a bird in its…backpack?. The game was called ‘Banjo-Kazooie’ and me being the easily-influenced child I was at the time, I knew I NEEDED to play it. Of course, the immediate hurdle preventing my playing said game was the fact I didn’t even have an N64. It was shortly afterwards that I discovered a way that I could play this Nintendo game that had (almost)entirely consumed my thoughts.
There was a small clothing/jewelry store in town that also rented out movies and games and I was THRILLED when I noticed a copy of Banjo-Kazooie sitting on the rental shelf. What made this even more a sign from the heavens was learning that the store also rented out Playstations and N64s. The consoles themselves were rented out in these black plastic briefcases with molded foam on the insides to securely house the precious cargo – these things looked like they’d survive a fall out of a three-story window. I was able to negotiate with my mom and she agreed we could rent an N64 and a game or two and play over the weekend. I can still remember coming out of the store, bulletproof briefcase and game cartridge in hand. At risk of sounding hyperbolic, this was the MOST EXCITED I’D BEEN ABOUT ANYTHING IN MY LIFE.
We got home and I frantically began hooking up the N64 to the little tv in my bedroom, where I spent almost every waking minute over the next two days. There’s something almost indescribable the feeling of playing the game for the first time – gameplay, music, controls; it was magical and I loved every bit of it. I still remember making it through the Spiral Mountain tutorial before collecting every note and puzzle piece in Mumbo’s Mountain. Next up was Treasure Trove Cove, which to this day is still my favorite level in Banjo-Kazooie. I managed to make it all the way to Bubblegloop Swamp that weekend, before getting somewhat stuck(no pun intended) and running out of time before having to bring everything back to the rental store.
After falling in love with Banjo-Kazooie in this brief amount of time, the goal over the next few months was clear: acquiring an N64 for my birthday in December. I had played Mario 64 and a few other games(Cruisin’ USA, NBA Hangtime, and Diddy Kong Racing) at various times when hanging out with my friends and neighbors and definitely knew I wanted one, but this time I possessed a newfound sense of determination. I was successful in wearing down negotiating with my mom and she agreed that I could have my choice of either a Nintendo 64 or PlayStation for my birthday. I briefly entertained the idea of getting a PlayStation over the fall after going back to the rental store and trying out a few games(NBA Live ‘98 and Nuclear Strike) and there was a new PlayStation game that looked pretty cool after seeing the commercials, titled ‘Metal Gear Solid.’ It was Banjo-Kazooie, however, that I can point to as *THE REASON* I needed an N64…and I regret nothing. My birthday finally rolled around at the end of the year and I finally got the N64 I’d spent so much time dreaming about, along with Banjo-Kazooie a couple days later during my birthday party.
I spent the rest of the month obsessively playing Banjo-Kazooie. I remember standing in the gym during basketball practice after school and counting down the minutes until I could get the hell out of there and resume exploring more of Gruntilda’s Lair at home. I can still remember spending the days leading up to Christmas collecting everything in Freezeezy Peak, which was 100% season-appropriate. It quickly catapulted its way into my favorite games of all time, alongside Super Mario Bros. 3 and Donkey Kong Country.
It was a couple years later that I got Banjo-Tooie, which I really liked, but never could say I loved the experience anywhere near as much as the original. A few years later I had the opportunity, as an adult, to play the HD remake of the original on my Xbox 360 and absolutely nothing had changed. I loved the game every bit as much as when I first played it – that familiar ‘Rare magic’ was still there.
I’ve been asked several times over the course of my online existence about which gaming memory means the most to me and getting my Nintendo 64(w/atomic purple controller) and Banjo-Kazooie is usually my answer. It has, along with a handful of other N64 games, become part of my Gamer DNA and has played a significant part in my life. One of the reasons I ever decided to start a gaming blog was finding an outlet to talk about games like Banjo-Kazooie, Ocarina of Time or Resident Evil 4 with others as I’d never come across many others who shared the same appreciation for those games(or gaming in general). I’ve written in the past about how much I love Banjo-Kazooie and I’ve even played through the game several times on stream. For all that I’ve droned on about the game, it feels like I still haven’t properly articulated how significant of a place in my life Banjo-Kazooie has occupied. It’s ascended beyond “just a video game” and symbolizes those moments of innocent childhood joy. A pure emotion that diminishes far too often over the years…
Happy 25th anniversary, Banjo(and Kazooie!) Guh-Huh!
Gaming Omnivore 