More hands-on with Banjo, new shots posted

Lots of new hands-on impressions from Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts just went live, so waste you evening reading what IGN, Eurogamer, Gamespot and CVG think of the Rare bear adventure.

What IGN thinks:

We're quite sure Rare's claims of endless replayability will hold true too if you get into Nuts & Bolts' admittedly excellent vehicle creation system with gusto. From recent evidence though - and assuming Rare isn't hiding anything significant from journos at this late stage - Nuts & Bolts feels like two promising concepts shoe-horned awkwardly into a single, unsatisfying whole. Yes, we're glad that Banjo and the bird are back - we're just not convinced if this is quite the right, er, vehicle for their return.

What EG thinks:

As it stands we're absolutely certain that the idea itself works. Construction is easy, fun and flexible, the mission structure and progression is in place, it looks amazing, and it's even got some quite fun (if rather hectic) multiplayer game modes in there. It may not be the game we expected it to be, but if building and racing vehicles around Banjo's worlds has enough depth to hold interest, it could still turn out to be a game we learn to love.

What CVG thinks:

It remains to be seen if Rare's still up to the task of wowing us like it did with those standout N64 moments, exploring Treasure Trove Cove in the air and stomping around Mayan temples as a giant gold statue... But we're very, very much looking forward to finding out come its launch on November 14.

What Gamespot thinks:

Banjo-Kazooie is shaping up, both visually and in its gameplay. The quirky design that's gone into some of the crazy gameworld looks promising, and fans of the series will be relieved to know that many of their beloved characters will be making starring or cameo appearances this time around. We're keen to play around more with Mumbo's vehicle editor and test out our creations in multiplayer matches--an equally solid experience in addition to the single-player mode--at a later date.

There are some new shots on Xboxygen for you, as well.

More? Gamespot's posted an interview with lead technical artist Neill Harrison and senior animator Elissa Miller, if all that isn't enough.