The Last of Us episode three – “Long, Long Time” – is already in contention for the year’s best episode of television. In a ruined world full of monsters there isn’t much to be happy about, but the love story between misanthropic Doomsday survivalist Bill and handsome romantic Frank brought a tear to our eyes. That turned into a flood during the gut-punch ending to their story, and the rest of the season will have to be something special to live up to it. 3cb3r

Nick Offerman is already being mooted for an Emmy for his performance as Bill, proving once again that he’s got talents way beyond the comedic roles he’s generally known for. But, in an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel he confessed he’d never played The Last of Us as his brief addiction to a 90s classic made him fearful he’d ruin his career if kept gaming.

That game? Rare’s 1998 Nintendo 64 classic Banjo-Kazooie.

“25 years ago I played my last video game. I’m very indulgent. I lost a couple of weeks to a video game called Banjo-Kazooie. I was like, ‘Oh my God, the slow dopamine drip is so delicious.’ Then it’s over and you’re like, ‘Yes! I won!’ And immediately I’m like, ‘What have I done with my life?’ So I decided I’m never gonna do that again.”

We sympathize, as collecting those Jigglies and triumphing over Gruntilda (to Grant Kirkhope’s all-time great soundtrack) was one heck of a fun time.

Banjo-Kazooie remains a beloved fan favorite, though we haven’t seen a new game since the mixed reception of 2008’s Nuts & Bolts. However, the bird and bear made a triumphant appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as DLC characters.

Then again, if they made a proper comeback and needed someone gruff to play Banjo? Well, Offerman is building a great track record in video game adaptations…

Some unfortunate news has recently broken for those with fond memories of the iconic Nintendo 64 platformers, Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. Back in 2012, several former employees of series creators Rare announced plans to create some sort of spiritual successor to the titular bear and bird’s original adventures, possibly funding the game through Kickstarter. After the initial announcement, things went quiet for a very long time. Unfortunately, there turned out to be a good reason for that. In a recent online interview, Grant Kirkhope, the musical composer responsible for the original games’ soundtracks, confirmed that despite some initial group meetings and planning, the project has completely evaporated. The following quote from Kirkhope offers more information:

“The other guys actually had a secret meeting in a pub near Rare and we even got as far as having a character drawn up and a demo level type thing but it all fell to bits …. everyone’s got other jobs, etc.”

As someone who grew up loving the Banjo titles, and much of Rare’s older work in general back when they were Nintendo’s most revered Western developer, this is certainly a shame to hear. The platformer genre, despite continued from icons like Mario, Sonic and Rayman, is now usually relegated to indie developers for most modern releases. Having veterans from Rare’s glory days return to their roots for a new Banjo-esque adventure would have truly been a welcome experience for many gamers, myself included. Considering that Rare themselves are focused on the Kinect Sports series nowadays, I do hope that Microsoft, the developer’s current owner, takes the opportunity to revive the series via another developer like they did with Killer Instinct, but only time will tell if that will ever happen. Would you have been interested in a game harkening back to the days of N64 platformers like Banjo-Kazooie?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Anthropomorphism is, by definition, the attribution of human characteristics to other animals (a definition which can also extend to other non-living things, such as plants, objects, spirits and even organizations). Though nearly all creative mediums have delved into the personification of animals – be it in literary stories such as Watership Down or in filmmaking with Pixar’s A Bug’s Life – video games have always taken a certain pleasure in granting players the chance to play as walking, talking animal characters. Somewhat surprisingly, this has also gifted the video game medium with some of its greatest games ever. Here, we highlight our personal picks for the best games to ever feature anthropomorphic animals as playable characters. As a rule (and to promote diversity), we’ve only selected one game from any given franchise. Continue reading on the next page…

British developer Rare mainly develops accessories for Microsoft’s Xbox Avatar system as well as the successful Kinect Sports series. However, in the olden days of the Nintendo 64, things were quite different for the company as they were responsible for a large library of diverse and critically acclaimed titles before a 2002 buyout led to them developing titles exclusively for Microsoft. Among these older titles was a pair of platform games called Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. Featuring a bear and bird duo traversing landscapes, using powerups, and collecting items in an expansion of the Super Mario 64 formula, the series was a big seller back then. While Rare did briefly revive the series with Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts for the Xbox 360 in 2008, the overall reception to the game was mixed due to a heavier focus on vehicular construction and driving than actual platforming. That and low sales caused the series to be put on hold again. While the series is not making an official comeback, several former Rare employees are making an effort to revive the style of play the original games utilized. Currently dropping tidbits on the new Twitter @MingyJongo, the developers are planning on specifically making a new 3D platformer specifically in the vein of the Banjo series. The has said that concrete details on the game are still a ways off, and that they may consider utilizing Kickstarter to get some funding. The has already gained over 13,000 followers since its creation, so there is clearly some subset of gamers out there interested in revisiting the now-niche platformer genre. It will be interesting to see what this team ultimately comes up with and as always, we will keep you updated as more news develops.