By 
BlueZero
1252436001|%c|agohover
Banjo Kazooie's opening theme is very catchy and almost makes me want to accept Country music as a genre. The introduction sets the right tune that this game is going to be ridiculous and humorous. I'm included the new Xbox Arcade opening in this post as well as a comparison between the versions which GameTrailers created a while ago. Finally, expect a great Mario Paint rendition of the the theme after the click.
Now enjoy the Xbox Live Arcade port which removes the references to Nintendo, improves the graphics and also slightly changes so elements of the game. Notice how barren the first part of the video is without the N64 logo walking across the screen.
The easiest way to see the differences between the versions is by watching the GameTrailer's comparison video which someone has uploaded to YouTube. Wikidot currently doesn't support GT video embedding so I am glad someone else has posted the video on YouTube.
The real treat of this post is the rendition of the theme in Mario Paint. It is recreated very faithfully and also retains the catchy factor.
Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts Remix of the BK Theme
I do not own a 360 but if I did, I would be playing this game just for the music alone. The trailers for Nuts and Bolts featured a remix of the Banjo Kazooie theme. The new theme is good, but I would have liked an electronic banjo and some sort of super kazoo. As you listen to the song, you can ignore the strange variations after the minute mark.
Amazing Banjo Kazooie Fan Dubbing
Now that you are very tired of this theme, there is one more video that I must post. It is a fan dub of the first cutscene where Tooty is stolen by Grunty. This person who does the voices is really talented and is what we call in video game dubbing as a perfect fit. Do be aware that the audio is not the best as it gets a little too high and scratchy but that's probably caused by the microphone the guy used.
Banjo Kazooie is a game that managed to outplatform Nintendo's own Mario when it first came out on the N64. What set Rare's game apart is that Banjo and Kazooie utilizes the N64's capabilities and had some great dialogue, humor and music. As seen above, Rare liked to make very memorable opening scenes to their N64 games. Who can forget the Donkey Kong 64 rap?
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Graphically, they don't look all that much different. The Xbox 360's widescreen support certainly changes the feel of the game quite a bit. Also, the viewing distance looks to be increased, though in this game, it seems marginally important. Probably makes the game easier, since you'll be able to see the enemies farther away. Of course the Xbox 360's has a cleaner look, but if it didn't, I'd be ashamed in the hardware of the device.
Intro's barren beginning on the Xbox bothers me, why didn't they throw something else there, like a walking Xbox with eyes?
I loved the music in that game, it's a perfect example of the importance of game music. As you mentioned, that intro music alone sets the entire mood for the game, and it's incredibly accurate. The Mario Paint video was excellent as well, I've never seen the game and wasn't aware it had the ability to make music like that, I would have enjoyed playing that had I known. Thanks for a look back at the N64 days, great post.
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