Source: videogamesblogger.com

The first gameplay footage of the upcoming Xbox 360-exclusive sim game Viva Pinata 2: Trouble in Paradise has been released by Rare. The game will be released in September 2008. Take a look:

Going along with it is the cartoon-based teaser that shows Professor Pester plotting to obtain more Pinata candy as he shows his “comrades” at what new Pinata Island locations he plans to execute his evil deeds.

Source: thexboxdomain.com

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Microsoft’s Gamer’s Day event will be held in San Francisco tomorrow, but the first screenshots of the upcoming Xbox 360-exclusive games Viva Pinata 2: Trouble in Paradise and Banjo-Kazooie 3 have already been leaked. Although we’re sure to get new info on the way they play tomorrow.

Viva Pinata 2: Trouble in Paradise: Shown above are the animals from Microsoft’s Pinata Park that are said to return in a more focused and accessible Pinata life simulation game. There are new Pinatas too, like penguins, which indicates the game has different land climates. Most notable is that there are two cursors on-screen showing that Viva Pinata 2 has co-op gardening for two players at the same time!

Banjo-Kazooie 3: It seems Banjo and Kazooie have landed themselves in many different worlds in their new magical adventure. Banjo is shown racing (with others in multiplayer) through an entirely mechanical world, and doing some platforming in a Middle Ages era landscape. — In response to the leaks Rare have commented their most spectacular feature is the gameplay mechanic. Could this surprise be the rumored Wii Remote-derived controller for the Xbox 360? We’ll find out tomorrow.

PS: Other new games that were revealed are Scene It? 2, Ninja Blade and Lips.

More screenshots can be viewed at Neogaf.

Source: thexboxdomain.com

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Banjo-Kazooie 3 will be released in 2008, likely at the end of the year, says Microsoft.

Microsoft Games Studio head Shane Kim said to MTV, “I’m super-excited about what they’re doing with Banjo’ I think Banjo is going to be a big hit for us this holiday.”

Kim also said that Rare may head back into the realm of M-Rated games, while continuing along the family-friendly track that it’s been going along the past few years.

So what else is Rare up to besides the third outing of bear and bird? Rare is also working on an Xbox Live Arcade vision-cam supported game called The Fast and the Furriest.

Very few details on either game have been released but maybe we’ll learn more at next week’s Game Developer’s Conference.

Till then, check out the original teaser trailer revealing the existence of Banjo Kazooie 3.
– Via Joystiq

Source: videogamesblogger.com

UK developer Rare is currently hard at work on Banjo-Kazooie exclusively for the Xbox 360 (they are Microsoft owned after all). Fans of the series will forever call this game Banjo-Threeie (or Banjo-Kazooie 3, even if it’s the fifth game), but for the sake for this round of Questions and Answers, let’s reference it as just Banjo-Kazooie, since it’s been nearly eight years since Banjo-Tooie came out in 2000. Rare insider Gregg Mayles, the Creative Director of the Banjo series, took the time to answer seven questions about the 2008 platforming adventure.

Question 1: Will the next Banjo-Kazooie game take place after the events of Banjo-Tooie?
Answer: YES - But a lot has changed since 2000. What have Banjo and Grunty been doing for all these years?

Question 2: Is there any multiplayer component planned?
Answer: YES - Not like Banjo-Tooie’s though. No FPS sections, either. I think there are enough FPS games out there!

Question 3: Is this new Jiggy system gonna stray too far away from the old one?
Answer: YES and NO - The ‘not 100′ Jiggies are still used to progress through the game, but the way they are obtained and used is different. Also expect changes to the Notes and Jinjos (oops, I think I may have answered a couple more questions there!)

Question 4: A lot has changed since the original Banjo-Kazooie came out, which was almost ten years ago. Games today, in my opinion anyway, seem to stray a lot from core, simple gameplay elements and focus too much on other things. One thing I loved about the original game is that you guys got the story out of the way pretty much first thing. Witch is ugly, Witch needs to remove ugly, Witch steals cute little Bear-girl, game starts. After that, it was pretty much 100% game until you got to the end and knocked the old hag off her own tower. It was simple, and it set the player up with what they needed, a reason, to play through the game.

Not that story isn’t important, but when 40% of a game these days is spent watching rather than playing, it makes me wonder where the “game” part of “video game” went

Basically, the original game relied on much of its own charm. The lushness of the worlds, the characters, and the rich array of abilities and puzzles. So… my question is: Does this remain?
Answer: YES - Don’t worry, we may be introducing something different to the Banjo universe but this remains a Banjo game.

Question 5: You said the gameplay had evolved some time ago and it would not be like it was before. Have we seen this new style of gameplay in another game?
Answer: NO (Well, I don’t think so. Let’s just say you certainly won’t have seen it in a Banjo game!)

Question 6: Will there be any old levels remade in the game?
Answer: YES - But probably not how you expect!

Question 7: Will Grunty bring back her loveable rhyming again in this game?
Answer: Her silly comments will be a pain, yes the witch will rhyme again.

The Rarewitchproject should have more info in 2008.