Bolt-On Banjo

While I didn't think too highly of Microsoft's last attempt to lure people into preorders with XBLA games, this one seems a whole lot more promising. Microsoft has announced that preordering Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts will net you a free copy of the original Banjo-Kazooie for Xbox Live Arcade. But wait, there's more! As part of this preorder bonus, you'll get access to Banjo for XBLA a full two weeks before it's available for purchase on its own. As with Fable II Pub Games, the two games will be connected, with progress in Nuts & Bolts being rewarded with access to new stuff in the original. Banjo fans should appreciate this implementation of the Stop N' Swop feature, something that was promised but failed to materialize in Banjo-Tooie for the N64. Microsoft also made mention of a new Olympic-themed world in Nuts & Bolts called the Jiggoseum, screenshots of which you can find here.

All this can be yours for the low, low price of $39.99, which just blows my mind. From what I've played of Nuts & Bolts, this is looking like one of the most promising Microsoft-published games coming out this year. I've got a pretty strong distaste for the whole preordering racket (seriously, it's a frickin' video game, not a car, I shouldn't have to make a downpayment) but it looks like this one might be too sweet to pass up.