It's a Banjo-Kablooie!

We already knew that Banjo-Kazooie was coming to Xbox Live Arcade, but today Microsoft revealed some actual specifics of the release. Rare's N64 classic will arrive on XBLA on November 26 at a price of $15. Unless, of course, you preordered Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, in which case it's free, and you'll be able to play the game two weeks earlier--which, as coincidence would have it, happens to be the day after Nuts & Bolts is currently scheduled to drop. Fancy that! Microsoft really seems to be going out of its way to make you feel like an idiot for paying for this Xbox Live Arcade release rather than just getting it as a Nuts & Bolts preorder bonus. Also, just between you and me, I hear that paying for Banjo-Kazooie for XBLA gives you mono.

Microsoft also revealed that it has plans for the Banjo franchise beyond November, stating that Banjo-Tooie will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade as well, though it provided only a vague "early 2009" release date for that. While I kind of agree with some of Peter Moore's recent sentiments about Rare's skillsets, I also think that Nuts & Bolts looks like ridiculous fun, and I'm happy to see Microsoft really putting its back into it with all of this Banjo stuff.