My Childhood Dream Came True At E3 2019

When I was just a kid growing up in the 90’s me and my Nintendo 64 were absolutely inseparable. That Christmas of 1996 is still one of my most cherished memories, as I unwrapped that giant box to reveal Nintendo’s first three dimensional console. Games like Super Mario 64 and Goldeneye 64 completely blew me away at the time, and I thought gaming would never get any better than that. That was until I received a little game about a bear and a bird for my 11th birthday.

While Banjo-Kazooie was certainly similar to Super Mario 64, nothing could compare to the world that Rare Ltd had created. The quirky soundtrack and the memorable characters have been forever ingrained into my brain, and Banjo-Kazooie still remains one of my favourite games of all time.

Fast forward about a year when Nintendo released one of its most ambitious titles they had ever done at the time, Super Smash Bros. An over the top fighting game with characters from all of my favourite first party Nintendo franchises was something unfathomable at the time, and it became an instant hit in my neighbourhood. Kids would gather from all over town and would take turns hosting Super Smash Bros. tournaments at their houses, until someone’s parents would eventually kick us all out and we would have to go back to our own homes. It became the compulsory Birthday event that year when I just had to rent it from the local Blockbuster, but to me the game was always missing something.

I would often tell my friends “how cool would it be to have Banjo-Kazooie in this game!?”, and as I got older and new renditions of Super Smash Bros. would release, I had a glimmer of hope that the bear and bird would get their opportunity to throw down with the best of Nintendo. I mean, how could they not? Their move set from the two Banjo-Kazooie games fit Smash Bros. like a glove. Eventually Rare Ltd was purchased by Microsoft and the thought of Banjo-Kazooie in Smash slowly faded out of my mind.

But, today that all changed, as Nintendo revealed Banjo-Kazooie as the latest DLC fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The cheeky reveal began with a bait-and-switch involving Duck Hunt, but then the trademark Grant Kirkhope music hit, and I shed a small tear. It was finally happening, after 20 years of hoping for it, Banjo-Kazooie will be coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate later this fall.

Thank you Nintendo, Microsoft, Rare, and Masahiro Sakurai for making a 20 year dream come true, and making my E3 2019.