From GAMER.tm: "Gamers in Belgium and Holland will be paying more than other European countries for Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts and Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise, due to the cost of translating both games.

"While both titles are widely expected to go on sale for around EUR 39 in most major markets, it seems that gamers in Holland and Belgium will be paying EUR 59 for Pinata 2 and Banjo Nuts & Bolts respectively.

"When asked by Dutch site Perfect-Rare why this was the case, a Microsoft Benelux spokesperson blamed the cost of translating both games and the relative size of both markets for the decision."
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When MundoRare yesterday asked Rare about Nuts & Bolts' European release, the answer they gave was "around a week after the US' release." Thankfully someone over there saw it differently for you guys, and today MundoRare got a new answer.

As opposed to a week after November 14th, now the official release date for Europe is... November 14th. That's right, for the first time in... well, ever, a Rare retail game will be released on the same day for both North America and Europe.

As for Banjo XBLA? ...
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Advanced orders for Microsoft Corp.'s Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts for the Xbox 360 upon availability at Amazon.com this week.

On Wed., Nuts & Bolts held a 17,850 percent sales increase to rank at No. 4 in Amazon's Video Games division.
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Addict Gaming Writes ""A Marketplace demo? Yes," lead programmer Salvatore Fileccia told Eurogamer when they visited their studios last week for a Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts hands-on preview, published today. "We've got various different ideas. I think all the leads on the team all have their own idea what the demo should be, and it obviously makes sense for the demo to happen before the game ships. We all feel that it's essential because the game is so different.""
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Ready your spring-loaded propeller boat and fasten your seatbelt, "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" is hitting U.S. store shelves on November 14, and pre-orders begin today. For the retail price of $39.99, those who pre-order at participating retailers will get in on all the Banjo fun right off the starting line, and as a special bonus, will also receive a free download code for the original "Banjo-Kazooie," launching on Xbox LIVE Arcade later this fall.

As Kazooie likes to say, "The early bird gets the worm." Since the original "Banjo-Kazooie" will not debut on Xbox LIVE Arcade until a couple weeks after "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" releases, pre-ordering the game gives you a two-week head start on the Arcade title and the opportunity to take advantage of "Stop N' Swop" before anyone else. "Stop N' Swop" rewards players' accomplishments in the new game with extra content and features in the Xbox LIVE Arcade game, giving fans who pre-order "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" the chance to experience more Banjo action than ever.
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From CVG: Banjo-Kazooie dated Nov 14 but if you pre-order before Nov. 14 you get Xbox Live Arcade game free and first.
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The german Games Convention of Leizpig has progressively gained relevance as one of the main events of the gaming industry each Summer to the detriment of the dying E3. And despite Rare not likely showing anything new, this year Rare will find it the perfect place to deploy all their offerings for this Fall, including updated versions of the recent demos from the American showcases.
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"MundoRare has confirmed through different insider sources that, apart from Banjo-Kazooie XBLA, external developer 4J Studios is also working on its sequel, Banjo-Tooie, which will hit our consoles sometime in the future.

Therefore, the idea is not only to provide players with a new connection between BK XBLA and Nuts & Bolts, but also -quite possibly- bring back the original (or, at least, similar) feature between BK and BT that Rare wasn't able to add on Tooie due to later revisions of the N64 circuitry."
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Endsights writes:

Two of Microsoft's key family-friendly titles might be discounted when they ship this Fall. On a number of online retailers, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts and Viva Pinata 2 have been mysteriously priced at $39.99
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Speaking to VideoGamer.com at Develop last week, Rare senior software engineer Nick Burton, an employee at Rare for over 10 years, has revealed that when talking about the studios' owned intellectual property "there's a good chance of seeing any of it again".

"You might see Killer Instinct, you might see Battletoads. Or as I said the other month Killer Instinct meets Battletoads in the GoldenEye universe!" joked Burton.

The titles the Microsoft owned studio is currently working on is something that's constantly debated on internet forums, and speculation isn't helped by Rare's constant teasing. Do you remember the Rare 2007 Christmas card that hinted at a new Killer Instinct? Burton was all too happy to reveal the story behind the card.

"You'll probably have to rephrase this, we're just fu!$ing with you!" he joked. "Have you not noticed a theme in our Christmas cards? We do it every year! It's just sometimes people don't notice it because it's that subtle.

"Ryan (Stevenson, senior concept artist), when he was doing it said, oh I'm putting Killer Instinct in that, I am. The conversation was, put Battletoads in as well! Or Snake Rattle and Roll, come on do it! We have a reputation for teasing. Sometimes we do it for good reasons and other times it upsets people. We're English, we're allowed to!"

Burton wouldn't be drawn on confirming the existence of a new Killer Instinct title, but say that "you could pick anything in our back catalogue and then turn it into something new".
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