I terrorized the townfolk...



But I still have time for the important things in life.



Like rocking out!



And playing Wii!



And rocking out more!



And playing on Xbox Live!



Oh those Xbox Live users...



I still get groped inappropriately by DMV.



Also, more rocking out!



Here's a sneak preview of my next Collector's Edition review:



I got better though...



(All for this contest!) (Note: I'll be away for the weekend, so I might not be able to respond!)

Seriously, does anyone enjoy the game?

Just the other night, I was using my original DS to play a GBA game, since my DS Lite had run out of batteries, and I realized there was already a GBA game in the slot. A while back, I had bought a copy of Dr. Mario & Puzzle League, since I'm a huge fan of Puzzle League, and slapped it in there for the next time I'd want a back-up game on the road, then never played it. Remembering this plan, I took a moment to boot it up and play some Puzzle League, since playing with a friend's copy of Planet Puzzle League had me itching for more puzzle goodness lately. Needless to say, this iteration was just what I was looking for, if a bit bland in aesthetics.

Before it got to late and I turned in for the night, I decided to take a quick look at Dr. Mario, a game I had no real exposure to beyond three-second microgames in the WarioWare series. For those not aware, this iteration is an updated version of the NES original, with pretty much the same mechanics, though closest to Dr. Mario 64. I knew the gameplay concepts well enough - drop multicolored pills on viruses, lining up four in a row or more to clear them until all the viruses are gone - so I jumped right into a mid-tier level.

Woah. Big mistake. The game was far too fast for someone inexperienced with the game, leaving me completely panicked as pills stacked up higher and higher. I decided I would start at level 1 on low speed and work my way up to level 20 to "complete" the game for the hell of it. The first few levels were insultingly easy, but they did get me more used to the intricacies of the game. And by intricacies, I mean annoyances. For example, rotating a pill will let you squeeze it into some places...but rotating a pill has an incredibly annoying habit of moving it to the left as you keep rotating it, meaning that if you rotate it into a hole, you oftentimes can't rotate it out.

The problem with the pills extends further than that. In Tetris, if you rotate a shape, you have a very strong sense of how it will come down and fit with other pieces. However, every pill is the same shape: one color on one side, and another color on the other side. This means that the main difference in pill orientation is whether it's up or down. This caused a problem for me, for as time went on, colors begin to mold together, and you may think that the colors are landing where you want them to, but they are in fact the opposite due to a different kind of visuals from Tetris. Furthermore, after being trained in numerous puzzle games to accept that higher blocks fall if blocks underneath are cleared, it's infuriating to see only the pills drop and not the viruses, messing up chains you intended to create.

Then there's the problem of the start of the game. Once you get away from the incredibly easy levels, the increased number of viruses starts closer to the top of the jar. In many cases at levels 15-20, you only have several pills to place before you potentially lose the game. This creates an odd scenario in which the beginning of the level is much harder than the end of the level. Sure, by the end the pace has picked up and gets tensely fast by the time you have only two viruses left, but this is nowhere near as difficult as the beginning of the level can be. Far too often is the player given unhelpful pills, which can be utilized, but only if your mind is already completely in the zone, something that rarely is true at the start of a level.

(tl;dr? Skip here)

So my question is simple: why is this game continuously rereleased? Does anyone actually have fun with this crap? I know the puzzle genre is notoriously influenced by Tetris, so there is often a similarity to the blockbuster hit, but this just reeks of an uninspired knock-off with worse mechanics. Come to think of it, I have never heard anyone get excited over hearing the game's name. Mention Tetris, everyone will cream themselves over the Game Boy version (or, if you're an elitist, the Tengen NES version). Bring up Q Entertainment's Meteos or Lumines, and you'll hear a gushing praise. Speak of Puzzle Quest and people won't shut up about how they lost a day to its marriage of RPG and puzzle elements. Personally, I think no puzzle game can touch the addictive nature of Puzzle League (Tetris Attack, if you must), and I'm sure numerous people will back me up on that.

But Dr. Mario? Having not ever paid attention to the "series," I doubt whether people ever actually liked it in the first place, or if they just thought they did. Tetris mania was pretty intense back in the day, and I'm sure some people fooled themselves into thinking that Dr. Mario was an interesting alternative with some depth to it, when in fact it's just a rip-off with frustrating mechanics. The only thing really amusing about the game to me is that a plumber could manage to moonlight as a doctor without anyone crying foul. It may promote a world in which even a lowly plumber can become a well-paid, comfortably-wealthy, social-elite doctor, but that's about the only thing it's got going for it.

And speaking of Dr. Mario himself: he's a shitty doctor. I loved the way he handled in Super Smash Bros. Melee and used him quite frequently, but playing his original game even briefly has left me disillusioned with the character. You're supposed to be getting rid of these viruses, and what's his solution? More and more medicine! Just keep cramming it down there, they'll work somehow! Meanwhile, the player is freaking out trying to get the stupid pills to line up as they grow ever closer to the top, and Dr. Moron just keeps smiling, flipping them in there every few seconds. You don't need that many fucking pills! It's not like the viruses are even doing anything, they're just sitting there! They're not even moving around, you don't have to cage them in or anything, just take it easy!

In closing, screw you, Dr. Mario. You are a bad game for people who don't know better.

So how'd we end up doing in February? 21 games more than last month! Personally, I don't feel like I was pulling my weight, but there was a week in there during which I did nothing but watch the first season of Gundam 00, so I know where my time went. Thankfully, Freefall, Naia-the-gamer, ParaParaKing, and Projectexodus picked up the slack and kept us on track.

Something I want to draw attention to is the issue of DLC, and whether it "counts" as another game. This is obviously a case by case basis, but I don't think that mere additions, like Operation: Anchorage for Fallout 3 or Bring Down the Sky for Mass Effect, would qualify as a new game. Rather, these are simply additional missions integrated into the game. On the other hand, something on the level of the Shivering Isles expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion or the gigantic "new game" of Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and the Damned, would indicate a marked difference in content between the original game and the expansion, and as such those expansions should be counted as separate games. So, when you're listing, keep that in mind.

Similarly, let me clarify my thoughts on game compilations. In reality, pretty much every compilation is just clever packaging that contains actual games. ParaParaKing presented a situation in which he completed Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection by getting every trophy in the compilation, but had not actually completed any of the games themselves. I would not consider this as something to be listed; rather, each of those achievements would be attached to each individual game in my mind. So when I got every achievement for The Orange Box, I considered it as getting every achievement in five different games, instead of completing the packaging. The game Retro Game Challenge would be an exception, seeing as the "compilation" is a main part of the experience. In this case, I could see people listing not only RGC as completed (by using whatever the game measures completion by), but also the individual retro games as completed on their own, in more depth than RGC requires for advancement.

It's rather complicated, huh? Long story short, go complete some games and add them to the list!

Protips:

1. When listing new games, make sure to make a new post in the thread and not just edit your last list.
2. Completion does not mean that you have to do X, Y, and Z for it to be completed. Completion is whatever you consider finished, whether that is just beating the game, getting every achievement, or unlocking every single item.
3. Games released via digital distribution count too! You can list XBLA and PSN games separately, but realize that I will be putting them under Xbox 360 and PS3 listings in the main list. Wii VC games will be listed under their console of origin, since they play exactly the same with no changes. Feel free to list any indie or flash game you think is worth it as well.
4. If you beat a game that you've beat in the past, it still counts! The list is for games completed in 2009, regardless of previous completion.
5. Some "games" are actually compilations, such as Sonic Mega Collection and The Orange Box. Since there are multiple games, please list each of them separately.
6. If the game is multiplayer only, it's hard to actually complete it. If you want something like Team Fortress 2 to count, make sure it's some goal like "got all achievements" or "raised skill rank to 50" and note it in your list.
7. Downloadable content can count, provided it's a full expansion on the level of The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles. If the DLC merely additional missions that are integrated into the regular game, such as the "Bring Down the Sky" DLC for Mass Effect, then it doesn't count as a separate game.
8. Please list the console you played it on! If you don't, I have to research it or guess, and then I'm going what version I would have played, not the one you played.
9. Remember, this isn't a competition. This is just for fun. We're not here to compare our e-peens.

-13thDragon-
DS
Final Fantasy III

-311grassr00ts-
PS3
Fallout 3

-amishpriest-
GBA
Metroid: Zero Mission
PSP
Star Ocean: First Departure
Star Ocean: Second Evolution
Wii
Super Smash Bros. Brawl

-ArcticFox-
PC
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
PS3
Flower
Xbox 360
Battlefield: Bad Company
Call of Duty: World at War - Hardened

-Batthink-
PS2
Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne
PSP
Star Ocean: First Departure
Xbox 360
Crackdown - Tough

-bbrigg1-
PS3
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

-Bleach Boy-
NES
Mega Man 2

-blehman-
Xbox 360
The Maw

-Blind Assassin-
DS
Kirby Super Star Ultra

-blurryphoenix-
Wii
Guitar Hero: World Tour - Expert
No More Heroes
Xbox 360
Portal

-BulletMagnet-
PS2
Ar Tonelico II
PSP
LocoRoco 2
Xbox 360
Overlord

-Coal Train-
Xbox 360
Call of Duty: World at War

-CodeBlue40-
Xbox 360
Gears of War 2 - Normal
Grand Theft Auto IV

-Clockwork-Zombie-
DS
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
PS3
Prince of Persia
Resistance 2
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Wii
No More Heroes

-Daxelman-
PS3
Flower

-Dead Movie Star-
SNES
Disney's Aladdin

-DickMcVengeance-
PS2
Soul Nomad and the World Eaters
Xbox 360
Castle Crashers

-DJP3DRO-
Xbox 360
Fallout 3 - Normal

-eternalplayer2345-
DS
Chrono Trigger
PS2
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES
Silent Hill 2
SNES
Super Metroid

-Freefall-
DS
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
PC
Tomb Raider: Legend
Xbox
Fahrenheit
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II
Xbox 360
Crackdown
Gears of War 2
Left 4 Dead - Expert

-garison-
DS
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
PS2
Ico
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 - Beginner
PS3
Flower

-gatorsax2010-
NES
Mega Man 2

-grafkhun-
Mac
Aquaria
Gun Mute
Wii
Super Smash Bros. Brawl

-Grocerspride-
Mirror's Edge

-Guagloves-
GBA
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
Xbox 360
Fable 2

-HydroTonix-
PSP
Gitarpp Man Lives!
Xbox 360
Left 4 Dead

-JohnnyViral-
Xbox 360
Left 4 Dead

-JT706-
DS
Kirby Super Star Ultra
Gamecube
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Wii
World of Goo

-Kapkomi-
PC
Eversion
Xbox 360
Lost Odyssey
WarTech: Senko no Ronde

-Kif-
Xbox 360
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and the Damned
Skate 2

-Kiranio-
PC
BioShock - Normal

-Krow-
Gamecube
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Metroid Prime
N64
Star Fox 64
NES
Kirby's Adventure
Wii[
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

-KyleGamgee-
Xbox 360
Fable 2

-Leviathan902-
Xbox 360
Call of Duty: World at War - Hardened
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Medium
Fable 2
Left 4 Dead - Medium

-naia-the-gamer-
DS
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
Wii
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People - Episode 3: Baddest of the Bands
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People - Episode 4: Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People - Episode 5: 8-Bit Is Enough
World of Goo
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure

-Necros-
PS1
Final Fantasy VII
PS2
Deus Ex: The Conspiracy - Easy
PS3
Flow
Xbox 360
Doritos Dash of Destruction

-NegFactor-
Xbox 360
Project Gotham Racing 3

-opeth2112-
GBA
Mother 3
PS2
Shadow of the Colossus

-PappaDukes-
PS3
Dead Space
Viking: Battle for Asgard

-ParaParaKing-
DS
Chrono Trigger
GBA
Sonic Advance
Super Dodgeball Advance
PS2
Yakuza
Yakuza 2
PS3
Flower
Mirror's Edge - Hard
Prince of Persia
PSP
Gitaroo Man Lives
SNES
Disney's Magical Quest starring Mickey Mouse
Xbox 360
The Maw
X-Blades

-Projectexodus-
DS
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy III
GBA
Final Fantasy IV Advance
PS3
Flower
Xbox 360
Castle Crashers
R-Type Dimensions

-Resonance-
PC
Mirror's Edge - Normal

-Riegel88-
PS3
BioShock
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

-ryu89-
Wii
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People - Episode 4: Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective

-Scary Womanizing Pig Mask-
PS2
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES
PS3
Flower

-ScottyG-
DS
Battle of Giants: Dinosaurs
PC
Crayon Physics Deluxe
Quake
Wii
Super Mario Galaxy
Xbox 360
Lost Odyssey
The Maw

-Technophile-
PS3
Flower
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - Normal
Xbox 360
Skate 2
Street Fighter IV

-the Golden Avatar-
PC
The Witcher
PS3
Flower

-Tubatic-
Wii
Deadly Creatures
Xbox 360
Saints Row 2

-Ub3rSlug-
Xbox 360
BioShock
Left 4 Dead
Lost Planet

-WarZombie-
Xbox 360
Gears of War 2 - Hardcore
Left 4 Dead - Advanced

-whoami40-
Xbox 360
Skate 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Total Completed Games: 146

Note: Please do not post your completed games in this cblog. Post it in the main thread with everyone else.

MEME FOR TRUTH

For those who aren't familiar or may be newer to Dtoid: welcome to the first update of Dtoid's 2009 Completed Games List! Dtoiders can list all the games they complete in this thread, and at least once a month, I'll complete the brain-numbing task of updating the list so your games can stand proudly next to everyone else's games. While the full list is found at the top of that thread, I'll list all the updates within a given month in a separate cblog, such as the one you're reading now.

One of the things I like best about compiling these lists is seeing small trends appear among many users, like when a big AAA game comes out, or among just one user, as he explores a series. Obviously, with just January completed so far, there aren't a ton of clear trends, but you can see some beginning to form. I couldn't help but notice one Dtoider named Bleach Boy, who I noticed has been making steady progress towards playing a bunch of Final Fantasy handheld ports. It will be interesting to track more trends as the months come.

Speaking of months, I'll make one comparison to 2008: we came pretty damn close. We played and listed only two games less than last January. Not bad, considering the fact that the forums were dead for about two weeks, which I'm sure threw people off a bit. It's still a great start to the year, and I'm certain we can get even more games completed next month. I noticed a few people have made resolutions, like 13thDragon swearing to complete 100 games this year, so I'm hoping to complete as many as I can on my own as well.

So keep gaming and go list your games in the main thread, and let's see how high we can get the list this year! (Please don't list your games in this cblog, because they won't be counted.)

To add a little context to the way the list works:

1. When listing new games, make sure to make a new post in the thread and not just edit your last list.
2. Completion does not mean that you have to do X, Y, and Z for it to be completed. Completion is whatever you consider finished, whether that is just beating the game, getting every achievement, or unlocking every single item.
3. Games released via digital distribution count too! You can list XBLA and PSN games separately, but realize that I will be putting them under Xbox 360 and PS3 listings in the main list. Wii VC games will be listed under their console of origin, since they play exactly the same with no changes. Feel free to list any indie or flash game you think is worth it as well.
4. If you beat a game that you've beat in the past, it still counts! The list is for games completed in 2009, regardless of previous completion.
5. Some "games" are actually compilations, such as Sonic Mega Collection and The Orange Box. Since there are multiple games, please list each of them separately.
6. If the game is multiplayer only, it's hard to actually complete it. If you want something like Team Fortress 2 to count, make sure it's some goal like "got all achievements" or "raised skill rank to 50" and note it in your list.
7. Downloadable content can count, provided it's a full expansion on the level of The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles. If the DLC merely additional missions that are integrated into the regular game, such as the "Bring Down the Sky" DLC for Mass Effect, then it doesn't count as a separate game.
8. Please list the console you played it on! If you don't, I have to research it or guess, and then I'm going what version I would have played, not the one you played.
9. Remember, this isn't a competition. This is just for fun. We're not here to compare our e-peens.

-13thDragon-
PC
You Have to Burn the Rope
Xbox 360
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - Veteran
Gears of War 2 - Hardcore

-311grassr00ts-
Xbox 360
Mirror's Edge

-Batthink-
Arcade
Fatal Fury - Easy
Xbox 360
Far Cry 2

-Bleach Boy-
GBA
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy IV Advance
SNES
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

-Blind Assassin-
DS
Professor Layton and the Curious Village

-bluexy-
PS3
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

-BulletMagnet-
GBA
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Xbox
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

-BulletTrain-
PS2
Shadow of the Colossus

-Coal Trian-
Xbox 360
Mirror's Edge

-Conrad Zimmerman-
NES
Ninja Gaiden
Whomp 'Em
Xbox 360
Grand Theft Auto IV
The Maw
The Simpsons Game

-CWal37-
PC
BioShock

-Daxelman-
PS3
LittleBigPlanet

-Def JM-
Xbox 360
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - Normal
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode One

-Dexter345-
DS
Lock's Quest - Normal

-DickMcVengeance-
PS3
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam

-DJP3DRO-
Xbox 360
Prince of Persia

-Fana7ic-
Xbox 360
Skate

-Fergus-
Xbox 360
Gears of War 2

-FWhipple-
PS2
Persona 4 - Normal
Xbox 360
Gears of War 2
Left 4 Dead

-garison-
PS2
Gitaroo Man - Normal

-Gibbo-
Xbox 360
Left 4 Dead - Normal

-GourdCaptain-
DS
Kirby Super Star Ultra
SNES
Chrono Trigger

-Grocerspride-
Xbox 360
Fallout 3

-Guagloves-
Xbox 360
Gears of War 2 - Hardcore
Prince of Persia
Skate 2

-Hao-
PS2
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
Xbox 360
BioShock
Dead Rising

-iconsam-
PS2
Beyond Good and Evil
PS3
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Xbox 360
Braid
Dead Space

-JohnnyViral-
Xbox 360
Fallout 3
Prince of Persia

-KD_Alpha-
Wii
No More Heroes

-Kiranio-
PC
Far Cry 2 - Normal
Neverwinter Nights - Normal

-Knives-
DS
Chrono Trigger
Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness
Kirby Super Star Ultra
PC
You Have to Burn the Rope
Wii
Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law

-Krow-
PC
Bonerquest

-Midgetsnowman-
PSP
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Star Ocean: First Departure
Star Ocean: Second Evolution

-naia-the-gamer-
DS
Chrono Trigger
Ninja Town
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure
GBA
Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart
PC
Peggle
Peggle Nights
Wii
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People - Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free

-nebones-
Xbox 360
Doritos Dash of Destruction

-Necros-
Mac
Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame
Xbox 360
Gears of War - Insane
Rock Band - Expert

-ParaParaKing-
PS1
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
Parasite Eve
PS3
Cuboid
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode Two
Xbox 360
Banjo-Kazooie
Blue Dragon
Lost Odyssey

-Pushtrak-
Xbox 360
Doritos Dash of Destruction

-Roshey-
Xbox 360
Armored Core 4

-ryu89-
PC
Fallout 3
Xbox 360
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
Gears of War 2 - Hardcore
Left 4 Dead
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode Two
Prince of Persia

-Senisan82-
GBA
Mother 3
PC
Left 4 Dead - Advanced

-Serivor-
Xbox 360
The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles
Fallout 3
Gears of War 2
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

-superezekiel-
PC
Left 4 Dead - Normal
Peggle Deluxe
PS2
Sly 2: Band of Thieves - Normal
PS3
Linger in Shadows
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Normal
Xbox 360
Guitar Hero II - Medium

-Tanukitsune-
PC
Gravity Bone
Xbox 360
Prince of Persia

-Technophile-
DS
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All
PC
Peggle Nights

-the Golden Avatar-
N64
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

--the_mole--
PC
Peggle Deluxe
Xbox
Burnout 3: Takedown
Xbox 360
Tales of Vesperia

-Timdabrat-
DS
Kirby Super Star Ultra
Xbox 360
Fable II
Left 4 Dead

-TrailerParkJesus-
Xbox 360
Puzzle Arcade

-Ub3rSlug-
Xbox 360
Dead Space
Mirror's Edge

-Unicorn-
PS2
Shadow of the Colossus
PS3
WipEout HD
PSP
Dissidia: Final Fantasy
WipEout Pulse
Wii
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes
Xbox 360
Fallout 3

-whoami40-
Xbox 360
Gauntlet
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

-Xhumation-
Xbox 360
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

-ZServ-
PC
Portal

Total Completed Games: 125

Note: Please do not post your completed games in this cblog. Post it in the main thread with everyone else.

We knew it was inevitable, especially since a pre-UGO-infested 1UP confirmed it back in July. Still, for such happy news, I will happily climb the highest mountain to proclaim to the world that Banjo-Tooie is headed to XBLA in April. While Banjo-Kazooie still holds a special place in my heart, Banjo-Tooie was always my favorite of the two original games, due to its polished worlds and more varied gameplay. Kotaku reports (in a typo-ridden post) that Banjo-Tooie will be ported by 4J Studios, the same developer responsible for the earlier XBLA port of Banjo-Kazooie. The main differences, besides HD visuals that remove the notorious N64 blur and achievements, will be the full implementation of the mysterious Stop 'n' Swop feature removed before release. For those not familiar, the original plan was for the gamer to acquire an ice key and six eggs in Banjo-Kazooie, then swap the game cart out for Banjo-Tooie to transfer them over via the N64's memory, which held data for about 10 seconds. This was scrapped due to differing N64 models and the fact that such an idea was extremely dangerous if you performed it wrong, possibly corrupting your N64 and its games. However, I'm not sure that this new implementation of Stop 'n' Swop will be all it's cracked up to be.

Without anyone ever knowing the true facts on the situation, Stop 'n' Swop was definitely scrapped before Banjo-Kazooie was released. From looking at investigations from The Rare Witch Project, it seems that at one point BK was meant to link up with Donkey Kong 64, a link that is still being explored on the DK64 side. When that was discarded, they obviously planned to shift development over to Banjo-Tooie, hence the secret video at the end of BK if you got all 100 jiggies and beat Gruntilda. Their mistake was allowing this video to still reference the ice key and 6 eggs after Stop 'n' Swop had been scrapped, instead of just promising a sequel. The ice key in BT, along with three of the ? eggs (two hidden in Spiral Mountain, one smaller and in plain view in the egg-hatching chicken's house), must have no relation from a coding perspective to the original ice key and eggs.

Long story short: any "restored" implementation of Stop 'n' Swop present in the XBLA ports of BK and BT will be markedly different from whatever the unknown original intention was. It was just one idea that was eventually changed, just as Banjo-Kazooie originally had an overworld of the "Giant's Lair" (changed to Grunty's Lair), a level called "Fungus Forest" (moved to DK64 as Fungi Forest), a level called "Mt. Fire Eyes" (reimagined as the fire side of Hellfire Peaks in BT and replaced with Mad Monster Mansion), and a level called "Hammerhead Beach" (simply renamed Treasure Trove Cove). That, and the fact that it was originally about a boy, with Banjo being one of many sidekicks, who opposed pirates led by Captain Blackbeard (seen in BT), back when it was announced as Project Dream for SNES/N64.

So what could Stop 'n' Swop reveal? Unless they want to just add in some random extras that won't live up to the name, I would bet that 4J Studios will simply implement the near-finished Bottle's Revenge "co-op" mode that was found in BT via ROM-hacking. Regardless of whether or not Stop 'n' Swop ends up being awesome, I'm still very excited to see Banjo's second adventure get the non-blurry release that it deserves. Out of the many early 3D graphics that aged very poorly, Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie has graphics that still hold up very well in my eyes. That, and it had a soundtrack that sounds just too good for the MIDI it was working with. Ah, nostalgia is a wonderful thing.