Nuts to You: Preorder New Banjo, Get Free Download of Old Banjo

I am highly amused by this. Not only is Rare finally starting to look like it was worth whatever Microsoft paid for it, but now they’re also doing what a lot of people thought/hoped Nintendo might do with the Virtual Console prior to the Wii’s launch.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts goes on pre-order sale today for $40 and if you place your order for the Xbox 360 game before it hits on Nov. 14 you’ll get a free download code for the original Banjo-Kazooie hitting Xbox Live Arcade later this fall.

Better still, that code gives you access to the Live Arcade game two weeks before it hits the Arcade for everyone else. The XBLA title will include something called Stop N’ Swop, which rewards players’ accomplishments in the new game with extra content and features in the Live arcade game. — Brian Crecente, Kotaku

A nice incentive, though are they asking for a $40 deposit? That’s a bit steep, as that goes. Here’s hoping that there’s nothing to fear from the release.