Get ready for more nuts and more bolts action as Rare gears up (pun intended) to release the first major add-on pack for Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts: Lord of Game’s (L.O.G.’s) Lost Challenges. Slated for an April 7 release, the add-on will feature 12 new challenges, 7 new multiplayer games and the chance for gamers to add 250 achievement points to their gamerscore. Oh, and I should mention that gamers who complete L.O.G’s challenges will be rewarded with a new version of Klungo’s Arcade Game. All this for what, only 400 MS Points ($5.00)?! Sounds like fun to me. Read more!

The Rare Witch Project got a hold of this exclusive concept art from Rare’s Ryan Stevenson. If you thought the new character designs for Banjo and Kazooie were bad, just be thankful that some of these other less appealing alternatives were chosen. Behold such horrors as “fat” Banjo and Kazooie, and a stout, Boo Boo Bear-esque Banjo who stands no taller than the freakishly big-footed Kazooie (shown here). According to The Rare Witch Project, the story behind Fat Banjo is: “As we know from the storyline, Banjo is in retirement, and completely out of practice, so there is a whole section in the concept art called Fat Banjo.” It’ll be interesting to see how that storyline element figures into the finished product. In the meantime, enjoy having nightmares about fat Banjo devouring your soul.

[The Rare Witch Project / via N4G]