THQ to publish further four Rare GBA titles

THQ has signed a distribution agreement to publish GBA titles from Rare on behalf of Microsoft Game Studios. If you remember, we thought this might happen because THQ are doing much the same thing for handheld ports of Monster Truck Madness and other Microsoft PC titles.

The release confirms that THQ will distribute four Rare titles to begin with, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, Banjo Pilot, It's Mr. Pants and Sabre Wulf. Yes, we have no idea why Rare is making a game called "It's Mr. Pants" either. Still, THQ's grabbed that one by the ghoulies too (fired -Ed).

Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge will be the first out of the blocks, arriving before the end of the year, with the others to follow in 2004. Microsoft's Ken Lobb, himself a defector from Nintendo, said he was "really excited that we can bring all of these excellent games to fellow fans of the Game Boy".

Grunty's Revenge, the first Banjo title to appear on a handheld, will have players following the witch Gruntilda back through time, where she hopes to stop Banjo and Kazooie ever meeting. It should consist of familiar platform gameplay and a degree of puzzle solving and battles, according to the press release.