I loved the N64 game, but wasn't ever too interested in Nuts And Bolts due to so much of the game seeming to focus on building and driving vehicles.
I agree!
Rare have been a bit of a letdown since that shitty Xbox game, Grabbed by the Ghoulies. I didn't particularly like Kameo, and I heard bad things about PDZ. The original Viva Pinata was good however.