Yooka-Laylee, aka Banjo-Threeie, aka I'm 14 years old again

[Pike]

Lovin' it. It really is just B-K 3.

[Vyk]

Oddly enough it's getting pretty mediocre reviews for being just that. I kinda thought that's what people wanted. But then again, they gave The Last Guardian trout for being a throwback as well. I guess they wanted the game to live up to rose-colored expectations, and forgot how bad cameras were back then and how annoying and repetitive collect-a-thons are

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I've played a little bit and it's great. They promised basically banjo kazooie and that's what it is.

I don't foresee myself playing it all the time as I have to be in the right mood for collectathons, but that's okay. It was a good purchase and almost felt free since I paid for it so long ago.

[Sephex]

B-but the internet said it sucked and someone made an entertaining video showing it sucked! I mean, I haven't played a minute of it, but since the internet as a whole has decreed it sucked, I guess that's it! Pack it up, we're done here!

[Freya]

Oh is it out today? I'll have to wait until I finish my current new games before I'll allow myself anymore but I definitely want this.

[Slothy]

Oddly enough it's getting pretty mediocre reviews for being just that. I kinda thought that's what people wanted. But then again, they gave The Last Guardian trout for being a throwback as well. I guess they wanted the game to live up to rose-colored expectations, and forgot how bad cameras were back then and how annoying and repetitive collect-a-thons are

To be fair, I know of at least two reviewers who have said it's not just that it hasn't included any of the improvements in the genre that have happened since Banjo Kazooie and the second one, but actually does some things worse than those games did.

Not that it matters. I hated both of those games when they were released so I have zero intention of playing something that is at best being described as a throw back to them specifically.

[Del Murder]

The reviews are definitely mixed. However, some of them basically criticize it for playing like a game from the late 1990s, which seems like what this was going for in the first place. I think a problem with reviews today is that they give too much weight to breaking new ground and addressing every trend in the history of that genre up until this point. I mean, if FFVII came out today I'm sure they'd criticize the blocky graphics and random encounters.

Fair enough as Vivi pointed out, some of the reviews did criticize it for regressing in some areas even when compared to the older games.

YL is clearly meant as a throwback to the old N64 3D platforming era (which had some great games), and as far as I can tell it succeeded. It doesn't need to revolutionize that genre if it was already great.

Griping done. I'll definitely play this at some point.

[Colonel Angus]

Most of the people reviewing the game probably weren't old enough to play games in the 90s.

[Skyblade]

Just thought I'd put this here, because it's a review discussion from some people who were dedicated Banjo fans explaining why they don't like this game as much as they like the original.

Level design, mini-games, and conveyance seem to be the major issues that it has.


As for me, I'm still waiting (along with many others, apparently) on the distribution of copies to backers.

[Madame Adequate]

I've not played it, but although I suppose I can see a few conventions you might want to have updated, it was explicitly designed and marketed from the start as a game to be the successor to B-K. It's hardly surprising that it would aim for just that!

Perhaps it'd be more fair to judge them for a 'lack of innovation' when Twoka-Laylee and Yooka-Laythree are out and make no innovations?

Also, thanks for sharing that vid Skyblade, it's good to get some thoughts like that!

[maybee]

Never played Banjo before, is this a good place to start?