Yooka-Laylee

[Prey]

Actually the first game of the year I feel truly excited about. Releases on April 11th.

To call Yooka-Laylee a Banjo-Kazooie “clone” is to do it a disservice. In everything but name, this is a full-fledged Banjo-Kazooie sequel—closer, in fact, to its Nintendo 64 predecessors than actual 2008 sequel Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. And that’s exactly what Playtonic’s Kickstarter promised, so good on them.

The question is: Did you miss this type of game?

The phrase, “fans of the genre will love it,” has become a punch line in game reviews. It’s trite, silly, practically useless. But with Yooka-Laylee? It’s perhaps the best description I can imagine. Fans of the genre will love Yooka-Laylee, because it’s tailor-made for them to love it. Never before has a game banked so hard on nostalgia above all other aspects.



As a longtime Banjo-Kazooie fan myself, Yooka-Laylee is exactly what I’ve missed. Does the 3D platformer needs an industry-wide revival? No. But if I got another Yooka-Laylee every two or three years? Yeah, I think there’s room for that—for a celebration of a bygone era, a simpler time full of simpler games with simpler aims.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3187439/ ... -name.html

[Subway Diet]

The reviews seem pretty evenly split down the middle.
Seems to be divided down the line of how tolerant you are of N64 style platformers. How retro do you like your retro?

Must say I've tempered my expectations somewhat. Will wait to read some more impressions after the game is out.

Still, looks rather charming.

[Prey]

Out of all the genres I play platformers were always as much of a passion for me as fps games were ever since the likes of Pandemonium or Jumping Flash to Croc amd Gex and of course Banjo Kazooie. I bought an N64 just to play Mario 64 - as most of us did back then. This is exactly the kind of game I've been waiting for and the fact it's made by ex-Rare is an added bonus plus there's many a positive review out there that says this is precisely what platformer lovers everywhere have been waiting for. The fact it's only £22 doesn't hurt matters either.

[Snowy]

Right from back in the day of the old Spectrum platformers I never got on with them.

[Quietman]

I'm hoping my Kickstarter copy will be waiting for me when I get back from Paris ^_^

[Prey]

Nice. Not only do you get it very cheap but I've heard some are already getting their Steam codes already. Kinda regret not backing it myself now as this genre is way overdue a proper resurgence if you ask me.

[Prey]

Someone's response to Jim Sterling's 2 out of 10 review...



The fact Jim himself was a backer and then completely disregarded the game as rubbish (pre-day one patch) baffles me somewhat even if he wasn't entirely floored by the actual execution. That begs the question however as to just why they didn't do things such as improve the problematic camera and control scheme BEFORE the game went out for review.

Looking forward to getting my key tonight.

[DjchunKfunK]

Why you would back a game that said it was going to be a faithful recreation of the platform games of old and then be surprised that is had the same old problems I don't know. I feel the reason why developers stopped making these games was because the genre has fundamental issues. It hasn't become any easier to judge jumps in a 3D space which is why the 3D Mario games are such different things now. The camera being bad is obviously inexcusable, but I feel like everything else was to be expected from this game.

[Mantis]

I'm not really seeing what the issues are with this game based off various streaming footage I've seen. It was clearly marketed right from the beginning as being built completely in the style of old 90s platformers, and the camera doesn't even look that bad from what I can see.

There have been plenty of examples of 3D platformers with good camera controls too. It's just a matter of how responsive they are. I get the feeling people are mostly rallying against this because they assumed it was going to be something it never made any promises to be.

[Prey]

Just received my key and to my amazement the game is a very tiny 3.8GB. No doubt I will record some gameplay for my channel within the next day or so.

[Prey]

I've just had the game running via my Steam link for the past four or so hours and it's the first time my family and I have sat round a game and all contributed to it being played in a long, long time. We spent a good hour or more just playing 2 player co-op in the many mini games included before we even began the actual campaign. The only issue I'd say is that the camera is still in need of some work. Although it's no worse nor better than your typical camera for such a game.

I can see some people complaining that the game is simply TOO MUCH like its Banjo-Kazooie counterpart that you played 20 years ago but therein lies the whole point of what the devs wanted - to take you right back as if you'd just slapped in an N64 based cartridge and just started playing your arse off instantly. It does precisely that.

Truly a joy to play and to see others enjoying so much. Now I know exactly what I've been missing in games since forever. Simple. Rewarding. Challenging. Self aware. Fun. Addictive. Gameplay. There's loads of secret areas even within the very first area itself and so much to do. It's odd to hear some complaining about the games annoying voice work - did you even play Banjo-Kazooie?? And that the level design isn't up to scratch which personally I think it is but it is said to improve greatly as you progress further.

It's not perfect though I must admit. I've loaded up the game only for quills to all become invisible. I've had loss of progress where I filled up sections of the world with water only to return and had to do it all over again. When you leave an area mostly every single enemy spawns in exactly the same place as before. I had to drop the game down from Fantastic to Beautiful as the game just didn't feel it was running that well at all with fps drops occurring although the difference between the two seems mostly negligible. Minimal graphical options all attached to a single setting ie Faster - Fast - Good - Beautiful etc.

So yeah it's still in need of a patch or few but it's perfectly playable and enjoyable as is and most importantly getting Paiges feels just as rewarding as it should upon completing any particular task.

Spoiler: show

Shovel Knight. Dr Quack's Quiz Show. Trowser Snake.

[Raid]

This is one of those games that I was interested in because of the quirky styling, but I know full well I'd hate if I bought it because I thought the era's 3D mascot platformers were always inferior to their 2D versions for the reasons Sterling mentions. So that's why I, y'know, didn't buy or back it.

But the thing that put me off the most was a video of the casino level, which looked so lazily designed that I'd never be able to enjoy it. It's like the designers just filled a square room with all of the already-created bits that didn't fit in other levels, made some minor tweaks to the styling and called it a day.

[Prey]

Reached the 5 hour mark and I have to say either it's down to me not playing this type of game for yonks or it is actually a rather difficult game combined with some questionable design decisions. After expanding two of the first worlds I'm suddenly left aimlessly wondering around in all directions unable to proceed via most off shoot areas due to not having skill X or power Y. I genuinely think the main problem is not me at all though and more the fact there's zero logical game direction given as to what must be found/completed next to make any actual valid progress. I'm often left questioning if I located somewhere too early or if I need to complete a nearby challenge or what the fuck whatever and nothing in the world helps with any of it. I can certainly see where the frustration aspect crept in for some reviewers now.

One example would be that the last bit of progress I did make was all down to going back to the very start, transforming into a flower and then talking to other plants who would then often only give the vaguest of hints as to what I could have missed to progress. It hits home quick just how different a mindset you need to be in compared to anything else you normally play although that may be completely obvious to some others may not catch on so quickly if at all.

Also the thing I do utterly hate by now is the way my character slips and slides down pretty much most surfaces I know I'm a lizard and all but sometimes it gets fucking ridiculous and severely hampers you making progress on what should otherwise be a very straightforward path. The original and best Banjo camera control option would really help in a lot of places as you could press a button and zoom further in or out on the fly.

Add to this that once you start taking on new abilities that become part of you ie swallowing a cannonball makes you heavier and impervious to being pushed about by wind etc there's one section I discovered completely by accident that allows you to glow in the dark and light up your surroundings. The problem arises when you get part way into the level and you suddenly lose the ability to see a bloody thing and end up falling to your death. I became so frustrated at this section after numerous attempts I returned back to the hub and located another area instead. What is never explained once you acquire new abilities is how exactly to prolong their usage which obviously would help significantly in such a task.

Despite all of this I am enjoying it and it is 99% what I wanted from a new platformer in 2017. It's just once the niggles start coming in and truly hinder your enjoyment the overwhelming sense of nostalgia you first felt is quickly rubbed away and replaced with fuck, this game is actually difficult and rather irritating in places. I don't recall ever getting frustrated on Banjo but no doubt I must have - at some point.

[Achtung Englander]

so after reading 3 paragraphs on the issues and complaints about the game, they just account for 1% of the problem

[Prey]

Oh right yeah didn't spot that.

Anyway the game HAS improved and become far less frustrating now I've figured out new moves and unlocked shortcuts to the worlds via the Hub. The checkpoint system for the game it has to be said is bloody horrid prior to unlocking them forcing you to have to go all the way through the hub then the worlds opening before you even get back to the section you were perhaps struggling with earlier.

Hopefully they will make the system less annoying at some point because as of now it often feels like running back to your body whenever you got killed in WoW.