Topic: Yooka-Laylee

@kkslider5552000 - I actually agree for the most part. Yooka-Laylee has a Rare "legacy" vibe, so eyes will still be on it. That being said I don't see them having the same legs as Sonic and Mario.

I suspect they'll still get the sales they hope to get from Switch, if they continue speaking about their updates and the like, they'll keep enough eyes on them to at least turn some profit, it just won't be as short of a time.

@Reginald I've mentioned it before.

The reviews read like virtue signaling. The gaming journalism culture is constantly looking over the hedge to see what the others are doing, hoping to match them.

The reviews for this game read like virtue signaling more than most. They all had that same hollow criticism that gets no-one anywhere.

I think this could be a really good game. And from a marketing standpoint, yes, the pundit circle jerk combined with the internet fake rage could be a hammer too much.

But I'm going to buy it, if only just to see whether or not I like it.

And this is why I do not take reviews as the be all, end all. And neither should anyone else.

I miss the old days of gaming.

@erv
That is a really good way of describing gaming "journalism," honestly. It's all one big competition to make your coverage/review of a game just a tad bit edgier than the next guy's, even if it means being a bit disingenuous (and ramp that up for smaller outlets and Youtubers who are even more rabid for clicks).

It's always been that way, obviously, even with print magazines. That's just the nature of media. But now with everything on the internet and being instantaneous, it's that much more heated and easy to see. And I think the reviews of Yooka-Laylee, as you mentioned, are great sounding boards for exactly this situation. It's a game that does exactly what the devs said it was going to do, and was highly anticipated, but the media just needed SOMETHING to make a big deal out of to get those views.

With Zelda, giving it a perfect score or near-perfect in itself was enough to generate controversy. That actually goes for most Nintendo games lol (just wait for Mario Odyssey if it's any good). But for these bigger third-party games, usually it's not enough to just admit the game is pretty solid and probably worth your money if you're a fan of the genre. That's not gonna get the clicks.

@Reginald I wonder how many Switch reviews make comparisons to it's earlier iteration (which from my perspective is irrelevant as I only own a Switch!)

@GrailUK I don't read reviews, but I would imagine reviews of ports would be a little more lacking (why put more effort into it if you've already reviewed it in the past?), and probably repeat the same things already said, maybe have a slight opinion change if there are any noticeable improvements, and mention the added features and that's it.

But if reviews are flat out bashing Yooka-Laylee solely for being a 90's platforming game, then I'm going to completely ignore them. It's like hating on Zelda for being a sword and shield adventure game. There's no sense to be had there. If you're going to criticize a spiritual successor that was intended to be a love letter to the past, then you may as well criticize the games it was based on as well.

Reviewers were really unfair with this games. A lot of them were bashing it for being like a 90's games... and it was what we all asked for!

Seriously. So much bias towards sandbox platformers in those reviews, you can just tell they have a bias against that style. If Yooka Laylee can get blasted for doing nothing to push sandbox platformers, how come 3D World got showered with 10/10s when it did nothing to push linear platformers? The hypocrisy is utterly palpable.

It could be it wasn't a great game but the reviewers are garbage at understanding why. I mean you're not giving them enough credit with the variety of ways they could be idiots!

@Reginald
I read and watched quite a few "reviews." The negative points mostly boiled down to:

1. It's a 90's-style collection platformer through-and-through; no innovation
2. Character voice effects are childish and annoying
3. Camera can be wonky

Those were the main gripes from the majority of "reviewers." All of which are easily addressed if you know anything about the game:

1. Duh. The devs said from day 1 that this was going to be a 90's-style collection platformer. If you don't like the genre, you ain't gonna like the game, Sparky. They never promised or even hinted at genre-changing gameplay. Quite the opposite: they consistently promised faithful, old-school gameplay.
2. ...sure? To some people, I guess. I mean... turn down the volume if it bugs you that much? But lowering the score because of it? Seems like a reach, to me.
3. Valid complaint day 1, but has been patched since. I wish "reviews" would be updated so that potential buyers would be aware the problem was fixed.

So, anyone here who's completed the game, in direct comparison where would you rank it against Banjo-Kazooie, Tooie, Donkey Kong 64, and Super Mario 64?

@DarthNocturnal Yeah, I believe so too - plus, I think you can now skip cut-scenes altogether if you want...quite why people would be so against a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie having Banjo-Kazooie-style voice effects is beyond me though!

It's a Banjo game in all but name - of course it's going to look/play/sound/feel like a Banjo game - if it didn't, they'd criticise that it didn't! ..can't win!

@SKTTR Personally I'd rank it higher than 64, below BK, BT, and SM64 in that order.

But I'm very very biased in favor of the BK games in general

I know it's like Banjo-Kazooie in all but characters and name and the graphics and music seem to be on par, but how does it compare in categories like content, polish, controls, and charm/characters?

Banjo had 10 worlds, Tooie had 13, and Super Mario 64 had 16 worlds if memory serves me right (Counting the hub world as 1 world). How much is there in Yooka-Laylee? Is it equal to BK (the shortest game in the comparison) or less?

@SKTTR - It's less than B-K comaring the sheer numbers, but the numbers don't genuinely do it much justice when the scope of each world is huge in comparison.

So am I right to conclude the following:

O. The general consensus is fans of BK are really enjoying the game.

O. It's a bit shorter in numbers but makes up for it with larger worlds.

O. It has the same level of polish (at least after the update I hope!?)

O. Its controls are just as smooth (practically the same?)

O. And it has the same charm/kind of art style/characters (the Banjo & Kazooie cast wouldn't feel out of place if suddenly appearing in the game.)

If YES to all, and coming to retail for around the same price as it's in the eShop (which I think will be 29,99€ or less?) then that's still a day one for me.

This just made today's showcase a little bit sad!

I'm kinda giving up on this game now, especially as it has already been half price on Playstation, if switch doesn't get a collectors edition or something, i really will not be bothered about this game.
There better be a physical release too

Uuuu its still not out yet?
What's the deal?

It should've been in the showcase for sure. But better to play it when it's done than when it's asked for.

I understand timing means a lot for potential buyers. But if this launches in the vicinity of mario odyssey it will officially have gone full 90's:

"Oh no, why doesn't my game sell?" Puts everything out there near Christmas "these fans didn't like us after all" after only two months "let's focus on other things" etc...

The reviews were unfair, the internet sentiment is unjust, but publisher hypocrisy never fails it seems.