Yooka-Laylee isn't out on the Nintendo Switch yet, but it launches on other platforms very soon - so soon, in fact, that reviews have just gone live.
As one of Kickstarter's most successful video game campaigns there was a lot of expectation surrounding this title, the debut of Playtonic Games - a studio made up almost exclusively of former Rare staffers.
With a lineage like Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country behind them, the team certainly has a fine pedigree - however, judging from the reviews it would seem that they've been fighting against their legacy with this particular release.
Our sister site Push Square awarded the PS4 version 6 out of a possible 10, concluding that the game was:
...a 90s platformer to a tee. Unfortunately, rather than a rose-tinted look at the titles of yore, this game falls into all of the same pitfalls as its predecessors: it's rough around the edges, often annoying, and at times even a chore. And yet for all of its flaws it's still packing the most important ingredient of all: the compulsion to collect everything is strong here – and it'll remain even when you're grinding your teeth.
GameSpot gave Playtonic's title 6 out of 10 as well, and said:
Ultimately, Yooka-Laylee's best and worst aspects come directly from its predecessor. Despite attempts at modernizing the formula, its style of gameplay is still outdated, and it doesn't stay challenging or interesting for long as a result. But if you're looking for a faithful return to the Banjo-Kazooie formula, Yooka-Laylee certainly delivers--from the font to the music to the wealth of collectibles, it's worthy of the title of spiritual successor.
VideoGamer was even more harsh, giving the title 4 out of 10 and stating:
Yooka-Laylee would fit right into the late 90s with its vague puzzles, wakka-wakka voices, and confusing levels. Time has moved on since the N64, and while there are a handful of bright spots, this sadly isn't the catalyst for a 3D platformer revival.
Polygon dished out a 5.5 score for the game on Steam, lamenting the rather old-fashioned mechanics but praising the visuals:
Yooka-Laylee looks the part of an updated platformer, but some of its mechanics should have stayed back in the era it came from. There was a reason we haven't seen more games like Banjo Kazooie on modern platforms, and it wasn't just because Rare as we knew it was gone; its ideas were very specific to a gameplay era that we've evolved past. Fourth-wall breaking dialog, shiny characters and lush graphics can't save Yooka-Laylee from the dated framework that it's built on.
Jim Sterling - well known for not holding back when he doesn't particularly like a game - chimed in with the most negative review of the lot, giving it 2 out of 10 and branding it "rubbish":
Yooka-Laylee is a game out of time, clinging so desperately to past glories it doesn't seem to understand the Earth kept spinning after the N64 was discontinued. It's everything wrong about the formative years of 3D platforming and it somehow retained none of what made the genre's highlights endure.
Yooka-Laylee is, in a word, rubbish.
IGN was a little kinder, awarding Yooka-Laylee 7 out of 10 and praising its funny characters and fun levels, but citing a lack of polish as an issue:
Yooka-Laylee contains all the pieces needed for a fun, enjoyable throwback to the 3D collectathons of the 64-bit era. The characters are charming and funny, your set of abilities is vast and entertaining, and four out of five of the worlds are fun playgrounds to explore. While it lacks the heart and polish of some of its incredible predecessors, it's a good reminder that this genre, once thought to be dead, still has some life left in it.
Our pals over at Eurogamer took issue with the game's reliance on past glories, but ultimately felt it was worth a play:
Criticising the game for being faithful to inspiration may seem churlish - Playtonic has never pretended to be doing anything other than reviving a beloved formula, warts and all. But it's hard not to look at some of the quirkier games the studio's founders were responsible for at Rare, including 2008's underrated Banjo & Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, and not feel like punches have been pulled. Still, as a whole Yooka-Laylee is more self-deprecating than it needs to be. This is a sumptuous, diverting homage to a bygone era in game design that should keep fans of the old school hooked, even if it doesn't set the world on fire.
The Guardian also had plenty of nice things to say, giving the title four out of five stars and finishing up with this positive conclusion:
Pleasingly, the game continues to add ideas and new, often-bonkers, tools over its course: lick a cannonball and you'll be able to temporarily absorb its power, allowing Yooka to walk steadfastly when faced with a brisk headwind. What the game loses by not having had a Rare/Nintendo-sized QA department to smooth its rough edges it compensates for with a princely pile of ideas, and a lovely control scheme that only improves with elaboration. Younger players may be less willing to forgive its anachronisms but for its target audience, those ageing mourners of a lost fashion in games, it's a promise that's proven worthy of backing.
So there you have it; after all the hype, crowdfunding success and months of development, Yooka-Laylee appears to have landed with a thud rather than splash, but there are some upbeat reviews out there which suggest that if you're a fan of Rare's old output, this title should hit the spot.
Will you still be getting it on Switch, when it eventually arrives? Or has this mixed critical reaction changed your view?
Comments 340
...please, not another "Mighty N.9" !
I am really surprised by the low scores.
Wow, I see a storm brewing on the horizon and its colour is brown.
Still fairly miffed that they cancelled the Wii U version. Don't care what they say, the reasons they gave were lies. Transferred my backing to the Switch version but sure I won't see that for a long time. Wonder if I should have just got a refund. They got the majority of their backing from us Nintendo fans then kicked us in the ghoulies.
So, the kinda game you buy when you got nothing else to play?
Wait what
Meh. Guess I'll just have to continue playing Zelda.
Not surprised. Always seemed empty and kinda dull.
@Shiryu I sincerely doubt it would be anything close to MN9. A lot of the hate for MN9 also stemmed from the numerous controversies and constant delays.
Even if this game does cling to outdated platforming, I don't care. This is what I wanted BK: Nuts and Bolts to be.
Next time Playtonic: Finish your game before releasing it to the public. Otherwise, this happens.
Sounds wack, but then again I've never been a fan of collectathons.
Hm...
At least there's no controversy. These guys just tried and didn't succeed. Can't fault them for that.
Haha. I was gutted when they turned their back on WiiU, the original platform choice. I'm sure it would have sold very well on there. And that...is karma at it's finest.
Good! Now I don't have to decide if I should buy it or not because of the JonTron controversy.
I told you so!
oh wait, I never told anyone....
OT; I was done with this game after Playtonic canceled the wii U version.
Seems about right from the videos I've watched was hoping for better though.
Backed it because it aimed at being a homage to N64 platformers,played it at egx last year and enjoyed it.
If this sells poorly, will the Switch version even be made? I know it was backed on Kickstarter, but those are some low scores.
A shame, but won't spoil the enjoyment of my refund.
I'd argue Jim Sterling doesn't count as a legitimate critic, with his ad-hominem attacks, blanket bashing, and general rage-fueled immaturity that panders to those who just want to be mad at things.
But yeah, expected scores like this from the previews. It's exactly what the backers wanted and nobody else.
Wow that's harsh. Some of those criticisms the reviewers cited, sounded quite positive in my book. I personally am looking forward to a romp in a N64 collectathon throwback. But perhaps one reviewer said it best, "Younger players may be less willing to forgive its anachronisms but for its target audience, those ageing mourners of a lost fashion in games, it's a promise that's proven worthy of backing."
It's a shame though, since I sincerely love this genre of game. I was hoping this was going to be a revival of sorts. Hopefully this doesn't deter them from bringing it to the Switch (hopefully physical too). I feel that's probably where most of their target audience is anyway.
To be honest i'm not surprised. Something is missing here... i'm not sold either by looking to youtube clips... i'll try this game but i'm not expecting anything much
I mean that's kind of what it says on the tin, isn't it? I don't have any particular interest in this project (at least aside from the soundtrack), but I don't think it was ever meant to be anything other than a beautified revival of N64 design philosophy, and that's exactly what it seems to be. If that's what you want, then great. If not, then this game wasn't made for you in the first place, and that's perfectly fine.
Look like I am gonna wait till it hits the bargain bin. Doesn't sound great
Wasn't going to get it day one anyway, so no skin off my back.
Huh
How many good Indy+Kickstarter developed 3D games have turned out well? Not terribly shocked, but feel bad for those hoping for a Banjo Kazooie type game to be quality.
@Agent721 Might depend on how bad the sales are, or how far along the Switch version is. I'm sure it's more in doubt than it was before these came out.
@Tsurii Those are fair points.
@Shiryu Mighty No 9 scored better than this.
Just saw this:
6/10 is a disappointment, according to Metacritic. Ah, the wonders of "anything less than an 8/10 is crap" gaming culture.
EDIT: @XCWarriors: MN9 is in the mid to low 50s on Metacritic, depending on the console. Yook-Laylee is nearly ten points higher.
These reviews are a little harsh IMO. This is exactly what the developers set out to achieve. Of course mechanics etc... have moved on. Not one to bash on reviewers, but why do 2D platformers get a free pass?
Lol whoops
Still day one on switch for me.
Disappointing, though I'll reserve judgement until I play it myself. I'm a huge fan of collect-a-thon platformers, even though the genre was beaten to death back in the N64 days.
So it's getting that 6-7 rating that all niche games that aren't broken get. It looks fine to me, but then what I wanted from this was a straight sequel to DK64. That was not a well-loved game, but it does have its fans so I'm sure this will follow the tradition. I plan to get it when/if I pick up a Switch.
@Tsurii nostalgia is a MFer
Hm. This doesn't sound awful, but I was hoping for something a la Shovel Knight: a game with retro mechanics and aesthetics, but modern sensibilities that remove a lot of the needless frustration of the game(s) it's paying homage to. I'm sure, though, that many people will be perfectly pleased with a game that matches the original style in every way, for better or for worse. Maybe I expected too much.
Wonder if I should've just gotten a refund instead of changing my Kickstarter reward to the Switch version...
I'm not gonna believe reviews until I play it myself. Some people will hate the game just because of Jontron incident. And those review examples in the article, people are complaining it's a N64-era styled platformer. Isn't it, um, what it aimed to be from the very beginning? A modern Banjo-Kazooie clone for Banjo-Kazooie fans.
I remember similar story happened to DuckTales Remastered, GameSpot said it was an outdated platformer, yet me and my friends enjoyed every minute of it.
The new Mario will wipe the floor with this, but it should be fun nevertheless. If it eventually arrives on Switch, that is...
@World "So it's getting that 6-7 rating that all niche games that aren't broken get."
Wat.
@Janus1986 yes. Yes it will. Just like the new Mercedes will wipe the floor with the latest Honda Accord.
Ffs...
Lol what I got from what I read is they hate it because its a 90s game.that's good the 80s and 90s had the best games.this ensures me its a day 1 buy
Jim sterling is a reviewer solely seeking attention... anyone who takes him seriously really shouldn't.
Looks like another to skip.
Talk of performance issues on PS4 makes me worry about how the Switch version will end up. Hopefully Playtonic optimizes it well-enough that the gameplay experience is broadly smooth.
Either way, it sounds like the game is exactly what it set out to be: an N64 era platformer, for better or for worse.
Speaking of 8/10s, here's an 8/10 review from kotakoi-- I mean Destructoid: https://www.destructoid.com/review-yooka-laylee-425484.phtml
@Slim1999 I have to say, I agree. The biggest complaint I keep seeing seems to be that Yooka Laylee hasn't evolved from any of the Rare 90s platformers. Having just revisited Banjo Kazooie and beaten it in the past few months, I don't necessarily consider that a dealbreaker. While I would've loved to see a progressive, modern take on the genre, a re-visit will make me nearly as happy, since I haven't been able to play a new platformer like that in nearly 20 years.
Played it at an event and the reviews seem to confirm what I thought of it. Just because they stick a slap of paint on it don't make it different or good. A few games maker should take note.
@gatorboi352 I mean things like city sims, stat-heavy war strategy games, non-AAA sports titles, etc. They often seem to hit that "good, but not great" scoring window. I guess it's fair to say calling collectathons a niche is a stretch, since they died as a big name and never really came back.
Anyway, was just saying that the score wouldn't put me off personally.
Can we just give all promising looking Kickstarter games to Yacht Club? They seem to be the only ones that can get it right...
Though based on the same principles, this doesn't have the luxury of being reviewed in the context of its own time like the actual N64 games this is like. The result is low scores. However, this may just be what people wanted and what the developers promised. On a side note, I've found that I can't trust game reviews as much as I could in the past. More than ever, I find reviews too harsh or, more commonly, far to free with praise. If I'm interested in a game, I'll find a few reviewers who sound like they share my taste and who do their jobs by pointing out any possible flaws.
@CrazedCavalier So he isn't a legitimate reviewer, and yet Steam is consulting him and TotalBiscuit regarding the future of their store. Hmmm. His caustic attitude can rile people, sure, but he does his homework when he makes his points, which is certainly more than you can say.
These reviews seem extremely unfair. Obviously I haven't played it yet but I'm only seeing two complaints. One complaint is that the game is rough around the edges. That is a fair complaint. However the second complaint seems to be that Yooka-Laylee is a platformer, calling it out dated and that is completely unfair! You can't give it a negative score just because you don't like the genre. I don't like stealth games but it wouldn't be fair to give Metal Gear Solid a 2/10. You'd think these review companies would get a fan of platformers to review Yooka-Laylee, not people who despise platformers... To me it looks like Yooka-Laylee is exactly what the KickStarter backers wanted, except the game is not as polished as it should be. A game that's only "true" complaint being a little rough around the edges should still get a good score.
lol
A shame, I hope a lot for this game.
Not enough to give money to a kickstarter before it was finished though!
Seriously, don't pay for something before you know what you're getting.
6/10 on Push Square...
You mean the game I've been telling everyone would be mediocre for months now and have been called a troll for is actually mediocre?
I'm shocked.
...not really shocked to be honest but I do feel bad for people that were really looking forward to this.
Wow, I love how so many people here in the comments have already dismissed this as an awful game. If you were excited about it before you should still give it a chance. Just because reviews say it's bad doesn't mean it is. Try it for yourself, think for yourself. You may just find it is a fantastic game.
@Shellcore Since when have 2D platformers had a free pass? Maybe it's just that they don't have worse, outdated mechanics?
@Zebetite That's not reviewing games; that's criticizing a platform that many others have.
Yeah, he makes some good points, but many of his reviews and his overall attitude scream somebody who wants to keep attention by being a loud, cantankerous cynic to appeal to the contrarians that just wanna be mad at things.
Basically, he's the patron saint of Neogaf.
Sounds like they've nailed what the set out to do and people are criticising them for minor things that they frequently overlook while reviewing other games.
Lots of bad news today.
And so the way lies open for a Kirby or Yoshi 3D collectathon to take the crown and save the genre...
Do it.
Wow I really didn't expect this, as I was actually really hyped for this game! When I look at the footage it still looks like I'm really going to enjoy this. Also, I respect every opinion, but a 2 out of 10 is just not fair for this.
When did the 3D platformer die, anyway? Everyone seems to think it died with the N64... but isn't Mario Sunshine basically the same thing? What about Jak and Daxter or Ratchet and Clank? Maybe they're not as popular anymore but I'm pretty sure games still exist within the genre.
Anyway, from what I've seen of Yooka Laylee it doesn't look bad but not particularly great either. To me, it doesn't look like the characters control as well as they did in, say, Conker's BFD or Banjo Tooie. Regardless, I'll try it out on Switch.
Good. Once they dropped the Wii U support I've been cheering for its failure. Scum bags.
So it's The Last Guardian of 3D platformers? Already preordered it for XOne and seeing how true to stays to the BK formula in every sense of the word, I think I'll have a good time.
Also, reviewers hate the voices? I love those and I'm glad they're back!
Isn't that what the backers wanted? A nostalgic rehash? Other than the Wii U backers of course, who just want what they paid for at this point.
@CrazedCavalier So he's the patron saint of a website where he's frequently loathed? I wonder how that works out.
I love hearing that claim that he just wants attention, by the way. His money comes from Patreon and not pageviews, so it well and truly does not matter whether he gets attention or not. And yet he eternally has people claiming he's fishing for clicks and attention. If he's not getting paid, the motive for this is...? He's certainly not as cantankerous as his critics, or were you okay with the death threats and (pointless) DDOSing of his website that came from giving Breath of the Wild 7 out of 10?
@G-Boy Jontron is a Muppet. If anything, Playtonic's decision made me more keen to support them.
The annoying voices is a big turn-off for me. That alone makes me not want to play the game.
Wasn't very interested in it to begin with, and now I'm even less interested than I was before. Plenty of other games I plan on buying this year anyway.
I feel like it is getting these "negative" reviews based on what it was trying to do. I'll be getting it and bathing in nostalgia.
@gcunit 3D platformers are the only true game genre. In their hearts, doubters know this to be true.
Either way, people take reviews entirely too seriously. The game is getting hammered for being dated in ways that modern platformers, like Mario and Ratchet and Clank and other titles have moved on from. Even so, if you were hyped for this, other people not liking it or liking it less shouldn't affect your own enjoyment. Ugh.
@HappyMaskedGuy Says the guy with an icon from a series where the hero traditionally cannot jump on their own. Okay.
@Zebetite There are plenty there who basically worship him.
And yeah, he's funded through Patreon and not advertisements. What difference does it make? By grabbing attention, he draws more people to his Patreon. And I'd personally wager that he earns a bit more through Patreon than ads would.
Also, judging by your comment towards HappyMaskGuy, it seems you're more sarcasm blind than I am. I've no more time for this.
The guy who gave it a 2 needs to get out more and stop being such a big old bag of grunty knickers
Nintendolife . . . really?
"So there you have it; after all the hype, crowdfunding success and months of development, Yooka-Laylee appears to have landed with a thud rather than splash,"
You believe this ****. That's so disappointing.
The facts are the reviews are can't even agree on what is good controls and what is a major or minor frame rate issue. Some of the reviews praise the controls, other reviews call the controls garbage. Sone of the reviews say the frame rate issues are very minor, others say the frame rate issues are major and suck the fun out of the game.
Critic reviews not knowing what basic issues with games are resulting in mixed reviews, does not make a game terrible. It makes the reviewers very incinsistent in their quality of reviews overall.
The sad part here is the mixed reviews (mostly doe to garbage factually incirrect reviews) will taint the success of this very good game. This game is really good, just with a few very minor issues.
A number of critics (for reasons I don't know) want to hate on this game and are making up bull**** to do so.
Also many of the reviews hate on this game because it is Yooka-Layleeand not a Banjo-Kazooie sequel. The game is not exactly what they wanted so they hate on it. The nostalgia bias is strong here sadly.
I'm surprised NintendoLife is not understanding this and writing crap like this in an article. Review don't make a game. This game is rather good.
Don't blame the game because the reviewers are not writing proper factually correct reviews here. Blame the reviewers. They caused this, not Playtonic.
I was never a big fan of the N64 collectathons but I was still looking forward to this, and am enjoying the sort of the same thing kind of that is Snake Pass. Ultimately most of the critics seem to be panning it for being a retro throwback to the 90's without improving on it. Which happens to be exactly what Playtonic said they were intending to do. I'm not sure how reviewers these days are taken seriously when they willfully negatively rate a game for doing what it says on the tin it's supposed to do, just because the dislike the thing it does. Playtonic explicitly said it's a throwback to pure N64 era games, right down to an N64 cart collectors edition. They never said they were revolutionizing the genre. Fans gave them money for that via kickstarter.
Just because Shovel Knight managed to revolutionize the 8-bit platformer doesn't mean games emulating 8-bit platformers without revolutionizing them are bad at it.
@Moon R&C at least in modern incarnations is more of an action game or action-platformer, not a collect-a-thon platformer. Those, short of 3D mariomore or less died on N64. Jak & Daxter's the odd one out. The first on PS1 was a collect-a-thon but the second two kind of lost sight of what genre they were actually supposd to be, alternating between a variety of things, but it really wasn't a collect-a-thon after the first.
@Agent721 I'm guessing Switch sales will be higher than most other platforms, and they almost HAVE to make the Switch version at this point a priority to recoup losses on other platforms.
It's an homage to retro mid-90's 3D platformers, and specifically the ones made by themselves and Nintendo for the N64. They seemed to miss the memo when making this a multiplat that the vast majority of gamers who have any interest in a game resurrecting that obsolete retro gameplay formula are still playing on Nintendo, and most people playing on other platforms are specifically the people not interested in that.
@Zebetite Actually, Zelda has tons of platforming as a series.
Says the guy who said who the heck are you anyways??
Gonna try it for myself, i dont buy games based on opinions.
It looks good to me, just like the banjo kazooie.
@Moon
"To me, it doesn't look like the characters control as well as they did in, say, Conker's BFD or Banjo Tooie."
Many would disagree with you.
Here is one random review that disagrees with you.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:s-GCDgCZT9wJ:www.brashgames.co.uk/2017/04/01/yooka-laylee-review/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au
"What makes it great though is the control scheme. Controlling Yooka and Laylee together is an absolute joy with the two effortlessly moving between combat and platforming with ease. Projectiles are a bit awkward and the occasionally stuttering frame rate can annoy from time to time, but those really are the only blots on an otherwise stellar report card."
And here is another reason why we wait before pre-buying.
I backed this on Kickstarter and to be honest was only ever expecting it to be getting scores between 6-8/10. Everything seems pretty fair to me, I'm sure it'll be fun for those that enjoy the genre, but it's never going to be groundbreaking is it? I'm still looking forward to playing next week.
@CrazedCavalier Judging by the response I got, no, they were pretty serious. I'd love to share some details about ad revenue and prove you wrong, but you're right, we don't have time to waste trying to convince people who already made up their minds.
Edit: Oh, and bang up job ignoring the question about the vile behavior people have shown over a review. I'm going to assume you were on board with that.
@Shellcore 2D platformers, when done correctly, are a joy to play because the controls enhance the game, and don't make you fight for control of your character or the environment. From most reviews I've read on this game, it has identical camera problems to 90s platformers, which is a very bad problem to have given how many modern 3D platformers have managed to get it right.
@the8thark Even if the reviewers are "wrong", the game still landed with a thud among them, regardless. Of course Nintendo Life isn't saying it landed with a thud in terms of it's general success or anything, seeing as the game isn't even released yet.
I backed this because I loved BK and DK64, so hearing that it's deeply rooted in those past games sounds like a plus to me and tells me that i'll be getting exactly what I wanted. I just hope the Switch version doesn't take long.
Still we don't know how far along the switch version is , it may end up being the definitive and better polished of the ports. Time will tell though how long it takes and in the mean time dragons trap is looking great for a next purchase.
Well till they decide if mario kart 8 Digital owners are going to get a discount on switch why .
still hopefull i'll just hold of till they do or it just need to wait for a sale. i don't need a battle mode or a few extra characters i was happy with what i had purchased including the dcl tracks and characters but thats for another day.
I'm still willing to give it a shot. Worst case scenario, there's always A Hat In Time coming out later this year. (Which from their demos, I already found better than Yooka Laylee)
@RedMageLanakyn
You have not read many reviews then. I've read many that don't even say the camera is a major issue at all.
@KirbyTheVampire
The thud only exist because of bad PR from poor reviews.
After the Wii U nonsense, part of me is grinning to see Playtonic get deflated a bit by people reviewing the non-Nintendo versions of the game lol.
Other part of me is rolling my eyes because a game marketed to appeal to Banjo-Kazooie nostalgia apparently delivers in spades and yet is criticized by reviewers for being so similar to the original source of the nostalgia...that's reviews for ya.
The old Rare was always known for polish and delaying games to polish. I wonder if the pressure of a timely release for kickstarter backers and the budget affected this. Hopefully a Switch version benefits from the extra time.
So as it runs badly on anything but a super powered P.C according to gamexplain, I buy in sale when it gets a PSPro patch or not at all.
Not as if I don't have a ton to play on my Switch already
@the8thark Yes, but it exists nonetheless, and that's all NL was saying.
Definite bias against 3D collectathons going on here. Linear platformers have the same issues (arguably worse) and they regularly get 8-10s (the amount of 10/10s 3D World got for doing pretty much nothing to push linear platformers makes me want to vomit, say what you want about liking that style but if Yooka-Laylee can be criticized for not pushing collectathons, 3D World also deserves 6/10s for being another nostalgia fueled linear Mario game).
I guess Rare isnt so bad after all eh haters?
I appreciate the folks at Eurogamer givung the excellent Nuts & Bolts its due. Anyway, I still plan on picking up Yooka-Laylee, myself.
Reading the reviews so far makes me sadder than usual for modern gaming tastes. Of course, having not played the game yet, I can't offer a definitive opinion, but it seems people criticize a lot of what makes games like Banjo great, while gushing about terrible Pixar movie wannabes like the Ratchet & Clank reboot.
This is also a reason why I think not releasing the Switch version day one was a big mistake, as Nintendo coverage is bound to be the fondest of this kind of gameplay.
Disappointingly rushed game and for what? If they had stuck with the Nintendo fans that funded it and taken more time to finish it all would be well
Let's be nice. Making video games is hard, and if Kickstarter has proved anything, it's that it can be hard even for veterans.
@CrazedCavalier yeah, Jim Sterling is an absolute tool. It's one thing to be an opinion personality... it's a whole 'nother thing to portray yourself as a gaming entity (looking at you BOTW MetaCritic score...).
Dude needs to get off his high horse and just chill out for a bit.
I'll problably buy it if I buy the switch. It looks fun and easy going and I can live with not collecting 100 %...I hope.
I can't help but feel the recent JonTron controversy is influencing this game. I'll be picking it up to form my own conclusion.
EDIT: Just watched GameXplain's review. It seems to suffer from performance issues on consoles, while the PC version is unaffected. It's a good thing I'm getting it on the PC.
It's 7.8/10 too much water all over again.
"The game that set out to be a nostalgia filled better graphic version of banjo-kazooie is really underwhelming because even though it looks beautiful it's too much like a nostalgia filled return to banjo-kazooie"
That is all I'm seeing from the reviews, this was a niche game with a specific purpose and it seems to hit every point it went for other than some PS4 performance issues. I actually just cancelled my Xbox one preorder so I can get it on Switch. The toy box demo is extremely rough around the edges but if the game performs at least equal to it then I'm game.
Don't care. Still hyped and still buying when it comes to Switch. I've never played a BK game, so this will be an experience without the rose tinted nostalgia goggles.
Genuinely disappointing.
Just read the PushSquare review then I came here and I see the full picture is not brighter.
A bit of a shame, but still sounds like a game I may give it a chance regardless since I always been a fan of platformers (I mean... if I managed to complete DK64 101% without punching the screen then I should be fine with YL too...hopefully XD).
I'll never understand some gamers. People were thrilled about this being a Banjo successor and now they're whining about doing its job and doing it well?
Disappointed by the review scores, as accurate or not, they'll undoubtedly hurt sales of a game that the zeitgeist has been looking for a reason to hate.
Don't regret backing it in the slightest, though, and I'm still sure it'll be a blast when I eventually get to play it.
I hope this is polished a bit before it hits Switch. And then I'll see what reviewers of Nintendo games/systems have to say - they might have a different perspective, maybe not.
Might have to wait a bit longer for 3D platforners to get their Shovel Knight then.
Being honest, I liked the idea of the game, since I enjoyed Banjo, but I never expected it to be that acclaimed at all. From the YouTube clips, the game looked charming enough but for me, it seemed lacking in character and seemed very slow paced. Still, I might pick this up anyway on Switch. Will watch the GameXplain review as well, to help with my decision
Looks like I'm better off just sticking with Rare Replay.
@KirbyTheVampire
A PR thud, not a game quality thud.
Want to know how the game journalists can destory the sales of a good game? Well you are seeing evidence of this here folks.
@Tempestryke
I know, right? The sad part is it'll potentially hurt sales of the game, for those who didn't back the kickstarter.
@Shellcore There's a difference. Some things have improved and it would be silly to ignore them. Camera controls for examples. So when people say the camera in Yooka-Laylee controls like a camera from the game it pays homage to, then that's not a compliment.
@the8thark That's reassuring. I hope they're right and that it controls well. I've not played the game yet so I can't truly judge it for myself, but from what I've seen, my opinion thus far is that it doesn't look as polished as B-K or Conker.
I'm sorry to hear all this; it's sounds like someone like me who didn't grow up with Banjo Kazooie might not enjoy this. This game certainly won't win me over with charm, so it was the fundamentals I was hoping to appreciate.
The real unfortunate thing is that I don't really know if I would like it or not without playing it myself, but I'm not willing to take a chance on it right now. I hope when it comes to the Switch that it has a free demo.
Since when was a 6/10 or 7/10 bad? These reviewers are dumb.
6-7 equals good
8-10 excellent
5-its okay
Anything below that is very bad.
It really needed a modern update: Perhaps matches where the characters just try killing each other over and over, infinite lives with auto saves before every hard part, some QTE moments, and some gritty parts with some big boy languange. I would give the game 1/10 for not modernizing.
Don't forget that many reviewers play a lot of games so they are used to modern style or new style games. People who want this game including me is because we like Banjo Kazooie or retro games. I feel like this game is meant for retro fans than modern fans.
I guess we will see!
@the8thark 3D platform fans will love it, people who don't care about so-called professional reviewers will probably have fun with it. Even if I can't buy it, I still think it looks great.
Guys, you have to actually READ the reviews! And I would love to know the average age of the reviewers.
Negative: Too much like 90's platformers.
HELLO! That was the whole point. lol.
"If you want something like Banjo Kazooie, it delivers. 5.5"
HAHAHA again. that's the point.
And that is EXACLTLY what I want. I had no interest in this game until I picked up Banjo KAzooie for the first time a couple months ago. Yes, in 2017, and I love it. speaks to all my retro gamer fun zones. So this one feels like that one? Then for the first time, I'm interested. I want MORE games that feel more like the 90's when i was a kid.
@JohnBlackstar
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Nailed it.
@speedracer216
Precisely!
I feel like once the Switch version drops, the aggregate score will jump up to low to mid 70s, with the input of Nintendo centric site scores.
Jim Sterling seems to just enjoy trying to annoy people. I doubt he'd lie about disliking it. But I bet he would change a 5/10 to a 2/10 just for effect.
Meh, reviews on this game are largely pointless and in no way an indicator for success. The audience are the backers and if they are happy and pleased then job done. This was never going to be a crossover hit with the mainstream. I've always thought that the best home for this was a Nintendo console so I hope the Switch version is up to snuff.
@Tempestryke
Not really how it works though is it. The average review score is around 7/10, not 5/10.
It's getting lower scores than what I expected but I was personally not going to buy the game anyway, at least before it goes on sale. I don't have the same kind of nostalgia for collectathon type 3D platformers as many others do. I love Super Mario 64 but I've never played any of Rare's N64 platformers other than DK64 which I don't enjoy.
Kind of figured. As collect-a-thon games we're novel back then but now they really really suck.
This is a day one on switch for me, metro gave it seven and that's good enough for me of course need the lifers opinion too but I can't see it being lower. As for any review that cites nuts and bolts as a classic, well that just null and voids that opinion from the off.
@Dezzy Yeah I wouldn't be surprised. A 2/10 for this game is an outlier if I've ever seen one.
Damn, don't all these issues sort of
Vindicate the Wii U versions cancellation? If they couldn't get it to run on the PS4 (supposedly the easier console to work on) then the Wii U probably was giving them a mess of trouble
Well, that pretty much mirrors the ongoing reaction to games like DK64 and Banjo Kazooie, doesn't it? Most people I talk to about those games either love them or hate them, and the "hate them" side seems to grow as time goes by. Oh well, I still want to play it.
Also, people shouldn't take Jim Sterling's scores too seriously. He uses his scores to make personal points based on his own emotions, which are never not in flux.
@Dezzy I said 5/10 was just okay. If you rate something 1 out of 10 and a number is closer to 10. It's usually good. These idiot "professional" reviewers who think otherwise are both snobs and need to go back to elementary and re-learn number scales.
@BAN
Take me for example - i don't like DK64 because it was too much of a departure from DKC on SNES and too many lame characters.
But I DO like Banjo Kazooie even if I get frusrated at re-collecting so much stuff when I die.
So now they say this is too mcuh like Banjo? Then I guess I like it. Paying attention for the first time now!
@Samuel-Flutter Not unlike a 7/10 for BotW, to be honest. Sterling's in it for the drama, really.
Personally, I think his gaming tastes are atrocious.
So, all that, all the hype, PR, interviews, demo's, events, etc, etc, for this!? I was always sure this would end in a game lot worse than poor, something 'meh'.
Roll on WB: Dragons Trap, of which I'm certain won't disappoint.
@sony_ponies As someone who loved his work and persona up until his review of Zelda, I have to agree. I contributed to his Patreon from day one, and I've loved watching his Jimquisition episodes, but he really does seem to be taking a nosedive into being an outright troll. I couldn't take his BotW review even remotely seriously, and I lost all respect for his opinion based on the content of the review (not just the score). I don't know for sure about the content of the review here, but it's certainly better reasoned than his BotW review, even if the score does seem a bit extreme. He definitely seems off his rocker in 2017, and I'm disappointed to see it overall as a fan of his work for over 5 years.
@Phin68 Conversely, they may have been afraid of too many delays for fear of looking like Mighty Number 9 did, and if the product was always going to have a mixed reception anyway the delays may have done more harm than good.
I thought it looked like it was going to be pretty disappointing from the get-go, and said as much on multiple occasions. You can just tell by watching gameplay videos that it suffers from most of the flaws many of these 3D platformers had back in the '90s, and, while that was fine in the '90s when this kind of stuff was new territory, it's not really good enough now. It doesn't look bad, but it doesn't look particularly great either. I guess it is a smaller indie dev team, so a lot of the issue can also be forgiven somewhat—but only to a degree. Those mini-games just look terrible for the most part though.
I'm sure those who backed it were expecting to get a 90s platformer game. I know I was.
Sheesh, wrong people paying and playing the wrong game for them.
That's like an fps only gamer backing an rts throw back game just because it has shooting in it.
Breaking news: playtonic learns that game media, over time, has decayed into self congratulatory, virtue signaling social circle pundit jerks.
Remember gamergate. That never was about a person, it was about honest reporting people lack access to.
This smells like it. No idea if the game is any good, but by the descriptions I'm seeing, it sounds like a lovely little thing.
The reviews seem like people trying to be considered important by their peers, by "daring to criticise" what would be a charming break in convention.
Doing so collectively, they try and make themselves look like professionals worth your time. Pitiful things - I can't figure out whether these reviews make any sense yet.
Weak.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE If the Xbone can barely run it at 30fps, I dread to think what the Wii U version would look like.
I'd rather we didn't use this site as an arbitrary echo-chamber of purposefully selected reviews. Real poor form.
Anyway, I feel bad for Playtonic as they seem to have delivered what a lot of people wanted, just that as many others apparently don't want this sort of homage/throwback. I mean, I'd be OK if it played exactly like SM64 or BK, but that's me.
I think 6 to 8 out of 10 was to be expected. (And I have to say, 6 is still okay on a scale of 0-10) I'm pretty sure I will enjoy it, but it won't blow me away or anything. Ultimately it will come down to the particulars of the game if it'll become loved or not.
Playtonic might have succeeded in creating a pure bred successor to the N64 era platformers, but it might have payed off to modernize the concepts a little bit more, and try to put some AA (or even AAA) polish in there.
These reviewers are almost entirely clueless and should have read/re-read the kickstarter page where Playtonic explains EXACTLY what the game is supposed to be and be about, and it literally hits ALL the nails on the head in the department of bringing back that sentiment that fans of the older Rare platformers were looking for and which, although maybe not all modern and fault-free, is EXACTLY what these fans (and backers) were expecting, so people need to get their heads out of their nether regions and see this, and RATE this for what it is, and that is an almost perfect homage to the good old Rare platformers, quirks and shortcomings and all...
P.S.
Eurogamer: "...including 2008's underrated Banjo & Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts"
No, not really. That game wasn't underrated, it was actually highly overrated because it was such a big steaming pile of crap, that it even rivaled the mighty Poo...
@speedracer216 Yeah, I guess the reviews are just a reflection of people's complicated feelings with the genre. But I'm sure that most of the people who love those old games enough to back this kickstarter will probably enjoy this game.
For the people wondering why other people think 6/7 is a bad game...
It's a relative thing, right? I mean yeah, I'm sure if Yooka-Laylee was the only game you had, a 6 would be fine. However, now compare it to Breath of the Wild with many 10s and 9s. What's more worth your time? Just going off the scores BotW is 35% better.
I'm not trying to pass judgement on either of those two games, but the point is a 6 is bad because, while the game is fine, there are many more games in the 10, 9, 8 and even 7 range that would be, theoretically, more worth your time.
tl;dr A 6 is a bad score even if it doesn't mean the game is bad.
I wish every game in the eShop had a demo version to check out.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE You say that like it's not common for Nintendo fans to get kicked in the ghoulies.
@the8thark Ok? Then either they didn't mind them or did a poor job thoughtfully explaining their reason for not enjoying it, which a lot of reviewers seem to be guilty of nowadays. I tend to read reviews from people that justify their score instead of just slapping a number on something and saying yay or nay.
I already know that a bunch of "professional" game critics are now going to use the reviews of this title to make idiotic statements along the lines of "Theres's a reason no one makes 3D platformers anymore . . .", as though there's something inherently wrong and outdated with 3D platformers as a genre, which is just total and utter junk. It is absolutely possible to make a great 3D platformer that people would absolutely love and rate very highly, even today; and Nintendo will show us that very clearly with Super Mario Odyssey when it launches this summer. Yooka-Laylee isn't meh because 3D platformers just aren't very good and can't hold up with today's games; it's meh because it just isn't a very good 3D platformer that isn't done quite well enough to compete with today's games. Just wanted to make that distinction clear.
So it set out to be a outdated 90's game, meaning wonky controls when transformed, wonky camera, open levels with very little in them etc. And thats before you add in the bugs and frame rate issues, no thanks pass.
Forgot to add long loading times with a lot of shudder.
@whodatninja They were different versions handled by 2 different teams. With Playtonic themselves working on the Wii U version.
@ThanosReXXX If you want them to rate it how it was meant to be experienced, as a true 90s platformer, you'd have to find someone who's never played a game since the 90s that literally does everything better. That's not only unreasonable, but practically impossible. Even the most non biased reviewer will compare a game to something else they've played, for better or worse, and in this case, it's looking to be mostly from the worse. I grew up on 90s platformers, and honestly, they've aged pretty badly. There's no reason they couldn't have retained the spirit of a 90s platformer and made improvements at the same time.
@EternalDragonX That depends on which Rare you're talking about: the skeleton crew of only 2 original Rare members left amongst the new Rare team still working at Microsoft, 95% of which don't even know of Rare's history, or haven't even played/owned any of their games (most of the talents are foreign), or the 18 original Rare members now part of Playtonic, which for all intents and purposes actually IS Rare, and it is more so than the people left at Microsoft will ever be.
Other than the admittedly great compilation disc they made, they haven't done anything worthwhile with any of their IP at all since then, and their new pirate game will probably also not do too well either.
Playtonic/classic Rare just need to get their mojo back and if testing the waters with an averagely scoring platformer is what it takes, then so be it, but like I also said in my previous comment: this game isn't a disappointment or bad thing at ALL to the people that wanted and backed this, because they were smart enough to know what they were going to get, unlike a whole lot of "professional" reviewers, apparently...
@ricklongo Too true. But I feel with as many 10/10s that Breath of the Wild got, any other score could be considered an outlier.
@gaby_gabito
Well you CAN,T go wrong with botw my friend. I'm surprised how much this game is devouring my free time.
These reviews are disheartening. I was hoping this game would do better. It seems like this game is still decent and worth playing for anyone who likes 3D platformers, but unfortunately isn't groundbreaking in any way and lacks polish.
I'm likely still going to really enjoy this game, after all there's plenty of 3D platformers that I love that are considered mediocre.
so basically, if you love the Rare N64 titles, you'll love this. That's basically what I figured it would be, and really, is that a bad thing?!?
@RedMageLanakyn No, not as a true 90's platformer, but as a true HOMAGE to a 90's platformer, quirks and faults and all.
I already said that in the comment that you reacted to, so maybe you missed (or misinterpreted) that part.
I would agree that some mechanics, especially camera angles, should be modernized, even in faithful re-imaginings of older platformers, but for the most part, that old charm needs to be in there for it to actually BE that homage to the original games.
If they are going to COMPLETELY revise the mechanics to make it into a full-on 2017 platformer, then all ties with the old will be nullified, and it'll just be a modern platformer that will definitely NOT appease, please or enthuse backers and fans that wanted a spiritual successor to those Banjo Kazooie games they loved so much and wanted to see return so badly.
I bet if Banjo-Kazooie got released today, would it garner these same mixed reviews?
Still would like to try that out on my Wii U but toooo bad i can,t anymore =/.
I'm still optimistic this will not be another Mighty No. 9, and am looking forward to playing it on my Switch...still sorta sad that Shantae came out on WiiU RIGHT before I got a Switch and haven't turned on my wiiU since, but if I did, it would be to finish Shantae finally since that's maybe my favorite Kickstarted game (tied with Shovel Knight?)
Destructoid seems to have liked it, especially for fans of Banjo Kazooie:
https://www.destructoid.com/review-yooka-laylee-425484.phtml
@RedMageLanakyn And I don't agree at all about the older games: not to long ago, I replayed both the first Banjo Kazooie game and Conker's Bad Fur Day and I still loved them and the controls were mastered again in almost no time at all, so we'll scratch that one up to personal opinions...
And just to be clear: there's nothing wrong with that, so fair enough if you don't like them anymore. Maybe I'm more of a retro gamer than you, then: I still play quite a lot of older games, so could be that I'm still more accustomed to how they control, which in turn might make it easier for me to "stomach" their shortcomings, which (in most cases) to me are actually the charms of these games, although I do have to admit that there are a few frustrating ones out there, but they were already frustrating back then, so it's not specifically because of them now being compared to more modern siblings...
The performance issues and bugs are the big negative to me. These things can be fixed with updates as long as Playtonic doesn't run out of money.
I'm ECSTATIC for Yooka Laylee! 6/10 makes me want it even more!!! "What, why??" you ask? Because I can't tell you how many times I've read a review for a game that was given a low score, but deserved a 9+/10. At the same time, I've endured games that were given high scores but I couldn't even get through an hour before losing attention. Maybe I'm not the gamer these latter games cater to, but I KNOW FOR A FACT I love 3D platformers. Even thinking about Mario 64 or or donkey kong 64 puts me into a nostalgic coma. Hell, I was CRAZY for Glover.
I will love this game dearly. And if you are even remotely a fan of 90s 3D platformers, you'll join me.
So far, the only negative things most reviews seem to be saying is 'This game feels like something that came out 20 years ago on the 64', but pretty sure that's what most people wanted from it?
It was made by a handful of people, it was never going to be the next step in 3D platforming games.
Spoiler Alert: Shenmue 3 isn't going to have any large towns, let alone cities to explore, on a budget of $6 million.
PC version reportedly runs the best form what I hear. Also I wouldn't take the Jimquisition too seriously considering his tendency to trash anything he doesn't really like. Also remember reviews are mainly a matter of opinion. Often the best way to find out if you really like a game or not is to sit down and play it for yourself. Postal 2 for example was poop on by critics but a lot of people still enjoy it.
As great fan of Banjo, DK 64 and of course Conker, i need to play this man...but
I will probably end up getting it but not at launch.
@ThanosReXXX The only difference between this "homage" and an actual 90s platformer is just the engine then? Even their Kickstarter page says it's a spiritual successor, which would lead many, reviewers included, to believe it would be BETTER, hence the word "successor" being in there.
I consider myself a retro gamer as well, and there are a lot of games that withstand the test of time, but for me, most 90s platformers are hard to play now after having played games within the past 10 years that have remedied the things that make them awkward now, but we're perfectly acceptable at the time.
@ThanosReXXX
Yeah, Eurogamer loses a lot of credibility on this one for saying "too much like Banjo Kazooie. Shoudl've been more like Nuts and Bolts."
FAIL. Nuts and Bolts was my first BK game and I thought "why all the hype? if this is BK, it's garbage." Later found out it is not really BK at all. Just garbage. Actual BK is fun.
Something NintendoLife should've pointed out, GameXplain also uploaded a review video of the game. It's not bad, and they "Liked" it, quite a bit, despite the framerate/camera issues.
@RedMageLanakyn Well, to me personally, a spiritual successor is something that is VERY much like the thing or person it is supposed to succeed, so completely revising the mechanics to make it a different thing isn't fitting the bill in my opinion.
As for the whole retro gamer thing: I guess I was right then about me being at least a bit more of a retro gamer than you, then, since I am not at all annoyed by most of these games their shortcomings and consider them to be part of their original charm, which is also why I like to revisit them from time to time.
And it's also hilarious for me to see younger friends or family members play and fail stupendously at these games because they aren't used to really tough games anymore...
And the fun gets even greater when I show them how it SHOULD be done right after...
And swedish PC Gamer gave it a 91/100 stating "The platform magic is back and feel fresher then ever."
Which just goes to show it's all about what you expected this to be.
@ThanosReXXX It's all good. I spent my youth beating the super tough games of yesteryear, and now my gaming time is limited, so I tend to lean towards the simpler games of today for the most part. Collectathons and RPGs are tough to finish once I start them, they just don't hold my attention like they used to! I'll always fire up the classics every once in awhile though. Particularly fond of the 8bit/16bit era.
@speedracer216 It certainly is. But then again: most classic Rare games are, except for a small amount of misfires, mostly made post-Nintendo...
@RedMageLanakyn Me too, although the N64 and it's many classics also has a special place in my heart and mind. And the Sega Dreamcast as well, but that's a story for another day (and website, although there's so much Sega coverage here at times, it should fit right in... )
A step backwards or a step backwards?
Didn't expect this and am a little disappointed it has some issues, but I'll definitely still be interested in the game because of how much I loved the classics like Banjo.
Funny, I got Snake Pass expecting an average platformer to hold me over until the excellent Yooka-Laylee, but it seems like Snake Pass is turning out to be the excellent one while Yooka-Laylee is fairly average. And yes, a 7/10 is average by video game review standards. Mercenaries Saga 2 for example, the most unremarkable, average game I know of sits at exactly 7/10.
Really? I can't understand how a game that has been advertised as a return to the n64 era can be under fire for holding up this promise. It's a nostalgia trip, of course it's not perfect.
What's next? Bloodstained is going to be too much like Castlevania?
Also, no physical release on a Nintendo console killed it for me. I think that was terrible move. Nintendo fans are the ones most likely to connect with this and they're the ones that ended up with a console switch (pun intended), a delay and no retail version.
@Kosmo Thatt is where I am at Kosmo. Brief: Let's make an N64 game. Review: 2/10 - too much like an N64 game.
Bashing for whats to be intended as a revival of an old genre... Idiotic. There could be improvements, yes, but thats not what many have been pushing for these past two years. A revival is what we are after, THEN improvements can be made in the series' future.
Also, not to add to the drama of the recent controversy, but, from a neutral gamer like me who has read beyond the headlines, has it ever occurred to you that Jon and whoever is with Playtonic (at least Grant Kirkhope, given past ties) can still PM each other in the name of their good ties in the past? All this time of this issue, its been nothing but criticizing the official stuff each side presented, but NONE has been said of the outstanding casual ties. I cant say myself if they are continuing that, given the lack of evidence (for now) but others cant argue they stopped ties either. The answer solely lies in both Jontron and Playtonic. If they have been continuing to talk to each other or have been maintaining that ability still, the entire thing is blown upside down and people like NeoGaf cant ever really turn this back around to their favor again. You can stop ties in businesss, but not ties in casual friendship that easily.
All in all, this can be seen as a war between the groups, but not the figureheads.
I don't know. I feel like these reviews are a little too harsh. Especially Jim Sterlings's review, not as a surprise. Playtonic Games did say that this was going to be a tribute to the old N64 collectathons, so I don't understand why people would expect anything more. Now, I'm starting to get a little nervous about how critics will react about some other collectathons like A Hat In Time. It just doesn't seem like Yooka-Laylee isn't broken or badly made, by any means. It's just not innovative, and many games that aren't innovative get good reviews like the many first-person shooters out there, and the New Super Mario Bros series.
Probably the craziest part is that Nuts And Bolts got better reviews than this game.
The biggest issues iI'm reading are camera and controls. Two aspects that a platformer needs to nail for a good experience.
@ThanosReXXX Never got much time with Dreamcast or Saturn unfortunately, and N64 is where I start having problems going back to play them. Honestly it's the controller, I just don't find it comfortable anymore.. I have yet to find one that doesn't have a mangled analog stick also, and i'm still waiting on the Kickstarter stick and bowl replacements from over a year ago.
glad to see the game is getting mediocre reviews after it turned out that the developers are bad people!
I'm buying it- absolutely. I still play Banjo and Donkey Kong 64. It's good news that it plays like them. They're fun for a reason.
I think to review this game objectively and where a lot of the review media have totally missed the boat on, you have to be able to transport yourself back in time to the early 2000's and pretend that Yooka-Laylee is the 3rd Banjo-Kazooie. Sure graphically it blows the first 2 Banjo games away, but in terms of game play, level layout/design, goofy voices, it was PURPOSEFULLY DESIGNED to feel like an old game. Playtonic has stressed this from the very beginning! If you don't like 3D platformer/collectathon's this game is NOT FOR YOU and therefore YOU should not be the member of your staff to review it PERIOD! I tend to believe the 7's and 8's much more so than a guy like Jim Sterling giving it a 2. I didn't back it, but I'm still going to buy it and enjoy it because I actually DO like these kinds of games.
Too bad. That was promising. I was pretty hyped up to a month ago, when I started to see gameplay videos that seemed pretty dull and the world of the game looked quite empty and lifeless. Guess these reviews confirm it.
I'm not enough of a B&K fan to just be pleased with the nostalgia, so I guess I'll skip this one :/.
I'm a huge fan of 90's Rare, even with its flaws. These reviews, even the 2 out of 10, are giving me more confidence to get the game.
@Samuel-Flutter I'm alright if this isn't a "revival" in the sense that we were expecting. Just having a game like Kazooie in this age will spark some interest if it sells well.
Even with the bad reviews, this game could still be a revival. Only sales will tell...
When games left behind the N64 design philosophy, there was a certain magic that left as well. Modern games just feel... like they're missing something from a design perspective. Like whatever left was replaced with a generic stand in. I'd honestly be fine if we went back to a sort of N64 renaissance in the gaming industry. Bring the magic back.
Having only played a bit of Banjo Kazooi I don't have much of the nostalgi factor impacting my views. Despite some lacklustre review scores I still want to give it a shot but not desperate.
@manu0 How does one simple mistake make them bad people? It's like saying that Nintendo is a terrible company because they didn't retire the Wii U earlier. It was a problem that they needed to resolve, and any situation would have hurted them in the long-run. I get that the Wii U version was delayed, but at least they are offering a Switch version that will (eventually) be released.
People criticize others over everything these days...
@sony_ponies iant that what all "critics" are though? Trying to come up with catchy one-liners that attempt to sum up anything in one or two sentences? This is why I hate critics. Seriously... this looks great. So people who love sports games and people who love FPS can review something on common ground and we simply can't ignore it. It really sucks the reviews will sway so many people. The reviewers don't know me and I don't know them, therefore I will not be taking their word for it. I'm getting this on Switch and I'm going to enjoy it the same way I did its predecessors.
I'm a Wii U owner and spent a lot on games for the system and even backed Yooka Laylee so I don't understand what all the fuss is about when they switched consoles anyway. Wii U is dead, makes no sense from any developer standpoint to continue to waste resources on this. I would much rather prefer a slight delay with bug fixes and possibly a definitive version on a superior platform.
I have the Switch and if u don't have one, u should get one when u get the chance. Also they offered refunds too, so no harm no foul if u don't have a switch or other console no problem. What's the big deal if it doesn't come to Wii U, it's most likely not going to sell well there anyway when most are moving on to Switch and literally putting Wii U in the closet or trading it in. I still play mine but most people won't.
I'm also of the culture that understands that a 6/7 rated game isn't garbage. It just means good or slightly better than average yet people harp on a 6 or 7 like it's utter trash. Not all games are supposed to be masterpieces that's ridiculous, and people that were waiting on this game are going to get exactly what they wanted and it will be great fun. Just fix bugs and frame rate issues and it gets an 8/10 from me once I play it, i know it cuz it's the kind of gameplay that is exactly what I wanted.
Personally I didn't like the art style because (just like the Crash Bandicoot remaster) they went with a "realistic" look, whereas IMO a more cartoonish look would have been much better, just like the originals were. The lighting also bothers me a little, It makes it hard to see where your character is when in the shadows.
Aside from that, I don't see anything bad in these reviews, this game is 100% what it promised to be, and I plan to play it at some point.
Another thing to note with Jim is that he pretty much hates platformers of any sort. Banjo Kazooie included. With that in mind his review is almost like expecting a blind man to review the Mona Lisa.
Also looking at his review in a bit more depth it wasn't that great to begin with
Quote from Jim's Review.
"Also, Yooka himself sounds like a total ♥♥♥♥ing pervert every time he “speaks.” It’s actually quite distressing.
The dialog as written is only slightly less painful with terrible jokes that undeservedly throw shade at other games and Laylee’s “witty” quips routinely insulting the looks of any creature that isn’t her, often using derogatory nicknames based on their appearance. She’ll toss out slurs against snakes, shopping carts, clouds, she doesn’t care. Laylee is a complete racist, and as facetious as I’m being here, she really does come off as a hateful, nasty, thoroughly unlikable little ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.
Additionally, the game is drowning in Quillies, or Quills, or whatever. They’re more contrived bits of magical ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥t you pick up so you can buy new moves from Trowzer the snake (he’s named after a ♥♥♥♥♥)."
Not exactly what I would call a professional review
@Wandman5612 the reason they gave for not releasing on wii u wasn't because it's dead. they specifically said they can't release on wii u because of technical problems they are unable to resolve which is inexcusable in my opinion. especially since the wii u cancelation came very late and before that they never said a word about technical problems on wii u. in fact they even made it seem like the wii u version is getting the most care because they emphasized that it's being done by playtonic themselves and not team17.
+add to that the whole jontron situation.
@sony_ponies Someone's still salty about the BOTW review. Jim is every bit as believable as any other reviewer if not more for not giving in to fanboys.
@MasterWario
One of these days you'll learn that there's a nice medium to these things. 6-8 means something is good. Not average. Good. Good does not mean that it's automatically unplayable garbage. This mindset you and others are spouting makes no sense whatsoever.
@ThanosReXXX If I'm a reviewer, am I supposed to give this game a 9 or 10 if it accomplishes what it wanted to do?
I don't think you've even read the reviews since you're calling them "clueless". Many of the reviewers actually have played the N64 games. YL suffers from so many issues that quite frankly should not happen these days. If this were an N64 game, these would be acceptable, but not as a 2017 game. Maybe you should actually read the reviews and not the scores, or you'll be the "clueless" one.
@Kosmo
It wouldn't surprise me one bit if that's what they do.
@MaSSiVeRiCaN
Well said!
@Nintenerdguy
You could always try borrowing it from a friend first if your not sure?
I actually have no attachment to N64 games, since I never owned one, but I looove me some classic rare and when it comes to platforming, they seldom disappoint.
So only bad point is its behind the times... which is what I wanted! Must buy
@NEStalgia
Yeah, you're right. The best platform would seem to be the Wii U or Switch, given the Nintendo fans on there. I hope it does come to the Switch and that perhaps, old school fans will love it. I loved the N64, so I'm hoping it still makes it to the Switch.
They should have launched where the fans are first!
It's time for Nintendo to step in and buy playtonic!
Ummm, it's an homage to a generation that hasn't necessarily aged particularly well. Of course critics are going to tear it apart! This is the sort of game where, so long as you know that you're a fan of the genre, the scores are better left ignored. This isn't Mighty Number 9. It's a well-made N64 game released seventeen years later! Anybody who was expecting scores higher than an 8/10 is flat-out delusional!
@CrazedCavalier Sterling does go overboard a lot, but he fulfills an important function: muck raking where others would fear to tread. When he gives a really low score, there's usually a number of fair reasons behind it.
@HappyMaskedGuy That statement is an insult to all Muppets!
I did not back nor pre-order this. I like the first two B-K, but I guess I don't love them. Still, I might check it out somewhere down the line.
Well, I'm getting the PC version soon, since I was a backer. So I'll chime in at some point. Traditionally, points should indeed be docked for doing the exact same thing as a title's predecessors (direct or spiritual) did, without any real improvements. However, there must be something else going wrong if more than 2 points are subtracted in that situation.
@PlywoodStick Heck his BotW review wasn't really THAT bad. The reaction from the fans is what caused the whole mess to become so toxic. Judging his his site today, it seems that Playtonic fans are doing/about to do the same thing.
Nothing against Team 17 but they sometimes have issues with there ports. They were the ones responsible for porting the PC, Xbox One and PS4 versions, so I feel a bit better that's it Playtonic working on the Switch version. Nothing though that a patch can't fix for the other versions.
@AlternateButtons Lol, racist against himself and his own lineage, huh? (He's half Iranian, and Iran is on the hitlist.)
I went from wanting this to maybe and to not at all, i don't go by reviews much but it not doing great, plus why switch version coming out way later? When it comes should be £10 max for being late, sowwy but ya lost a sale
@Tempestryke
I think many people (especially if they're Americans) view review scores through the lens of the American educational grading system.
IIRC:
100-93 = A
92-90 =A-
89-87 =B
82-80 =B-
79-77 = C
And everything below that is an F.
@TheLZdragon A lot of people are just really thin skinned, and are unable to see the meaning behind the words.
This will be available for buttons in a few months. I'm going to say it; I knew it'd be c**p.
@gaby_gabito I was listening to an old IGN Nintendo podcast from December, and they gave you a shoutout at the beginning of the episode. I was like, "Hey, I know who that is!"
@Firelork Well, 60-69 would be a D, which is a barely passable grade. In other words, mediocre. Not good, but not a failure either. 50-59 is a failure, so 5/10 = a bad game, not a mediocre one. Everything below 5 just gets worse.
@manu0 They could not say they were canceling the Wiiu version because it was a "dead system" because that would be considered rude to Nintendo.
@Firelork What about "D"?
"Our pals at..."
"Our sister site..."
I'll take a gamble and judge for myself, thanks though!
@Firelork
Oh, I use different grading to judge a game quality. Like this:
(0-100)
0 = F / Rubbish
1 - 39 = E / Disaster
40 - 59 = D / Bad
60 - 69 = C / Mediocre
70 - 89 = B / Good
90 - 99 = A /Great
100 = S / Perfect
(0 - 10)
0 = Rubbish
1 = Is it even a game ?!
2 = Disaster !!!
3 = Ouch !
4 = Very Bad
5 = Bad
6 = Mediocre
7 = Good
8 = Great
9 = Wonderful !
10 = OMG !!!
Sometimes I added 0.5 to differ the quality between two games that I gave a score. Let's say Mario Kart 8 (All DLC included) = 8 from 10, Animal Crossing New Leaf = 8.5 from 10, New Super Mario Bros. 2 3DS = 6.5 from 10, Super Mario 3D Land = 7 from 10, Harvest Moon Save the Homeland PS2 = 2 from 10, etc.
@PlywoodStick
I completely forgot about the D grade.
My point still stands about people use our grading system as a reference for review score of not just video games but movies as well.
Review scores are impossible. I wish they were abolished from video game culture.
For those gloating about the game 'failing' because of a certain business decision made by the devs/publishers: grow the heck up! The game hasn't even released yet. I hate to tell you but your sense of entitlement will not deter any of the people who made this game, or any other people that are looking forward to playing it. Your £15/$20 or whatever to make the product is a drop in the ocean. This is the nature of crowdfunding. Get over yourselves! If you can't be prepared not to get exactly what you want, vote with your wallet or at least wait until you're in possession of the facts.
@erv
Or theory B: they just didn't like the game.
@Firelork It's a good possibility. I've never really thought of it that way before.
@CartoonDan they could have given no reason at all and everyone would have thought that they are canceling because wii u is dead...instead they said technical issues. so there either were technical problems or they were lying...
@Nintenerdguy
Makes sense to me.
@manu0 judging by the apparent technical issues reviewers are experiencing, I can well believe that the 'technical issues' line. It doesn't seem like it's necessarily an uphill struggle even for XBox One. I can well believe Wii U might have demanded more effort for it to optimise.
Everyone's complaint with the game seems to be that it's like an old N64 game... That's the point. That's what I want. : S
@ottospooky oh I don't doubt for a second that they actually did have technical problems. what I do have issues with I explained in my second post here. i think it would have been their duty to inform their investors (=backers) that they are running into technical problems on wii u much, much, much earlier!
Who the heck is Jim Sterling? Sure doesn't seem like the happiest dude.
Damn some of those are harsh. But I'm still curious. It looks so good.
Ha, good thing I cancelled my pledge after the Wii U cancellation and got a refund.
This was exactly what the game seemed to be like in recent videos, so I'm not really surprised. I just don't get that retro trend at all, it reminds me of Star Wars in this season of South Park. ^^
@PlywoodStick His reasons are fair; what he does with them isn't. I read his BotW review, and while every concern he brought up was legitimate, he overstated the importance of the concerns and understated the importance of the strengths of the game to arrive at an artificial outlier. With Yooka-Laylee after his 2/10 the next lowest score was 5/10; when you're off by 30% or more from everyone, it's safe to say that you're the one exhibiting bias, not everyone else.
I guess I was right to feel skeptical about this game.
I'm still going to dive into it. If it's anything like what these reviews are saying by it being like a N64 game pros and cons and all, I feel like it will still be worth the mollah for me. I don't mind 3D collectathon games as long as they pack in the charm and keep me engaged. You know, unless it's DK64
The PC meta critic score is higher than PS4 and Xbox One, so maybe the technical issues are partially holding back. A 73 is good enough for me and I'll be picking it up when physical comes to Switch, especially since that port is being done by Playtonic, unlike the PS4 and Xbox One.
@RedMageLanakyn Ouch, that sucks, being stuck in limbo. Hope it arrives eventually. I just play my N64 games on my modded Wii, with a GameCube controller. Not quite the same control-wise, but perfectly doable nonetheless.
And there are also third party N64 controllers available that have a GameCube analog stick in the middle instead of the weaker N64 one. There are also others that simply have better sticks without going for the GameCube variant. I suppose the tech itself has already improved.
The thing with the GameCube controller and N64 controllers with GameCube sticks is that they do have a different dead zone, so that takes a little getting used to, but other than that, it works just fine.
I agree that the graphics on a lot of games hasn't aged well, especially compared to 8 and 16 bit games, but for me personally, that doesn't matter too much. I look at the entire package and of course some sentiments and memories come into play to still make the experience genuinely entertaining to me.
Mostly for quick bouts, though, so think Mario Kart, 1080 Snowboarding, Wave Race, Pilot Wings, Ridge Racer, Perfect Dark and so on. And when I'm in the mood to invest some more time, then it's mostly the games from Rare.
@TheLZdragon I said MOSTLY clueless, not completely. And I actually did read some of these reviews, but the gist of their opinions is already summed up here, so it's not that hard to judge the judges based upon that.
And as I've already mentioned in earlier comments, it's not supposed to be a 2017 platformer, with all the related mechanics and so on. It's supposed to bring people back to memories of what they loved to play back then, so it definitely DOES do it's job, and then some. All it needed was some HD paint and a bit of a story and some quirky, Rare-like characters. All of those points are checked, and as such it came out exactly as most of the fans and/or backers expected.
Sure, there are some niggles here and there, but nothing game breaking so far. But saying that a game is bad because it is too similar to it's predecessor is really anything but a well argumented judgement. Banjo Kazooie was a great game, and if you can look past the not too well-aged graphics and can forgive the camera, then it is STILL an enjoyable game, and so is Conker's Bad Fur Day, so any game made now with these same mechanics, and a lick of modern day paint should be more than enough in any real fan's book, provided he or she is indeed looking for a similar experience because they want to relive that earlier one, albeit with a more polished look.
And for the most part, that does seem to be what Yooka-Laylee is bringing to the table...
I'm pretty convinced that Jim Sterling gets off on being "extreme" with his ratings. He knows that when he's an outlier, which makes him stick out, which drives people to his content and consequently leads to more Patreon supporters (the people that enjoy being cynical and hating on something that most others love or at least enjoy). Hell I'm sure all that digital homicide drama ultimately led to more Patreon supporters as well. And while that was certainly not his goal in that whole situation, I bet it's hard for him to not look at what happened and realize that the more attention he gets, the more supporters and consequently money he was able to make. I could be wrong, but I've always thought that a large part of what he does has been disingenuous, and that's seemed more and more clear to me as time has gone and he's released more reviews and videos.
@RedMageLanakyn P.S. If you really regret never having gotten into the Dreamcast and are still interested to try, then there are still many places and web shops that offer refurbished ones, some even with new disc drives, and they're dirt cheap too, ranging between $40 - $60, depending on the state and peripherals that come with it.
And most of the common games are cheap as well, but the more rare ones are quite expensive, although if you can get your hands on a Dreamcast with an original drive, then that won't even be an issue, because these can read copied discs...
Alright, so I've been wanting a new 3d platformer for a very long time in the "collectathon" open ended style, BUT i never played BK or DK64 on the n64. I didnt back this game because i don't trust any Kickstarter project. I've played Mario 64, so i know the basic genre. I'll have to think on this and see how the Switch version ends up.
I guess Super Mario Odyssey will blow this game out of the water.
I don't know what the heck the critics expected? Did they expect an evolution? I think they were really going at it in the perspective of nostalgia. I don't think they promised anything beyond that...
Besides, I don't think we've had a "collect many things" game in a while. I'm still hopeful for it.
@duffmmann Disingenuous is correct. He loves to claim that he doesn't monetize his website, which is technically the truth--but he monetizes himself via means which include the website.
Oh man, it's really a pity as it looked - and from recent videos I still think looks - really promising.
I imagine a fair share of the 200+ comments are based around voice acting, let's be honest, that was never going to be a major factor in the quality of the game. Especially given it's all scrambled.
It's hard to know where Playtonic's story will go from here. I mean, they were the Rare we'd always wanted Rare to be, but the reviews suggest that even the Rare we wanted Rate to be wasn't actually the Rare we wanted them to be. Or maybe such a Rare only really exists in our rose tinted imaginations.
Hopefully they can go onto make some great games again, but it doesn't sound like the firmest foot to start on.
These harsh comments seems to be more based on the fact it's an old game brought to current gen gaming. A find that rather absurd and insulting. Couldn't they just rate the game for what is and not for how old the style is?
Hmm, about what I expected from watching the E3 footage
Unfortunately, platformers require a high level of polish so it seems I'm skipping this
And wow there is some salt in this comment section about Jim giving Zelda a 7. Jeez Nintendo fanbois
@SleeplessKnight As a spiritual successor, it's perfectly fine for Yooka Laylee to invoke nostalgia of Banjo Kazooie. But nostagia shouldn't excuse Playtonic from ignoring the basic technical problems of modern gaming. Wonky camera and constant frame rate drops were not fun in the N64 age, and they aren't fun now.
@MarioPhD Much of Mighty No 9's hate stemmed from broken promises and overconfidence on the part of the developers. Delays only added to their disdain. Thankfully, Yooka-Laylee has managed to avoid significant controversy (save for the JonTron incident).
@ThanosReXXX Thanks for the heads up on the third party controllers, i might look into that. The games you listed are definitely the same ones I tend to go back to as well. I've tried a few on wiiu VC, they seem to play alright using the gamepad. As far as Dreamcast goes, I'm holding out on buying an original system for now, as most of the games that looked to be worth playing have been re-released on GOG or Steam. I need some more space in my house before I can buy another system, i'm packed to the brim with current and retro systems as it is!
Well the reviews won't change my mind it's pre ordered and it will be with me soon I can't wait to play it
GAMERS: We want a new Banjo-Kazooie
PLAYTONIC: You want a new Banjo-Kazooie, we now give you a game that is like a new Banjo-Kazooie (You know cuz we don't own that IP anymore).
CRITICS: Meh, it's a game like Banjo-Kazooie, what year was this again?
GAMERS: The critics says it's bad so maybe it is. Not buying it anymore.
Ha, instead of actually playing it and enjoy it for what it is (like I do), gamers really need to stop drinking the critics Kool-Aid. Be glad y'all got a game that is like Banjo-Kazooie and not Superman 64.
...Switch version: portable, and you will be able to count your collectibles in your Joy-Con ..10/10
Even reading and watching different reviews, I realised I'm going to definitely own this game anyway just because it's the kind of thing I like. Reviews can't be everything and I'm way more interested in what the backers who understood the concept of this game have to say more than reviewers.
Sounds a lot like they are reviewing the genre, not Yooka-Laylee. Like, if we review Mario 3 in 2017 ... "This game struggles so hard to be fun, but we have 3 dimensions now, not 2. Unless you like jumping and moving sideways in one direction, you are better off playing a more complex game that embraces the past couple decades of hardware improvements."
I don't know about you guys, but I am reserving my opinion on Yooka-Laylee until I actually play it after seeing the tone those reviews took.
Not gonna lie: My hype for this game pretty much dried out gradually and now this game doesn't seem as exciting to me anymore. I'm still going to get the game, though.
At least we don't have to drive cars 90% of the time, experiment a million times with a build just to beat a mission, or explore super empty worlds split into sections for lord knows why.
-_-'
Please just be better than Banjo Tooie
Same thing happened recently with Halo Wars 2. It's biggest transgression was to dare being a console RTS. Every review made mention of it in a negative way.
I also think the same happened with Star Fox Zero last year. It dared to be a single player focused arcade shooter with quirky motion aiming controls. Giant Bomb even said it was the Star Fox game we wanted... in 2005...
Both games have flaws, sure, but I don't think either had a realistic chance of reviewing well given their niche nature.
Same is happening here with Yooka Laylee. If you like this kind of game and like what you've seen in the previews, you'll probably get your money's worth.
@StephenYap3 You mean L.O.G. knows why.
They're nit-picking the game for being what it advertised? Sheesh.
@Samuel-Flutter Exactly.
The critics have given their opinions and that's their job, so good for them, but, reading the views instead of just looking at a number it is clear that this game is exactly what Playtonic set out to create and for that I'm happy. When it comes to Switch we'll see if it addresses any of the technical issues the other consoles are facing, but either way I'm on board.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE More often than not I don't agree with you as it's usually some constant snarking hit piece on all sorts of news articles, but in this case it hits home hard. There was little reason to delay a Switch version, and killing off the WiiU release just seemed harsh since it was mostly Nintendo (N64 in particular) fanboy bucks on the large that helped pay for this and now it's a one two and face punching since.
I never was huge on collect-a-thons as they tend to piss me off and wear me out. I could tolerate Banjo to a point and did, fairly recently found a cheap copy of it again locally and kept it and it's fine. I think I could do this game, at least get $30-40 value out of it at least. But my ability to pay THEM for it is going to diminish quickly due to their antics.
I do believe the reviews so far are rubbish on the whole. It seems that it's a fine game to bash for just being a large scale platformer that has you collecting stuff to advance. It's not like it hasn't been done for 30 years (100 coins =1UP) and like it hasn't been done recently either (any Mario/Zelda 3D title having you get 'X' stars, magic items, etc) to advance the game. If that's the biggest problem here, they're failures as reviewers if it's not down to actual technical real world problems on the game and some whiners short attention span ADD addled minds.
I just want a Switch version, whether we get a physical version or just digital release.
whatever man, I'm still gunna enjoy it
Welp, with this I can conclude that gaming culture is mind-numbingly stupid. The snarky one-liner critics, the self-proclaimed "expert gamers" here in the comments... utterly toxic and pseudo-intellectual. But why?
Read half the comments but seriously almost everyone here is saying, "all the reviewers are bashing the game for doing what it said it's doing" or are simply bitter that the Wii U version got canceled. No one seems to have a legitimate argument on why this game is bad - of course it's not out so why should they? People just blindly follow reviewers like they're gods. Playtonic made the right choice in cancelling the Wii U version, it's a dead market and besides, given the behavior I've seen from the handful of users who have a Wii U and no plans to get a Switch, that wishy washy market probably wouldn't be a reliable consumer base. Despite me missing the deadline by over a month Playtonic was happy to change my Wii U choice to another console. I'll enjoy this game next week, seems like everything I hope for when I backed it!
@Dezzy I hope so. Was just explaining that the texts themselves do not read like it
Reviewer's comments are NOT VOX DEI (God's Commandment).
Even if the reviewer said it was a great game but if you don't like it, no buy the game and vice versa.
Listen to your heart.
Sure, maybe critics as a whole just "don't get that this is supposed to be like an N64 platformer", but my advice to you all would be to play to game before judging the reviews too much. Sure, poor performance and wonky camera controls were common in N64 platformers, but our gaming standards are higher now. It's like if Shovel Knight released without saving, or if it had occasional crashes. Those were common in 8-bit and even some 16-bit platformers, but if you released a game with those issues today, it's seen as a negative.
Personally, I wasn't going to buy this game at launch, so I can't say whether the reviews are correct since I won't be playing it for a while.
Jim Sterling is not a professional game reviewer. He's a glorified "angry video game nerd"-esque vlogger. I have no idea how he managed to get his garbage reviews included in the aggregation on Metacritic and I think you guys need to stop citing him.
They wanted to make something like the old games.
Fans/backers wanted to get something like the old games.
Reviewers don't like the fact that it is like the old games.
So the games turned out perfectly?
Seriously though, i read way to many people again that just look at scores without even confirming what the problems are...
The problems might be something you are OK with, you know?
@Shiryu
Well, one of the biggest issues with Mighty No. 9 was they promised Megaman, and did something else, trying to "revolutionize" the Megaman formula rather than recreate it, and failed.
The criticisms surrounding Yooka-Laylee on the other hand (by the current reviewers), seem to be that it is just like Banjo-Kazooie, but that's not good enough anymore compared to modern games.
So if you're looking for Banjo-Kazooie, Yooka-Laylee delivers, if you're looking for a game that stands up next to modern AAA games, look elsewhere (according to the current reviews).
They lost me when it was apparent the story was straight out of the Occupy movement. In interviews, it seems they were taking the urine out on Microsoft as part of that, which seems pretty self-indulgent.
@Agent721 yes, because it was primarily Nintendo gamers that backed and wanted this game to be made exactly because it promised to be like an N64 game. The majority of the sales for this title will be on Switch.
Alienated their core audience who would have bought it anyway by stupid political banter and now they are left with people who are critical of it.
Like @Shiryu said in his beautiful opening comment, i do smell another Mighty No.9 as well.
It had the same community issues, heck, almost for the same reasons and turned out to be a mediocre game that depended too heavily on nostalgia to move units.
What these critics fail to realize is that we live in a world where virtually every game now is an open world shooty shooty bang fest with guns. Introducing Yooka-Laylee in the the gaming industry would be like placing a time bomb there as i bet most of these critics don't even know what a collecto-thon puzzle platformer is. Thus the low score. And have you noticed they all refer to Banjo. Sure they games pretty much the successor to it but others have come and gone too.
@JoeyJoey95 I have a weird way with words sometimes lol
Im actually really suprised......... not by the scores........ but the fact ive only just realised that in the top image of them 2 the dark pary above yookas eye is his eyelid, i always thought the bat was pulling too hard on this eyes and it was a gap above his eye caused by that.
@ThePoochyKid Not you again. Another two commenters have replied to my comment with actual reasoning. Yours continually rely on rhetorical questioning and posturing. Thanks, but no thanks.
I expected those scores. The game isn't a revolution, but a throwback to the old 3D platformers. And it gets scolded because of that. Wich is a little bit strange, since 2D games that do the same often get praised. But face it: While this might still be fun, it can never be a substitute to the awesome Banjo Kazooie.
Face it guys: The 3D platformers stay dead, minus Mario!
People really do see what they want to see. For all of the comments in the reviews saying that it is at fault for keeping some old N64 era mechanics which were best left in the past, I saw far more worrying suggestions that the levels were poorly designed and boring. That does worry me.
I was hoping Yooka-Laylee would be a game that I could play with my 4 year old. Based on these reviews, sounds like I'm better off keeping the Wii U for a while longer so he can continue to play Mario Maker and Mario Kart 8. If there's anything that Nintendo really missed with the Switch launch, it was another one or two "family" games. I know they want to get rid of the "Nintendo games are for kids" stigma, but let's be real, that's what they're good at and that's what we expect.
Really not surprising at all. This game was always going to split opinions, as will any game that sticks so closely to those classic games that we look back on with rose-tinted goggles. I'm sure that fans of Banjo-Kazooie and those kinds of games in the 90s will find plenty to like.
It'll probably be the same when Shenmue 3 finally gets released - reviews and internet reaction will be polarizing in the extreme, but I'll buy it and love it just because I so desperately want to see the conclusion of a story I started so long ago, no matter how outdated it may be.
I never believed people who said the scores don`t matter. But if people would read carefully you see that most of the low scores are there ` because it's an n64 mind of game`
How many people used the words `moved on`
Are you seriously, just now, not gonna buy this because it gives exactly what you asked for?!
I backed this BECAUSE I wanted a Rareware style platformer and it sounds like that's what Playtonic have delivered. I'll be ignoring the ignorant modern day gamers reviewers an dmaking my own decision when my Switch code gets delivered thanks.
@SegaBlueSky Nah, I recently replayed Shenmue and it's still fun and impressive. Plus it's more about the story and character development.
I tried to replay Banjo-Kazooie and it's just not much fun. It was fun to collect everything when I was a little kid because I had to save up money to buy a game. So I could play Banjo-Kazooie for weeks/months. But in 2017 it's just boring. Plus Mario Galaxy set a new standard for 3D platforming. Everything before that feels horribly dated/. I'd rather have Timesplitters 4 or something.
So it honestly sounds like Playtonic delivered on their promise for better or worse. The game was always intended to be a 90s platforming in every capacity. Those who backed for that reason shouldn't have a reason to be disappointed. It seemingly succeeds in that regard
@RedMageLanakyn You're welcome. As far as those Dreamcast games goes, the list currently available on other systems doesn't even begin to equal the actual Dreamcast worthwhile games list.
You probably know most of the bigger games, and these have indeed been ported to other systems over the years, but there's lots of gems that have never been re-released on other systems, so they can only be played on the actual system.
I could make you a list, but an overall list would be quite the text wall, so maybe it would be better to ask the question which type of games you'd like (or wouldn't like, depending on which of the two lists would be shorter).
Oh, and here's a few links for N64 replacement sticks, if you're up to replacing them yourself:
https://www.amazon.com/Redesigned-REPLACEMENT-Joystick-Controller-Thumbstick/dp/B009MRZAUC
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Gamecube-Style-Thumbstick-Joystick-Repair-for-NINTENDO-64-Controller-/160655759083
https://www.lukiegames.com/n64-replacement-thumbstick.html
https://www.hyperkin.com/n64-replacement-joystick-repair-box.html
I thought I'd add these as well, as an alternative to buying/replacing an entire controller... (which would actually be a waste of good controllers if only the analog stick is damaged)
I can heartily recommend the shop in the third link, as it is a shop with great service (in my experience) and lots of stuff for all kinds of systems. And they actually have a physical shop that you can visit...
And then there's also one I forgot to mention earlier:
The Hori Mini Pad. It is smaller and also has a GameCube-style analog stick. It used to be very popular, so I honestly have no idea if you can still get your hands on one, but you can always try and find one if it appeals to you...
@RedMageLanakyn And instead of editing my comment time and again (which probably also makes for some odd reading: "hey, this wasn't in there before" or missed parts if you've already read it and I'm editing afterwards) I'll make sure these will land in your inbox...
Some of the hidden gems of the Dreamcast. I wonder if you've already seen them all...
Dreamcast Hidden Gems
More Dreamcast Hidden Gems
Sega Dreamcast Hidden Gems - part 3
This guy also posts a lot on retro site Atari Age, and does a lot of reviews of other retro games and systems, and current ones as well on his YouTube channel.
Another specialist in that field is Gamester81:
Gamester81 Dreamcast & Treamcast review
And RetroGamingTube 85 isn't too shabby either...
The Sega Dreamcast's Best Kept Secrets
And then there's also the Dreamcast Guy with some good hidden gems of his own.
As you can probably guess, I'm rather fond of my Dreamcast...
@JoeyJoey95
Don't listen to those Stupid Reviewers.
Listen to your heart.
If you like the game, buy it regardless of their stupid critiques.
They just have very strong bias...
Ah well, screw it. Was thinking of picking this up but after seeing this, I'm having second thoughts. Microsoft really killed Rare.
Still want to try it for myself but maybe in a sale.
Many critics state that its a nostalgia fest so people that like old stuff and wanted the game for this reason should play it and not look at the score which is still on a good level( around 70 is good for me). I think its good that the critics look at games from a modern standpoint. And i think its possible to recapture the soul of old genres without going 100% retro and just changing the looks. Maybe ill try it if its really cheap.
I still cant forget that icecold burn of setsuna.
Sounds like CNN news. Bunch of false reports but the people will like and enjoy it. Just wish a Wii U version was still a possibility.
@ThanosReXXX Haha thanks for all the info, I'll refer to those links when i get to a place I can start collecting again. I didn't think there were that many Dreamcast games, i thought it endured a similar fate to the Saturn and had a limited library. I'll definitely keep my eyes open if I accidentally wander into any retro shops!
@RedMageLanakyn You're welcome. All in all, there's well over 600 games in the Dreamcast catalog, counting all the regions. Some of the Japanese titles are obviously unplayable mostly due to them being text-heavy, but most of them are quite "arcadey" with a lot of english/engrish text as well, and in those, most menus are easily navigable, because they speak for themselves.
@the8thark Try playing the PC version of Toybox+ (which is easy to find and download for free) - the controls and camera definitely aren't great for precise platforming - far from it. And presumably the platforming there is easy compared to the later levels in the actual game.
@FNL He is literally a professional reviewer, works for The Verge or something. Plus his review isn't included in the Metacritic aggregate score - the game's just not very good.
@SeriousSam
I have already. I have it, I backed the Kickstarter. I did it with the keyboard. No good. You need a proper controller for the game. That's why I'm waiting for the Switch port.
@SeriousSam
The game is better than you think it is.
I will buy this no matter what. Playtonic was set to bring Banjo spiritual successor and they did and they are getting punish for it. So screw u all reviewers. This is better than another generic FPS.
@JoeyJoey95 The game isn't as good as Banjo Kazooie though, that much is obvious, it's continuing the downward trend of Rare 3D platformers because they ran out of inspiration long ago and are just going through the motions now. The camera/game is broken at times, try the bit in Toybox + with the tilting platforms - the camera makes it impossible at times, giving you a completely useless camera angle.
@the8thark Based on what? I played it with a 360 controller and it's still not great.
As I've said before, A Hat In Time is miles better.
@SeriousSam
I know many people who have played it with PS4 controllers and had zero controller issues what so ever.
You are free to like A Hat In Time (or SMO or whatever you want) more, but Yooka-Laylee does not have really bad control issues like some people want us to believe.
@SeriousSam
Just because he works for an outlet doesn't make him a professional reviewer. His reviews are garbage and his ratings seem to be based more on emotion than any kind of professional scale or technical ratings. He spends more time trying to find a way to justify a "witty" pun about the title of the game with "flaws" he finds in a game than he does actually making a thoughtful, critical analysis of said game.
And yes, his reviews are included in the Metacritic weighted average. For such a fierce supporter of his, you sure don't seem to know much about him.
My only complaint with the game so far is that at the beginning it feels rather counter-intuitive.
Other than that, it's that exact, exquisite brand of 3D platformer that has been dormant for far too long.
@Bolt_Strike Yeah i mean you know someting's wrong when even Nintendo fans dont seem to be excited for a game like this.. I mean just because of what the reviewers said?? Lmao most of them hate platformers anyways their oppinion is so biased but whatever, ill still buy this game and enjoy the hell out of it wether y'all want it or not
Star Fox Zero and Xenoblade Chronicles X were good lessons for me to learn that I can't trust the critic reviews anymore. I always wait for the player reviews on Metacritic and put stock in the intelligent ones.
Star Fox Zero, despite its flaws, was a really enjoyable experience for me and I still go back to it from time to time to top my high scores. Meanwhile, Xenoblade Chronicles was absolutely the biggest waste of my money that entire year and I was bored to tears even after 5 hours of slogging through it, being told "just wait, it gets better!"
@Phin68
I agree with you on the camera issues and to some extent framerate drops. However those 2 things are NOT the main reasons most reviewers are giving the game low scores. They're citing things such as too big of worlds, too many NPC's to talk to, goofy voices, campy British humor and too many things to collect - as if they went into their review expecting something different?!
@FNL This is the first time I've seen someone condemn Xenoblade Chronicles X while also praising Star Fox Zero. I respectfully disagree. I've invested over 500 hours in Xenoblade Chronicles X and thought Star Fox Zero was utter garbage.
@JTMnM We're all entitled to our own opinions. I seem to have been among the few who could actually master the controls of SFZ so the experience was quite thrilling. I think it was unfairly roasted by reviewers who don't seem all that skilled at video games or were just looking to jump on the "omg the controls suck" bandwagon. Like the aforementioned Jim Sterling whose review not only talked only about the controls, but also was full of complete lies regarding them to make them sound more complicated than they were. It was akin to me saying that in Super Mario World, you have to hold A, stand on one foot, throw the controller in the air and then press Select, Start and R to jump.
Meanwhile, Xenoblade was just mind-numbing for me. Tedious fetch quests, minimal information provided for a lot of quests, heavy grinding, a mediocre story, cumbersome battle system. I got to 10 hours to give it a solid chance and that was it for me.
So they praise it as a good game, and in the same breath denounce it because it plays like the games they set out to emulate from the start. They've said all along what the game was going to be like and reviewers pan it for not evolving past it's primary ambition.
@FNL I mastered SFZ's controls too, still a crap control scheme. There is a reason that the original SF and SF64 are still considered the best in the series. Their controls may be simple, but it is easy to pick up and the levels are quick to jump into. Sonic is the same way. All the changes they try to make, and the best ones are the ones that stick to the original formula. Why do you think Super Mario Bros original or new still sells as well as it does? Because it stays true to what people loved about the core gameplay. Some might call this stale, but people still enjoy it.
As for XCX, I enjoyed it, but the real strength of the original was it's story, which was much weaker in XCX. It was made be a different team than the original, which happened to be working on XC2.
@Tempestryke One of these days? Are you kidding? I like games with 6-8 scores; I've played Steel Diver: Sub Wars, Ant Nation, Equilibrio, etc. and really enjoyed those games (Sub Wars is one of my favorite games of all time).
To say that my point is nonsense severely undercuts your credibility. I'm not saying games 6-8 are unplayable garbage, but rather that they have to compete with games that score 9 or 10, and so seeing a 6 is quite disappointing. If everyone had unlimited time and money, then sure, I'll play every 6, 5, and even 4 game in existence. However, the whole point of a review is to give gamers an idea of what to spend their limited time and money on.
So if you can live with the problems the reviewer mentioned, then yeah, get the game. But, if another game you've been eyeing came out with less problems and more of what you were looking for; well, you might just go with that one instead.
@Hank_Scorpio : Uh, hi, Homer. What can I do for you?
Homer: Sir, I need to know where I can get some business hammocks.
Hank Scorpio: Hammocks? My goodness, what an idea. Why didn't I think of that? Hammocks! Homer, there's four places. There's the Hammock Hut, that's on third.
Homer: Uh-huh.
Hank Scorpio: There's Hammocks-R-Us, that's on third too. You got Put-Your-Butt-There.
Homer: Mm-Hmm.
Hank Scorpio: That's on third. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot... Matter of fact, they're all in the same complex; it's the hammock complex on third.
Homer: Oh, the hammock district!
Hank Scorpio: That's right.
Please don't be anything like DK64 and we're fine.
Those are some really vague pull quotes.
As an old schooler who had a soft spot for Banjo and Conker, I'm optimistic. It seems these reviewers don't "get" the allure of collectathon platformers.
I "switched" my pledge so I'm all set, however long it takes!
Sister site Push Square ...WHAT?!?!?
@FNL I'm not a fierce supporter of his. I was looking at the reviews for a different format, that's why I didn't see his review.
@JoeyJoey95 3D Mario games continue to garner rave reviews, so it's not a genre thing. I'm certain the real issue is that modern games journalists are often unable to properly analyse and articulate why a game isn't very good. As I've said already, the camera is broken in certain situations, the controls etc aren't good enough for what it asks of you in terms of small, moving, floating platforms where you can't use your shadow to determine your position relative to the platform etc. Added to that, the combat is spectacularly unsatisfying, and even the PS4 Pro in boost mode has performance issues apparently. And that's 2.3 times the power of a normal PS4 and over 3 times the power of the Xbox One. Footage of the Xbox One version looks horrible from a performance perspective.
No wonder the Wii U version was cancelled, I suspect the Switch version may get cancelled too, since that's barely half the power of Xbox One - if that. No wonder Nintendo are having to help Playtonic either. It could still be a futile gesture though.
God knows how they made such a poorly performing game that it has performance issues on a PS4 Pro in 1080p - a console with around 12 times the power of a Wii U, when they were supposed to be bringing it to the Wii U, and probably got over half their KS money from Wii U backers. They should have been designing it from the ground up for the Wii U, since that was the weakest promised format, and the one so many of their backers owned.
If they can make a 3D platformer for the N64 there's no excuse for them not being able to get one running well on the Wii U, let alone the PS4 Pro.
People should check out Snake Pass for a quality 3D platformer - looks beautiful on my PC, one of the best looking games on PC for my money(artistically, and in terms of its use of colour etc).
...It's better than nothing
In all honesty, I'll just play the game when it comes out and hopefully enjoy it. I flat-out don't trust reviewers anymore. They're either pretentious hypocrites (cough*jimsterling*cough) or lying people who refuse to research like a lot of YouTubers. That and scores with decimals are horrible.
@MagicEmperor Not sure why I said that, because i love the Muppets.
Okay, so he's a talentless hack with no moral integrity.
@HappyMaskedGuy Haha! I love The Muppets, too, hence the tease. But I can see Jon being a "puppet" of sorts. 🤔
@MagicEmperor We should be friends 😎
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