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[Yoshi]

I've read numerous reviews for my current most wanted title Yooka-Laylee, in particular most really negative ones. What struck me as extremely odd was the seemingly consensual (among negative reviews) standpoint that Yooka-Laylee lacks in terms of evolving past what was established in 1998 (sometimes it's called 1997 but that does not make much sense). E.g we have:

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 if nothing else, that’s exactly what they’ve done: they’ve made a video game that could easily live on the Nintendo 64. It just feels very out of place in 2017.

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.

Just to cite a few.

I am really puzzled by this and wonder what exactly it is that should have been adopted from other modern games - I doubt, considering the strength of the cited claims, it's just better camera control. This should be something obvious from considering the N64 era platformers, rather than just Yooka-Laylee I would suppose, but actually, taking Banjo-Kazooie into consideration, I see absolutely nothing outside of camera controls that has ever systematically been done better than in Banjo-Kazooie. In fact, had Banjo-Kazooie released just yesterday (assuming better graphics and analog camera control) I would have wholeheartedly rated the game a 10/10 and never would it have crossed my mind that something in the game is in any way archaic or significantly been outdone by anything else. I would be glad if someone could explain this to me.

 

[John Kowalski]

Not so much a matter of evolution as one of changing desires and motions. This game is of a time and place that was left behind to seek other needs and directions. It's a game with motifs that are displaced in time, which is just its intention to be fair.

People and media change, anachronisms for their own sake are... against our pursuit of what is to come, rather than what we have left behind.

 

[Kamek Koopa]

I don't really get it either. Obviously it would have been nice to see a 3D adventure platformer taking advantage of the physic-based innovations made in games like Super Mario Galaxy, but other than that I really fail to understand the criticism to the "out of time" argument in this one (specially when this game is trying, more than anything else in the world, to resemble a N64 game).

I feel that the 3D collectaton is still satisfactory and perfectly valid, when done propperly. I've been lately reading in this forum how outdated and dissapointing is playing the first Banjo-Kazooie nowadays, but I actually replay it pretty often and I find myself enjoying its variety, adventurous spirit and incredible pace just like twenty years ago. There is simply something pleasant in collecting things that make a funny noise and in cleaning of tokens a huge level full of them (again, when the pace is right and things are done propperly; I don't replay DK64 and Tooie that often because of that). This is a genre about jumping, climbing, exploring and doing minigames. As long as Yooka Laylee is able to offer that keeping itself fresh, dynamic and varied I'll be perfectly fine.

The performance and camera issues are another thing, of course.

 

[Razlo]

People say this about beat 'em ups and lots of other types of games too. Some types of games are still fun for a certain crowd and to another, they're outdated and replaced by newer experiences. If you're a fan of that type of game though, it's very unlikely that new types of games actually fill that void in your fandom.

Just let people have their silly opinions and enjoy the games you want.

 

[Brashnir]

I haven't played it, but it seems like a lot of the complaints had to do with the game's camera. The way we control and deal with cameras in third-person games has changed a lot (for the better) since the N64.

 

[SuicidalSteve]

I haven't played it, but it seems like a lot of the complaints had to do with the game's camera. The way we control and deal with cameras in third-person games has changed a lot (for the better) since the N64.

Did i hear that the camera issue was fixed in the latest update for the game?

 

[benzopil]

It doesn't have a minimap. You should always remember where are puzzles you didn't solve because you didn't have needed abilities. Plus you can miss some of them because you didn't find them.

 

[oreomunsta]

There just aren't enough cinematic cutscenes, QTE's, crafting systems, or microtransactions in Y-L. It's so antiquated :V


EDIT: In seriousness, I really value your questioning of the integrity that some reviewers have been having with their reviews of Y-L, Yoshi. It's great stuff

 

[maxcriden]

I haven't played it, but it seems like a lot of the complaints had to do with the game's camera. The way we control and deal with cameras in third-person games has changed a lot (for the better) since the N64.

This has been my chief concern for this game, but luckily there is a patch coming. Hopefully this takes care of some of the camera issues and that if there are significant remaining issues there will be a future patch(es) as well.

Did i hear that the camera issue was fixed in the latest update for the game?

See my link just above. I'm not sure it's known yet if the camera issues are sufficiently resolved by the day one patch (or if the patch is out yet).

 

[RedZaraki]

- Character turning speeds
- Character momentum
- Camera angles
- Use of shadows

There's stuff.

 

[Moobabe]

Not so much a matter of evolution as one of changing desires and motions. This game is of a time and place that was left behind to seek other needs and directions. It's a game with motifs that are displaced in time, which is just its intention to be fair.

People and media change, anachronisms for their own sake are... against our pursuit of what is to come, rather than what we have left behind.

Pretty much this.

It's just a genre that sort of got left behind. I suppose the only modern version (YL aside) is stuff like Ratchet and Clank, or the 3D Mario games (which are slightly different and in a league of their own anyway.)

I'm happy it's coming out, but it's not difficult to see why people might not take to it.

 

[JazzmanZ]

It's silly because people backed this wanting a N64 Styled 3D platformer, and being made by ex-rare devs no less.

 

[Brian_FETO]

As others have said, the style of game hasn't really been updated, as much as games that went in another direction but added a lot of conveniences/fixed problems

Like Uncharted isn't a 3D platformer like a Banjo or Yooka, but as a third person game with jumping it is a modern example to compare to (as insane as it might sound on paper)

I don't have a problem with games as time capsules but there's definitely things that have been solved/evolved as time has gone on

 

[Yoshi]

Not so much a matter of evolution as one of changing desires and motions. This game is of a time and place that was left behind to seek other needs and directions. It's a game with motifs that are displaced in time, which is just its intention to be fair.

People and media change, anachronisms for their own sake are... against our pursuit of what is to come, rather than what we have left behind.

People say this about beat 'em ups and lots of other types of games too. Some types of games are still fun for a certain crowd and to another, they're outdated and replaced by newer experiences. If you're a fan of that type of game though, it's very unlikely that new types of games actually fill that void in your fandom.

It would be quite dishonest of the reviewers in question, if they actually mean "I am looking for something else in a game than a collectathon platformer offers" when they actually say it's antiquated and has been outdone in the meantime. Also, I would say this is hardly a viable criticism, imagine a lot of reviewers writing in their review for, let's say Halo "Shooters are just not what I look for in a game, all this shootbang". This is not something that is happening and I somehow doubt that the authors in question would say that this is what they want to convey, no?

Just let people have their silly opinions and enjoy the games you want.

Well, if a significant portion of mainstream games media touts that this genre is devoid of any value, then this can affect the production of more games in that vein significantly, so it is not as easy as that I think

 

[ViolentP]

I think nostalgia plays a big role in the excitement for Yooka-Laylee. For me personally, I held similar nostalgia when I heard Banjo-Kazooie would be playable again in Rare Replay. After the initial hour however I was left with a game I actually didn't really want to play. It's a big reason I'm not excited for Y-L.

 

[KatamariOnTheRocks]

People say it as a lazy way to criticize games they personally dislike. Many people hate certain genres that have long died out and are happy that they're dead so they do anything they can to push the narrative that those genres died based on merit rather than them dying because the industry arbitrarily decided that customers didn't want them anymore when obviously they did.

3d Platformers are just one genre that this applies to, but think back to many of the games on the PS1/N64 and how many of them just stopped being made for no reason. Some people have always wanted 3d platformers to die, I honestly don't know why but it's very clear if you go into any Yooka Laylee or Crash Bandicoot thread you'll see tons of comments like "I can't wait for this game to flop so everyone can see why 3d platformers have always been garbage"

My guess is that these people never liked the genre but are afraid that if there's a resurgence it will somehow mean less of the games they enjoy will end up being made so they trash talk it at every chance to make sure it doesn't become successful.

 

[Yoshi]

As others have said, the style of game hasn't really been updated, as much as games that went in another direction but added a lot of conveniences/fixed problems

Like Uncharted isn't a 3D platformer like a Banjo or Yooka, but as a third person game with jumping it is a modern example to compare to (as insane as it might sound on paper)

I don't have a problem with games as time capsules but there's definitely things that have been solved/evolved as time has gone on

Well, let's take this example, other than camera control (which would be unfair, comparing a corridor game to an open one anyway), in what ways does Uncharted improve on Banjo-Kazooie? We need not know much about Yooka here, because I'm not talking about the specific criticisms of Yooka-Laylee, but about the general one, which obviously pushes Banjo-Kazooie under the bus together with Yooka.

 

[Wozman23]

I've been mostly avoiding reviews, but I was reluctant to back it, and I'm reluctant to play it for similar concerns.

I never played Banjo until the Rare Replay collection. I did enjoy them, but they definitely feel outdated. Yooka-Laylee is definitely the spiritual successor to them.

Voice acting has come a long way since the days of the N64, but Yooka-Laylee still favors the grating 3 sound voiceover. Some love it's nostalgia. I just hear something akin to Heavy Rain's Jason?...Jason!...JASON!!!...Jason?

The collectathon formula is somewhat predictable. I now prefer 3D platformers that hybridize with other genres like the action TPS Ratchet & Clank or the stealthy Sly Cooper, or something with a bit more of a sandboxy exploration feel like Grow Home/Up.

From what I've seen the platforming gameplay also doesn't bring much new to the table. There are your dual protagonist abilities like in Banjo-Kazooie and minecart sections similar to Donkey Kong. While the game does look nice, it's not like it's pushing any graphical boundaries either, and uses a rather safe art style similar to its predecessors.

We could debate why 3D platformers aren't as prevalent these days. It would be easy to argue that many fell out of favor due to their predictability and lack of innovation. If one could strip away the nostalgia, what does Yooka-Laylee really have that makes it modern or unique?

I've been proclaiming my love for Snake Pass since it released, and despite some controversy about its genre, I believe it is purely a 3D platformer. I think it's one of the best platformers in years and up there with the best in history. It does nostalgia correctly. The overall design, visuals, and audio of the game feel like they'd belong in the days of the N64. But it also feels modern. The grass tech is pretty impressive and really fleshes out the atmosphere. But most of the innovation come from the mechanics of moving the snake around. There's no character with legs and no jumping. Just a simple 3 button approach that's executed so well to create a system of movement that feels fresh and unique in a genre that's been around for 30+ years. That's innovative. That's ambitious. And that's impressive!

 

[Yoshi]

I think nostalgia plays a big role in the excitement for Yooka-Laylee. For me personally, I held similar nostalgia when I heard Banjo-Kazooie would be playable again in Rare Replay. After the initial hour however I was left with a game I actually didn't really want to play. It's a big reason I'm not excited for Y-L.

I disagree, you may not like Banjo-Kazooie (anymore?), but this is not a matter of nostalgia. Banjo offers a very dense, concentrated gameplay experience without any notable presentational fluff and sports probably the most well-planned open 3d levels ever made. I, too, have played Banjo-Kazooie on Rare Replay (twice) and it is, from my perspective, the best game I have played on any Xbox system - and I have all Xboxes. Of course it is uncomparable to most Xbox games in a direct sense, so my bias towards liking this genre more than others plays a significant role here, but Banjo is not just fondly remembered, it is actually masterfully crafted.

 

[Kovacs]

I haven't played it, but it seems like a lot of the complaints had to do with the game's camera. The way we control and deal with cameras in third-person games has changed a lot (for the better) since the N64.

There is a huge gap in my retro gaming nostalgia that is between where the original 3D platformers, 3rd person action games or shooters sit up until sometime post Kameo/initial 360 releases when camera controls started to standardise and players had full control using the sticks.

I know I'm in the vast minority but I didn't enjoy them then because of the camera controls and every time I've tried going back, I still can't get on with them. I'm no stranger to liking things the old way (hey, I backed Thimbleweed Park and bought a NES classic) but whilst I can cope with a retro design look or gameplay, if the camera doesn't reflect the huge improvements that the last decades brought then I'm not going to feel comfortable playing it.

 

[TheDinoman]

Honestly, in regards to the whole "there's a reason collectathon platformers died!" thing, I think there's one thing some people might be overlooking: the Microsoft buyout.

It goes without saying the main provider of these collectathon games was, well, Rare, who ended up being sold to Microsoft. The problem is, Microsoft's consoles have a totally different audience from those seen on Nintendo's consoles. It's kinda harder for MS to justify funding cute mascot games when their bread and butter has always been "dudebro shooters" like Halo and stuff.

Nintendo has always been home to said cute mascot games, however. Just look at our old friend Sonic The Hedgehog. IIRC, apparently the highest selling version of Sonic Generations was the 3DS version, and the highest selling version of Sonic All Star Racing Transformed at launch was actually the Wii U version

So really, the tragic thing is, I think there is still an audience for games like Banjo-Kazooie...it's just not on Xbox. Banjo and Kazooie are basically Nintendo characters that found themselves wounded up on a console that doesn't and never really had the same audience. I don't think people lost interest in Banjo-Kazooie, rather, I think BK ended up being taken away from the audience that had interest those type of franchises. In the end, I feel like had Rare managed to stuck around with Nintendo, their mascot platformer games could of continued to thrive.

 

[DeathoftheEndless]

The main goal of collecting x-number of items in YL is usually an optional side-quest these days, even in other platformers.

 

[SpruceMoose]

I'm honestly surprised by the damning reviews along the lines of, "This sucks, it's just like those old 3D platformers and it's terrible."

Wasn't that the whole point? Wasn't that why people funded it in the first place?

 

[balgajo]

A bit off-topic but after reading some reviews a lot of them seems to be written by a 12 year person. Don't know if that's a thing in other media but it's pathetic.

 

[hodgy100]

to look at a more extreme case of this Sonic adventure and Sonic adventure 2 were both highly rated games.

Now we know much better.

game design ages and things go out of fashion as we in the game development community discover better ways to do things.

now while I cannot comment on yooka-laylee itself as the game isn't out yet

I can totally see how it would feel aged and out of touch.

A bit off-topic but after reading some reviews a lot of them seems to be written by a 12 year person. Don't know if that's a thing in other media but it's pathetic.

Something about throwing stones in glass houses?

 

[Yoshi]

I've been mostly avoiding reviews, but I was reluctant to back it, and I'm reluctant to play it for similar concerns.

I never played Banjo until the Rare Replay collection. I did enjoy them, but they definitely feel outdated. Yooka-Laylee is definitely the spiritual successor to them.

Voice acting has come a long way since the days of the N64, but Yooka-Laylee still favors the grating 3 sound voiceover. Some love it's nostalgia. I just hear something akin to Heavy Rain's Jason?...Jason!...JASON!!!...Jason?

The collectathon formula is somewhat predictable. I now prefer 3D platformers that hybridize with other genres like the action TPS Ratchet & Clank or the stealthy Sly Cooper, or something with a bit more of a sandboxy exploration feel like Grow Home/Up.

From what I've seen the platforming gameplay also doesn't bring much new to the table. There are your dual protagonist abilities like in Banjo-Kazooie and minecart sections similar to Donkey Kong. While the game does look nice, it's not like it's pushing any graphical boundaries either, and uses a rather safe art style similar to its predecessors.

We could debate why 3D platformers aren't as prevalent these days. It would be easy to argue that many fell out of favor due to their predictability and lack of innovation. If one could strip away the nostalgia, what does Yooka-Laylee really have that makes it modern or unique?

To answer your question I would have to have played Yooka-Laylee, but I think the question is besides the point. Yooka-Laylee has a fresh premise with its world extensions, most games that are made nowadays have at most this much on offer in addition to being another iteration of a well-liked general set-up. What does GTA5 have over GTA4 that makes it so super special? What does CoD2016 have over CoD2015, Madden 2017 over Madden 2016, Fifa 2017 over Fifa 2016, Forza 4 over Forza 3 or Dark Souls 3 over Dark Souls 1 / 2 / Bloodborne? Sure, they all have some subtle improvements or new ideas, but the main thing in all those popular games nowadays (and basically: most of the past) on offer is a new set of levels / a new world. Which Yooka also offers over Banjo.

 

[Shiggy]

Have you considered that it may come down to your rather peculiar taste in gaming, which isn't quite compatible with the general/reviewing audience? You see Banjo as a 10/10, whereas reviewers see the Banjo games by today's standards more as a 7/10. From what I remember, you also liked some Sonic games as well as a number of other titles which performed pretty badly in reviews.

When I played BK on 360, it felt like an old game starting with camera going over to controls, or even the gameplay design (you just walk aimlessly through a world trying to find stuff).

Particularly the gameplay element feels like something from the past - Rare probably trademarked the term "collectathon" during the N64 days. Most seemingly thought they are gone for good, those who liked them have Yooka-Laylee now.

 

[Socreges]

I'm honestly surprised by the damning reviews along the lines of, "This sucks, it's just like those old 3D platformers and it's terrible."

Wasn't that the whole point? Wasn't that why people funded it in the first place?

What does it matter if that was the point? If I intend to make a librarian simulator wherein you organize and categorize books, and succeed, should I expect reviews to be positive?

People didn't enjoy this game. Similarly I enjoyed games like DK64 and Banjo-Kazooie as a child, but after revisiting them have discovered that they truly haven't aged well. It's not a type of game design that I'm personally interested in revisiting.

 

[ramparter]

Games now have guns, 16x16 multiplayer deathmatch, health regeneration, cinematic gameplay, map markers.

 

[Garlador]

It's the same thing that happened to old-school survival horror and JRPGs.

Which is funny coming from Jim, of all people, since he's done episodes on "the industry just up and decided survival horror was unpopular" a few times.

So there were movements against this "archaic" past. Tank controls, fixed camera angles, limited saves, and resource management were no longer carefully crafted design decisions; they were annoyances and flaws. We moved past it in our new era of auto-saving and responsive controls.

Turn-based random battles and linear stories with spiky-haired kids with big eyes fell out of season in favor of real-time combat with more open-worlds. That was "better".

I remember Lost Odyssey got some critical reviews slamming its "outdated" mechanics. I read a few who hated Alien: Isolation's "old-school" approach to horror and saving.

And I've simply accepted that these games aren't bad at all, but they aren't the games made for these critics or players. They want the games to be something they are not, and their complaints are often THE REASON old-school fans love them.

I'd kill for a new Resident Evil in the exact same mold as the originals (RE7 is certainly closer than it's been in decades), and I've been binging on old-school style JRPGs like Radiant Historia, FF3, and Bravely Default lately.

Yooka-laylee isn't for everyone. It's a N64 platformer in an era of Skyrims, GTAs, Uncharteds, Halos, and Dark Souls.

But it's absolutely the type of game I've missed DEARLY for nearly 20 years.

 

[Yoshi]

The main goal of collecting x-number of items in YL is usually an optional side-quest these days, even in other platformers.

But this is an unfair assessment of the collectathon genre. The collectibles act as a structural component in the world design, they are not comparable to "Assassin's Creed flags", which are just distributed over the world without much thought put into it. Collecting itself is part of many games nowadays, but this is only the same thing from a narrative standpoint. If you analyse the purpose of collectibles, notes to outline the main paths in a level, jiggys to signify completion of a main challenge, it is in no way comparable to what open world games do.

 

[TLZ]

Maybe you can't see why because you're stuck in 98.

Spoiler

Jk

 

[JoeM86]

What does it matter if that was the point? If I intend to make a librarian simulator wherein you organize and categorize books, and succeed, should I expect reviews to be positive?

Well you accomplish what you set out to do, so if I was reviewing it I'd be positive about that. I'd then critique the rest of it based on how well it runs etc., plus the fun factor which it probably wouldn't have

 

[The_Lump]

Whilst there may be truth to it, it's like buying a Mini Cooper and complaining because you can't fit your golf clubs in it.

Don't know why I chose that analogy as it adds nothing. But essentially: The reason you are complaining is also the reason the game exists

 

[Zukkoyaki]

I don't want to get into the weeds discussing reviewers and design expectations. I'm just going to remind everyone that if you enjoy a game then who cares what others think?

 

[DAREALGUMMY]

It's silly because people backed this wanting a N64 Styled 3D platformer, and being made by ex-rare devs no less.

That's the hook I thought most people wanted.

 

[Kelas]

It's silly because people backed this wanting a N64 Styled 3D platformer, and being made by ex-rare devs no less.

I'm honestly surprised by the damning reviews along the lines of, "This sucks, it's just like those old 3D platformers and it's terrible."

Wasn't that the whole point? Wasn't that why people funded it in the first place?

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/7f/1e/73/7f1e733f2388f2023395db63a96433d0.jpg[IMG][/QUOTE]

Reviews aren't just for people who backed the game though, they're for anyone who might consider purchasing the game when it's released. If the reviewer had a terrible experience with a game, then that should come across in their review. The intent of the devs doesn't really come into it.

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

I truly do not understand this either, thats why the reviews mean nothing for me. The game feel like its from the past.. thats what the intentions were. I hope Platonic Games are not slighted by this weird complaint. Its funny because when a game does too much to other games it get dubbed a name like a ubi tower game or an uncharted. Best thing about Yooka Laylee is that games dont exist like this anymore so you cant just dub it a "Banjo". I mean reviews are the reviewers opinion you cant change that.

 

[Baleoce]

I don't want to get into the weeds discussing reviewers and design expectations. I'm just going to remind everyone that if you enjoy a game then who cares what others think?

Yeah this is where I stand on it.

 

[Herbspiceguy]

By not relying on collectibles as an incentive to finish/explore a level.

 

[emb]

I wondered this when reading reviews too (though I mostly stick to the summary blurbs <.<).

But my thinking is that, at this point, my mind is made up anyway, we're a couple days out, might as well play the game for myself and see. After playing, this is a conversation I'll probably plan to look back on and reconsider.

 

[Sleight of Jam]

I don't get this statement either. I'm still a big fan of platformer collectathons, and apart from the framerate and camera, i'm sure i'll enjoy this.

I'm also really confused about some of the complaints regarding the voices. BK and BT were exactly like this. So why people are moaning about this I have no idea.

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

I don't get this statement either. I'm still a big fan of platformer collectathons, and apart from the framerate and camera, i'm sure i'll enjoy this.

I'm also really confused about some of the complaints regarding the voices. BK and BT were exactly like this. So why people are moaning about this I have no idea.

Who knows, I was thinking its age maybe some people grew up with ps2 are reviewing the games now

 

[JCX]

Collectathons were never good, but as a kid with limited money, these games gave you more stuff to do that could pad out games further. It's like they looked at Mario 64 and took away the wrong lessons.

So basically I get what the reviewers are saying. I disagree with the premise that the gameplay elements are bad because they're dated (people lob this at turn based games) - it's because the game design isn't very fun.

 

[hodgy100]

Whilst there may be truth to it, it's like buying a Mini Cooper and complaining because you can't fit your golf clubs in it.

Don't know why I chose that analogy as it adds nothing. But essentially: The reason you are complaining is also the reason the game exists

no its like buying a new mini cooper that turns out to be the same as the old mini cooper but with a new body.

it's missing the mod cons that the new mini cooper has ( automatic windows, air bags, cd player, air conditioning)

its still a mini cooper and it still succeeds as a car. but its not as good as its modern equivalent apart from the nostalgia it gives you.

 

[SolidSnakex]

This should be something obvious from considering the N64 era platformers, rather than just Yooka-Laylee I would suppose, but actually, taking Banjo-Kazooie into consideration, I see absolutely nothing outside of camera controls that has ever systematically been done better than in Banjo-Kazooie. In fact, had Banjo-Kazooie released just yesterday (assuming better graphics and analog camera control) I would have wholeheartedly rated the game a 10/10 and never would it have crossed my mind that something in the game is in any way archaic or significantly been outdone by anything else. I would be glad if someone could explain this to me.

I think the main point of those reviews is that the time collect-a-thon platformers is over

So, it's not that the games have been done better since hten. It's that people don't like the types of games they are to begin with, so doing them better is still not particularly appealing to those people. I posted about this in the YL review thread, but I feel that those collect-a-thon platformers are the reason that 3D platformers died out so quickly after the 32bit era. When you look at 3D platformers now, it's a pretty bare landscape. And what 3D platformer is still standing? Mario. The one that's main mechanics are still centered around platforming rather than running around looking for something shining.

 

[Sinatar]

I hear this all the time about Isometric and Turn Based games, I really don't get it.

 

[Yoshi]

Have you considered that it may come down to your rather peculiar taste in gaming, which isn't quite compatible with the general/reviewing audience?

Yes.

You see Banjo as a 10/10, whereas reviewers see the Banjo games by today's standards more as a 7/10.

But what does "today's standards" mean here? Yes, I see Banjo as a 10/10, one of only few games that I see this way, both personally and critically. That's obviously more than reviewer's consensus.

From what I remember, you also liked some Sonic games as well as a number of other titles which performed pretty badly in reviews.

Sonic games is right, I like many Sonic games, some of which performed badly in critics. However, most of the time I know what people criticise in Sonic. There are things that are just plain wrong, but understandable from a casual look at the game ("autopilot"), other things are absolutely right and it just depends on the weight you put on it (Werehog, for instance). I am not actually puzzled by the negative response. I don't share it, but I at least understand it. Not so for the current case of super-generalised critique on Yooka targeting the whole genre outright.

When I played BK on 360, it felt like an old game starting with camera going over to controls, or even the gameplay design (you just walk aimlessly through a world trying to find stuff).

The brilliant thing about Banjo-Kazooie's design is that you do not wander aimlessly. Just play a Banjo level and see how much time it takes for you to find a jiggy, even if you have already found half the jiggys in the world. The density and the note-bases structuring makes sure that you don't just go somehwere (as it is common in modern open world games by the way), hoping to stumble on something, but that you are actually lead to all important points of interest by the designers hand without putting any force on you (like in a super linear game).

 

[Corpekata]

Don't get the point of this thread or half the responses. If you actually want an answer instead of just to preach to the choir and to pat each other on the back surely this is a thread that would be better served when the game is actually out in the hands of the people you're looking for answers from? All you're gonna get is reassurances from the "Hur cinematic health regeneration" crowd that are extremely defensive about their pre-orders.

 

[Eumi]

People didn't think the game did anything new and the old stuff it did wasn't worth praising.

Or, more simply, some people didn't like the game.