Our preview videos of Yooka-Laylee

Commented on 2017-03-20 16:12:48

Something that to me is essential to a platformer are controls, how responsive they are, the moves set and animations, and how good it feels to control the character. Can you talk about these things?

Also, are you allowed to talk about the game's graphics settings and/or performance on PC? And any chance of doing a livestream of the parts you're allowed to show?

Other than those things, the other questions I have are most likely not allowed to be talked about yet. I really hope the game delivers since 3D platformers are very rare now, and if Yooka-Laylee is very successful - both critically and commercially - more companies will start investing in the genre.

In reply to

Driftwood

Commented on 2017-03-20 16:23:39 In reply to Sdarts

Controls are responsive and performance is solid as far as I can tell. Not sure if I can discuss the graphics settings, but don't expect something like in Wildlands. :)

No livestreams before April 10 sadly, 6 days after the reviews. :/

In reply to

Moonwalker

Commented on 2017-03-20 16:33:31

Really looking forward to this and I hope it delivers.

In reply to

Sdarts

Commented on 2017-03-20 16:54:38 In reply to Driftwood

Thanks for the reply and info. Just wanted to know if the controls were good and if the PC version was good, which they are. The graphics and art direction look very good. Looking forward to it.

In reply to

MrWhite

Commented on 2017-03-20 23:38:37

I'm unsure about this. Games like Banjo were great, but that was almost 20 years ago now. I'm not sure if that kind of design would stand up to scrutiny these days, so I hope they at least come up with some new ideas and not stick to the same formula.

In reply to

KORNdog

Commented on 2017-03-21 00:15:33 In reply to MrWhite

Posted by MrWhite

I'm unsure about this. Games like Banjo were great, but that was almost 20 years ago now. I'm not sure if that kind of design would stand up to scrutiny these days, so I hope they at least come up with some new ideas and not stick to the same formula.

Honestly my main worry with this is the level they showed a month or so ago. It just looked so shit compared to the outdoor level they're usually demo.

In reply to

Adropacrich2

Commented on 2017-03-21 01:49:30

I always found Banjo to be overated. Obviously it was technically very impressive visually and a typically polished Rare game but it just wasn't in the same class as Goldeneye, Pefect Dark or Diddy Kong Racing. Banjo Tooie was just a drag as well. People speak of Rare as having created games on the N64 that were all equally amzing but truthfully there were only a few exceptional N64 games they did. I still really enjoy Jet Force Gemini for example but it's really not very good

In reply to

MrWhite

Commented on 2017-03-21 11:13:02 In reply to Adropacrich2

I certainly don't think it's overrated. In it's day, it offered the best alternative to Mario 64, and maybe even improved on that game in some aspects. When you look at Rare's catalogue for the N64, it stands out as being some of the most eclectic youd get from a developer in any generation. They made a couple of excellent FPS games, a couple of decent to average platformers (if you want to call any of their game overrated, it'd be DK64), a couple of racing games, fighting games, and fun little arcade games like Jet Force and Blast Corps. If only some of the main big developers today showed as much creativity and genre expansion.

In reply to

MrWhite

Commented on 2017-03-21 11:21:13 In reply to KORNdog

Posted by KORNdog

Honestly my main worry with this is the level they showed a month or so ago. It just looked so shit compared to the outdoor level they're usually demo.

This one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc6tV3b2GEo

I can see what you mean. It does come across as looking like level design from a slew of average platformers from the mid to late 90's.

Some of the thematic stuff can be great if it's done right and not just cobbled together to look like something that resembles an asset placeholder dump that's been left open on the designer's desktop. More levels like Banjo's Mad Monster Mansion and less of that sort of thing.

In reply to

KORNdog

Commented on 2017-03-21 12:25:07 In reply to MrWhite

Posted by MrWhite

This one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc6tV3b2GEo

I can see what you mean. It does come across as looking like level design from a slew of average platformers from the mid to late 90's.

Some of the thematic stuff can be great if it's done right and not just cobbled together to look like something that resembles an asset placeholder dump that's been left open on the designer's desktop. More levels like Banjo's Mad Monster Mansion and less of that sort of thing.

yeah, that's the one. it's just super uninteresting. basic environmental shapes and large empty flat areas. the design principles haven't changed between it and the outdoor level, but the outdoor level allows for a lot more diversity. empty spaces can be easily made more interesting with terrain variation or plants/flowers/rocks etc. and while the same can be done in casino world with dice, playing cars, chips etc, it takes a bit more creativity and it almost looks like they had ran dry when they reached the development of that stage.

In reply to

[quote=MrWhite]
This one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc6tV3b2GEo

I can see what you mean. It does come across as looking like level design from a slew of average platformers from the mid to late 90's.

Some of the thematic stuff can be great if it's done right and not just cobbled together to look like something that resembles an asset placeholder dump that's been left open on the designer's desktop. More levels like Banjo's Mad Monster Mansion and less of that sort of thing.[/quote]

yeah, that's the one. it's just super uninteresting. basic environmental shapes and large empty flat areas. the design principles haven't changed between it and the outdoor level, but the outdoor level allows for a lot more diversity. empty spaces can be easily made more interesting with terrain variation or plants/flowers/rocks etc. and while the same can be done in casino world with dice, playing cars, chips etc, it takes a bit more creativity and it almost looks like they had ran dry when they reached the development of that stage.

Adropacrich2

Commented on 2017-03-21 21:27:31 In reply to MrWhite

Posted by MrWhite

I certainly don't think it's overrated. In it's day, it offered the best alternative to Mario 64, and maybe even improved on that game in some aspects. When you look at Rare's catalogue for the N64, it stands out as being some of the most eclectic youd get from a developer in any generation. They made a couple of excellent FPS games, a couple of decent to average platformers (if you want to call any of their game overrated, it'd be DK64), a couple of racing games, fighting games, and fun little arcade games like Jet Force and Blast Corps. If only some of the main big developers today showed as much creativity and genre expansion.

it was definitely a remarkable achievementment I'd say for obvious reasons but gameplay wasn't one of them. Decent gameplay all helped by tight controls and Rare's typical flair for character design but far from remarkable even back then. Certainly much better however than almost everything else except SM64 Rare were the most amazing thing back then and they helped me enjoy my N64 far more but only a few truly masterful games. It would be wrong to shit on the might of what Rare were back then but I just don't see Banjo as anything great. Amazing to behold though that can't be argued

In reply to

[quote=MrWhite]I certainly don't think it's overrated. In it's day, it offered the best alternative to Mario 64, and maybe even improved on that game in some aspects. When you look at Rare's catalogue for the N64, it stands out as being some of the most eclectic youd get from a developer in any generation. They made a couple of excellent FPS games, a couple of decent to average platformers (if you want to call any of their game overrated, it'd be DK64), a couple of racing games, fighting games, and fun little arcade games like Jet Force and Blast Corps. If only some of the main big developers today showed as much creativity and genre expansion.[/quote]

it was definitely a remarkable achievementment I'd say for obvious reasons but gameplay wasn't one of them. Decent gameplay all helped by tight controls and Rare's typical flair for character design but far from remarkable even back then. Certainly much better however than almost everything else except SM64 Rare were the most amazing thing back then and they helped me enjoy my N64 far more but only a few truly masterful games. It would be wrong to shit on the might of what Rare were back then but I just don't see Banjo as anything great. Amazing to behold though that can't  be argued

spacemanjupiter

Commented on 2017-03-22 08:42:23 In reply to KORNdog

Posted by KORNdog

Honestly my main worry with this is the level they showed a month or so ago. It just looked so shit compared to the outdoor level they're usually demo.

That is actually what turned me away from the game. I'll wait and see when it has been out for a little while

In reply to