as somebody who really likes banjo & kazooie, I pretty much agree with all the points ya bring up. The overly simple and slow moveset along with the tedious and easy nature of most challenges in the game can be a bit of a drag, I personally didn't notice it due to it being carried hard by the amazing presentation, but now that ya pointed it out I can see the cracks. Granted, I still love the game to bits, but am glad to understand it better. Good vid
Honestly I'm glad that I'm not the only person who didn't enjoy Banjo & Kazooie, I remember back when I used to say that I didn't enjoy the game that I would get confused reactions like "How could you not, the game is great!" and such, I didn't really fully get it either when I kept getting responses like that it got to the point that I just thought the game never clicked with me but seeing this review does help me see that I'm not alone when it comes to not enjoying the game. It's charming for sure but the gameplay does hold it back from being fully enjoyable experience. Great work on the video.
I just finished the game yesterday and I totally agree. I never heard a bad thing about this game and now that I've completed it I think it's the most circlejerked thing ever. The Spyro games are similar, but are way better I think. Mario 64 is different but it totally outplays Banjo in every way besides aesthetics, writing and at a technical level.
I think Banjo Kazooie despite being a decent game for me, really makes me think on why i dont like most of the N64 library to begin with it. If its the control (which many N64 games suffer and 3d platformers uses that awkard aerial camera that may work for other games but not for precision platformers), if its the blurry graphics (although at least Banjo has a unique artstyle to compensate) or if its the limited space which limitates the games in a way or another both gameplay wise and graphically. Maybe thats also the reason as to why there is not so many levels but they made them overly long and why notes doesnt save. I think this game would benefit of shorter levels so they could had more variety and every level would feel more memorable and it wouldnt drag too much. I literally had to play one level per day because it took like an hour and it was an hour of boredom most of the time, thats how padded the game is. Why the musical notes arent also visible at the distance? Spyro managed to fix that the same year on a less powerful console. I think there wasnt any level where i didnt use a walkthrough except for spiral mountain and mumbo mountain, by far the best levels in the entire game because they are more akin to the PS1/PS2 platformers like Spyro or Jak. What happens with this game is interesting because it plays very well in the core gameplay: It has good ideas, Banjo is mostly fine to control and there are some really fun jiggies to collect, but the game drags so much that is intolerable. The Xbox 360 version almost feels like of what this title should have been on the first place since 1998 and it showcases another of my N64 issues: every N64 game plays significantly better on other platforms. Even the most classic games suffer from that. Banjo is a game that basically the N64 hardware didnt let to spread its wings and it shows. As unpopular as it can be i think even the earliest PS1 3d platformers aged better. Although i would like to see a PC port of this game. Probably by fixing the camera completely and turning on all of the QOL features of the Xbox 360 version would make me to appreciate it even more.
I heartily disagree that the gameplay doesn't hold up. Suprised you didn't talk about the feather flap mechanic, which to me is such an immensely satisfying move to use in a variety of contexts. Learning just how far you can safely get down is a game in and of itself. Walking through the hallway of whip cracks with Wonder Wing while they all explode into a million pieces is a goated moment. I just really like that OP feel with the move in general. The final battle is a masterclass of using skills the game has taught you through repetition in a way much more challenging than before. Anyways, that's just a few things. I can see your point about movement being stale, especially with transformation, but I find the fundamental platforming mechanics to be very strong.
Finally sat down and finished the whole video and I'd have to say I agree with pretty much every point. Even when thinking about my own criticisms of the game I synthesized many of the exact same thoughts (mostly regarding how much of the gameplay is just holding a direction/the low skill ceiling of the movement). Compare this to Super Mario 64, which has incredibly fun, versatile movement that allows you to switch up your approach and mapping each playthrough. I do still consider BK to be the best 3d platformer on the 64 though due to the soundtrack, my ability to get fully immersed in the worlds, and the overall sense of adventure. Mario 64 has the major pacebreaking problem between collecting stars, has a repetitive soundtrack, and its worlds are nowhere near as convincing. Conker and DK64 have even worse gameplay and don't compensate for them like BK to me. My main question is which 3d platformers do you consider much better? I already can think of Mario, Crash, Spyro, Sonic, A Hat in Time, Jak and Daxter, and Rayman that have considerably more engaging movement options and gameplay, but am curious to know of some others.
I mean its supposed to be a simple and undemanding game to play with small compact levels to explore and find things in. I think you kinda got the wrong idea that this game has a ton of depth in movement mechanics from being compared to mario 64. I really like this game because it really encourages you to explore every nook and cranny with the way the notes system works and the notes respawning when you die is a unique way to encourage mastery in a level. The challenges may be shallow, but each one doesn't take more than a minute to complete and then you're right on to the next thing. It's a short and sweet experience with compact world design and tight pacing. It's a game about exploring an environment finding stuff and that's about as simple as it gets.
never thought there is someting bad about this game, because everyone praises the hell out of it. But all ur points make sense. Ive never made my own opinion about this game, because ive never played it. Back in the day i just played crash badicoot and spyro on my ps1.
Yeah, honestly i tried to play banjo and i just couldn't play it, i got very bored quickly which at the time felt off because everyone talks about how good the game is. Overall amazing video and you captured how i felt perfectly
I'm so glad I'm not alone in this. I did like this game at one point, but I think I grew to love Super Mario 64 much more because of the varied move-pool and faster pace.
Great video. These are things I felt a lot when playing this game, but when looking up this game online all I would ever see is that it's a great game and one of the best platformers ever. I was always skeptical on the latter, but after actually playing it I don't think it's good at all. Certainly doesn't hold a candle to other 3D platformers like Mario 64, Spyro, etc.
I am a bit conflicted because I somewhat agree yet also disagree with your points. The game has extremely high highs and some annoying lows, though overall I think it is a great game. I agree that the normal walking speed is slow and using talon trot gets annoying. But, I think your point about the empty space is a bit overstated, especially because the worlds are so condensed and there generally isn't any need to go over an area more than once (aside from some exceptions like the race, as you pointed out). The level design, imo, is perfect, with large centerpieces in the middle that make navigation a breeze. Additionally, I don't think Banjo needs to control in a more exciting way like Mario because it isn't so much about platforming as it is collecting. The fun of the game isn't movement as it is in Mario, though I agree Banjo's walk should be sped up and better/more interesting movement would only be an improvement, though I don't think it's that much of a detraction. Have to disagree about the difficulty. Personally, I don't want a game, especially a collectathon, to require more than two brain cells. I like these types of games because it allows me to largely shut my brain off, with just enough stimulation from the collecting and box-checking. But, I do agree that some of the mini-games are awful (the Mr. Vile and Tiptup choir mini-games really drag the game down imo). I don't think the lack of a change in movement with the transformations is really a detraction, for reasons already stated. They could have just not had them at all, so I think adding the transformations is only a positive. Ultimately I think your criticisms are based in it not prioritizing platforming as you would like, so it's possible you just don't like the collectathon genre, and that's okay. We all like different things.
I think it has aged poorly, due to these two issues IMO Note collection MY GOD! This is a pain, you need to get 100% in a SINGLE LIFE or your are starting over from 0 you often need a CERTAIN amount or greater to progress, unlike coins in super mario 64 that give lives at 50 and a star at 100, thats easy for some of the early stages, but then comes shit like Rusty Bucket, and TickTock Woods. Rusty buckets engine room was clearly under tested and tick tock woods is an annoying climb. And the second Gruntys lair sucks and is just plain boring. Sure its neat the first time, but HOLLY HELL is the climb a pain, you can get lost easily cus it looks all the same, the warps are WAY to hidden for being pretty much needed if you want to save time.
Bro, I love your videos! And I’m glad others feel like me. The only OG games I can get back to are halo Mario and Zelda. Pokémon is starting to feel Grindy
Have to disagree with the movement. I think I works perfectly with the levels in this game. The second game is where the movement becomes dull. Poopy poopy nicker nicker
Yooka-Laylee has this issue too, incredibly charming and lovable characters with great art and writing but painfully average gameplay, I'm a firm believer great gameplay can save a game that is otherwise bad, but when the gameplay is bad nothing can save that
Hey, me too I think the gameplay is just... kind of shallow; with Mario Sunshine, you may have an hard time trying to get up Noki Bay amongst other levels, but as you keep mastering the controls, you can "see" ledges you didn't before, that you can walljump off of to then use the Hover-Jet to reach places much more quickly, like I can climb Ricco Tower in 2 seconds whereas people take 15 minutes, I believe I've progressed so much. Heck even Donkey Kong Country 2, another Rareware game, I'm trying to master the Damageless challenge and, little by little, I could make Screech's Sprint a joke by collecting everything in one go. In these games, there was always room for me to improve even if it's just a tad bit. But with Banjo, there is no such grace, the only thing I can improve on is my pathing, but not necessarily my skills and movement. The way you brought up the lack of Movement Upgrades, and you idea of Wonderwing being used for temporary speed boosts, is great and it further convinces me that something is gravely missing. This is why I prefer the N64 version for forcing me to collect every Notes in one go and by not dying, because it felt more like an endurance run, and it's also why I only really like Rusty Bucket Bay as surviving to get the 100 Notes is pretty challenging. I love those endurance runs, but nonetheless, they are seldom found and BK is just not a fun game ro REPLAY for me. It's fun as is on a first playthrough, but again, I can replay Super Mario Sunshine and Donkey Kong Country for hours and still master it some more and that's so fun for me, but Banjo-Kazooie has always felt limited in those departments and is why I hardly ever replay it. Thanks for this video, again you brought up very interesting points even myself didn't put my fingers on.
9:00 was this meant to be a game for younger audiences? Also before I knew the challenges were similar to the overworld walking and all, I was thinking maybe it should've had a map as the overworld like donkey kong and mario if getting from challenge to challenge isn't the point, like have the place where you transform be easy to get to and from that way like shops and save points are in DK but ig that wouldn't have saved the game
It’s funny cause this game’s sequel did add in a teleportation system within its worlds, which is very similar to your idea of and overworld map. It wouldn’t alleviate all the problems I have with the game, but removing all the needless back and forth does definitely go a long way.
I don’t agree that gold feathers are plentiful as i barley could use the move without running out. Also the game is not about combat so it makes sense that the combat is not super deep.
I agree with most of your points but only because I'm an adult... just like you're an adult. Though, I don't think it's fair to judge the difficulty of the game through the eyes of an adult. It's a children's game, thus it's not supposed to be demanding. I enjoyed the game as a child and I played it from start to finish. Just like you seem to have done. If it actually was too easy back then, would we have finished it?
Points I disagree: I think you are exaggerating or overestimating the degree to which there is empty space in BK. It's a fairly trivial and unfounded complaint imo, locations could hardly be any closer without LITERALLY being on top of each other, to the point it would look and feel awful. I would say very little floor space in BK goes unused or is superfluous, it's all rather concise. Complaining about empty space in THIS game of all games just paints you as impatient lol. The empty space it DOES have is rather trivial. You are definitely correct about Gruntilda's Lair, but also kinda missing the point, the Lair is very deliberately sprawling and non-linear. It's valid if you dislike that, but it is deliberately what they were going for and has its pros along with cons. Your assertion that BK has poor gameplay isn't right or wrong, but it's very subjective. "Good gameplay" doesn't mean the same thing to you as it does other people. I think really you WANT a certain type of gameplay and BK just isn't scratching that itch for you, but to say gameplay is "bad" when really it's just trying to go for something separate to what you had in mind is kinda dumb. I don't personally think BK's gameplay is perfect or anything tho. Your gripes with movement options aren't wrong, but it sounds like something a Super Mario 64 speedrunner would say. Banjo is NOT Mario, its focus is NOT platforming across 3D obstacle courses. It has little bites of platforming just to get around from A to B, but you RARELY are even asked to perform any actual hard platforming challenge because that is absolutely not the POINT of BK at all. Don't be confused because it and Mario are called "platformers", Mario has completely different design philosophy. Banjo is DESIGNED around the fact that the bear is no acrobat. BK's focus is exploration, mostly. And last disagreement, the difficulty, which you're also not wrong about and for years I've been lamenting this game didn't include even a very BASIC hard mode. But this is also a very SM64 speedrunner thing to complain about. Consider the casual player. I know BK is piss easy to US but seriously a LOT of people do earnestly struggle with Banjo at times even WITH it being so easy. BK would NOT be the popular smash success it was if it was even a little bit harder. They DID that with Tooie, and Tooie is highly devisive in part because of some poor design choices and in part because a WHOLE LOT of people find it way too hard, even though Tooie is baby's first Metroidvania. I wish BK was harder or required literally any brainpower, but it wouldn't have been a wise choice. Banjo SHOULD be fairly undemanding, a big part of BK's wide appeal is its easieness and simplicity. The fact you can turn your brain off and just have a stress-free fun time has great merits.......but yeah I want a hard mode so bad. Now drumroll, things I agree with......literally everything else you said. This was a great video. Even knowing acrobatics isn't the point of Banjo, my god you're right about his movement options sucking ass and his moveset being disappointingly limited. It's a goddamn shame that getting around these levels involves walking, and uh.....more walking? Getting this giant teddy bear to just DO like ANYTHING can be a pain. Even 2-3 more basic movement options would've alleviated this greatly. There is no variety here. Nothing to play with, Kazooie just goes DUT-DUT DUT-DUT DUT-DUT for 6 hours. The duo's jumps are also very basic and not particularly fun to traverse or platform with. Why not let me at LEAST Shock Jump any time I want?? And I hate that almost all the moves they learn after Mumbo's Mountain are all contextual, it doesn't feel like my toolkit is actually expanding. Mumbo creature transformations are the embodiment of a super cool and awesome idea that was handled mediocrely or in some cases even badly. Man it would be SO AWESOME if these things were given the thought and care the idea deserves. I don't want to fit inside small holes, that's lame. Super disappointing how transformations were handled. Like imagine for example if they all had 1 legit cool unique ability and once you get a transformation you KEEP it and can use it in any world????
Well, the moveset problem went from limited to broken beyond any common sense of balance in Yooka-Laylee. The Reptile Roll is handy for getting from place to place, but it costs energy. Eventually you get Reptile Rush, which is essentially a Spin Dash, and revving up the Reptile Rush is very short, allowing you to spam the move repeatedly and reach insane speeds. And lastly there's Flappy Flight. Flappy Flight is proof on why Flight Pads are necessary; If you can fly anywhere at anytime, it negates almost any platforming in the game. Flappy Flight travels forward automatically, so you can't use it well in tight spaces. You would think that Flappy Flight would be the most energy intensive move, right? Wrong. Flappy Flight is rather light on energy cost compared to Camo Cloak, which is the most energy intensive move to the point of near uselessness.
Huh, I enjoyed this game despite the "difficulty", for that time it's great and it's actually easier than Super Mario 64. Awful video compared to the Sonic one.
as somebody who really likes banjo & kazooie, I pretty much agree with all the points ya bring up. The overly simple and slow moveset along with the tedious and easy nature of most challenges in the game can be a bit of a drag, I personally didn't notice it due to it being carried hard by the amazing presentation, but now that ya pointed it out I can see the cracks. Granted, I still love the game to bits, but am glad to understand it better. Good vid
I just played this game recently for the first time, it aged fine
I love
LOVE
Banjo-Kazooie
But it’s movement pales in comparison to other platformers like Mario 64
Its*
Honestly I'm glad that I'm not the only person who didn't enjoy Banjo & Kazooie, I remember back when I used to say that I didn't enjoy the game that I would get confused reactions like "How could you not, the game is great!" and such, I didn't really fully get it either when I kept getting responses like that it got to the point that I just thought the game never clicked with me but seeing this review does help me see that I'm not alone when it comes to not enjoying the game. It's charming for sure but the gameplay does hold it back from being fully enjoyable experience.
Great work on the video.
Glad to see a new Irev vid in my subscription feed, can't wait to what's in store for the future!
Thank you Rylee! I’m gonna try to post more regularly from now on. Of course I say that every time but this time I mean it probably!!
I just finished the game yesterday and I totally agree. I never heard a bad thing about this game and now that I've completed it I think it's the most circlejerked thing ever.
The Spyro games are similar, but are way better I think. Mario 64 is different but it totally outplays Banjo in every way besides aesthetics, writing and at a technical level.
Just saw the Generations video, now looking at this one. Can already tell this is a great channel, honestly.
Good annual Rev upload! I hope for a good upload next year as well
He skipped last year though.
@@The_Gamer_91 shhh the joke wasnt that thought out
With this being one of my all time favorite games, I'm hyped for the alternative take.
The second game is so much better that it made the first one look bad. Still a good game tho.
I think Banjo Kazooie despite being a decent game for me, really makes me think on why i dont like most of the N64 library to begin with it. If its the control (which many N64 games suffer and 3d platformers uses that awkard aerial camera that may work for other games but not for precision platformers), if its the blurry graphics (although at least Banjo has a unique artstyle to compensate) or if its the limited space which limitates the games in a way or another both gameplay wise and graphically. Maybe thats also the reason as to why there is not so many levels but they made them overly long and why notes doesnt save.
I think this game would benefit of shorter levels so they could had more variety and every level would feel more memorable and it wouldnt drag too much. I literally had to play one level per day because it took like an hour and it was an hour of boredom most of the time, thats how padded the game is.
Why the musical notes arent also visible at the distance? Spyro managed to fix that the same year on a less powerful console. I think there wasnt any level where i didnt use a walkthrough except for spiral mountain and mumbo mountain, by far the best levels in the entire game because they are more akin to the PS1/PS2 platformers like Spyro or Jak.
What happens with this game is interesting because it plays very well in the core gameplay: It has good ideas, Banjo is mostly fine to control and there are some really fun jiggies to collect, but the game drags so much that is intolerable. The Xbox 360 version almost feels like of what this title should have been on the first place since 1998 and it showcases another of my N64 issues: every N64 game plays significantly better on other platforms. Even the most classic games suffer from that.
Banjo is a game that basically the N64 hardware didnt let to spread its wings and it shows. As unpopular as it can be i think even the earliest PS1 3d platformers aged better.
Although i would like to see a PC port of this game. Probably by fixing the camera completely and turning on all of the QOL features of the Xbox 360 version would make me to appreciate it even more.
I heartily disagree that the gameplay doesn't hold up. Suprised you didn't talk about the feather flap mechanic, which to me is such an immensely satisfying move to use in a variety of contexts. Learning just how far you can safely get down is a game in and of itself.
Walking through the hallway of whip cracks with Wonder Wing while they all explode into a million pieces is a goated moment. I just really like that OP feel with the move in general.
The final battle is a masterclass of using skills the game has taught you through repetition in a way much more challenging than before.
Anyways, that's just a few things. I can see your point about movement being stale, especially with transformation, but I find the fundamental platforming mechanics to be very strong.
Finally sat down and finished the whole video and I'd have to say I agree with pretty much every point. Even when thinking about my own criticisms of the game I synthesized many of the exact same thoughts (mostly regarding how much of the gameplay is just holding a direction/the low skill ceiling of the movement). Compare this to Super Mario 64, which has incredibly fun, versatile movement that allows you to switch up your approach and mapping each playthrough. I do still consider BK to be the best 3d platformer on the 64 though due to the soundtrack, my ability to get fully immersed in the worlds, and the overall sense of adventure. Mario 64 has the major pacebreaking problem between collecting stars, has a repetitive soundtrack, and its worlds are nowhere near as convincing. Conker and DK64 have even worse gameplay and don't compensate for them like BK to me. My main question is which 3d platformers do you consider much better? I already can think of Mario, Crash, Spyro, Sonic, A Hat in Time, Jak and Daxter, and Rayman that have considerably more engaging movement options and gameplay, but am curious to know of some others.
I mean its supposed to be a simple and undemanding game to play with small compact levels to explore and find things in. I think you kinda got the wrong idea that this game has a ton of depth in movement mechanics from being compared to mario 64. I really like this game because it really encourages you to explore every nook and cranny with the way the notes system works and the notes respawning when you die is a unique way to encourage mastery in a level. The challenges may be shallow, but each one doesn't take more than a minute to complete and then you're right on to the next thing. It's a short and sweet experience with compact world design and tight pacing. It's a game about exploring an environment finding stuff and that's about as simple as it gets.
never thought there is someting bad about this game, because everyone praises the hell out of it. But all ur points make sense. Ive never made my own opinion about this game, because ive never played it. Back in the day i just played crash badicoot and spyro on my ps1.
Yeah, honestly i tried to play banjo and i just couldn't play it, i got very bored quickly which at the time felt off because everyone talks about how good the game is. Overall amazing video and you captured how i felt perfectly
Thank you stolenearth! Glad I can speak for the lesser known opinion
Bored.....with banjo...
@@jonahsherlin006Believe it or not, people can have differing opinions. Wild, huh?
I played it and honestly if it weren’t for the music I don’t think I could have beat it
I'm so glad I'm not alone in this. I did like this game at one point, but I think I grew to love Super Mario 64 much more because of the varied move-pool and faster pace.
I agree with all of this, have you played the sequel Banjo-Tooie? I think you'll like it a lot.
Great video. These are things I felt a lot when playing this game, but when looking up this game online all I would ever see is that it's a great game and one of the best platformers ever. I was always skeptical on the latter, but after actually playing it I don't think it's good at all. Certainly doesn't hold a candle to other 3D platformers like Mario 64, Spyro, etc.
Yeah I was looking forward to playing this game and left disappointed. Honestly I think Yooka Laylee gets too much flack :/
Ahem, Nuts and Bolts has aged worse than the original two games.
new irev upload!!! :D
You're smoking the good ganja if you think this game still doesn't hold up, I'm still playing this and it still feels great to play.
I am a bit conflicted because I somewhat agree yet also disagree with your points. The game has extremely high highs and some annoying lows, though overall I think it is a great game.
I agree that the normal walking speed is slow and using talon trot gets annoying. But, I think your point about the empty space is a bit overstated, especially because the worlds are so condensed and there generally isn't any need to go over an area more than once (aside from some exceptions like the race, as you pointed out). The level design, imo, is perfect, with large centerpieces in the middle that make navigation a breeze. Additionally, I don't think Banjo needs to control in a more exciting way like Mario because it isn't so much about platforming as it is collecting. The fun of the game isn't movement as it is in Mario, though I agree Banjo's walk should be sped up and better/more interesting movement would only be an improvement, though I don't think it's that much of a detraction.
Have to disagree about the difficulty. Personally, I don't want a game, especially a collectathon, to require more than two brain cells. I like these types of games because it allows me to largely shut my brain off, with just enough stimulation from the collecting and box-checking. But, I do agree that some of the mini-games are awful (the Mr. Vile and Tiptup choir mini-games really drag the game down imo).
I don't think the lack of a change in movement with the transformations is really a detraction, for reasons already stated. They could have just not had them at all, so I think adding the transformations is only a positive.
Ultimately I think your criticisms are based in it not prioritizing platforming as you would like, so it's possible you just don't like the collectathon genre, and that's okay. We all like different things.
Fair enough
this game was so much more fun when i was bad at video games
Definitely an important point, this was back when a lot of us seriously struggled with Super Mario 64
Dang never knew you still uploaded
I think it has aged poorly, due to these two issues IMO
Note collection MY GOD! This is a pain, you need to get 100% in a SINGLE LIFE or your are starting over from 0 you often need a CERTAIN amount or greater to progress, unlike coins in super mario 64 that give lives at 50 and a star at 100, thats easy for some of the early stages, but then comes shit like Rusty Bucket, and TickTock Woods. Rusty buckets engine room was clearly under tested and tick tock woods is an annoying climb.
And the second
Gruntys lair sucks and is just plain boring. Sure its neat the first time, but HOLLY HELL is the climb a pain, you can get lost easily cus it looks all the same, the warps are WAY to hidden for being pretty much needed if you want to save time.
Bro, I love your videos! And I’m glad others feel like me. The only OG games I can get back to are halo Mario and Zelda. Pokémon is starting to feel Grindy
GLOOP CAMEO video is 10/10
fr
Have to disagree with the movement. I think I works perfectly with the levels in this game. The second game is where the movement becomes dull.
Poopy poopy nicker nicker
Yooka-Laylee has this issue too, incredibly charming and lovable characters with great art and writing but painfully average gameplay, I'm a firm believer great gameplay can save a game that is otherwise bad, but when the gameplay is bad nothing can save that
YL didn't have enough characters and enemy types. I still 100%ed it but BK had more in their levels
Hey, me too I think the gameplay is just... kind of shallow; with Mario Sunshine, you may have an hard time trying to get up Noki Bay amongst other levels, but as you keep mastering the controls, you can "see" ledges you didn't before, that you can walljump off of to then use the Hover-Jet to reach places much more quickly, like I can climb Ricco Tower in 2 seconds whereas people take 15 minutes, I believe I've progressed so much. Heck even Donkey Kong Country 2, another Rareware game, I'm trying to master the Damageless challenge and, little by little, I could make Screech's Sprint a joke by collecting everything in one go. In these games, there was always room for me to improve even if it's just a tad bit.
But with Banjo, there is no such grace, the only thing I can improve on is my pathing, but not necessarily my skills and movement. The way you brought up the lack of Movement Upgrades, and you idea of Wonderwing being used for temporary speed boosts, is great and it further convinces me that something is gravely missing. This is why I prefer the N64 version for forcing me to collect every Notes in one go and by not dying, because it felt more like an endurance run, and it's also why I only really like Rusty Bucket Bay as surviving to get the 100 Notes is pretty challenging. I love those endurance runs, but nonetheless, they are seldom found and BK is just not a fun game ro REPLAY for me.
It's fun as is on a first playthrough, but again, I can replay Super Mario Sunshine and Donkey Kong Country for hours and still master it some more and that's so fun for me, but Banjo-Kazooie has always felt limited in those departments and is why I hardly ever replay it. Thanks for this video, again you brought up very interesting points even myself didn't put my fingers on.
9:00 was this meant to be a game for younger audiences? Also before I knew the challenges were similar to the overworld walking and all, I was thinking maybe it should've had a map as the overworld like donkey kong and mario if getting from challenge to challenge isn't the point, like have the place where you transform be easy to get to and from that way like shops and save points are in DK but ig that wouldn't have saved the game
It’s funny cause this game’s sequel did add in a teleportation system within its worlds, which is very similar to your idea of and overworld map. It wouldn’t alleviate all the problems I have with the game, but removing all the needless back and forth does definitely go a long way.
I mean, it was cool as a kid honestly
You and Scott the woz have the same voice cadence and talking style. I just want to point that out.
Second one is much better except for the weird south park nihilism all over.
I don’t agree with the video as I and many others find exploring the levels and collecting stuff fun but I respect your opinion.
I don’t agree that gold feathers are plentiful as i barley could use the move without running out. Also the game is not about combat so it makes sense that the combat is not super deep.
i feel exactly the same way. always much preferred mario 64
I agree with most of your points but only because I'm an adult... just like you're an adult. Though, I don't think it's fair to judge the difficulty of the game through the eyes of an adult. It's a children's game, thus it's not supposed to be demanding.
I enjoyed the game as a child and I played it from start to finish. Just like you seem to have done. If it actually was too easy back then, would we have finished it?
There's typically very little correlation between difficulty and quality or fun.
It's not just about difficulty
Points I disagree: I think you are exaggerating or overestimating the degree to which there is empty space in BK. It's a fairly trivial and unfounded complaint imo, locations could hardly be any closer without LITERALLY being on top of each other, to the point it would look and feel awful. I would say very little floor space in BK goes unused or is superfluous, it's all rather concise. Complaining about empty space in THIS game of all games just paints you as impatient lol. The empty space it DOES have is rather trivial.
You are definitely correct about Gruntilda's Lair, but also kinda missing the point, the Lair is very deliberately sprawling and non-linear. It's valid if you dislike that, but it is deliberately what they were going for and has its pros along with cons.
Your assertion that BK has poor gameplay isn't right or wrong, but it's very subjective. "Good gameplay" doesn't mean the same thing to you as it does other people. I think really you WANT a certain type of gameplay and BK just isn't scratching that itch for you, but to say gameplay is "bad" when really it's just trying to go for something separate to what you had in mind is kinda dumb. I don't personally think BK's gameplay is perfect or anything tho.
Your gripes with movement options aren't wrong, but it sounds like something a Super Mario 64 speedrunner would say. Banjo is NOT Mario, its focus is NOT platforming across 3D obstacle courses. It has little bites of platforming just to get around from A to B, but you RARELY are even asked to perform any actual hard platforming challenge because that is absolutely not the POINT of BK at all. Don't be confused because it and Mario are called "platformers", Mario has completely different design philosophy. Banjo is DESIGNED around the fact that the bear is no acrobat. BK's focus is exploration, mostly.
And last disagreement, the difficulty, which you're also not wrong about and for years I've been lamenting this game didn't include even a very BASIC hard mode. But this is also a very SM64 speedrunner thing to complain about. Consider the casual player. I know BK is piss easy to US but seriously a LOT of people do earnestly struggle with Banjo at times even WITH it being so easy. BK would NOT be the popular smash success it was if it was even a little bit harder. They DID that with Tooie, and Tooie is highly devisive in part because of some poor design choices and in part because a WHOLE LOT of people find it way too hard, even though Tooie is baby's first Metroidvania. I wish BK was harder or required literally any brainpower, but it wouldn't have been a wise choice. Banjo SHOULD be fairly undemanding, a big part of BK's wide appeal is its easieness and simplicity. The fact you can turn your brain off and just have a stress-free fun time has great merits.......but yeah I want a hard mode so bad.
Now drumroll, things I agree with......literally everything else you said. This was a great video. Even knowing acrobatics isn't the point of Banjo, my god you're right about his movement options sucking ass and his moveset being disappointingly limited. It's a goddamn shame that getting around these levels involves walking, and uh.....more walking? Getting this giant teddy bear to just DO like ANYTHING can be a pain. Even 2-3 more basic movement options would've alleviated this greatly. There is no variety here. Nothing to play with, Kazooie just goes DUT-DUT DUT-DUT DUT-DUT for 6 hours. The duo's jumps are also very basic and not particularly fun to traverse or platform with. Why not let me at LEAST Shock Jump any time I want?? And I hate that almost all the moves they learn after Mumbo's Mountain are all contextual, it doesn't feel like my toolkit is actually expanding.
Mumbo creature transformations are the embodiment of a super cool and awesome idea that was handled mediocrely or in some cases even badly. Man it would be SO AWESOME if these things were given the thought and care the idea deserves. I don't want to fit inside small holes, that's lame. Super disappointing how transformations were handled. Like imagine for example if they all had 1 legit cool unique ability and once you get a transformation you KEEP it and can use it in any world????
Well, the moveset problem went from limited to broken beyond any common sense of balance in Yooka-Laylee. The Reptile Roll is handy for getting from place to place, but it costs energy. Eventually you get Reptile Rush, which is essentially a Spin Dash, and revving up the Reptile Rush is very short, allowing you to spam the move repeatedly and reach insane speeds. And lastly there's Flappy Flight. Flappy Flight is proof on why Flight Pads are necessary; If you can fly anywhere at anytime, it negates almost any platforming in the game. Flappy Flight travels forward automatically, so you can't use it well in tight spaces. You would think that Flappy Flight would be the most energy intensive move, right? Wrong. Flappy Flight is rather light on energy cost compared to Camo Cloak, which is the most energy intensive move to the point of near uselessness.
@@X2011racer I bet Twooka-Laylee would smooth out a lot of that
I feel like everything this game does badly was done much better in conkers bad fur day
This game is a masterpiece!! It out shines new games that are out today.
youtubers truly have the worst opinions
Another one of these. Constantly seeing this game is overrated and it’s just getting old. What’s the next game people are going to call overrated.
The game is never called overrated. Is very well rated.
It's really good what's wrong with you + empty space you are joking the game is super dense and tight this game is insanely good 👍 unlike you
Unlike your comment, he probably respects personal opinions.
Huh, I enjoyed this game despite the "difficulty", for that time it's great and it's actually easier than Super Mario 64. Awful video compared to the Sonic one.