Banjo Threeie!!!

[Koopaul]

Dumbed down Mario 64? What?! How? If anything, Banjo-Kazooie improved upon Mario 64's gameplay.

Better camera control, better flying mechinics, better swimming mechanics, better level design... The fact that you aren't forced out of a world each time you collect a Jiggy is a massive improvement from Mario alone.

I'll be bold enough to say that comparing SM64 to Banjo is like comparing SMB1 to SMB3.

[TomGuycott]

I liked the feel of how Mario controlled better than Banjo. He felt more athletic and it was more fun to do certain types of platforming that way. However, Banjo brought a lot more variety to the table with his various abilities, transformations, etc.


I am actually looking forward to this and like the design of both of them. I especially liked the animation for that rolling move, it was cute.

[Koopaul]

Mario was more fast but harder to control. Wall jumps were almost impossible. They made Mario much easier to control in later games like Galaxy.

[Cyberguy64]

I wonder if splitting up is going to be a thing again.... One of my favorite parts of Banjo-Kazooie was splitting up and running amok as Kazooie.

[Koopaul]

That was Banjo-Tooie and I thought it was kind of unnecessary actually.

[E-Man]

Actually, I don't think that splitting up was that unnecessary. It allowed for Banjo and Kazooie to explore areas on their own with new abilities that they are incapable of using when they are together. Plus, they even had their own weaknesses separated, so that you can appreciate them when they finally reunite as much as when they go their own ways. In my opinion, it brings a lot to the table without making their usual tag-team style obsolete.

In spite of what I said, however, I don't know how well the split up mechanic will work in Yooka-Layee. While I can imagine a few possibilities for how it could work and Layee might gain a few tricks of her(?) own, I don't see how this would benefit Yooka at all. In Banjo-Tooie, Banjo got the tradeoff of using his backpack in a variety of creative ways. As for Yooka, he(?) doesn't have much going for him besides his own natural abilities (i.e. tongue whip). Therefore, Yooka gains nothing by separating from Layee, so the ability is practically pointless unless some creative puzzles/story elements are in play here (i.e. Layee ha to hold down a switch to allow Yooka to gain an item at the end of an obstacle course he has to traverse himself).

[Kosheh]

As for Yooka, he(?) doesn't have much going for him besides his own natural abilities (i.e. tongue whip). Therefore, Yooka gains nothing by separating from Layee, so the ability is practically pointless unless some creative puzzles/story elements are in play here (i.e. Layee ha to hold down a switch to allow Yooka to gain an item at the end of an obstacle course he has to traverse himself).

Well, considering Yooka's a chameleon, he might, I don't know


turn invisible when a bat's not on top of him, making for some interesting Sly Cooper-ish stealth gameplay?


Especially the fact that local co-op was one of the stretch goals, I could totally see a co-op separation mechanic where Yooka goes into stealth and Laylee flies around, stunning enemies with ridiculous sonar screeches to make things easier for Yooka during those segments

[Gors]

I know it all boils down to preference, but I preferred Mario 64 over Banjo & Kazooie. I'll admit the latter was more expansive but the first one seems to be designed much more tightly.

I never liked hunting for myriads of collectibles (skull tokens, red/gold feathers, puzzle pieces, jinjos, blue eggs, musical notes etc etc) and while they aren't necessary to enjoy the whole game, it just feels tacky and overdone.

Either way it's fine, it's a different take on the 3D platforming genre, but i's not my cup of tea.

[Helmo]

As for Yooka, he(?) doesn't have much going for him besides his own natural abilities (i.e. tongue whip). Therefore, Yooka gains nothing by separating from Layee, so the ability is practically pointless unless some creative puzzles/story elements are in play here (i.e. Layee ha to hold down a switch to allow Yooka to gain an item at the end of an obstacle course he has to traverse himself).

Well, considering Yooka's a chameleon, he might, I don't know


turn invisible when a bat's not on top of him, making for some interesting Sly Cooper-ish stealth gameplay?


Especially the fact that local co-op was one of the stretch goals, I could totally see a co-op separation mechanic where Yooka goes into stealth and Laylee flies around, stunning enemies with ridiculous sonar screeches to make things easier for Yooka during those segments

Or maybe her sonar will be an excuse for Yooka to have a radar and be able to know the locations of nearby enemies.

[Vipershark]

I know it all boils down to preference, but I preferred Mario 64 over Banjo & Kazooie. I'll admit the latter was more expansive but the first one seems to be designed much more tightly.

I never liked hunting for myriads of collectibles (skull tokens, red/gold feathers, puzzle pieces, jinjos, blue eggs, musical notes etc etc) and while they aren't necessary to enjoy the whole game, it just feels tacky and overdone.

Either way it's fine, it's a different take on the 3D platforming genre, but i's not my cup of tea.

I agree.
While BK is by no means a bad game, it's always felt like a watered-down knockoff of Mario 64 (with more stuff in it) to me.
It felt slower overall and the controls felt really vague by comparison, like they tried to get Mario's magical gameplay formula but... just couldn't quite get there.
It's always felt just slightly off to me. Not to the point of making the game bad, but to the point where it's really noticeable, especially when compared to Mario.

I like BK, it's just not as good.

[Kriven]

Approaching BK and expecting an experience like SM64 is the wrong way to approach the game... It seems like most of the complaints here are about Mario's athleticism, which Banjo lack, but that doesn't make the BK games a watered-down Mario... The characters have different skills (Mario has always been athletic) and the games are tailored to that... Mario is about jumping and climbing and actually precise platforming while Banjo-Kazooie is about exploration.

[Koopaul]

Yeah I prefer freedom and exploration in my 3D games. Especially in an environment that feels alive. Mario 64's worlds feel so artificial and souless.

Probably why I like Sunshine better.

[Kriven]

Sunshine has the best environment of every Mario 3D game, to be sure.

That's not to say the individual environments from the other games are bad, but Delfino Island is such a cohesive land mass. It really feels like an alive place, while most of the locales in the 3D Mario games are just obstacle courses floating in the sky.

[Koh]

(Mario has always been athletic) 

I agreed up to this, lol.  They're picky and choosy when he can be athletic for some reason.  Can't do acrobats in the main games, but you can do it on Donkey Kong 94 (Gameboy), Mario VS Donkey Kong, and Mario 64.  I had fun making him do handstands and backflips on DK94....

[Kriven]

Jumping several times one's own body height is not athletic?