I TOTALLY FORGOT TO MENTION THE MUSIC BY GRANT KIRKHOPE, it's fantastic, and captures the mood of the Banjo games remarkably well. Definitely one of the game's best features.

Trouser Snake: The current best example for perfect visual puns and character design working as one.

Good stuff man! Like you sort of mentioned, the pagies i find a bit too confusing or infuriating I just skipped over knowing in the back of my mind that i dont plan to complete the game, rather just beat it

"Level 4 on the other hand can drink piss outta my ass." I have never been caught so off guard watching a game review lmao

Holy hell, finally, someone who doesn't completely destroy the game, but doesn't also pretend it's the second coming of Christ. Couldn't agree more with everything you said, very good and (most importantly) fairly objective review. Surprised you didn't mention that none of the minigames have a retry button and most of them you just KNOW you aren't going to beat on that run, making you waste time.

Many people dont realize the amount of work that goes behind your videos, and Im super glad to see you keep making these. Just a few days ago I watched the Rayman 2 review which made me want to replay it again. My favorite reviews so far are the Blinx ones, two "masterpieces" from the good old times. I added you to my channel suggestion box, hoping more people will find their way to your channel, because man, you deserve a bigger audience. Stay awesome!

That point about having to play bad platformers to understand what makes good platformers is something I've felt for a long time and never felt enough people really get - after all, it's my personal reason for beating Sonic 06... crystallising EVERYTHING that could go wrong with the Sonic Adventure Formula.

Trouser Snake, huh? Good to see the former Rare team is still inserting a bit of adult humor into even the most child-friendly games.

Of course Dunkey didn't like it. It ain't KNACK BABY!!

some of the stuff that were criticized here could likely be fixed with a patch, like the floatyness of some of the controls and the general over-consumption of the gauge...though there are some things that can't be patched, but I hope get improved in a next game, like fixing the level size (Not every level needs to be the size of Hailfire Peaks, Playtonic.) this game definitely feels like they were dipping their toe in to make sure nothing would bite their toe off. it's GOOD, but it's definitely flawed and it's a tad too short, so they compensated by making the levels bigger....too big in my eyes. I don't regret having bought it, as I had fun with it (for the most part), but I do hope that the devs get constructive criticism AND some urging for a sequel. I want more of this. I really do. I want more mascot games, as well as more Yooka Laylee, but I truly do hope that if there IS a next game, they'll be able to get an engine better than Unity and do something memorable.

Hey Nitro Rad, don't know if I commented on this review already, but I wanted to mention something. First of all, great job with the review. I personally found Yooka-Laylee good enough to put in the same category with Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie, though perhaps just a little short of them. A lot of the complaints you have are complaints that I could sense people being bothered by. The casino level is pretty weird, to be sure, but I actually enjoyed the change of pace from collecting Pagies directly to buying them with tokens. Yeah, the slot machines can be kind of annoying, but everyone seems to forget that almost every one of them changes up the way you use it. In any event, I wanted to address your complaint about the Power Meter. Though I can understand your frustration with it, and so can a lot of other reviewers, and from time to time so can I, there's an angle to this that I think we're not considering. See, in Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie, you gained a lot of moves from Bottles that required items to use. The flight required Red Feathers, the invincibility required Gold Feathers, the egg shooting required various kinds of eggs, etc. However, one of the things that these game were eventually criticized for was too many collectibles to keep track of. As such, I suspect Playtonic felt they should find another way to "limit" the use of your abilities instead of items in order to avoid that complaint. The solution? A power meter that recharges after a few seconds. Now you've got the best of both worlds, at least in theory. And that decision might even explain why the levels seem so huge and empty compared to the Banjo games: maybe they put collectibles in for the moves and then decided to remove them later. If you were to ask me, I think the REAL problem with the Power Meter is just the caliber of the moves that require it. Some of them make sense to limit--such as flight--but the roll move, for example, is something that I'd say is comparable to Kazooie's Talon Trot, and in Banjo Kazooie that move didn't have any limits to it. In Yooka-Laylee it does for some reason. Whatever the reason, I had a blast playing Yooka-Laylee. It had some frustrating objectives to be sure--Whose idea was it to make the controls for the snow plow so wonky?--but I was happy to get it at full price on launch day. :)

I too have some mixed thoughts on the game, but overall I'm pretty pleased with it. I'm actually pretty chill with the level of experimental stuff in the game. Rareware in my mind has always had that experimental edge--they turned their sights on popular genres, but always tried to do something weird or new with them. Diddy Kong Racing, one of my favorite of their N64 games, is a perfect example--it was a kart racer, but with that adventure component and the variable vehicle selection. So I find myself at peace with the experimental aspects of YL that don't work perfectly. I'm actually pretty chill with the minigames, too. To me, minigames are a big part of the collectathon experience. Me and a bud were talking about what really makes a game a COLLECTATHON as opposed to any other kind of 3D platformer, and one of the things we settled on was variety in the kind of tasks you had to perform. Collectathons have platforming challenges and puzzles to solve, but there's also that wild-card aspect to them. We actually started verbally wondering if Zelda: Breath of the Wild doesn't have a little bit of collectathon in its gameplay with the shrines and the Spirit Orbs. There's one where you have to use tilt controls to navigate a ball through a maze that we both got serious Banjo vibes from. But back to Yooka, I seem to be backwards from what a number of positive reviews have said. A number of people like the bosses but hate the mini-games. Me, I found the bosses forgettable at best, but actually enjoyed the minigames quite a bit... except for that bee one in Moodymaze Marsh. But I'll ramble about that in a second. I agree about levels being too large, but for me, the thing I am most mixed about in the game is that it feels... physics-y. Like it feels like the devs were fighting Unity's built-in physics engine instead of working with it, and put in things like the ball-pushing puzzles as a way to try and wrangle it. The game has collision detection in places where it doesn't feel right, like the debris that appear after you break a box, and it almost feels like the devs couldn't turn it off? It makes what little combat there is feel very strange at times. Like the enemies provide too much resistance when you whack into them. It also makes the knockback from getting hit feel still, too. You can tell these guys were used to writing their own engines; the Banjo games felt a lot cleaner for it even if it was more labor-intensive. To end this rambling comment, I will say that I REALLY liked your final point about the importance of studying bad platformers. I feel that's something that holds true no matter what art you want to make. Though I think I enjoyed the game more than you did, I definitely agree that it's very important to learn from the mistakes of others so you don't want to make them yourself.

...I didn't know any crap about this game up until this video. Seeing Shovel Knight here was such a HUGE surprise ._.

When I was young, I didn't play much of the Rare platformers. I was happy to watch my friends play them for a bit, and then play other genres of game. I played through Yooka-Laylee (100% completion) and I loved it. Sure, the Kartos boss fight in the Casino can get f**ked, and two of the arcade games were a bit of a pain to get the harder of the two Pagies, but it never took me more than an hour of attempts to get those last few hard as balls collectibles. And the game isn't that long to complete. It took me around 20 hours if I remember correctly. All in all, a great experience.

Its a shame how weve had 15 years since games like Super Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie yet instead of perfecting the genre more weve gone downhill and its been dead for a while, i hope that if this game atleast does something is inspire a more passionate 3d better done 3D plataformer that can stand with the greats. As always good video, keep it up nitro.

I had an absolutely FUN time playing Yooka-Laylee. I hope they'll make a sequel.

Well, there's always the Crash Bandicoot remakes. Looks promising.

Pro tip: If a reviewer compares this game to Mighty No. 9, just close the tab.

First vid after the E3 reaction I've watched of yours and you pull out 2 of my favourite obscure platformer series in the first 2 minutes. My man :D

Yo. Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom. Gamecube. You're welcome.

Hey, Nitro. I just wanted to mention that your content is amazing. Everything from the production quality to your extremely rational, thorough explanations of games makes for some killer videos. I really appreciate the amount of work and time that goes into your content and I wanted to let you know that it doesn't go unnoticed. Thanks.

Just found this channel and have been watching a whole lot of videos. Great content and way of reviewing things, you definitely deserve a bigger following

Hi James; just like to say that I found your channel recently and have been really loving all your content. I love your platformer reviews (I'm a fervent fan of the Ratchet and Clank series to the point of owning my own fuzzy ears and tail :)) and your RPG Maker game reviews have opened me up to an entirely new vista of gaming that I honestly never really knew existed until now. Thank you so much for all your hard work!

What boggles me the most about YL: The game environments just look so MADE. I guess it's a mix of the vast areas and the strange feeling the textures give me (is a shader missing or what is it about it?). The surroundings just never seem organic to me, even with examples of both A and B grade ol' platformers in mind (e.g. Rayman 3 and Kao 3) that do more prominent HUDs (read: potential immersion killers). YL looks so engine-esque!

Thank you for the great review. Great quality and concise points have been made. I look forward to the next one.

It feels good to be subscribed to this channel ~

Before watching the video, here are my personal thoughts on the game. (I was not a backer. I was not on the 'hype train.' I'm simply a fan of the platforming genre. I have also not completed the game.) Now I so realize some of my points may contradict each other, but that's because the game fluctuates in quality in certain aspects and some parts can be seen as both a positive thing and a negative thing. Pros - I had a lot of fun playing the game - The music was amazing in many parts of the game - The art style is great - The art direction in general was great - There is a lot to do - New discovery around every corner - The game is not too easy or too hard - Good humor - Very reminiscent of the Banjo Kazooie games - Smooth combat Cons - Lack of characters - Reuse of characters, that do not fit in certain worlds - Too much third wall jokes, makes you lose the immersion often - Lack of ambition, stuck too close to the source material - Can be tedious at times - Expansion feels like a hassle - Camera can be very wonky - Tranformations feel useless - Plot feels very stale and unoriginal - The final boss makes me think of Gru thus giving me flashbacks of the Minions Overall, I did enjoy the game, but I found it disappointing with its overall lack of ambition. Although I found the game enjoyable, I personally enjoy collectathons and exploring things. This game was perfect for what I wanted, despite it being a very flawed game. If you enjoyed the game Banjo Tooie, then you will most likely enjoy this game. There are better platformers on the market right now, but I think this game is still certainly worth the buy (and it is good that they priced it at $40 instead of the typical $60 which if they did then I would not recommend the game as much.)

Hey, I just started watching your stuff from a recommendation by MegaGWolf a few days before writting this comment, and I gotta say that I love your videos. From what I played of Yooka-Laylee, I agree with most of your points. I will paraphrase what another KZfaqr said: the best thing for Playtonic to do is to take the criticisms of this game in stride and make a sequel. I know there's a good chance of this not happening, but the studio already has a pedigree of developers in this genre, and it shows where the game best shines. I say this because many game series have initial entries that are not that well remembered or loved compared to their sequels or spinoffs, and most of the time it is from the initial entry being mediocre, just serviceable or simply not aging well whereas future entries built upon the foundation and made for much better games. I think that if Playtonic has the clout, they should make a Yooka-Laylee 2. Either way, I am loving you videos, Nitro Rad! Keep up the good work!

Why am i not subscribed to this legend.

Solid review, man. The whole talk about "having too much variety" reminded me of Jak 2. My friends absolutely love that game, and I played it after Jak and Dexter and couldn't stand it because of the same thing, they tried to put in a bunch of genres together but it just didn't work. Variety is important, but there's knowing how and when to add that variety. I hope Nitro reviews the Jak Trilogy in the future, I'd love to hear his opinion on it.

LOL when you hit the mic! I love how you left that in!!

And this is where you can truly shine, Nitro Rad my dude. While the whole rest of the internet seems to be being ridiculously sensationalist and unfair toward this game, we can trust you to be super honest, unbiased and thorough in your review and why you feel the ways you do, like you always are even when giving older, forgotten games more fair look than most people ever have. I'll tell you that's becoming more and more appreciated as more reviewers seem to be becoming more... extreme, or jumping onto bandwagons of how everyone else is feeling about a game.

If you ask me I think Yooka-Layle is good enough to deserve a chance of a sequel. I think It's passable to get a sequel where it can try and sort out its flaws and make itself a better game.

Screw what critics say, as long as I like the game, that is what matters most.

Brilliant review. The final lines really got a chuckle out of me.

Good stuff, man! You covered all the bases and I wholeheartedly agree with your opinion!

I started watching you for your Blinx and Ty reviews, to relive some of the nostalgia from my childhood. I subscribed for your voice, and open, formal review style that feels totally personal, like you're speaking to the kid looking to get that nostalgia hit in my heart. I was inspired and intrigued by your reviews of niche horror/grotesque style games and RPG Maker reviews, so tried out (and loved) Lisa, .flow, Yume Nikki and Yume 2kki. I didn't realise you had a way to accept funds to play/review games, and if I did, I'd have sent some well earned money your way a while ago Nitro. Keep up the great videos, and drop a paypal or something in your comments section, so we can all help out :)

As always, great to see your pov on a new plateformer.

I already finished the video but I forgot to drop a like on my man Nitro Rad great videos. Hilarious and entertaining as always Nitro Rad keep it up man.

I love this game dearly but it's also exactly what I paid for when I backed it: a classic Rare platformer liker Banjo or DK64. Which for me is largely great! I've really wanted a new thing that scratched that itch of 'actually it's just another banjo game and we have done NOTHING to update it for modern times'. It's what I wanted. ...but that does mean it has the flaws of those games. The physics minigame based pagies in particular drove me up a wall, with the one to grow mushrooms in the third stage being my least favorite by far. There's just some objectives I hate and I figured there would be because as many times as I replay the Banjos or DK64 to completion there are some things I will never enjoy. Overall though the 'it's what I wanted' is a positive thing for me. It's got the music, the feel, the moves, the large worlds filled with lots and lots of things to collect, the incredibly mean and sarcastic humor, the dick jokes. So this review is rather similar to my own feelings on the game. Though I did actually like the mine cart levels but that's probably just like some sort of stockholme syndrome from having played far too much DKC. They can be a bit of pain with how strict they are with their requirements but I do honestly just really love a DKC minecart.

Just to put it out there, I LOVE your haircut. Especially in the vids where you wear the Rayman hoodie, totally hooks me.

Yooka-Laylee sounds like it would be the kind of game that would drive me up the wall with its consistently unfocused gameplay. On the bright side, there are other 3D mascot platformers coming out later this year so the pickings will be far less limited than usual.

This is exactly why I love your reviews, instead of just shitting on the game for likes or views you just really manage to give a perfectly nuanced but honest opinion about a pretty decent game that just didn't really turn out what it promised and what most people hoped it to be. Despite the certain issues this game most definitely has, I still really enjoyed my time with it a lot and to see some people just portray it as a really bad gamemakes me feel bad for the devs who obviously put a lot of heart into creating something that no other studio was really interested in doing anymore: a 3D platformer. Did they make mistakes, absolutely but it's nowhere near a bad game and just because there are better platformers out there doesn't mean that this game doesn't deserve it's place among them.

The James Rolfe influence is strong in this one. Love your videos, mate!

This game made Nitro Rad Nitro Mad

You encapsulated everything I felt playing this game man.

Hey Nitro, I love your videos! You revisit a lot of PS2 platformers I played growing up (TY THE TASMANIAN TIGER!) Could you review the Jak and Daxter and/or Sly Cooper trilogies? They were my absolute favorite as a kid. Keep up the videos!

I pretty much had the same thoughts, I was really surprised when I saw tons of people saying it's one of the worst platformers they've ever played because it's really not, there's some genuinely good ideas and solid gameplay hidden behind some dull, awkward moments. Funnily enough, Voodoo Vince: Remastered came out afterwards and I finally got to enjoy that, made up big time for Yooka-Laylee. Extra surprised you didn't mention the camera, I guess you're used to bad cameras by now though.

I honestly loved the game enough to 100% it. Sure it has its problems, but I can get over them because the overall experience is great.

really love the colour correction in your videos

"Big empty spaces" that's what got me worried when I saw gameplays vids before the released

I haven't this game, but I've seen so many review videos that I feel I can say that this is the best review I've seen for this game by far. Some were just too nice or some were to harsh. not that the game was one or the other, but for every problem someone had with the game there seemed to be a counter to that, and every positive there was there seemed to be counter to that. It's nice to hear someone acknowledge both the good and the bad of this game and I can safely say you've earned a new subscriber

So glad you reviewed this, I think I'll eventually get it when it's a bit cheaper. And considering how low it's been scoring, it probably won't take too long.

Yes! A new video!

good video, and nice edit at the shovelknight part

I’m playing it now for my first time and I am feeling all of this!

This is probably the most fair review I've seen of the game, but that's typically your M.O. Good vid.

"It's better than nothing" ...oops, wrong spiritual successer.

Really good video. Nice to see the perspective of someone going in with a love for B grade platform games (like myself). Don't think this one is for me, but good to see another take. One small piece of constructive criticism; try not to scratch your nose as much while talking. It was a little distracting. Your on-camera delivery is really good, so small things like that show more than they would otherwise. Not a big thing, just a suggestion. Keep up the good work.

Hey James; good video. I'm not sure if you've ever played Psychonauts (and if you haven't, you really should!), but that was a platformer that, like Yooka-Laylee, added variety with different game mechanics, styles and power-ups (having played both games, I'd say way more so than Yooka-Laylee did), but that game was awesome, and I'm pretty sure it was that level of variety that makes it such a staple for the platforming genre for so many people. Interesting enough, Psychonauts was Tim Schafer's and the people at Double Fine's first ever attempt at making a platformer game, too. I guess my point is, depending on it's implementation, the wide scope of variety can be the thing that hinders a game or the thing that pushes it over the edge. I was listening to the Co-Optional Podcast, and I think it was WoWCrendor who made a really good point. He really liked Yooka-Laylee, and he said it was interesting that people were complaining about issues such as camera control and the platforming in this game, while he went and played Conker's Bad Fur Day recently and he felt that that game had way more issues with controls and platforming, despite it being considered a classic platformer. Having played Conker and Yooka-Laylee, I thought he was right on the money. It's interesting that we had a level of tolerance for video game issues in the past, that we really don't anymore.

So, the space level. What it is is a lagoon level, like "Treasure Trove Cove,' BUT, every character in the level dresses and acts like they're in a a sci-fi setting. Each island is a planet, the water is the emptiness of outer space, galleon are spaceships, etc. I've never seen anything quite like it.

There are shortcuts that will teleport you across the maps.

Sir, I'm love with you and your analytical skills.

I like the way you present yourself...

It's definitely got the pitfalls you mentioned (mine cart was easier for me). Playing in the sometimes too large worlds often got me lost, and eventually I realized I don't play with the same curiosity and quest for exploration the way I did Banjo-Kazooie years ago. I've really liked getting to challenge myself on that. The set-back there is that a properly filled platformer would've brought that out. I agree -- too many mini games.

I haven't watched your reviews in a while but that's only because I watched EVERY one of your review on PS2 platformers! (TY 1 and 2 are my favorite games lol)

LOVE YOU NITRO RAD

A good way to describe the game is that its a good game but its better for you to wait for it to have a discount

when I first saw that knight pop up I fell back never knew they put him into the game and that shocked me.

Why does Nitro Rad always look like a human version of Rayman?

Double Standard of Modern 3D Platformer Reviews: Claiming that Yooka Laylee is too wide open with not enough to do, but in Mario Odyssey this is considered epic, even in the desert level, seaside level, cloud level, and tower level which are MORE wide-open and sparse than any level in Yooka Laylee. Zelda: Breath of the Wild is also applauded despite being more sparse than Yooka Laylee. Also, Mario Odyssey is deemed fresh and exciting because Mario uses his cap as a power-up in a slightly different way than in Mario 64. Then the same reviewer will say that Yooka Laylee isn't original enough, even though it invented a brand new platforming mechanic where you can expand levels! If Miyamoto had come up with that, they would be calling it ingenious.

Best review of Yooka Laylee! Completely captured what I thought about the game.

I loved the giant scale of the worlds. I just enjoy the vastness and the cartoony beauty. I also thought that the energy meter made sense and added urgency and excitement.

I say a re-release of this game with tweaked controls, improved level design, and more stuff to do would be amazing!!

Loved the Dunkey cameo

Honest review. Subscribed!

those cart stages reminds me of the infamous Spyro 2's "Trouble with the trolley eh?"

I want to pick this up

Class starts in 2 Minutes it could wait

I tried yooka-laylee for the switch, it's great. I really enjoy it. The graphics are cute, there are no performance issues, and the story is really smart.

Extremely late, but I feel that removing the limitation on the rolling move would immediately make the game much more palatable, allowing you to travel through the huge worlds. One minor fix that would go a long way. Great review, I had a lot of the same thoughts. When the game is being a platformer, it's great. But the world traversal (limited by not being able to move quickly), and minigames, were a bit much.

It's true. I have learned way more about game design from playing bad games than I have from playing good games.

You said in Kao 3 that you want more obscure platformer titles to be recommended for review. How would you take to a mature rated title? I've asked you before buuuut I might as well bring it up again. Give Raze's Hell for the Xbox a shot! If you don't want to spend money on it I'll buy one for you and send it your way. Would love to see what you think. Also, it's undoubtedly one of the most obscure Xbox originals out there. Hardly anyone knows it exists.

Pretty much agree with every point. great review!

I got Yooka Laylee on the Switch for $3 and do agree the world's are large and the mini games for the arcades are challenging. Though I am liking the game and plan to get Yooka Laylee and The Impossible Lair since it's $4. Great review Nitro Rad.

I pretty much agree with everything you said, especially about the power meter. Rolling should be like the Talon Trot. A simple and faster way to get around. It's like how the Legend of Spyro games gave you a magic meter for the flame/ice/etc. breath. That's just ridiculous.

I loved your review. Finally someone doesnt just bash the game for only the bad parts of it. I completely loved the game and I agree with everything you said. I really hope Playtonic makes a sequel fixing what was wrong with the first one while adding some new stuff. It wasn't a perfect game but I wasn't dissapointed on backing it up on Kickstarter

@5:17 I’m sorry but with all respect the minecart stages are a highlight of the game. It was supposed to resemble the many vehicle stages rare has always put in their games including the mine cart stages from DKC. Rare has also always had tedious stages in their games, plus the music from the mine art stages are amazing as well.

It would be interesting to see you go back and review all the other indie-led attempts at resuscitating the Mario 64 school of 3D platforming that have come out in the last couple years. I'd especially suggest taking a look at Unbox, Ginger: Beyond The Crystal, Gnomes vs Fairies, Scrap Garden, and Zissi's Island, as those are all quite unique in their own right, if not especially polished or good. I'd also be interested in seeing your thoughts on FreezeME and Poi. FreezeME in particular reminded me a lot of Vexx when I played it.

I would love to hear your opinion on ReCore.

Trouser...snake K

Leave it to former Rare employees to leave a penis pun in their game in the form of a Snake character named Trouser.

9:16 I'm surprised you don't get what they were going for here. It's pretty obvious to me, and I like the idea. You see, it's all about strategy. You choose whatever you think is best to use for your current situation. Maybe you're at a pretty tough part of whatever world you're in, so then you probably want the extra health point. Or maybe you're in an area that requires you to use the rolling ability a lot, so you wanna pick the one that slows down the depletion of your energy meter. Letting you have all of them at once would totally defeat the purpose.

I personally hope this game gets a sequel, as then Playtonic could improve the overall experience using feedback from players (In fact, they've apparently done some of this already through small patches and updates). I was kinda disappointed when I played it for the first time, but I still have high hopes for the future.

Ok... So, you also like Dunkey... I think I'm in love with you and your videos! NOT EVEN CLOSE BABYYYYY!!!

i fucking love you dude

I think your comment that developers should learn from bad platformers as well is a pretty insightful one. Playtonic unfortunately didn't seem to know what needed to be updated when making this game. I just hope they have the opportunity to learn the right lessons from this game and make something better in the future.

4:32 today is august 31st 2018. I haven't played the game and I didn't knew about this.... thanks a lot dude. Just In how many games has shovel knight been? Yooka laylee, runbow, move or die, runner 3, rivals of aether, blade strangers, aegis defender, smash ultimate and he is going to be in indivisible and bloddstained... just wow

Hmm... I have the occasional fantasy of making games... guess I better start playing some of your previous review subjects for research then.

Personally I really loved this game, but I do agree the levels are much larger than they need to be, and the mine cart levels can eat my a**.