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Games I Like That Everybody Else Dislikes

Never understood why this is a hot take, but imo this is absolutely as good as any Banjo Kazooie game. It has its quirks but let's be honest, so do the originals. If there's any complaint, it's that your characters oddly feel too small in comparison to the levels - which makes some of the traversing feel a bit barren. It also does the "power ups that are only used in one or two specific circumstances ever" thing, but other than that I thought this totally passed the class. Unique character designs, nostalgic music, definable levels (unlike its sequel), a worthwhile challenge, fun collectables (except that one bullshit quill in the first level), and that classic sardonic humor commonly associated with the Rare platformer. Enemies are a little mid though. But by and large this is without a doubt a worthy successor to the 90s N64 collectathon genre. No clue where the hate is coming from; I get that a lot of people just absorbed their favorite YouTuber's opinion of this back in the day as their own without even giving it a fair shake, as is the case with a lot of these - but this is pretty much exactly what could have been hoped for out of this project. I found this to be a colorful, inspired, and overall lovely experience. Sorely underrated even by its supporters.

Reviewed on May 15, 2023


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