Couch Command | There Are Four Hosts | Johnny Caps Flashback | Forum | News | KDrama
Register
Login

playtonic games

Yooka-Laylee Board Game Announced

Yooka-Laylee Board Game Announced

, , , , , , 0

Since Microsoft isn’t willing to do anything with Banjo and Kazooie beyond license them out for Smash games, it falls to their creators to carry on with two knockoffs, Yooka and Laylee. So far, Playtonic Games — a game studio made up of ex-Rare employees — has whipped up two tributes in the form of Yooka-Laylee (the 3D Banjo games) and Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (the 2D Donkey Kong Country games). We hoped we’d hear about a third game starring Yooka and Laylee during E3, but there was no such announcement yet. They will, however, be starring in a game of a different kind. The lizard and bat are hopping into the realm of board games courtesy of a partnership with Game Decks (who will make the game) and Limited Run (who will distribute it). The Yooka-Laylee board game is for two to four players and comes with a deck of cards that are also the board — the cards are laid out as spaces for Yooka and Laylee

Demon Turf Coming To Consoles And PC

Demon Turf Coming To Consoles And PC

, , 0

Someone needs to save the 3D platform genre, after the damage Yuji Naka did to it. The team at indie game studio Fabraz is feeling up to the challenge. They’re now working on the action platformer Demon Turf, inspired by sprint-heavy titles like Crash Bandicoot and Ratchet and Clank. Demon Turf has a unique look…maybe not Sable levels of unique, but different enough from the norm. The levels are full-3D and polygonal, but the character you control is a strictly 2D-animated figure, and with limited animation at that. The look is likely on purpose, but some might think it appears cheap. We’re open-minded enough to accept it. “When we first saw what Fabraz had created in Demon Turf we instantly thought it looked and felt like an old school Sony platformer with it’s humor and attitude,” says Gavin Price, CEO of Playtonic Games, who’s publishing this one. “We knew that we had to do everything we could to help the team bring it to Sony platforms as well as all

Yooka-Laylee Soundtracks Now Available

Yooka-Laylee Soundtracks Now Available

, , , , , , 0

One of the good things about the Bootleg Banjo series (better known as Yooka-Laylee) is the terrific soundtrack composed by the original note wizards of Rare, David Wise and Grant Kirkhope. We’re surprised to learn the official soundtrack collection wasn’t for sale universally until this moment. Who let this flaw in the market happen? Blame Capital B. Thankfully Materia Collective has come to our rescue. Originally the first game’s soundtrack had gone out of circulation and the second game (Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair) had its soundtrack exclusive to Bandcamp. MC has taken the extra effort and licensed the tracks for all music platforms. These collections contain every song from 2017’s Yooka-Laylee and 2019’s Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. In addition to Kirkhope and Wise, tracks in the two games were also composed by Steve Burke, Matt Griffin, and Dan Murdoch. Yooka-Laylee is an open-world platformer from key creative talent behind the Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country games. Players can explore huge, beautiful worlds, meet (and beat) an unforgettable cast of

Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair Is Out Now

Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair Is Out Now

, , , 0

After a polarizing debut, Banjo and Kazoo——I mean, Yooka and Laylee are back! And this time the bear and—-.dangit, chameleon and bat have an IMPOSSIBLE LAIR to contend with! Capital B is back, and this time he’s captured Queen Phoebee’s Royal Beettalion and imprisoned them inside the titular fortress. Yooka-Laylee has to rescue them, but the name of it isn’t just for show. You’re allowed to enter the Impossible Lair at any point, including at the beginning of the game. Whether you survive is a different matter. At first, the lair will be literally impossible, but as you progress through the game, you’ll gain items that will gradually make it easier. If you complete all the other levels, the Impossible Lair will be rendered virtually harmless. But you can attempt it at any time. Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair reworks the lizard and bat’s world a new perspective: 2D action platforming. For those who miss exploration, that element will still be there, but in a different form. The overworld of

Yooka-Laylee Is Back, And Flatter Than Ever

Yooka-Laylee Is Back, And Flatter Than Ever

, , , , 0

First you said “Why won’t anybody bring back Banjo-Kazooie styled 3D collectathons? We miss them!” And Playtonic, a team made up of veterans from Rare at its peak, responded to those demands with the Banjo clone Yooka-Laylee. Then you said “Never mind! 3D collectathons belong to the past! We hate this now!” and threw Yooka-Laylee to the wall, then threw a temper tantrum. Do you deserve a Yooka-Laylee 2, given the way you’ve been behaving? Certainly not. Lucky for you Playtonic is slow to anger, and is giving this one more go. The newly announced Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair reworks the lizard and bat’s world a new perspective: 2D action platforming. In this new platforming adventure hybrid, Yooka and Laylee must combine their abilities to take on a series of challenging and vibrant 2.5D levels and explore and solve puzzles in a beautiful 3D overworld. It’s on them to rescue Queen Phoebee’s Royal Beettalion Guard from each level, as they size up Capital B’s most dastardly challenge yet —

Yooka-Laylee Now Out For Nintendo Switch

Yooka-Laylee Now Out For Nintendo Switch

, , , 0

Yooka-Laylee, Playtonic Games’ love letter to the heyday of cheeky collectathon platformers, is available at last on a Nintendo console — the Switch. The game was created by former Rare developers who worked on Banjo-Kazooie and similar games, and was partially crowdfunded by nostalgic fans who wanted the experience one more time. At the time the crowdfunding was going on, Playtonic also promised a Wii U version for Nintendo fans….but those plans fell by the wayside when the Wii U market flatlined midway through development. Playtonic also discovered it was difficult getting the game running on the Wii U hardware. So the decision was made to rebuild the game for the Nintendo Switch. That proved to be a smart move — Switch is on track to outsell the Wii U’s entire manufacturing run in less than a year. The Switch makes a great platform for Yooka-Laylee given its portability. But if you want to collect Yooka-Laylee in physical form……you’re gonna have to stick with the PS4 or XBox One versions.

Yooka-Laylee (Xbox One) Review

Yooka-Laylee (Xbox One) Review

, , , , , , , , ,

As you might have guessed from its name, Yooka-Laylee is a tribute to the retro 3D platformers that were first introduced to the world two decades ago, most notably taking inspiration from Rare’s Banjo-Kazooie. It has been crafted by Playtonic Games, made up of several former Rare staffers, and was funded due to a highly successful Kickstarter campaign that grabbed attention by promising to recreate a faithful experience to what fans had expected from games of this genre in the 90s. From the very first moment that you start up the game, it is clear that this is a title centered around the same quirky aspects that made the likes of Banjo such a success. Whether it is the gorgeous visuals and bright palette of colors, the unintelligible dialogue of the characters, or the comedy that accompanies almost every interaction. The five distinctive worlds are all filled with a cast of zany characters that will almost definitely entertain you as you interact with them. The story is as simple as

Yooka-Laylee’s Release Date, A New Trailer And More

Yooka-Laylee’s Release Date, A New Trailer And More

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0

Playtonic Games, crafters of the crowdfunded Banjo-Kazooie love letter known as Yooka-Laylee, have just dropped the announcement everybody’s been waiting for….the game is nearly complete and we have a release date! You’ll be able to hop and bop with a lizard and bat April 11, 2017..for just $39.99! (This is the preorder price; it may change.) Look for it in both digital and physical form on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Mac and Linux. So what about the Wii U? Uhhhhh, ahaha, funny thing about THAT. Releasing any game on the Wii U this late wouldn’t be wise, but that isn’t the reason Playtonic has “switched.” It’s because the game wasn’t running as well on the Wii U’s powered-down hardware. If you get the implication of my quote marks, though, that doesn’t mean the game is skipping Nintendo entirely. The good news is that we WILL get Yooka-Laylee on Switch. The bad news is that moving the title to a new machine this late in the game means a delay

Shovel Knight’s Got A Confirmed Cameo In Yooka-Laylee

Shovel Knight’s Got A Confirmed Cameo In Yooka-Laylee

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , 0

A new trailer for Playtonic Games’ Yooka-Laylee premiered today, and shows off all the major characters revealed to date running on game hardware — plus a few unnamed characters we haven’t seen before. And one we have. Yup, that’s Shovel Knight, making yet another appearance outside of his own game (his fifth, if you’re counting). With no word on a sequel to the platformer that made him famous, it’s good to know he’s finding work out there. Want more? The game’s most recent demo was playable at EGX, the European Gaming Expo, over the weekend. Sony took it for a spin during their livestream and Playtonic’s Chris Sutherland provides commentary in this playthrough video. Currently Yooka-Laylee is scheduled for release in March of 2017, barring any other delays. It’ll hit (and fly to, and roll on, and whatever else) Playstation 4, XBox One, Wii U and PC soon.

New Yooka-Laylee Info, Characters, Screenshots

New Yooka-Laylee Info, Characters, Screenshots

, , 0

Playtonic Games is composed of former Rare members and is determined to bring back the glory days of their former employer with Yooka-Laylee, the crowdfunded spiritual sequel to Banjo-Kazooie. Today Playtonic sent its Kickstarter backers an update on their progress….a small update, but one with enough substantial information. They promise a lot more at E3! First off, we have our first peek at the villain of the game: monopolistic businessman Capital B, a giant corrupt bee in a suit that’s scheming to “absorb all of the world’s literature… and convert them into pure profit.” This explains the magical items you collect being sheets of literature called Pagies. “The dexterous pair will seek to unlock the ancient secrets of these bewitching books, as they battle to thwart corporate creep Capital B and his devious scheme,” says Playtonic. They also mention a scientist named Dr. Puzz and her co-worker Dr. Quack. No photo was provided of either, but Puzz (who is implied to be an octopus) quit the company that Capital B

Top 14 Revelations About Rare from The Yooka-Laylee AMA

Top 14 Revelations About Rare from The Yooka-Laylee AMA

, , , , , 0

Playtonic, the new game studio formed by ex-Rare employees and currently at work on the Banjo-Kazooie-inspired 3D platformer Yooka-Laylee, conducted an AMA on Reddit today, where many previously unknown facts about your favorite Rare games of the past were revealed. Here are fourteen of the best: Development of Kazooie [Steve Mayles] Banjo was already designed with a backpack and we needed a double jump, so we just had some wings come out of it. Then later we needed a fast run move so had some legs come out. Eventually it just made sense to have a whole character in there… it was never the plan to start with! ([Gavin Price:] This is a good example of naturally evolving game design) Crunch time for the original Donkey Kong Country Towards the end of Donkey Kong Country, we had to prepare a build to send to Nintendo so we were working all days – it was a Saturday morning and I awoke to hear a noise at my window, which was odd

Banjo-Kazooie Spiritual Successor Yooka-Laylee Smashes Through Kickstarter Goal

, , , , , , , , , 0

In just a matter of hours after its launch, the Kickstarter campaign for the new game project, Yooka-Laylee, has already blown past its pledge goal of $270,000. The title from Playtonic games has currently received over $760,000 from over 12,600 backers and climbing. It appears the game will have no trouble reaching all of its stretch goals over the next 46 days. What is it that has people so excited about this project? It is a spiritual successor to the fan-favorite Banjo-Kazooie franchise. In addition, Playtonic games consists of original founding members of game development studio Rare, Steve Mayles and Chris Sutherland, who were behind some of Rare’s most classic titles. Those developers have separated from Rare and formed a new game studio in order to develop a new buddy-platforming adventure game, and that game is Yooka-Laylee. What is amazing is that players spoke loud and clear after this Kickstarter campaign. The campaign just began a short time ago, and it has already blown past its goal. Clearly the enthusiasm

Load More