3D platformers have changed. In fact, for the most part they've died out and been replaced by more 'adult' (see 'adolescent') games that have reduced the classic skill-based mechanic of jumping to simplistic free-running. The N64 gave us some of the most memorable 3D platformers of all time, but the idea of using skill to manually jump and fly around 3D spaces is virtually unfathomable today. The N64 Banjo games were more ambitious than Mario 64, offering more open levels, more collectibles, and more moves to master, but that's also why they're tougher to go back to. Banjo effectively threw you into vast, open levels then left you to seek out their riches yourself. While this represented freedom back in the day, today it would face the charged of being directionless. Combine that with some tough platforming and a camera that tended to get confused in 3D space, and these vibrant, innocent games become insurmountable slogs for the today's gamer. Intriguingly, much of the team that worked on the original Banjo games has got back together to work on its spiritual successor, Yooka-Laylee (you can check out its Kickstarter campaign here). Will these classic games of a largely forgotten genre rise again?
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
