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Salvatore Fileccia, lead programmer of Rare’s Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, has said his game isn’t in direct competition with Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet, despite the two platformers sharing a passion for furthering the genre.
“I don’t think we’re a competitor,” he said, talking to Gamersyde. “I think, obviously, we compete in a completely different dimension; we’re 3D, they’re 2D. I mean, I don’t know the complete details of LittleBigPlanet, obviously, but I’m pretty sure the two games are going to be pretty different.
“We’re obviously going for the same aim, which is to evolve the genre, with physics as well, and with creativity – but I think you’ll find that the outcome is quite dramatically different games.”
The question of similarities between the new Banjo and LittleBigPlanet emerged as soon as the Rare game was announced. While the two titles are completely different in scope, the user-creation elements caused some to put the two projects head to head for the end of this year.
Well, Rare doesn’t think so. So there we are.
Viewing 18 responses
Blerk said:
Actually, LBP isn’t really 2D – there’s a certain amount of ‘in and out of the screen’ as well as left n’ right.
But I agree – there’s really not much comparison between the two.
whoelse said:
Whereas LBP will be a jaw dropper and possible massive system seller, Banjo wont.
Psychotext said:
whoelse: Right now I’m just as excited about Banjo as LBP.
Blerk said:
That tells us nothing! You could be meh about both. Clarity, man!
Psychotext said:
My fiendish post is uncovered! I’m very interested in both games.
ecu said:
I still don’t think they look at all alike.
scuz said:
there are similarities but hardly enough to say one is copying the other
absolutezero said:
The only similarities are in the creation screens. Both use the same style of coloured lines to character, sticking things onto other things.
Banjo is simply based around making vechicles though, where as LBP is about creating anything you can imagine.
pjmaybe said:
From what I’ve seen of both, Banjo has a much more limiting “framework” that you get to create a vehicle in – and let’s face it, that’s the only creative bit to the whole thing.
Now…show me the bit in BK3 where you can create something of the scale of Howl’s Moving Castle, in 3D, and power that around the landscape and I’d probably say it’s a comparable product to LBP in terms of just how creative you can get.
One thing keeps coming back to me about Banjo – that bloody annoying object cap in Viva Pinata. I’d still lay even money that there’s one in the vehicle creation bit of BK3 too…
Psychotext said:
I’m not sure why people would bother comparing the creation aspects of both games. It’s like the difference between customizing your car in Forza 2 and creating an entire racetrack in another game which I can’t remember the name of!
They both have completely different focus.
absolutezero said:
Its not the end result thats being compared. Its the method of creating the different content.
Anyway yes, its very silly. I never got on with Banjo in the first place. Not one character was all that appealing, in fact Banjo himself just rubbed up the wrong way. A retarded durring bear is not my idea of a great main character.
Blerk said:
Or President of the United States.
He is a bear, isn’t he?
Shatner said:
This is crafty stuff by Rare.
I’m not sure anyone was making LBP comparisons with Banjo. So, if they publicly tell us they’re not competing it introduces a sense of association in the minds of the public.
It’s like when Nintendo kept on going on about how they weren’t competing with Sony or Microsoft. They kept denying it in order to strengthen the association in gamer’s minds.
George K. said:
@ Shatner
I wish we had the foresight to be so devious! In reality, I’ve seen that association made a number of times on NeoGAF already, well before this interview hit the net.
Psychotext said:
Yes, it happened pretty early on. Seems like an angle to allow the usual suspects to accuse Rare of trying to copy LBP.
pjmaybe said:
Proof positive that people live for pigeonholing stuff, even completely different “creative” aspects of games that share no other common elements.
But aye, I reckon it’s a nice sneaky bit of association by disassociation. Hopefully it’ll come back to sting ‘em in the arse when both games finally arrive.
Shatner said:
George, in my opinion, NeoGaf fling so much speculatory mud around that some of it is bound to stick. I fear the day that I can legitimise something simply because it was mentioned on a gaming forum first – that would truly mark the end of civilisation as we know it.
And, were I a game developer – or even a community manager for a game developer – I’d be wary of publicly hovering on news topics about titles my company was producing. It feels somewhat predatory.
Good luck with the game.
FourZeroSeven said:
Id say Banjo would more likely be in the same boat as Rachet and Clank rather than LittleBigPlanet myself.