no it's not a main hub like GTA, it's a main hub like banjo kazooie, and mario 64, and mario galaxy....This is one of the few things the games still have in common.  Banjo and mario all had large hubs that actually had many secrets to be found in them.

Well I meant the survival horror genre in general was stale (ie. Silent Hill, Dino Crisis, etc.) not just the RE franchise, sorry for the confusion.   But as for platformers currently being stale, well thats not necessarily true... they're DEAD! The only notable traditional platformers to be released during the past two generations are Mario Sunshine and Mario Galaxy... other then that you have the action/platform hybrid games like Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank (a personal fav of mine) and you had sub-par B-rate franchises like Sly Cooper and Tak, and of course really crappy Spyro and Sonic games.

Back on topic... I've just read some hands on previews of the new BK and I'm more interested in it now and genuinely curious to see how all the vehicles and level of customization affects the overal flow of the gameplay.  And while I do appreciate Rare trying to be diffferent and innovative, what irks me the most is the fact that they've decided to take one of the best traditional platform series, and instead of making a bigger and better sequel that would fill the platforming void of the past 2 generations, they've instead chosen to go the route of what is currently the second-most crowded genre of games behind FPS's... and that's the open world/sandbox/do whatever the hell you want genre, and i dont think it will fit the theme of the BK series... I'd rather they have used this game for an original IP and make a traditional and true Banjo-Threeie that would've given Galaxy a run for its money... but alas, I can always still dream!

 That would be because Super Mario World was already out. I don't think anybody would be complaining if they decided to make a pure Banjo platformer and then release Nuts and Bolts as a second project. Well, they might if the platforming sucked.

Personally, I saw the airstrike on 8-bit Mario as less of a symolic challenge to the Mario franchise, and more as a proclamation of the death of platforming as a serious genre. Sort of a, "This ain't your father's platformer!" statement. Aren't you glad that you aren't just jumping around anymore? How did we get by all those years without aircraft and guided missiles in our platformers?

At least there's LostWinds. I'm hoping downloadable games will spark a revival of 2D and 2.5D platforming, perhaps even carrying over to full 3D projects down the road. 

As someone who played & completed both the Banjo Kazooie games on the N64:

1/ I do find this trailer a bit of a disappointment. I like the idea of the vehicles, and the gameplay additions it could bring - but the "focus" on races and the vehicles makes me sad. If the trailer was more 50/50 platforming/vehicles, I'd be all for it.

2/ I can understand the need/want to try and innovate - but BK hasn't had a new release for many, many years. If they started with a "straight" platformer to keep the fans happy, then went for this as a sequel - that would rock.

3/ This by no means "kills" the game for me. Its probably the title that will give me the best chance of getting a 360, and I'm keen to see future footage and what thy do with it.

The key for me, in BK games in the past has been the focus on the characters (and the related humour) itself. Unlocking new moves, etc. As long as this isn't lost, its all good :)

Looks cool to me.

Seems obvious Rare or Microsoft or wheover did a crappy job at PR to not brace people for this.

Probably would of been better off a new IP.

I'm sure it only looks cool to me though because i didn't like either Banjo game.

I doubt people would be upset had their actually been a Banjo game in the last... generation, or one this generation.

It seems like the ressurection of a franchise just for the sake of not having to think up more new characters.

Hey it worked for Bridman Attorny At Law. 

I like the graphics very much, they remind me of R&C:TOD..I dont know about the gameplay, but it looks interesting and pretty

That's a huge disappointment. I mean, is this a Banjo Kazooie title??? I don't see it. And the music sounds just horrible.

"Ironically the very people throwing a shit fit over the changes are the same people that mock the likes of Electronic Arts for never deviating from the formula, or worse retreading last years offering with a new paint job. The reality is that platform games are one of the stalest of genres. You jump from one platform to another, and if the game is any good you spend hours trying to time your jumps correctly."

Thats like me saying that racing games are a stale genre because all you do is drive cars, or FPS because all you do is shoot guns.

For one thing its blatantly untrue, innovation often occurs within a genre, for example the gravity situations in SMG and sometimes between genres such as portal.

However this video isn't showing as such a kart/platform hybrid (which wouldn't be upsetting) but rather a kart game with platforming sections. Most of that video was quite simply not a platforming game.