The ideas Spell was able to create were beyond many others, making one of the best RPG's on this site, not to mention that this is Spell's first platformer making it even more impressive that he has come this far in one try. (sploder.com)
So that's how we got Rare's first platformer on N64: Banjo - Kazooie, which follows Super Mario 64 to a fault — start off in a hub world by which you enter a series of more specifically designed and thematic worlds. (hardcoregaming101.net)
All in all, it plays like the best possible Baby's First Platformer; if any given Mario game is the perceived limit of the genre, Poi is the measuring stick to make sure you're doing it right. (gamingtrend.com)