Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Adorable Story, Unique Platformer, Classic Adventure., 7 Jul 2006
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
I bought Psychonauts on the strength of Tim Schafer's earlier game `Grim Fandango', which I would argue is possibly the greatest game of all time. By playing a downloaded demo from Gamershell.com I was immediately sucked in by the introduction FMV and the ability to wander around the summer camp during the start of the game.
The game stars Raz, a young boy who has travelled far and wide to reach the Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp where he plans to become a Psychonaut, a psychic marine of sorts. The story later unfolds, as happenings, strange even for a camp for psychic misfits, seem to occur. Psychonauts slowly introduces the gamer to the characters and its world, allowing use to care for the outcast children and noble Psychonauts we will later be fighting for.
The game is classed as a `platform game', however, with Schafer's influence on the adventure game genre, allows a greater amount of freedom, exploration, small puzzle elements and interaction with other game characters, which is where the game really rallies itself in front of other current platformers.
Each character in the camp, no matter how small or insignificant, has their own inimitable and interesting agenda. Many interact and form small bonds or vendettas often to comical value. Characters are generally hanging around the enormous camp and can be spoken by simply pressing the action button. Although it's not compulsory to speak to characters, why would you not want to? Why would you not want to watch pint sized Dogen feed on his paranoia of the seeming innocent squirrels? Or even hope that he literally makes someone's head explode (he's done it 4 times already!). Or watch Bob Zilch get his karma for picking on fellow camp members.
The greatest feeling when wondering around Whispering Rock was that I wasn't alone. Being able to have a small conversation with lily or Zilch gave a warm feeling I never felt in the empty mansion in Mario 64.
However, the game does have its darker moments that may unsettle younger audiences, or at least have the need for parental guidance. A disfigured giant lungfish and collecting people's brains may seem a little weird and uncomfortable.
Some more mature comedy is added for value too. A good example would be the later level `The Milkman Conspiracy', whilst not having to do much with the plot, will be one of the most unearthly gaming experiences of your life - a surreal, comical reflection of boring American suburban lifestyle that'd do David Lynch proud. You know you've seen it all in a game when a secret agent, posing as a housewife with a rolling pin announces, "I am a housewife. Although my husband will find me less attractive sexually he will still love me for my homemade pies".
However, this is not a complete mature gamers or children's game. This is a game that have been written and programmed for all ages and both sexes.
Platformers don't seem to appear very often on the PC for good reason. With most PC owners preferring to use keyboard and mouse, platformers are as welcome to PCs as FP shooters are to the pad-playing console owners. Because of this, unless you are a skilled person with mouse and keyboard, it might be wiser either to buy a gamepad or buy the Xbox version instead (I've heard that the PS2 version doesn't do the game justice graphically), as later levels can become tricky having to make skilled, multiple actions in order to survive various stages of play.
Psychonauts has the player spending more time exploring the beautiful environments with the typical use of `collect these items to trade for that item syndrome'. In this case, magical arrowheads can be used to buy special moves and items that allow Raz to pursue forward to reaches he couldn't before, as well as figments (of the imagination) that power up special moves and emotional baggage which can unlock secret early draft drawings and in-depth cartoon strips of various character's personal memories. However, it's not strictly needed to collect every item you find and you can just whiz past it all.
Tackling puzzles are kept almost to a minimum, and that younger audiences could figure it out, at least during the first half of the game. However, there were select incidents when I was stuck which made the game feel a little inconsistent against the 95% of the time when you do know what you should be doing and where to be going.
The graphics further than most games on the PC and Xbox market today. But what really makes the game rewarding is its sense of uniqueness. The best description would have to be that of like MDK2 on the Dreamcast, both in terms of lighting and art design, or American McGee's Alice, but superior in character and detail.
Some of these levels are MASSIVE, and require a lot of exploration and looking around. The level `Napoleons war' is a gigantic level with a number of buildings, trees, moving enemies and the sort. Often on the subconscious levels I've been almost overwhelmed by the sheer size. It's clear that this game wasn't made with the intention of the player making quick breezes through each level, like that in earlier Crash Bandicoot games. There is a good 15 hours of exploration and adventure here.
Even without graphics on top level and no lighting effects or special texturing it was still beautiful and detailed as if I was getting a 40 pound game. Furthermore, the music drew professional and atmospheric scores throughout.
`Psychonauts' is the epitome of what games should be about. Fun, imagination and appreciation. And it's nice to not have to rely on Nintendo to make a decent, original and lovable playformer for a change.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
We owe it to ourselves to make this a success, 20 Feb 2006
I'm not going to explain what the game is about. I dont think I could put it eloquently enough to do justice to the game.
What I will say is that the design, innovation, and sheer love that has clearly gone into the game means it deserves to be played by every serious gamer. The voice acting and humour is to the level you would expect of a Tim Schafer game (he of Grim Fandango, Full Throttle and Day of the Tentacle fame).
I would class this game as an adventure game more than anything else, yes, its easy to pigeonhole it as a platformer but the platforming elements are easily overshadowed by the process of simply playing through the hero's (Rasputin) story. There is one annoying platform section near the end which is pretty difficult but the rest of it will be breezed through by any experienced gamer.
The story is what this game is about, and also just having sheer good fun. Like the old Lucasarts adventure games, you cant really die in a 'Game Over, start again' fashion like traditional platformers and you are free to experiment and try things with your mental powers without the game punishing you for it. Being inside the troubled mind of a paranoid conspiracist or a man with a Napoleon complex is as bizarre as you could imagine, and very funny.
I have heard some people complain about the camera in the game but I dont have any problems with it, certainly nothing major or game-breaking. I would advise purchasing a PS2 pad and USB/PS2 adaptor to play this game, definitely better than keyboard/mouse. You should have this for Pro Evo Soccer already anyway!
All-in-all, gamers have been crying out for more originality, innovation etc in games, this has these things in spades and is a top quality game into the bargain. Buy this game and let the suits know we care about our games and are not content with 'Generic RTS 5' or 'Seen-it-all-before FPS 3'. If games like this arent a commercial success then we deserve to be force-fed bland, uninspiring clones of games that weren't so good to begin with. Make this a hit and ensure a future of exciting, groundbreaking titles, please!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best-est Best of all Best-ness, 8 Jul 2006
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Every once in a while a game comes along that makes me feel like jumping up and down with delight, like a baby with a new rattle! And this is one such game.
From the wonderfully "left field" story line to the wacked out "levels", this is a joy to play right from the start.
Fragging fans should turn away right now. This is not going to be your thing at all. Everyone else should buy this game right now.
Go on - treat yourself!
And when you've finished this, if you haven't come across it yet, go and buy Beyond Good and Evil.
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