Psychonauts to get BC update

By Ellie Gibson Published 19 June, 2006

Will be playable on Xbox 360.

Just last week, you may recall, Psychonauts developer Double Fine was in the news complaining about the fact that you still can't play the Xbox version of the game on the Xbox 360.

But the good news is that you will be able to soon - at least, that's according to one Alan Stuart, who claims to be an official Xbox 360 "Emulation Ninja".

In a post on the IGN forum, Stuart wrote: "I actually, really, truly am one of the developers on the backwards compatibility team. No foolin'.

"Rest assured, we are working on Psychonauts."

So, when is the Psychonauts emulator likely to be released? Well, Stuart isn't saying, and since there's only just been a backwards compatibility update we could have a little while to wait just yet.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (51) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • BootLace #1 6 years ago

    I'm Spartacus!

  • neilka #2 6 years ago

    I found a "Special Purchase" copy of Xbox Psychonauts for £9.99 in HMV yesterday, which is cheaper than it can be got online. Also Call of Cthulhu for £3.99. Hooray!

  • alimokrane #3 6 years ago

    please dont shoot me but Is Psychonauts really that good ?

  • morriss #4 6 years ago

    Fan-fucking-tastic!!

  • Huntcjna #5 6 years ago

    Psychonauts is the most enjoyable platform game since Mario 64 IMO.

    Bloody loved it.

  • EmiliasHorse #6 6 years ago

    Best news on BC yet. This game is just brilliant.

    Go on give it a try.

  • York #7 6 years ago

    IGN forums = fountain of truth!

  • RedPanda #8 6 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • SimonM7 #9 6 years ago

    It's funny. The bwc thing is the bestest publicity MS could ask for really. If they pull through and actually make a bunch of titles really well emulated, it'll be proof that they care about the gamers that got all upset after Moore's statement (that was misinterpreted across the board, quite frankly. 'We're not concerned' doesn't translate to 'we don't care') and that's a gesture they just couldn't have set up by themselves.

    Actually getting stuff like Outrun and Orta emulated right now can only strengthen their ties to a hardcore audience, and it's just a win/win situation for everyone involved. Brill stuff.

  • Hughes. #10 6 years ago

    Good grief! Forum posts from unsubstantiated sources being passed off as genuine news, it's like I never left Usenet!

  • Zero_ #11 6 years ago

    Tips to getting anything you desire (Final Fantasy VII remake for Playstation from Square-Enix, Megaman Legends 3 from Capcom, Duke Nukem Forever from 3D Realms etc) is to pretend that you're a 9 year old kid in hospital with [insert awful disease here] and that you're going to die and want to play [insert desired game here] before you die.
    Edited by 1 at 19/06/06 @ 14:36

  • NoCodeNed2 #12 6 years ago

    "The bwc thing is the bestest publicity MS could ask for really"

    I'm really not sure that's the case. If that was true they'd be in a right old pickle.

  • stoopidgreg #13 6 years ago

    most excellent news

  • Xerx3s #14 6 years ago

    Either that guy just lost his job or he's full of it. Noway that the MS PR team would allow a person like him to announce it. :\

    Good grief! Forum posts from unsubstantiated sources being passed off as genuine news, it's like I never left Usenet!

    +1 Posting this as 'news' more or less fucks over any credibility that you have.

  • spindizzy #15 6 years ago

    Er. Have all you naysayers heard of scobleizer? MS has actually been pretty understanding about blogs, and maybe (just maybe!) he actually did the sensible thing and sought permission to speak first, and was approved because ... it's good publicity?

  • SimonM7 #16 6 years ago

    Well, think of it as Wag The Dog, that movie with Dustin Hoffman that wasn't really all that great.

    Invent catastrophy - divert catastrophy. Insert hero.

    Voila, happy people.

    Only in this case it was apparently an unforseen catastrophy, because MS clearly underestimated the demand for bwc. Now they get to play heroes and save the day.

    The emulation ninjas are already the righteous pack of.. er... ninja warriors that from within the walls of big old evil MS want to do good. At least to us they are, now. We'll applaud every cult classic that gets the bwc treatment, including the likes of Outrun, Stranger's Wrath and Orta. Back when bwc was a given, we wouldn't have.

  • albundy #17 6 years ago

    Am I the only one that doesn't give two figs about Psychonauts? Sure, I've never played it. But then, I've never played Barbie's Horse Adventures either. That's not to say that Psychonauts isn't a good game. It looks alright and all. I just resent the way it gets shoved in my face, as if it's some paragon of gaming virtue. Why is it that unsuccessful flawed genius always gets championed so heavily by those with an agenda? The reviews were explicit in saying that the game, while having moments of greatness, is nothing more than good to very good. Not exceptional. Same went for Shadow of the Collussus. And Jet Set Radio Future as well. But, because they bombed at retail, their status suddenly gets elevated, and I'm supposed to feel 'guilty' for having no interest in it? Bah! Of the Xbox games that I have yet to play, the Grand Theft Auto trilogy will be the ones getting my hard earned cash next..........
    Edited by 2 at 19/06/06 @ 15:13

  • Xerx3s #18 6 years ago

    Er. Have all you naysayers heard of scobleizer? MS has actually been pretty understanding about blogs, and maybe (just maybe!) he actually did the sensible thing and sought permission to speak first, and was approved because ... it's good publicity?

    Yes, but shouldnt a news story post references and sources to start with? Now it reads like: "some guy claiming to be..." And besides, dont you think that ms would have chosen a better way or atleast one of their more known bloggers to announce something like this? Psychonauts BC would be a big thumbs up for them and you can bet your ass on it that the PR team is gonna use it.

    But then again, wtf do i know, im just some guy claiming to be...

  • Rambaldi #19 6 years ago

    Since when did IGN posters make EG news?

    "EG IN SENSATIONALIST NEWS POST SHOCKER...AGAIN"

  • SimonM7 #20 6 years ago

    Am I the only one that doesn't give two figs about Psychonauts? Sure, I've never played it. But then, I've never played Barbie's Horse Adventures either. That's not to say that Psychonauts isn't a good game.

    What DO you mean by that then?

    Why do brill games that get no attention get a bunch of people saying they should get attention while games that DO get attention don't?

    Well go figure.

  • Thamuhacha #21 6 years ago

    >sometimes games get made by people with genuine artistic vision, without publishers hacking them into little bits!

    Yes, yes ... publishers are evil, they ruin everything, yadda yadda yawn

    And look what happens when Psychonauts got its long awaited PAL release: no sales. It might have been good, but it was a hugely unattractive game for the majority of people.

  • tengu #22 6 years ago

    Ah, but will it run 'properly' on BC when it is updated is the question now.

  • gizmo #23 6 years ago

    Doom3 runs like a dog on BC, it takes about 3 days to load.

  • Poorandugly #24 6 years ago

    I actually, really, truly am John Carmack. No foolin'. Right now I'm developing Halo 3. Spread the word.
    Edited by 1 at 19/06/06 @ 16:34

  • Xerx3s #25 6 years ago

    Doom3 runs like a dog on BC, it takes about 3 days to load.

    Works fine here. :\

    Loading times are the same as the xbx version and the occasional framelag that i had on the xbx version is now gone. So far, no crashes.

    /knocks wood

  • Inquisitor #26 6 years ago

    I did enjoy psychonaughts, but less for the gameplay. It was the humour and cutscenes that really hooked me into it. I found the gameplay to be lacking and pretty boring. To be honest, I don't really think I like platformers anymore though. I tried Conker and Prince of Persia and didn't enjoy them.

    My tastes seem to have shrunk recently, all I enjoy playing is FPS's and driving games...I think I'll blame my xbox for that.

  • Thamuhacha #27 6 years ago

    >but what's your point? No one bought it, therefore...?

    Therefore brilliant games which appeal to very few people are just not the kind of thing that publishers will put out. And that doesn't make them satan.

    Blame the millions who didn't buy it. Not the publishers who don't want to waste months and loads of dosh making a memorably curiosity

  • albundy #28 6 years ago

    Inquisitor made a great point. Whatever Psychonauts does right, the reviews are pretty clear. It's how it makes you FEEL, rather than how good it actualy is as a GAME, that earns it this self-righteous back-slapping. Much like Shadow of the Colossus.

    The big question is, does not caring about Psychonauts, Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, Jet Set Radio Future, Beyond Good & Evil, Panzer Dragoon Orta or Rez make me a bad person?

    ;)

  • Shadar #29 6 years ago

    Well, it certainly makes you an uncultured person ...

  • lucky_jim #30 6 years ago

    @albundy- all those games you've listed are among the ones I've enjoyed most this generation, I actually own every single one of them and have played most to death. Trust me, you're missing out if you don't give them chance. Are you really not sick of identikit FPS and driving games?

    I suppose it partly depends on how you view gaming. If it's just a diversion, than Generic Urban Gangsta Pimp Death Racer XVI might be all you need. If it's a genuine hobby though, then you'd be interested in the creative potential of the medium: games which, although they might not get it right every time, are at least creations with some artistic and/ or cultural merit rather than just products. Your comments aren't too far away from saying "why try Miles Davis' Kind of Blue when I know I like the Fast Food Rockers"!

    Edit: My shock and disbelief resulted in an even more rant-y post than the above!
    Edited by 1 at 19/06/06 @ 22:41

  • Aretak #31 6 years ago

    I smell the foul stench of pretentiousness.

  • lucky_jim #32 6 years ago

    Well no, I like my GTA's as much as anyone else. After 20 years of playing games though, I do get a bit fed up of titles that have only moved on in technological terms since Chase HQ. Surely there's more to this gaming lark?

  • SimonM7 #33 6 years ago

    Does not caring about a game - any game - regardless of critical acclaim or cult status make one a bad person? Should you assume it does?

    Sounds to me like you have abusive friends.

    It's like going to a wine tasting yelling "YOU HATE ME FOR LIKING COCA COLA, DON'T YOOOU!!!?"

  • salvadorlimones #34 6 years ago

    somebody is about to get a killer yoyo with a lethal ball bearing in his face.

  • lucky_jim #35 6 years ago

    @SimonM7- couldn't agree more. Except that I prefer Pepsi Max.

    Most of my mates aren't anywhere near as into games as I am, they didn't grow up feeding Brighton's arcades (back when they were good!) with their pocket money like I did. So I totally "get" that they'd rather have a quick bash on PES or GTA than most of the stuff I'm into.

    Unfortunately though, sometimes you can't have a more thorough interest in something without the "foul stench" of inverted snobbery wafting by!

  • albundy #36 6 years ago

    lucky_jim.

    I got Jet Set Radio 'free' with my Xbox in that Sega Pack deal a couple of years back. I finsihed it. I also bought and finished Panzer Dragoon Orta. So yes, I have given these games a try. And you know what? I liked 'em. Good, solid games. But I traded them in a long time ago. Why? Ah... I just didn't see them as keepers. They were good and all, but I just didn't see them as being earth-shattering.

    I don't think any game should be treated as such, just because it is unique, or tries to be high-brow, or other sells itself with other such delusions of grandeur. If a game is good, then it doesn't need endless paragraphs from exciteable reviewers exclaiming just how beautiful it is, and how videogames are 'evolving'. Such protestations usually sound of alarm bells in my head straight away.

    Now, before anyone forms such an opinion, I am not a so-called 'chav gamer'. I have Brothers In Arms, Knights Of The Old Republic, Halo and Forza Motorsport in my collection, all of which I believe are very progressive and innovative games, in their own individual ways. Just because their subject matters are not obscure, artsy or po-faced, doesn't make them any less so.

  • lucky_jim #37 6 years ago

    albundy- personally I'm sick of WW2 games, so I've not got much time for BiA, but the others you mention are all in my collection. My gripe was with your assertion that games like Psychonauts get hype from reviewers out of some kinda collective attempt to be high-brow. I just don't think that's true.

    Most games reviewers are (in my experience) reasonably intelligent people at the least, with a broad overview of gaming which comes from playing a stupid number of games every year. I also play a stupid number of games every year, but through choice, so I appreciate it when games do something original or different- just as (I imagine) EG's reviewers do. Psychonauts got raved about because it's really good, and achieves the very rare feat of being an excellent platformer AND really funny. Dismissing it when you've not played it does you a disservice!

    Tbh, if I was only buying 4 or 5 games a year (like most of my mates), I'd probably not have taken a risk on the likes of Psychonauts. I'd go for the likes of Halo and PES too. But I'm really into my games, and I genuinely want to see what can be done with them.

  • albundy #38 6 years ago

    Again, I should add that I'm not dismissing it as a game. I'm sure it is good. But I have a limited income. and frankly, Psychonauts doesn't interest me. Maybe I'm what's wrong woth the games industry? Maybe I'm the one to blame for all the WWII and sports games out there? Who knows.

    All I know is, I think it's wrong to talk up a game purely on pretensious reasons. For instance, Ico. A beatiful game, I have no doubt. When rich in time and atmosphere and tenderness and feeling. But 'games as art' gamers are so busy trying to hold it up as a beacon of light, that they forget to acknowlegde that it is a GAME. Not a movie. Not a painting.

    Its interactive elements are, ultimately, the deciding factor. But too many reviewers score it high based on its emotional impact. Such outlooks I find off-putting. If all a game can sell me is emotion, then it's not a very good game. Give me emotion AND gameplay, and then you've got a bona fide winner.

    I say again, Brothers In Arms. From a distance, it seems like any other WWII shooter. Except, it's not. It really does try to capture the emotion and feel of Saving Private Ryan and Band Of Brothers. The horrors and viscerality of war, and the sense of brotherhood that develops between comrades. BUT, it ALSO tries to be a really good GAME whilst doing so, with intelligent level design, good AI, and interesting set pieces.

    For me, this is what it's all about. When I get both, I give money. But buying Psychonauts just because it's well written, clever and funny, is nowhere near enough for me. I'll buy a comedy DVD, if that's all I'm looking for.

  • albundy #39 6 years ago

    In a way, I kind of feel the same away about 'snob games' as I do about the Wii. They should be praised only on merit, and quality. Not on uniqueness and difference.

  • lucky_jim #40 6 years ago

    So originality isn't of merit?

  • albundy #41 6 years ago

    Oh it is. Let me reiterate (again). I have finished Jet Set Radio Future and Panzer Dragoon Orta. Both were really good games, that I enjoyed immensely. I just didn't think that they were as good as people made them out to be. It's a trap that one can easily fall into, glossing over numerous faults that would sink any other game, JUST because it is original in its concept. I think the type of person that I speak of is the apologist.

    Now, there are examples of games that are both innovative AND very good on a technical level. I think Grand Theft Auto III was the archetypal example. Sure, it had flaws (fight mechanics), but what game/movie/album doesn't? The point is, it was both an amazingly new experience, and a genuinely great game also. That's where I stand on this issue.

    I'm all for championing the likes of Ico, that are trying to do something new. But handing it 9's and 10's, just because a reviewer feels it helps push an agenda, isn't the right way to go about things. Question is, if instead of an enchanted castle, Ico saw you as a hulking space marine pulling fair (big chested) lady across a space ship loaded with slavering aliens, with rock music blaring in the background, would the high brows have loved it so much? That's the fundamental question. And in answering that question, one has to take into account whether Ico wants to be a game, or a movie/book/painting/etc.
    Edited by 1 at 20/06/06 @ 00:13

  • Inquisitor #42 6 years ago

    I do agree with you to a point albundy, but as I said before, although I'm not sure enjoyed psychonaughts as a 'game' I did enjoy it as an experience. I found myself playing it not just for fun, but to watch the next cutscene or hear what the characters had to say. I have to say that is exactly the same way I played KOTOR. Not for the game itself, which was pretty limited if I'm honest, but to advance the story.

    Goes against what most people say makes a game, but I can actually enjoy a game with poor gameplay, because of a good story or atmosphere.

    In my opinion though, games like that don't deserve the 9's or 10's they sometimes get, 6 or 7 should be the limit. They might be quirky or funny or innovative, but if theres not much below the surface they can't really be 'great' games.

  • albundy #43 6 years ago

    I see what you mean about KOTOR. But then, I think RPG's as a genre can't really be taken as a beacon for great gameplay. They're mainly about story progression and levelling up. But, you are right in saying that the experience and ambience does have a place in games.

  • Daikon #44 6 years ago

    /me thinks albundy shouldn't be posting his preconceived opinions about Psychonauts here until he's actually played the bloody game. What an idiot.

  • dudefella #45 6 years ago

    If you actually took the time to read his posts, you'd know that's not what he is doing. Idiot.

    it's the trend of rating 'arty' games or games that dare to be different highly for the sake of it. In a sense that's what happened here at Eurogamer when Psychonauts got GOTY. It got that to push an agenda, to try and raise awareness among gamers, developers and publishers for more 'unique' games. And in that sense I agree with him, games should be judged on their merits as games first and foremost, not on their merits as art or somesuch.

    But on the other hand, I do feel that attempts to elevate gaming above what we currently know, be it through storytelling, unique graphics or whatever, should be recognised. Albundy, I'm not sure if you've played Shadow of the Colossus, but in my opinion this is a game that does it all right. IMO, it's far ahead of its time. I find it utterly amazing. Its not without its flaws (framerate, occasional camera- and control issues) but what lies beneath is an amazing experience as a game AND as a form of art IMO. This is coming from a person who totally didn't 'get' ICO btw. It frustrated me more than anything, the gameplay seemed like a second-rate Zelda knockoff to me, and I felt no emotional attachment whatsoever to Icoguy or Yorda.

    Having said that, I love Psychonauts both as a game and as a funny piece of entertainment, but it's fair to say that without the story and the charm it would be a wholly unremarkable, if competent, platformer. However, it DOES have story and charm, and it does need to be taken into consideration. It's hard to deny that it's been overrated by EG to push their agenda, as you say, though.

  • mad_caddy #46 6 years ago

    Psychonauts is a simply marvelous game, it's a master class in story telling and level design, not once did i (or my wife) get lost, not know what to do or have many particular problems, the puzzles are nice and straight forward and all feel very rewarding. A lot of modern games fall down on one if not all of these key factors.

    It's one of the very few games I've played through twice back to back.

    I dont understand how anyone can dismiss this game without even playing it.

    Conker, Voodoo Vince, Banjo all look half hearted in comparison to this game. even Mario 64 doesnt stand up so well.

  • albundy #47 6 years ago

    Believe it or not, I am actually one of the biggest games-as-art type people that you will ever meet. As my favourite entertainment medium, I am a big fan of games that push the envelope, and challenge people on an emotional and humanistsic level, just like great films, albums, books or paintings can. That's why I love the Brothers In Arms games. That's why I loved Halo 2. That's why I love Knights Of The Old Republic. That's why I love Final Fantasy VII. As you rightly said dudefella, my only stance is that games should be rated purely on merit, and not on sentiment. Psychonauts getting GOTY on this website was a joke. A good game it may be, but best game of 2005? It's that sort of agenda-pushing flag-waving that I see is false. At no stage Daikon did I say that it, or any other such game were crap.
    Edited by 1 at 20/06/06 @ 09:55

  • mad_caddy #48 6 years ago

    But you cant dismiss the game unless you have actually played it.

    "Psychonauts getting GOTY on this website was a joke".....you say that yet you havent played it.

    On your approach you'd expect reviewers to give scores without playing the games.

  • albundy #49 6 years ago

    Well, I say that based on what I have read, with countless reviews expressing the sentiments that "the game has numerous flaws, but.....". That doesn't sound like GOTY material to me. But again, I am not dismissing it as a game. I am at pains to say to this! I have absolutely no interest in it, sure. But from afar, it does look decent. And as per my experience with Jet Set Radio Future and Panzer Dragoon Orta, I am sure that if I were to ever play it, I would enjoy it.

  • lucky_jim #50 6 years ago

    I'll put my hands up and admit I might've been a bit hasty with some of my comments directed at albundy (might as well, cos nobody will be reading this comment thread anymore heehee). I still don't buy into the "secret agenda" thing though, I think it's more simple than that: EG's reviewers play a lot of games, so value a different approach. I play a lot of games, so I value it too.

  • kissthestick #51 6 years ago

    um where is it? lol