Psychonauts Review

By Kristan Reed Published 13 February, 2006

For the love of God, just buy it.

Version tested: PC

Our giddy love of Psychonauts probably says as much about the dreadfully po-faced nature of most videogames as it does about the relative merits of Double Fine's cult classic. It's hard to think of too many other games that have ever inspired such heart-warming bursts of pure fun merely from the quality of the writing alone. It's as if critics the world over exploded in a righteous froth at the undiluted joy of being released from the harrowing shackles of reviewing intolerably beardy World War II/Sci-fi/stealth/D&D epics and actually allowed to play something that made them laugh. When you spend most of the year with a knitted brow saving the world from insane megalomaniacs, the chance to, um, save the world from an insanely funny megalomaniac has a disproportionate allure. Especially once you realise that 'Sir' Tim Schafer's one of the men behind it.

But then you tell people it's a platform game, await the inevitable emission of a hundred thousand audible 'harrumphs' and prepare to string together your most convincing argument ever. You'll insist (without hesitation) that it's damn near the funniest game ever, that it's got more invention on a single level than most games have in their entirety, and with justification compare it to the best animation movies you've seen. Eventually, you'll even begin to reel off obscure anecdotes about those infinitely hilarious bits that you'll probably miss the first time around, exchange utterly hilarious quotes and wallow in the stand out genius of The Milkman Conspiracy. The warm afterglow of Psychonauts completion is best enjoyed accompanied by a fat cigar, silk sheets and attentive, impossibly attractive slaves. And grapes. And other people who've played the game. In the quotability stakes, it's the videogaming equivalent of Spinal Tap, or Withnail and I.

Fathers for justice

'Psychonauts' Screenshot hex

Psychonauts in Hex-based wargaming shock.

And then people like us demand fist-shaking justice. We throw logic out of the window and go and vote it our Game of the entire bloody Year. We wave our gaudy home-made Psychonauts placards at you outside our local Game, damn you and demand you go and sodding well buy it. "Seriously", we wail, "you'd be mad not to buy it."

"But I'm not a fan of platform games," comes the inevitable reply.

"But you'll like this one. Really".

A game chock full of such obvious quality that's been so widely acclaimed shouldn't be a hard sell, yet somehow all the brilliance is ignored the second people realise you can double-jump. Ah well, anyway.

Rock Psychic Summer Camp provides the backdrop for this delightfully unhinged adventure, and you take control of the precocious wannabe psychic soldier Razputin, or Raz as he prefers to be known. In the game itself you flit between the 'real world' hub of the camp and the 'mental world' of other people's minds, with the general goal of defeating their personal demons in order to make progress. After some basic Psi Cadet tuition (amusingly in the war-torn mind of military obsessive Coach Oleander) you begin to win all manner of Merit Badges, which grant Raz with useful new abilities. Beginning with Marksmanship, completing numerous tasks earns Raz the ability to perform Telekinesis, Pyrokinesis, Levitation, Invisibility, Clairvoyance, Shield and eventually Confusion - abilities that all come in exceptionally useful at one time or other.

As seems to be the Law of Platform Gaming, Psychonauts comes fully stocked with an utterly ludicrous number of predictably superfluous collectibles to ferret out during your adventures. Initially the most useful are the numerous arrowheads which litter the landscape and provide the game's currency. In conjunction with the various Psi Cards that are hidden away in generally hard-to-reach places, you can increase your Psi Rank, unlock ability upgrades and later exchange your winnings for objects (like the Dowsing Rod, Cobweb Duster and Mental Magnet) which enable you to gather even more collectables.

Give it to me

'Psychonauts' Screenshot following

Are you following me?

In case you're already rolling your eyes to the heavens at the prospect, such obsessive-compulsive kleptomania never feels that much of a chore, though. This is largely thanks to some generally excellent level design allied to the sort of progression structure where being through always seems to reward the player with something genuinely worth having, be it a new ability or a hidden memory. Hard to believe, but even Psychonauts' concept art is worth having. It's all in the presentation.

Better still, this quest for endless tat is by no means compulsory. Despite it being possible to upgrade to level 100, there's absolutely no need to get anywhere near that level to be strong enough to polish off the game's storyline. As it should be, many of Psychonauts' extras are just that, and even without abilities like Psychic Regeneration or Sensory Scramble, the difficulty level is never so tough as to force you into unnecessary kleptomania - so there's no need to worry about pointless object-collection as a reason to wriggle out of buying this.

For the vast majority of your time with Psychonauts, it's a journey so chock full of moments to make you smile that you won't mind one bit that you're pulling off another round of tricky jumps and bashing health-sapping critters around the bonce for the gazillionth time of asking. For the vast majority of the time, the sheer level of invention in some of the levels is wrapped up in so much warm humour that it's worth every second of effort required to solve the task at hand. Who could fail to not fall in love with the surreal daftness at the heart of the Milkman Conspiracy level, or not be left with a stupid grin after the Waterloo world? Just listening in on the conversations between random characters is enough to make me fall in love with this game.

Begging for forgiveness

'Psychonauts' Screenshot milkmen

Milkmen have issues too.

Yet, only the most forgiving gamer in the world could fail to spot some of the flaws that lay within. You may have noticed a couple of paragraphs ago, though, the words "generally" and "excellent" sat suspiciously side by side. Reading the ravine that lies between those words lies some of the unspoken truth about Psychonauts and whether it really is as absolutely amazing as people seem to be willing it desperately it to be. You see, for every two levels of stunning, memorable gameplay genius there's one that will drive you 'round the bend with old school instant-death design conventions, ill-placed checkpoints and manoeuvres designed to test the resolve of the most placid of gamer.

Naming and shaming, the wretched Meat Circus level with its array of overly precise jumps allied to an unrealistic time limit (something the game wisely avoids placing on the player for almost the entire game) makes it a hugely frustrating way to see out the game, but it's not the only low point. Sasha's Shooting Gallery is uninspired, Milla's Dance Party with its focus on ascending the heights with the levitation ball is plain irritating, or how about that effing Bull in Black Velvetopia? Gah!

But the negatives aren't merely consigned to quibbles with specific levels (among a swathe of brilliant ones). The bosses, on the whole, offer no resistance (surely defeating the object), while some of the most memorable irritations result from the lack of signposting during the whole game. For example, despite being able to call on Cruller's help on demand, it's surprising how often you're left fumbling along with the kind of vague guidance that leaves you high and dry in annoying cul-de-sacs. Even during the so-called tutorial levels the game, shockingly, neglects to mention crucial little details; things that can leave veterans of dozens of platformers spitting mad with incredulity, never mind newcomers. Elsewhere, the general mechanics aren't exactly perfect, either, with even some of the best levels having a tendency to throw up jumps of such ludicrous difficulty that you're left wondering whether they were strictly necessary. By all means make the secret objects hard to reach, but you can't help but wonder why certain routine tasks end up being some of the hardest (and therefore most frustrating) in the game.

A differing viewpoint

'Psychonauts' Screenshot weapon

My, what a mighty weapon.

Some have singled out the camera as being the main source of the game's problems, but it's really not as simple as that. Sure, it's not the most on-the-ball of camera systems that you'll ever come across, and yes, it can tie itself in some awful knots, but normally you'll cope just fine. Most of the time when you mess up, you can see perfectly well what's going on, and if anything that makes it even harder to tolerate your failure. No, what's at fault here isn't one of control systems or camera flaws, but basic occasional level design issues that don't endear themselves to the player: time limits that are too tight, just so jump sequence that require too great a level of pixel precision (and result in tiresome back-to-the-bottom-of-the-level-repetition), less-than-clear object manipulation. As with any game, problems that aren't of the player's making only do one thing: strip away layers of fun. Just as well, then, that there are so many layers of fun, really, or your goodwill may have long run out before you can finally understand Tom's Pokeylope reference.

All of this pains me to point out. It's real pain, real tears, because in so many ways Psychonauts is a game made specifically for people like me, with a sense of humour like mine, made by a company featuring some of all-time heroes of the games industry, making a game in genre that I love. How could it go wrong? There's so much that's flawless about this game: the art style (on the PC running in high resolution, at least) and presentation is simply exceptional, looking for all the world like the great LucasArts cartoon platform adventure game they never made. Likewise, the audio is similarly of the very highest calibre, just as it used to be in every other project Schafer's been involved with. Whether it's the little incidental ditties running throughout (again, very LucasArts in style and feel, unsurprisingly) or the voice acting (ditto), you'll be wide-eyed in awe at how fully realised it all is, and how much it shows up other games by comparison. And once the final piece of that particular jigsaw, the script, is slotted in, it's clear we're talking about one of the finest pieces of comedy gaming ever conceived. If it was a cartoon series, we'd all buy the box set and endlessly quote it; it's that good.

But just because it's full of great ideas and benchmark-setting writing and production values, that doesn't grant Double Fine exemption from criticism over some of the weaker elements of this generally excellent game. Just because it made me laugh more than just about any game of the last ten years, that doesn't mean I have to be nice to it. Just because it sold bugger all in the States, I'm not going to neglect to mention the bits that really pissed me off in the hope that you'll buy it. If only it were that simple.

The harsh reality is perhaps the most obvious observation of them all - Psychonauts is probably not as good as it could have been because it's a platform game. Would it have been rated any better as an adventure game? Probably, but that's irrelevant now. What's unavoidable is the fact that almost all of the problems that weigh Psychonauts down are borne out of the legacy that the platform genre itself has, and Double Fine - like so many other developers - has largely been unable to avoid falling into the same pitfalls of inconsistent level design and unwise difficulty spikes. Dammit.

That said, the most gratifying part of summing up Psychonauts' worth is that its good points are simply so exceptional that they almost drown out most of the grumbles you might have about this level or that jump. By the time you've had the chance to get some distance upon finishing the game you'll begin appreciate that - on balance - it's such a thoroughly, intensely enjoyable experience for the vast majority of the time that you want the whole world to experience what is easily the funniest, and therefore most fun game of the year, or any other year. But if you're honest about it, you'll also admit that judged purely as a platform game it's by no means perfect, but who needs perfection when there are games like Psychonauts to play?

8 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (116) Latest comment 6 years ago

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

  • IMO #1 6 years ago

    If its GOTY, why only 8/10?

  • kangarootoo #2 6 years ago

    Ordered. I shall report back when I've played through it, maybe even write my first review :)

  • krudster #3 6 years ago

    It was EG's GOTY as voted for by 13 writers, but at that stage I hadn't played it, so it didn't even figure in my Top 20. The 8/10 is simply my opinion.

  • Genji #4 6 years ago

    @IMO

    The other guy gave it a 9. And I think the GOTY awards had very little to do with scores, anyway.

    On another note: if playing on the PC, be sure to do so with a gamepad. It's a whole lot easier. I'm sure that goes without saying.

  • Baronen #5 6 years ago

    God, it's great. Just buy it.

  • Freek #6 6 years ago

    If its GOTY, why only 8/10?

    Ever heard the phrase; "More then just the som of it's parts" ?

  • gizmo #7 6 years ago

    @IMO,

    good question.

    The mere mention of 'unrealistic' timed levels, yes even one, has scratched it for me.

  • boo #8 6 years ago

    Stick it on a console and I'll play it.
    PC - I think not.

  • kangarootoo #9 6 years ago

    Its a sack load cheaper on PC. I just paid £24.99 for an XB version. PC version was £17.99.

    Watch someone find an XB version for £6 now. Then hear me going "nooooooo".

  • Hicksy #10 6 years ago

    I shall be buying this shortly

    Oh yes I will :D

  • Genji #11 6 years ago

    "The mere mention of 'unrealistic' timed levels, yes even one, has scratched it for me."

    Unrealistic timed level, actually. And it's right at the end, so you can see all of the fantastic stuff before you even get to it.

    @boo

    Psst... it's on the Xbox too.

  • Aretak #12 6 years ago

    I dunno... it just looks really, really dull in the screenshots... typical "zany" platformer fare.

  • Tomo #13 6 years ago

    9.5/10 for me. It's got a couple of niggles, but it's just too good for a 9.

  • Genji #14 6 years ago

    And the guy from Invader Zim does the voice for Raz! How could you not love it?

    WHO IS THE MILKMAN?

  • oceanmotion #15 6 years ago

    Go to Gamespot and watch the video review. That will give you a sense of how cool the levels are.

  • Fatfish #16 6 years ago

    Anyone know if the XB version will run on a 360? I desperately want to play this, but would rather do so on my 360 than on my PC - I've never been a fan of platform/action stuff on a PC. I know it's not on the backward compatability list for 360, but I'm hoping as it's a fairly new title it may run?
    Edited by 1 at 13/02/06 @ 13:14

  • krudster #17 6 years ago

    Quick word on the PC version - played it using a Logitech wireless pad, and it comes automagically mapped, and was as slick and hassle free as any console game, plus has the added bonus of super hi-res, meaning it looks the business.

  • melw #18 6 years ago

    boo, it's also available for ps2 and xbox.

  • Retroid #19 6 years ago

    <a href=http://www.powerplaydirect.c om/asp/itemdetails.asp?prodID=907886&currsec=ga&refID=aw >Xbox version £21.99 from Powerplay</a> :)

  • ProfessorLesser #20 6 years ago

    BUT HOW DOES IT PLAY WITH A KEYBOARD AND MOUSE?!

  • DrDamn #21 6 years ago

    I want to know if this will work on an X360 too. Sold my old XBox on already. Anyone able to confirm?

  • Frogger #22 6 years ago

    I have to buy a decent gamepad then.

    What are the good gamepads on the market today ?

  • Fatfish #23 6 years ago

    Check out the 360 forum for a thread about xbox Psychonauts on 360. One of the EG forum members (Huntcjna) said he will try the xbox version on his 360 tonight and let us know what happens - probably feck all, but worth a try!

  • groovychainsaw #24 6 years ago

    xbox and ps2 versions from dvd.co.uk <a href = "http://www.dvd.c o.uk/product.asp?id=TQ72496&PURL=dvddeals.at/pricetracker&P3 6=3D4Z72&CID=0&CTY=8">
    £17.99</a>
    I'm tempted....
    But most games that critics have loved and described as 'funny' haven't appealed to me in the past (wrong sense of humour i guess) and nothing frustrates me more than poor game design. :-S
    Edited by 1 at 13/02/06 @ 13:41

  • Fatfish #25 6 years ago

    @ Frogger - try the Joytech neo-s controller if you like the xbox style of control pad. I've got one - works fairly well. Can mimic mouse controls too, to a degree. 24 programmable buttons and dual analogue sticks. Fairly cheap too - have a look around on the net. Seem to remember paying about £9 for mine from Play.com.

  • marmaduke #26 6 years ago

    Well- most of the brilliant things about Psychonauts aren't really to do with the gameplay mechanics; they're to do with the script, the environments and all the little details. Jumping around never becomes boring, but it's hardly Tetris in terms of pure fun.

    But it's worth sticking with, because it's so utterly joyous and wonderful.

    Why was the second review necessary, by the way? And why are both reviews on the front page?

  • marmaduke #27 6 years ago

    Oh yeah, and I played it on the PC with a keyboard and mouse, and never had any real trouble.

  • Retroid #28 6 years ago

    groovychainsaw - Xbox version shows up as £24.99 from DVD.co.uk :(

  • Genji #29 6 years ago

    @Prof

    As well as can be expected for a game which requires analogue precision for platform-jumping.

    ie. not really well. It's doable - I played through with keyboard & mouse - but not really receommended.

  • groovychainsaw #30 6 years ago

    Aplogies! You're quite right, xbox version is £25... sorry everyone. PS2 is still £17.99 tho :-S

  • alimokrane #31 6 years ago

    I think that's a good message to everyone .... a game scored with an 8/10 does not mean it's worse than one scored by a 9 or 10. Good review, just bought the game.

  • krudster #32 6 years ago

    If you want a wireless PC pad like a bit like a dual shock, then look no further than the Cordless Rumble Pad 2 from Logitech, very highly recommended from someone who just spent 20 hours with it!
    Edited by 1 at 13/02/06 @ 13:46

  • krudster #33 6 years ago

    Why two reviews? Mainly because I hadn't played it and wanted an excuse to do one. We often cover the biggies twice, especially if they're out here much later than our original import review. For example, Tom's doing SotC later this week.

  • Furbs #34 6 years ago

    So is this now eligable for EG's GOTY 2006?

  • krudster #35 6 years ago

    No, if it's been in the previous year's poll, then it's exempt.

  • Matt_M #36 6 years ago

    If you have a wired Xbox 360 pad, plug it into a USB socket on your PC and you can use it as a gamepad.

    I did this with the Psychonauts demo, and it works perfectly. Going to get this soon on PC.

  • Chtulie #37 6 years ago

    The artstyle actually makes sure it looks good on a low resolution. It looks good because of it's design, not because of technical quibbles.

    Meat Circus is a bastard though.

    I'd say it being a platform game is actually essential to it's metaphor. It makes sure the context and the play mechanics actually relate, unlike in an adventure game like grim fandango where the things you did and the things you tried to achieve hardly related at all.

  • Thamuhacha #38 6 years ago

    My PS2 copy hung in the intro level obstacle course when I stepped on a mine. I was annoyed.

  • smelly #39 6 years ago

    I AM THE MILKMAN!

    completed the pc version on the weekend, using the keyboard.

    Best game i've played in a LONG time.

    BUY IT!

  • Daikon #40 6 years ago

    I'll get this once I finish playing Shadow of the Colossus, which if if my memory serves me correctly got a 10/10 score from EG...
    Or will that be downgraded to 7/10 in next week's re-review?

  • Stickman #41 6 years ago

    "you're pulling off another round of tricky jumps and bashing health-sapping critters around the bonce for the gazillionth time of asking."

    Sold!

  • Feanor #42 6 years ago

    "For example, Tom's doing SotC later this week."

    I smell a 7 or 8 on the way. :)

  • smelly #43 6 years ago

    The mad thing is, if i was gonna say anything at all about this game, is that it's a tad easy.

    (apart from a few of the bosses, but once u figure them out, they're easy too).

    I guess it's all down to whether u suck at platformers.

  • Dynamize #44 6 years ago

    Got it on friday for PC, bloody marvellous. Haven't laughed so much at a game since, oooh, can't remember. The writers and voice actors of this need to win awards, many awards.

    "I am a telephone repair man. I can listen to any call but do not out of a sense of professional responsibility."
    Those guys must be one of best characters ever made, just standing around them waiting for the next hilarious line.

    Ooh, and keyboard and mouse works fine for me, no complaints.

  • smelly #45 6 years ago

    I guess what narks me is that gamers tend to moan about not having any originality in games. Then when one comes along, they dont buy it.

    ho hum.. more fool them.

  • Feet #46 6 years ago

    Bought it, played it, laughed at it, loved it. A cult classic and thoroughly recommend it to everybody.

    Never bothered completeing it however. Got to on of the final levels where the...

    *VERY MINOR SPOLIER*









    Water is rising up in the Meat Cricus and you have to jump around the burning fences...

    GAH!








    *End spoiler*


    Blow THAT for a game of soldiers, i swear this game almost gave me tourettes with the amount of random cursing I threw at the monitor. Played it with the Mouse and Keyboard and had no problems with control or camara what so ever.

    BUY IT.
    Edited by 1 at 13/02/06 @ 15:17

  • PearOfAnguish #47 6 years ago

    If I was in charge at Lucasarts I'd be kicking myself for letting Schafer get away. And for producing nothing but Star Wars tat for the last few years.

    BUT HOW DOES IT PLAY WITH A KEYBOARD AND MOUSE?!

    Plays just fine. I didn't realise we were supposed to be using a pad and played it through using k&m.

    try the Joytech neo-s controller if you like the xbox style of control pad.

    I second that. Just like a proper Xbox controller it's rubbish if you use the d-pad a lot, but otherwise that's a really great pad. Best one for GTA as well thanks to the configuration options.

  • smelly #48 6 years ago

    Feet :

    That bit had be stumped for f-ing ages. Then i realised that i could float without actually having the levitation enabled.

    So i redefined the keys temporarily for that section where my right mouse button was float.. (so i wasnt pressing 20 odd keys at once)

    Then it was easy. double jump, then float.
    Edited by 1 at 13/02/06 @ 15:26

  • Fatfish #49 6 years ago

    Can anyone list minimum and recommended spec for me please - can't seem to find it on the review, the THQ website, Play.com or Game - you'd think someone would have it listed somewhere!!

  • kangarootoo #50 6 years ago

    @Retroid

    Daaaaaaamn Youuuuuuuu!!!!

    :)

    @groovychainsaw

    Oh ffs. Someone will find a link for a shop that pays you to take a copy home any minute now. :)
    Edited by 1 at 13/02/06 @ 15:44

  • baxster #51 6 years ago

    /wants!

  • Cyhwuhx #52 6 years ago

    .::: Well even after giving it another try it remained a rather boring platformer. And I really didn't get on with the humouristic 'story'. I don't know, maybe I've outgrown this kind of stuff as I did love Grim Fandango et al.

    Personally I wouldn't recommend this at all. :/

  • Baronen #53 6 years ago

    To those who asked about playing it on the 360: Forget it, doesn't work.

  • towser #54 6 years ago

    So in a nutshell....

    PC, PS2 or XBOX.. which version would be recomended?

  • HelloWorld #55 6 years ago

    I promise I'll buy at some point.

  • newt #56 6 years ago

    Three words: Mentalis uber alles!

  • Lothar Hex #57 6 years ago

    Must say I agree with this review. It's brilliant but it does have the odd annoying thing that just doesn't seem right.

  • MrWonderstuff #58 6 years ago

    It's taken a bloody age to get these shores. Been waiting for this on the PC for months. Anyhow one cant ignore the critics (not just EG) when they unanimously demand we buy it.

    Oh when is it out?

  • kangarootoo #59 6 years ago

    @towser

    Sounds like the PC version is the one if you have a PC for games, but that a decent joypad is probably a good idea.

    If PC gaming isn't your thing (I'm more a "sit on the couch" kind of gamer these days myself) then I doubt there is much difference between PS2 and XB. It doesn't strike me as the sort of game that pushes either system too hard, so just get whichever is cheaper I would say.

    One point, not mentioned in the review that I could see, is whether the XB version supports 5.1. If it does, and you have the speakers, that would tip it for me. But thats a minor reason really. I've gone for the XB version just because that is my main system.

  • towser #60 6 years ago

    @ kangarootoo

    Yeah, must say I was thinking about the XBox version. Can't be arsed sitting at my PC any longer (damn u work and WoW!!!) than I have to.

  • Cyhwuhx #61 6 years ago

    .::: If you got a decent gaming-PC, just get the game together with a wired X360 controller and download the drivers off of microsoft.com (or just buy the X360 Controller for Windows version, but that one is about 3 quid more expensive because they added a disc with drivers).

  • myiagros #62 6 years ago

    Bloody great, but a tad short and a bit easy. As a concept this is fantastic, but the execution could certainly have been better.

    I am inclined to agree that the Milkman Conspiricy is one of the best peices of game design i have seen in ages.

  • Decoded #63 6 years ago

    PC, PS2 or XBOX.. which version would be recomended?

    Stay away from the PS2 version unless you derive sadistic pleasure from sitting through patience-testing loading screens every five minutes. Factor in the tearing and stuttering framerate and you have a most unattractive package.

    It's not funny either. IT'S NOT.
    Edited by 1 at 13/02/06 @ 18:09

  • Porty #64 6 years ago

    Fatfish said - "Can anyone list minimum and recommended spec for me please - can't seem to find it on the review, the THQ website, Play.com or Game - you'd think someone would have it listed somewhere!!"


    <a href=http://www.psych onauts.com/cards.htm>PC Specs and list of unsupported video cards</a>

    Hope that helps?

    Porty

  • Kingsadist #65 6 years ago

    It's supposed to be out for more than a week now, and I STILL haven't seen a SINGLE copy. Great work, Majesco, you just missed my cash!

  • Royal Fool #66 6 years ago

    'tis a most fine game indeed.

  • krudster #67 6 years ago

    Latest news just in - Psychonauts fails to make either the UK All Formats Top 40 (all prices) or the Top 40 (Full Price).

    It did, however, make No.9 on the Xbox chart, and failed to make either the PS2 Top 20 or the PC Top 20.

    In context, Stubbs the Zombie made No.1 on the Xbox chart, also failed to make either Top 40, so, in summary a disaster.

  • Dynamize #68 6 years ago

    :(
    There is no justice, none at all.

  • lollypop #69 6 years ago

    The game is overrated. Why lie.

  • Fallen_Angel #70 6 years ago

    This games bloody difficult to get hold of for PC. The Game store I work at got none in, but we got 3 XB and 6 PS2 copies, the local ones have had no PC copies, AND the double fine website (Where you can get signed copies of the game for about 20 quid) are out of stock too. Its a damn shame cos I wanna buy it. Alot.
    Edited by 1 at 13/02/06 @ 22:07

  • Feet #71 6 years ago

    It's a good game. Nay, a great game. But I'm not really sure it deserves quite as much attention as it has recieved from this site over the past month. Ah who cares, I split hairs.
    It's a wonderful piece of game and I want it to succeed, it deserves to succeed.

    PEOPLE OF EUROGAMER! MAKE IT SUCCEED! THE POWER IS YOURS! GO GO EUROGAMER RANGERS!







    cough

    *gets coat*

  • smelly #72 6 years ago

    I dont get why people are slagging this off?

    Is it because it doesnt have guns, murder, prostitutes and stuff, and (Dare i say it) is a FUN game?

    Do games have to be "mature" (cough cough) to be a good game in peoples eyes now? Or am i missing the point?

  • tengu #73 6 years ago

    No, they need guns, cars, tits or football as their central hook to be of any worth is all. Just look at the top 20 chart ffs.

  • fantabulo #74 6 years ago

    I bought it on ps2, but there was something very wrong with the loading (it took an age, causing looping sounds and whatnot). I don't get it, because all of my other games work fine. It's not fair.

    From what Decoded said, maybe it's just the platform, but I find it hard to believe the way the game seems to hang for a minute as it loads things is not something more
    Edited by 1 at 14/02/06 @ 02:47

  • Genji #75 6 years ago

    I'm sure that all of the Psychonauts love here is partly to encourage people to buy the damn thing. There are so many great games out that most people have never even heard of.

    Is this the best game ever? No, no it isn't. But it deserves to be more popular, and for that it needs all the publicity it can get. So I don't mind EG pushing the game so much. If enough people buy it, then we may see more games of this ilk on the horizon. That could only be a good thing, really.

  • darkbhudda #76 6 years ago

    Just buy it?
    Just BUY it?
    Just BUY IT?
    JUST BUY IT?

    How do I buy it, I'm in Australia.

    It's not even on a release schedule, let alone in the shops.

    Stop taunting people in Australia.

  • Genji #77 6 years ago

    Hey man, I know the pain. I had to import my copy.

    But. I recently saw a review of the game in The Age newspaper, which leads me to believe that they might actually be releasing it sometime. Sometime this month.

    Or when pigs fly. They'll probably be in quantities so limited that they are INVISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE. I can't tell you how long I waited for more copies of the Castlevania DS game to come in. I recently gave up in disgust and imported it.

    So yeah. Probably best to import it.

  • 3william56 #78 6 years ago

    Darkbhudda - it's in the shops down under all right - EB in Perth has a tonne of them this morning.

    But as ICO and SoTC are also there on the shelf beside it, methinks the artsy platformer/adventure massive have others on their mind, which might explain some of the poor sales.

    Damned quality games - like busses - none for ages then 3 at once.

    But God - that Meat Circus thing sounds horribly like the Blackwater City flooding tunnel in the original Ratchet and Clank - the only difficulty misstep in 3 beautiful games. Nooooooooo!

  • Zero_ #79 6 years ago

    Did the publishers of Psychnauts pay Eurogamer.net?

  • Genji #80 6 years ago

    Oh yeah. They paid EG, just like they paid all of the other publications that gave the game really good reviews. Because they're really, really rich, you see. The game couldn't *possibly* be any good if it doesn't sell, right?

    Heh.

  • Zero_ #81 6 years ago

    Heh, nah. That was not the implication of my post.

    Whilst I do see many good reviews for this game, and I'm sure it is a good game, but I just don't see other publications cry out "Go buy this game now!".

  • Genji #82 6 years ago

    Well, I think the implication of a high score would be something along the lines of "go buy this now!". The only difference is that EG actually said it.

    I really, really doubt that the publishers coerced them into it.

  • gerald #83 6 years ago

    Even the developers site ist funny ... and it has comics :-)

  • kangarootoo #84 6 years ago

    @Zero_

    "but I just don't see other publications cry out "Go buy this game now!""

    Passionate journalists in "recommendation of stuff they like" shocker!

    Ban this sick filth!

  • krudster #85 6 years ago

    The sad fact is we know no-one will buy this, partly because they can't if stores aren't stocking it for whatever reason.

  • Genji #86 6 years ago

    Silly man! Nobody is stocking it because it won't sell any copies!

    Why won't it sell any copies? Because nobody is stocking it!

    /head explodes

  • Lothar Hex #87 6 years ago

    The PC version is on Play.com for £17.99

    <a href=http://www.play.com/pl ay247.asp?page=search&searchtype=PC&pa=srmr&searchstring=Psy chonauts>SEE!</a>

    There, now stop complaining you can't find it and just buy the damn thing.
    Edited by 1 at 14/02/06 @ 09:47

  • Stickman #88 6 years ago

    PC Gamer are imploring everyone to buy this game too. It's not just EG.

  • Fatfish #89 6 years ago

    Despite my reservations about this kind of game on PC (and because the xbox version won't run on 360 - bastards!), I've felt obliged to order this rather than miss out on what sounds like a righteous little platform romp. Can't wait!

  • mazzl #90 6 years ago

    does anyone know the reason why the publisher hates this game so much they are just not selling it anywhere? what did the designers do.. step on his toes... first we have to weight fotr almost a year.. and then.. it's hard to get.. this is just stupid.

    3/10 just for availability ..

  • MrAtheist #91 6 years ago

    The publisher hates it because it flopped.

    It didnt sell anywhere near what was expected on PS2, so pushing it for other formats is an absolute waste of time.

  • kangarootoo #92 6 years ago

    I think retailers probably get to decide which games go on their shelves. The publisher will want to push it because, despite popular belief, they want the game to sell and make them money. But if the retailer won't give it shelf space, there isn't much a publisher can do.

  • kangarootoo #93 6 years ago

    "It didnt sell anywhere near what was expected on PS2, so pushing it for other formats is an absolute waste of time."

    If that is what the publisher really believes, I think they are in part (only in part mind you) ignoring their own failures. Its like me saying heart bypass surgery is reeeeeeally dangerous, because the last one I did with my swiss army knife went a bit wrong. Actually I don't think the publisher does believe that, because if they did they simply wouldn't have commisioned XB and PC versions.

  • Dr_Evil #94 6 years ago

    Just bought a copy of this, so damned game reviewers would STOP FRIKKIN NAGGING ME.

  • MrAtheist #95 6 years ago

    kanga: the comment was aimed at posters wondering why their local Game shop wasnt stocking Pyschonauts for the PC.

    IIRC it launched in the US April last year on the Xbox/PC, in the midst of a multi-million dollar marketing campaign, with almost universally positive reviews. It launched for the PS2 on the back of this hype (which surely should have been its biggest market) a couple of months later. Result? Less than 100k copies sold across all three formats combined as of last month (12000 copies sold for PC). Granted, they have a new publisher for Europe but I cant see it doing any better over here.

    What is THQ/Game going to want on the PC shelves, Dawn of War (1million+ sales) or Pyschonauts (12000 sales)? :)

  • kangarootoo #96 6 years ago

    "What is THQ/Game going to want on the PC shelves, Dawn of War (1million+ sales) or Pyschonauts (12000 sales)? :)"

    This is true. Man, I've really been in "speak before you think" mode today. I wasn't figuring on the publisher prioritising their own skus.

  • Ihya #97 6 years ago

    Is it just me, or is it quite a short game?

  • ekko #98 6 years ago

    "Just bought a copy of this, so damned game reviewers would STOP FRIKKIN NAGGING ME."

    Peer pressure, a force for good.

    "Is it just me, or is it quite a short game?"

    Well, its not a long game. I pretty much sped through it in about 12 hours, but I need to go back and pick up a lot of the stuff I missed, although I tempted to start a new game to see re-live some of the levels properly.

    I played it on the PC using my PS2 pad - I had to do a little tweaking for the camera stick but after that it was perfect.

  • fatbb #99 6 years ago

    Loved it as well. I ordered my copy (PC) from the doublefine webshop on jan 1st, at the height of the 'why is this GOTY' flamewar.

    If you're interested and can't find it, import it.

    /orders 'Lili'-t-shirt



  • kangarootoo #100 6 years ago

    "Well, its not a long game. I pretty much sped through it in about 12 hours"

    Hey, 10 hours seems to be the benchmark these days (you younguns would have shit your knickers at the "ah I'm dead, better start again" hours contaned in Treasure Island Dizzy) so 12 hours is pretty good going in my book. Especially if there is still some exploration to be done.

    /can't wait till my copy arrives
    /quits job
    /buys big cushion and a bucket

  • oerhoert #101 6 years ago

    <em>Is it just me, or is it quite a short game?</em>

    No, it's not in any way especially short. You <em>could</em> get through it without problems in well under 10 hourse, but that would be missing the point, by skipping cut-scenes, skipping collecting memories, skipping the exploration and so on. On my first run-through, I used 17 hours, and that was actually without making much effort to collect all or see all. I'm now a bit beyond half way on the second play, and have as of now at least used ten hours. To complete this game 100% is going to take <em>ages</em>. We're talking at least 25-30 hours.

    So, in short, it's a bit how much you put into it.

    For the record, the PS2 version really is <em>awful</em> and should be avoided at all costs. It's ugly, it's got unstable framerate, three times longer load times (15 seconds vs. 5 seconds on the Xbox) and it even crashed on me on several occasions. Apparently, Double Fine outsourced it to some assumedly PS2 expert team, but they screwed up.

    As for the game itself (primarily Xbox/PC version) -- well, it's good. It's not brilliant in my estimation, there simply are too many mediocre parts for that, but when it's at its best, it really is fantastic. All in all, then, "good". :) On level with for example Beyond Good & Evil, I'd estimate, but well below SOTC, God of War and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. And, as far as I can see, Grim Fandango.

  • krudster #102 6 years ago

    Definitely not a short game for me. I took my sweet time picking up all manner of stuff, and listened in on all those coversations etc. More like 18-20 hours for me - plus I got completely bogged down near the beginning and end, which wasted a fair bit of time.

  • kangarootoo #103 6 years ago

    @oerhört

    Oh mate, I'm going to have to challenge you to a duel at sunrise or something whern you come out with stuff like "Beyond Good & Evil, I'd estimate, but well below SOTC, God of War and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time".

    BGaE was way superior (in my limited personal experience of course) to GoW and SoT (not played SotC). Anyway that is a diffrerent discussion probably.

    We are getting arse deep in anacronyms here. One or two more and I think my head might pop :)

  • kangarootoo #104 6 years ago

    "plus I got completely bogged down near the beginning and end, which wasted a fair bit of time."

    You see these days people might discount that sort of thing when working out gameplay hours. But "back in the day" farting about being stuck for ages was all classed as quality gaming time. Otherwise stuff like DotT and SaMHtR (answers on a postcard) would take about 2 hours to complete.

  • dudefella #105 6 years ago

    This is true. As a kid, Sam and Max took me ages because I didn't know everything. A while ago I downloaded it again after not having played it for years and years and I completed it in one lazy afternoon. Surprisingly, I still knew pretty much everything. Fantastic game though.

  • krudster #106 6 years ago

    Official, depressing UK sales figures on all formats, first weekend = 1882.

  • AtomicBanana #107 6 years ago

    Official, depressing UK sales figures on all formats, first weekend = 1882.

    Heh, wow... well one of those is me :p

  • Dr_Evil #108 6 years ago

    This is the first platformer I have bought since Chuckee Egg. Better be frikkin good or I'm going to get annoyed.

    Regarding the length of time it takes to complete games: I find 12 hours gaming time just right. That's all my spare gaming time fully occupied for four weeks. So hurrah for modern living.

  • Zem63 #109 6 years ago

    Kristan,are you happy now.
    I've bought it twice,first xbox which still won't work on the 360...nnnnnrgh.
    Then the pc which does....hurrah.
    I won't buy the ps2 version unless i need a doorstop.
    I've done my bit,have you bought yours yet?

  • Ihya #110 6 years ago

    What 1882, in a week?

    Well at least I played my part.

  • Banjax #111 6 years ago

    Make that 1881 copies - mine's going back tomorrow :-(

    Didn't get on with it at all: didn't find it remotely funny, technically horrible (I was playing the PS2 version, mind) and really felt rather mediocre in every respect. I've tried numerous times over the past week but it's all been an uphill struggle.

    Don't want to be a killjoy, but this just isn't for everyone - and I'm normally a big fan of platformers.

  • kangarootoo #112 6 years ago

    I'm not really a platform gamers either (though I recommend the much underated Voodoo vince, except for the very end bit, which was just silly). It was the promise of reasonable gameplay alongside left field humour that attracted me to this.

    Still not arrived yet though. Maybe it willbe there when I get home.

  • Banjax #113 6 years ago

    For me, it's several notches below Rare's platformer outings - and they themselves were always overshadowed by Nintendo's own offerings.

    I'm not keen on the art style or the humour - playing a 12 year old summer camp psychic just doesn't get me laughing. The levels themselves have so far been incredibly short followed very quickly by boss battles. No sense of freedom of exploration - just linear progression with you on a treadmill gaining new powers to use in the next level, as per the norm.

    It's not exactly awful - I guess I'm just disappointed that this is Game Of The Year material. Maybe that accolade raised my expectations a little too high.

    I don't think playing the PS2 version helps. It looks horrible and the loading times make me want to weep.

  • kangarootoo #114 6 years ago

    Finally got it. Liking it a lot so far. Some of the environments are beautiful, the dialogue is spot on and the platform stuff is pleasant enough so far.

    Minor gripes is that its really tough sometimes working out where moving figments are in 3D space. And there isn't always enough explanation of what you can do (I spent 10 mins arsing about till I reaslied you could bash down walls with cracks in them).

    I'll probably write a review eventually (if I can remember to actually make notes as I play).

  • The_Smircher #115 6 years ago

    Got this today after trawling most of my local pc game shops. Really looking forward to it as I loved Grim Fandango.

  • Pho-Zoon #116 6 years ago

    will there be a mac version?