Xbox

Psychonauts

There's a contingent in the gaming community that spends a lot of time complaining about a lack of originality in today's titles, or how big franchises and licensed properties have come to dominate the industry in such a way that innovation and eccentricity in design are no longer possible or feasible. If Psychonauts, the latest effort from the creator of Grim Fandango and Full Throttle, does not do well at the cash register, I'm going to track these people down and force them to eat their own shoes. Just as in the aforementioned classics, Tim Schafer and his team at Double Fine have given us a game that doesn't reinvent the wheel, but rather puts its own unique spin on the standards of a genre and dresses it up so creatively that it all feels new. Psychonauts is a genuinely fun platformer/adventure that's chock-full of quirky ideas, creative level design and colorful characters, and anyone who's looking for a breath of fresh air in gaming should definitely check it out.

Overall, Psychonauts is just a hair’s breadth from perfection. The only real flaw comes in the form of the difficult to locate figments littering the levels. Everything else was incredible. The gameplay was smooth and responsive, the audio presentation was beyond impressive, and the visuals display a rare artistic value not seen in many games these days. I am willing to go so far and declare Psychonauts as being a strong contender to this years Game of the Year, and do so with great confidence that it can win. Psychonauts is a game all gamers who like having fun should pick up and play.

Despite its minor shortcomings, Psychonauts is a gem of a game, and publisher Majesco's crowning achievement to date. It's unique, fresh, endearing, yet cynical all at the same time. The Xbox doesn't have an abundance of quality platformers in its catalogue, save for Voodoo Vince and a handful of other lesser-known titles. Psychonauts fills that gap nicely and is worth a rental, if not a purchase.

As if you aren't already getting your shoes on to run to the store and get this game, let me finish you off with a swift kick in the pants: go on and get this game. Between the fun gameplay, the varied and creative environments, the great story, imaginative cast of characters, and, of course, the trademark Schafer sense of humor, there is very little that can go wrong here. Unless, of course, your brain has already been stolen by an evil member of the medical profession. In which case you need to run to the store that much faster.

For two years Voodoo Vince reigned supreme on Xbox as the system’s best action platformer. With its undeniable character, witty dialogue, creative level design and great graphics, Voodoo Vince seemed destined to hold that title on the current Xbox system forever. Then a game called Psychonauts sauntered in. With just as much character, equally witty dialogue and amazing graphics, all it needed to equal my beloved Vince was creative level design. And lo and behold, it blew Vince’s level design out of the water. Don’t worry Vince, I still love you. But Rasputin and his Psychonaut friends are now tops on the Xbox platformer list.

Deep down inside, every gamer enjoys a good platformer. Platforming, to a lesser degree, is a skill used in nearly every action game on the market. You have to jump up on ledges in most every FPS, don’t you? The problem with many platformers is that they are specifically designed around the tiny-tots, which usually leaves the elder gamers yearning for a bit larger challenge. Well stop the presses and prepare for the more mature platformer that you’ve secretly desired for your Xbox. Psychonauts combines adult, Cartoon Network-style animation with a more maturely designed gameplay than most platformers. Is Psychonauts the perfect Xbox platformer? Read on mental marshal, read on…

That creativity is what makes Psychonauts such a great game to play. It's not just the clever level designs, excellent voice acting, or stylized graphics, it's the way everything feeds into everything else, the way the gameplay concepts tie in to Psychonauts' world. Though gameplay is king, all the other story elements support it in ways that enhance the whole experience. Psychonauts is an amazingly fun, funny, head-trip of a game, and shouldn't be missed by anyone with a console to play it on.

Here we have a true gamer's game. Managing to avoid the stale platforming level designs we've been seeing for years, Psychonauts is stuffed full of more originality, ingenuity and humor than you can shake a mental stick at.

Psychonauts is my favorite of its genre in years and years: the genre, of course, being story-driven, puzzle-focused graphical adventures for which its creator, Tim Schafer, is famous. Granted, it might look like a 3D platformer, but then, Deus Ex looked like a first-person shooter when it was really an RPG, and Phantom Dust looks like a melee action game when it's really about cards.

When it was announced that Microsoft Game Studios was ending its publishing agreement with Tim Schafer's Double Fine Productions, Xbox gamers everywhere felt like they were getting robbed. As the man behind the beloved PC titles like LucasArts'Grim Fandango and Full Throttle, Schafer's first game as the head of Double Fine looked like it was going to be one of the freshest, most original titles ever to hit the Xbox. Maybe, gamers thought, the game was overrated, and Microsoft was cutting their losses while they still had time. Once you pop Majesco's Psychonauts into your drive, however, you'll quickly see that Microsoft dropped the ball on this one. It's one of the best platformers the system has seen, mostly thanks to its amazing visuals and downright hilarious dialogue.

Psychonauts is a quirky, offbeat game set in a special summer camp for clairvoyant kids, in which a group of psychic children end up in a wacky adventure filled with brain-stealing hijinks, psychic secret agents, and a little romance on top of everything else. It's rooted in the sorts of 3D platforming sensibilities we've all come to know over the years. But there's a spin to the game--its psychic theme--which adds some cool puzzle-solving to the usual platform-jumping and swinging associated with the genre. Psychonauts also bears the unmistakable mark of designer Tim Schafer (known for classic adventure games Grim Fandango, Full Throttle, and Day of the Tentacle), thanks to a hilarious array of peculiar characters and a story that never fails to entertain. Psychonauts doesn't reinvent the platformer, but it still delivers an experience that feels wholly original in every aspect of its execution.

Still, those that stick with the adventure will be rewarded. As Raz learns new mental powers like telekinesis and clairvoyance, the traditional platforming controls open up to reveal deeper and more novel gameplay. I can tell you this: I was always motivated to continue my travels in the twisted world of Psychonauts, if only to see what bizarre sights I would witness next. Few titles have ever inspired in me this genuine sense of discovery.

Tim Schafer has a loyal legion of fanboys for good reason. The creator of PC classics Full Throttle and Grim Fandango is one of the most innovative game designers in the industry. Previously, Schafer worked at LucasArts, but left the company a half-decade ago to start his own company, Double Fine Productions. After a long journey that involved multiple publishers and a slow development process, Psychonauts has finally landed on story shelves.

Grâce à son scénario, à son esthétique et à sa bande-son, Psychonauts n'éprouve aucune peine à nous captiver dès les premiers instants de jeu. Si l'on découvrira par la suite ses deux petites failles (sa durée de vie et sa jouabilité parfois agaçante), on reste en présence d'un très bon titre de plates-formes s'adressant à tous les amateurs du genre, notamment à ceux qui apprécient les univers marginaux.

Cependant, si on lui enlève ses niveaux atypiques, Psychonauts reste très classique dans le fond. Heureusement, ce classicisme se fait oublier par un second degré complètement psychédélique. Dingue et parfois génial, ce jeu saura satisfaire les amateurs d’humour et d’ambiances déjantées.

"Psychonauts" is a game that offers a different style of adventure and puzzle while combining it with platforms. The game is not for kids-only and is more matured then you would expect. The twisted style of humour is extraordinary and you'll certainly have some laughs when playing. Not as loud like 'Grim Fandango' but still "good enough". 'Psychonauts' surprised me in the long run and I must say, it's either a game you'll like ... or just hate. But I and the whole PlayDevil crew had a blast when playing so I guess you'll too! Now waiting on Tims' new project!

Each year, there are a few games so off-the-wall and quirky that they make their own success, thanks to unique gameplay and word-of-mouth kudos from fans. Last year, Namco's Katamari Damacy was probably at the head of the pack. Though it's still relatively early in 2005, we may already have a winner in the wacky-game race: Majesco's Psychonauts.

The clash of style and content might make the game appear slightly schizophrenic, certainly -the mature and twisted style of humour not being something you'd normally associate with the platform adventure genre - but the fact is, Psychonauts works. It's not revolutionary by any means, nor is it particularly long, but thanks to some clever creative control the game delivers a funny, engrossing and downright weird experience unlike most other platform adventures. A game hasn't made us laugh out so loud for a long time; so long, in fact, we'd forgotten what it felt like. Thanks, Double Fine.