Psychonauts

Psychonauts is one of the most brilliant games of the past decade. I am generally stingy with my compliments, but this here is UTTER BRILLIANCE on many, many levels. The writing, the dialog, the art style(s), the humor, the puzzles, everything is so remarkably well done that I was completely blown away. The only iffy part is the controls, but you get used to them fast. If you haven't played it - go and buy it. Right this instant. The price is a mere $10, and believe me, it is easily worth $50. For those of you who follow the gaming press, it is one of the very few games that Yahtzee (of Zero Punctuation) has spoken highly of. I am extremely glad to add it under number 148 to the list of games that I beat!

Imagination? Check! Narrative? Check! Gameplay? Check! Style? Check! There is very little that Psychonauts does wrong and so many things that it does right. This is one of the pinnacles of storytelling in video games (and just video games in general). The many varieties of worlds that are encountered are excellently crafted and very fun to romp around. All mechanics are implemented with precision and enjoyment. The love that Double Fine Productions put into this is easy to spot. When you play it, you really feel like you're in for a treat; an experience that the developers WANT you to play. Not just a cash grab.

I never was sure if i should buy it, it didn't bother me for long, this was a great mistake. But when GOG had a deal on it i just had to try it. This game may appear dark and gloomy, but trust me and treat yourself to one of the best games you will ever play. It's fantastic and basically everything to everyone. It starts to repeat itself, but just when you think you seen it all, it comes up with something new. If you like godzilla - it got that, if you like a little bit of romance - it got that, if you want humor - it got tons of that too. On top of that many creative and new ideas and visuals, it's one of the very best games i ever played, and i never even was into 3D jump&run and such. I could have stopped there but i love talking about it so i go on: It's visual style is really appealing, it fits the game very well, the soundtrack is a bit one-sided, but it blends in very well and never gets really annoying, it sure is linear, but it often rewards you for acrobatics, you feel like you break the system a bit, by going a bit nuts. You can "level up" to "level" 100 if you want to, it doesn't really have role playing characteristics though, and you will improve your talents automatically by that which is still very motivating. Most new talents are introduced with a bit of a tutorial level, this may sound boring but it's huge fun. I remember when i got levitation, i don't spoil it if i say: Get out those dancing shoes and get ready for a really funky ride. Right down to every character, each of them is memorable, and i love them all. Beautiful just beautiful, i could go on forever, but just take my word for it: It's simply brilliant, and one of the games everyone should have played! This plays in a league all of it's own.

I was only recently introduced to Psychonauts when I decided to purchase it during one of GOG's flash promos. The game lives up to the reviews I had read before purchasing the game: fun, humorous, and twisted. Game play is very fluid. The music is spot on. The characters are great. The cutscenes are a riot ("My parents let me watch R-rated movies..."). The attention to detail is astounding. Many have suggested that a gamepad is the best way to play this game, but not having a gamepad that would handle all of the controls in the game, I use the keyboard and mouse, and that seems to be fine so far. The Basic Braining course definitely helps you become acquainted with the controls and the basics of the game. I definitely recommend this game to anyone who enjoys or would like an introduction to 3D platformers.

Before scrapping and re-writing this review I had gone on and on in an overenthusiastic and hyperbolic way about how this game is a blinding beacon of originality and creativity and how it recalls the days when gaming sparked my imagination as a child by letting me explore the fantastical and impossible. Yada yada. Let me just boil it down to the fact that this is one of the most creatively designed games to have arrived in years. The level design alone pushes boundaries that most developers seem to have forgotten can even be pushed. It is clear that this game is a labor of love from people with genuine creative passion and incredible imagination, and it has made me feel incredibly strongly that we should buy this game numerous times from numerous outlets, for ourselves and all our friends, to support creative passion in our industry, and to send a message to Double Fine to release the rest of their titles on the PC (oh God, PLEASE). Watch a gameplay video on youtube or something, and if it looks like the sort of gameplay you could even remotely enjoy, buy it now. It's a real gem.