Just finished the game, and spent at least another hour just walking around its wonderful world just to see what each of the game's characters had to say about the grand adventure we just had. I loved playing Psychonauts 1 and I've been quietly following along with its sequel's development; you get some small glimpses of what the game would be like, but I wasn't prepared for how amazing it turned out to be! Much like its predecessor, Psychonauts 2 is a very unique game.. just calling it an adventure-platformer doesn't do it justice at all. The core platforming gameplay is solid and fun, for sure .. but its world, its characters, its story, art and music all just ooze personality and creativity. The game has tons of different characters, all memorable and likeable; I honestly can't think of one that I found plain boring or annoying. I only have a couple of minor niggles with the game. Swapping in and out your powers in the four available slots can be a little clunky in more intense fights; facial animations sometimes seem a little stiff .. and what's with Raz putting on and off his goggles in (what feels like) every cutscene? All in all, Psychonauts 2 was pure joy! If anything, you can't help but respect Double Fine for taking big risks like this: making a high production-value game that's weird and quirky and unique, over trying to fit in with the popular kids. I can't wait to see whatever they will cook up next! (.. speaking of which, I loved the cooking level that was clearly the result of one their Amnesia Fortnight prototype games :) )
I'm still a little undecided on where I stand with Dusk. When you look at the individual ingredients, there's really great stuff here. The movement and the gunplay feels excellent. The music and the overall sound design is amazing. Several levels have memorable moments, either visually or because of a gameplay mechanic. The very-low-poly art style, I don't know.. sometimes it does feel like a deliberate choice and it works well; other times it comes across as low-effort. The main thing I find lacking is world building. On the one hand, all the different levels in the game work well on their own; they each have something unique. On the other hand, they're so distinct it makes it hard to suspend your disbelief that these levels should exist in the same world. Whenever a new enemy type is first introduced, they'll fit in with the theme of that level.. and then they reappear in later levels with a different theme, eventually resulting in this nonsensical mishmash of enemies: soldiers running among mages, welders, scientists, horror creatures, etc. Gameplay-wise, who cares; it all fits together.. but it breaks the game's atmosphere. There's the ominous voice and the red messages on the walls, trying to tie the levels together and alluding the game is building towards something, but this just didn't work for me. So overall, I definitely had fun in the moment-to-moment gameplay, but then I look back and can't help but think I would've liked it so much better if there was more up-front world design to tie all these moments together into a cohesive whole.
I tried playing Blood many moons ago, but got turned off by its initial difficulty spike. What made it click for me this time is that I now approached the game differently: instead of running and gunning, I played it a lot slower and more methodical. Blood often gets paired up with Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior as "the holy trinity of Build engine games". There's a lot of similarities among the three games: tongue-in-cheek humour, a protagonist that talks in catchy one-liners, creative level design with lots of interactivity and explosions, ... The mistake I made was thinking that Blood would also have a similar play style as D3D and SW, i.e. you can usually run around guns blazing. I tried, but the cultists got me fast! (They're the hitscanning enemies littered throughout the entire game + they react very fast + throw explosives.) The game becomes really enjoyable once you figure out how each weapon works, which weapons to use in which situations .. and peek around every. single. corner. The enemy placement can be pretty sadistic sometimes :) With this in mind, there still will be an initial difficulty spike, so you'll be quick-saving & -loading a lot at first. A big part of it is that you start out with some unconventional weapons: a pitchfork, dynamite, and a flare gun where you have to wait a few seconds before your shot has any effect. (Oh, but once it takes effect, it's supersatisfying!) The game doesn't explain anything, so it takes some trial and error to get the hang of these weapons. Once you make it through the first few levels though, you can make it to the end. Apart from the uneven difficulty curve and some small quirks, I enjoyed Blood a lot; satisfying gameplay loop, great level design and atmosphere. A cultist classic.
I played the original Abe's Oddysee way back when. It's a timeless classic, and New 'n' Tasty pretty much improves on it across the board. If you haven't played the original, you're in for a treat! It's a pretty unique game; I have a hard time thinking of any game (outside the Oddworld series) that comes close to it. I'd describe it as a cinematic sometimes-stealth,sometimes-action puzzle platformer, with a personality that's a blend between goofy and grim. First things first, many of the older reviews here mention the game being buggy. I guess most of them have been ironed, as the game has been rock solid for me throughout. (Except for this one section: https://www.playstationtrophies.org/forum/topic/227349-anyone-else-stuck-in-scrabania-on-hard-possible-bug/ ) As for how New 'n' Tasty stacks up to the original: - The obvious improvement is the graphics. What I actually find more impressive is that the original game was already developed as a cohesive 3D world back in 1997, but they had to pull tricks combining 2D and cinematics to create the illusion of a 3D world. No more need for such tricks now, so you can experience the (odd)world how it was always intended + with an extra level of polish. - The music has been polished as well. It was amazing in the original, and it still is here. - The gameplay remains very faithful, but you get some additional conveniences like quicksaves and talking to multiple Mudokons at once. - One thing I wasn't sure about is the way Abe controls. In the original, platforming was "unit-based". Now, Abe can move wherever he wants. It feels more modern/slick, but less precise sometimes. It's a minor thing though; you get used to it fast. (Also: if you're used to the original, you may like the "Sideways hop" option in the settings!) - Finally, I love the added banter/voicework of the mudokons and sligs; it adds even more personality to the game! Whether you've played the original or not, I strongly recommend giving New 'n' Tasty a try!
