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User reviews
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1 stars
Version: Psychonauts 1.02
"Waste of many download hours"
Pros: Can't like anything if it doesn't run. Would give it ZERO stars if I could.
Cons: Used its own downloader, resumable, but gave no indication of download progress.
After many hours, even at about 45KBS, it indicated I had to download an extra file. The file never downloaded and now I have about 2GB of garbage on my HD since the program won't install.
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
5 stars
Version: Psychonauts
"Most imaginative platformer in years."
Pros: This was a very pleasant surprise.
When I first heard about this game, I wasn't holding much hope for it. Sure, it was created by Tim Schafer, whose previous credits include Grim Fandango, Full Throttle and Day of the Tentacle. So I knew the characters, art design and environments would be captivating.
But the action elements in Schafer's previous games have formed their weakest parts. Grim Fandango, despite being one of the best adventure games ever written, had a horrible control scheme. Full Throttle had some lame little mini-games that were neither exciting nor difficult--just frustrating and boring. How was I to expect a decent action game?
But what we've been given, somehow, is a very polished platform game with a pretty well behaved camera and a robust control editor. Sure, the mechanics aren't particularly original: you can still expect double-jumping, item collection, ladder climbing and platform hopping: but as platformers go, this is pretty well laid out.
All of which provides a perfect foundation for Schafer's ideas. Each new environment is refreshingly different from most platformers, and has a distinct identity of its own. The two included in the demo are a portion of the campgrounds (a sunny forest-canopied summer camp on the edge of a cliff) and the interior of the camp leader's mindscape (full of aerial bombers, zeppelins, minefields, artillery, battleships, and your own schoolmates). Both worlds have numerous secrets hidden in out-of-the-way areas, and finding them all took a lot of exploration.
Perhaps the greatest mark of this game's power is this: I started this demo on a whim, to see what Schafer had managed. When I was finished, I quickly purchased a copy online, and then went back to play the demo through several more times.
Some of the appeal of this tile is intangible, but you'll recognize it as soon as you play it. Psychonauts is different--and undeniably fun.
Cons: Psychonauts is still a platformer, and it still has many of the usual platformer trappings: you need to collect arrowheads (monetary units) to buy things, figments and cards to advance your level, and other less common items such as emotional baggage. If you don't like platform jumping, exploring or collecting items, I imagine the later stages of this game may get tedious.
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5 stars
Version: Psychonauts 1.02
Pros: It was soo funny. I went out and bought it!
Cons: Sadly this is only the demo.. dangit
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1 stars
Version: Psychonauts 1.02
Pros: What I would like is to try it
Cons: Trial version doesn't work. After downloading and installing you get a message that the trial version isout of date and to buy the game. Huh? I JUST downloaded it!
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4 stars
Version: Psychonauts
"Great Game worth your attention"
Pros: I have only played the demo but so far it seems the game is shaping up to be one of the best platformers of 2005. Cool concept, great voice overs, and good art design/graphics. Being so into MMORPGs I rarely can find something fun to play on the single player side of gaming but with such a cool story and concept I believe anyone can find something to like. The cons of the game for me so far are so minimal that I can hardly list them as cons. Please excuse my overly postiive nature of this game but I have fallen in love with it.
Cons: Some staples of platforming gaming such as unperfect camera (but as close as most platformers get) and collecting (tedious even if it improves gameplay with new powers) are the cons I found but can hardly take away the experience so far as the demo goes.
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