Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3200 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: THQ
• Released on: 2006-02-10
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Platform: PlayStation2
• Number of items: 1

Manufacturer's Description
Any mind, any time. For years, the Psychonauts have deployed their psychically-armed operatives all over the world, but this time trouble is brewing right in their own backyard. Someone is abducting students from the Psychonaut boot camp-a deranged scientist who only wants their brains. One cadet-a mysterious and powerful new arrival named Raz-stands alone against the lunatic. Raz must develop and unleash an arsenal of paranormal powers, including telekinesis, firestarting, clairvoyance, and his most powerful weapon of all-the ability to launch himself telepathically into someone else's mind, and run around in the demented amusement park of their imagination. Raz takes on their inner demons face to face, wrestles with their nightmares, and digs up their secret memories. Ultimately he must enter the mind of his worst enemy and destroy his dark plans at their source, while trying not to lose his sanity in the process.

Customer Reviews

The most unique platformer I've ever played.
Psychonauts plays like a good single player game should - it feel like a great story, with a game attached. The majority of the game takes place inside other characters' minds, each mental plane more intriguing than the last. My favourite moments were when you decided to jump into someone's head...the excitement and the curiosity of waiting to see what crazy world the designers had planned for you next. A personal highlight for me was The Milkman Conspiracy - I was grinning ear to ear all the way through.

I rated this game 4 stars for fun because it does have some frustrating bits that aren't helped by the control/collision detection - particularly the ending sequence, which got rather annoying. These are not game-breaking and they're rather infrequent.

Psychonauts is not for everyone. It's not really suitable for beginners, or impatient people. You have to be willing to put up with it's slight quirks...but if you, you'll find yourself playing one of the most memorable games that the PS2 era has produced.

I am the Milkman. My milk is delicious.

Tim Schafer churns out yet another classic
Pyschonauts doesn't really accomplish anything new in terms of platforming gameplay. There's the linear progression from level to level (cunningly broken up by the central hub), bosses for each stage which require you to exploit a single weakness over and over again, and the usual hunt for a multitude of collectables. Occasionally the sound stutters when loading from the disc and it's not until the final few stages that the game truly breaks into its stride. So with those confessions out of the way it may be surprising to discover that, despite these setbacks, Pyschonauts is an essential purchase for anybody even remotely interested in video games (and maybe even for some who are not).

This isn't your average platformer. It may look like one from the outside, but once you begin to explore the world open to you, begin to talk to your fellow cadets, you'll discover that Psychonauts is more than the sum of its parts.

You play as Raz, a young boy who breaks into the Whispering Rock Summer Camp with dreams of becoming a Psychonaut. One capture and three (yes three) training levels later and you're off investigating lake monsters and mad scientists who steal other peoples' brains. If the game wasn't as charming, or as funny, as it is then this slow start would be somewhat hard to swallow, but it's not until you've completed the latter stages that you realize how much the beginning pales in comparison; you're just having too much fun initially to notice anything wrong.

These stages aren't just different locations however, they actually take place inside of the minds of other people. The training levels are hosted by the three instructors of the camp and once completed you'll be equipped with a few new powers with which you can access further locations and protect yourself from the dangers that you encounter. Also, you'll gain the most valuable item of all... a door. With this door in hand (it's a very small door) you can attach it to the head of characters that you meet (characters being the word of choice for not all are humans) and delve into their mind to help solve their problems. So begins the adventure that is Pyschonauts.

What makes Psychonauts so unique is its unashamedly disjointed approach to each level. As every mind that you delve into is different, each owner fraught with their own personal demons, there's no continuity in the places that you visit. Instead, every location is a fresh new experience, and you never feel that you're being asked to do the same thing over and over again. From the kaleidoscope of vibrant colours that adorn the habitat of the artist to the giant puzzle of the theatre within the failed actress, repetition is certainly not an issue.

Tim Schafer's influence is clear to see. Anybody even remotely familiar with his previous works (the greatest nod being towards Grim Fandango) will feel more than at home with Psychonauts. The dark, sometimes twisted (indeed not all that dissimilar from Tim Burton's) humour which is the lifeblood of his games flows through Psychonauts from start to finish. In truth, by the last stage the belly-laughs have made way for little more than wry smiles, but the quality that is sustained for a good 80% of the game is truly fantastic. Anybody who fails to roll about in laughter at the wonderfully psychotic mind of the milkman, a convoluted suburban American street polluted by secret agents that fuel his paranoia, is dead inside. And as for that lungfish...

A review of Psychonauts wouldn't be complete without mention of its sublime sound effects. In fact, much of the Pixar-esq feel that flows through the game can be attributed to the superb voice acting. Lines are delivered with clinical precision, both in timing and quality, and the actors clearly give it their all. There are few games which are blessed with both a fantastic script and perfect acting, but Psychonauts can rightly claim to be one of them.

Regardless of age, sex or usual gaming preference, there aren't many people that would be disappointed with what Pyschonauts has to offer. Get past the initial feeling of it being a meagre platformer dressed up pretending to be something else and you'll discover a memorable game that deserves as many accolades as it can get. If Psychonauts is left as just a single game then a great injustice would be committed. Although there is a nod towards a sequel there is an even greater shout for a film to be released. With the story, visual stylings and voice acting all set up perfectly, all Pixar need to do is snap up the license and churn out what would be a sure fire hit. I know I'll be the first in line for a ticket.

Amazing
I came across this game in HMV the other day while buying Fifa 07. I loved Day of the Tentacle so I thought I might give it a shot.
Five minutes later... Fifa cast aside... I was totally immersed in the game. I've kept playing it since and although it only took about 4-5 days to complete it is still one of my favourites.
I think the best bit is keeps you playing as you unlock new powers/upgrades as you rise in level; i.e. your levitation ball becomes a wrecking at full speed etc.
Although the graphics are a slight let down, the gameplay itself is really structured and it has a gentle learning curve!!!!!!!!! very uncommon in most games. Each puzzle requires a bit more thinking tha the last and if your really puzzled, like me most of the time, youcan use a strip of bacon to get some advice, simple!
All in all a great game