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Psychonauts (PS2) | 
 enlarge | From: THQ
Category: Video Games
List Price: £29.99
Buy New: £12.99
You Save: £17.00 (57%)
New (5) Used (3) from £9.98
Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 1482
Platform: Playstation2
Genre: adventure-games
Rating: To Be Announced
Media: Video Game
Number Of Items: 1
Age: 11 - 18 years
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 4005209072496
ASIN: B000E0PQXW
Release Date: February 10, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: brand new sealed
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 The most unique platformer I've ever played. July 6, 2007
Robert Jardim (Preston, Lancs)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
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 March 11, 2007
M. D. Pellett
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
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 December 28, 2006
Powdermonkey (England)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
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
Hooked to the end December 14, 2006
rachelcreative (Midlands, UK)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed Psychonauts. I was worried it might be a bit childish - but apart from a few of the cutscenes I was really pleased. It had lots of humour, it's difficulty increased gently, loads to explore, got to use my brain, lasted for ages. I loved it!
I liked the way that challenges changed - so I had to fight, I had to jump, but then I had to learn to float too in one level too! It kept me interested - enough variety without a milion button combinations to remember. And I had to use my brain to crack the levels too - not just jump, jump, jump, shoot!
If you like the same sort of things from a game as me this is a great one to go for. I like a bit of quirkiness, a bit of a story, good characters, some humour, some puzzles, ability to do it in my own time, dying doesn't wipe out all my previous efforts every time, enough variety in levels and tasks to keep me interested, good animation.
Thumbs up!
Great game, with a few little problems June 13, 2006
J. Gordon (Stockton-on-tees, England.)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Psychonauts is an amazing game. From a distance it appears to be a fairly standard platforming game but once you are introduced to the characters and the story the whole thing expands into an amazingly quaint and hilarious universe. The characters are brilliant, the voice work is top notch, the story is delightfully twisted and the humour is suprisingly mature. The whole world of the game is very Tim Burton-esque, but not in a rip-off kind of way, in a more original and good way. The visual style and art direction is fabulous, the sound is great too. Okay, so these are all the good points...
On the down side, the Playstation 2 version of this title does lack alot of the visual flare that the Xbox and PC versions hold, so if you have a PC or an Xbox, you should definitely consider grabbing this game on those platforms. There are a few annoying bugs in the game, sometime the soundtrack will double over on it self so you can hear two layers of the same tune simultaneously but they are slightly out of synch. This can be annoying, but it's not a massive problem. Whatever you do, make sure you get to play this game with a console style analog controller.
All in all, a brilliant game for those who like quirky, crazy chracters and a crazy plot that will keep you chuckling throughout, and even platforming fans looking for something a little different. Awesome stuff.
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