Psychonauts

"Raz The Psychonaut!!!"

Intro:
At first when I heard about this game in a magazine, the pictures I saw made me think damn what a crazy game and then I soon forgot about it. But eventually I got my hands on a PC demo on Psychonauts and I was completely freaked out about how crazy, funny, and interesting this game is. This game definately has some character in it with plenty of humor and funny twists.

Story 10/10
The game starts off with a kid named Razputin who goes wit just being called Raz and he escapes his parents to go to Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp. To become a Psychic Soldier. There he meets his mentors named Coach Oleander, Sasha Nein, and Milla Vodello. So he gets there and meets them and the other kids. Since he escaped from his parents to go there hes not supposedly allowed to be at the camp. So he has only a couple of days before his parents come back to pick him up. So in that time he is trying to become a Psychonaut. Whats so good about this game is the constant humor in the various characters and stages in the game. The story is decent and original. Plus with so much comedy and creativity in the characters and surroundings the game and the characters just seem to pop out. (in a good way)

Gameplay: 10/10
The very core of Psychonauts is a platformer, and that alone has been done very well by being able to do many kinds of acrobatic stunts, creative enviroments that are really fun to play around in and well its plain good fun platforming! But as you go through the game you learn new abilities such as Mind Blast, Pyrokinesis, Invisibilty, and many more Psychic stuff that are useful and fun. Also you can explore your surroundings as long as you want until your ready to start a new mission. The camp is pretty big and contains many hidden places and cool things to check out so just looking around for things to collect and upgrade and stuff like that will keep you busy for awhile.

Controls: 10/10
The controls are good and easier to work with than a keyboard. (thats why I chose to get the PS2 version instead) You can move the camera around so you can adjust it to where you need it and things like jumping, punching, and using your psychic abilities are easy and simple. So basically the controls are good and work real smooth.

Graphics: 10/10
This is where alot of the creativity is. All the characters in the game have a unique, interesting, and most of all funny as hell look to them. The environments are done well especially when you get into the later missions, things get quite funny and stunning. These graphics are not ones that replicate true life things but rather they have a unique and different look to them. But like I said there GoOD! : ) They really put alot of vibrant colors into the game so nothing is bland or boring. One sad thing though is that the PS2 version is a bit jaggy because of the console is getting dated. Also the load screens are bit too much and a little too long, but the loading is nothing horrible and doesn't take forever just wish they were a little shorter.

Sound: 10/10
All the voices in the game are good and fit the character just right. Some of the characters will make you laugh your ass off because of some of the things they say, such characters like Dogan the squirrel hater. Also the sound effects are good such like hearing his footsteps, punching people, birds chirping, etc.
The music is nice too, Like when your just roaming around, you hear a soft easy going kind of music but when your in those crazy missions you hear music that fits the themeing of the area. The sound is good and the music is decent.

Re-playability: 7/10
The game is good and fun but really the only reason to go back and play the game is if you want to collect all the "figments" in each mission or find all the scavenger hunt items that are in the game, or you could work your way to getting your Psi Rank up to 100 but really its pointless... But hey usually when you like a game you'll usually end up replaying the whole thing again. Its a real good game with alot of fun so yeah I plan to play it again heheh...

Overall: 9/10
I would of gave it a 10 but the only reason I didn't is because the fact that theres a little too much loading and sometimes the loading is a little bit long. Its not terrible but it makes the game feel a little slow going when you can't just jump from a mission to roaming or whatever else. Also becuase the PS2 is getting a little too old for the games, it tends to slow down on the framerates. This barely happens but I've noticed it a few times. But its only 1 point down becuase its not that bad.

But overall this game has a wonderful story mixed with great gameplay and graphics. Plus with all the zanny characters and great humor this game is a must BuY!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/26/05