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Psychonauts 2 Thread, hide Spoilers

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  • I'm An Elk; Shoot MeI'm An Elk; Shoot Me It's Fiddler Crab Season! Registered User regular
    Finished it last night. My.... god this was a good game

    Why are more people not playing this very good game

  • urahonkyurahonky Cynical Old Man Registered User regular
    I have been trying to go through Psychonauts 1 and I'm really struggling. I know it's a product of it's time but I'm really not getting into it. Is it worth just going to 2?

  • I'm An Elk; Shoot MeI'm An Elk; Shoot Me It's Fiddler Crab Season! Registered User regular
    edited September 2021
    urahonky wrote: »
    I have been trying to go through Psychonauts 1 and I'm really struggling. I know it's a product of it's time but I'm really not getting into it. Is it worth just going to 2?

    Honestly if you're just in it for the story it might not be worth it. 2 basically summarizes what you need to know in like the first five minutes and then most of the remaining gaps are filled throughout the game. Also, you're not going to get the "full" story regardless unless you played the Oculus game a few years back that served as a plot bridge for 1 and 2. If it's not fun to play but you still want to see the story and (very good) writing there's tons of Let's Plays on YouTube.

    1 is still a very good game, but 2 is very much a game made 16 years later, as well as like every game made after 2017 a game that came out after Breath of the Wild Changed Everything™, and in both cases it shows.

    I'm An Elk; Shoot Me on
  • FuriousJodoFuriousJodo Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    urahonky wrote: »
    I have been trying to go through Psychonauts 1 and I'm really struggling. I know it's a product of it's time but I'm really not getting into it. Is it worth just going to 2?

    I think the video story wrap-up of 1 that exists in 2 gives you everything you need to know - and Psychonauts 2 is a much better game to actually play.

    FuriousJodo on Twitch/PSN/XBL/Whatever else
  • EnlongEnlong Registered User regular
    Do you still have the ability to use Levitate without equipping it, by jumping while floating? That was one of my favorite things in the original game, to the point that I basically never actually equipped Levitate.

  • KandenKanden Registered User regular
    Enlong wrote: »
    Do you still have the ability to use Levitate without equipping it, by jumping while floating? That was one of my favorite things in the original game, to the point that I basically never actually equipped Levitate.

    It's an option in the menus. Definitely worth turning on.

  • PoochPooch Registered User regular
    Enlong wrote: »
    Do you still have the ability to use Levitate without equipping it, by jumping while floating? That was one of my favorite things in the original game, to the point that I basically never actually equipped Levitate.

    Been a while since I played the original, but I believe in this one you have to have it equipped, jump, and then hold the button that levitate is attached to.

    The tutorial in 2 has a few parts where they stress "Tap A to jump, then press and HOLD A again to double jump, then hold the trigger to levitate."

  • I'm An Elk; Shoot MeI'm An Elk; Shoot Me It's Fiddler Crab Season! Registered User regular
    Kanden wrote: »
    Enlong wrote: »
    Do you still have the ability to use Levitate without equipping it, by jumping while floating? That was one of my favorite things in the original game, to the point that I basically never actually equipped Levitate.

    It's an option in the menus. Definitely worth turning on.

    I... I played the entire game without knowing this and I am low key furious now

  • EnlongEnlong Registered User regular
    Pooch wrote: »
    Enlong wrote: »
    Do you still have the ability to use Levitate without equipping it, by jumping while floating? That was one of my favorite things in the original game, to the point that I basically never actually equipped Levitate.

    Been a while since I played the original, but I believe in this one you have to have it equipped, jump, and then hold the button that levitate is attached to.

    The tutorial in 2 has a few parts where they stress "Tap A to jump, then press and HOLD A again to double jump, then hold the trigger to levitate."

    In the original, you had the option to use Levitate without equipping it, yeah. Once you learned Levitate (always a bit funny that the double jump still used the ball before you learned it, but whatevs), you can use the levitate ball to fall slowly while jumping. If you hit the jump button while holding the button to fall slowly in midair, Raz just pulls himself onto the ball he was using to fall slowly, and you can just roll around like that.

    It's not quite as simple as hiting the button, and you need to jump and float again to cancel it, but being able to equip 3 powers and still use Levitate was super worth it, to me.

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    edited September 2021
    urahonky wrote: »
    I have been trying to go through Psychonauts 1 and I'm really struggling. I know it's a product of it's time but I'm really not getting into it. Is it worth just going to 2?

    I would say Psychonauts is slow to get going, but gets good once you leave the camp.
    Or at least, the game stops getting Raz to grind things and just packs more good bits close together after that point.

    discrider on
  • HedgethornHedgethorn Associate Professor of Historical Hobby Horses In the Lions' DenRegistered User regular
    discrider wrote: »
    urahonky wrote: »
    I have been trying to go through Psychonauts 1 and I'm really struggling. I know it's a product of it's time but I'm really not getting into it. Is it worth just going to 2?

    I would say Psychonauts is slow to get going, but gets good once you leave the camp.
    Or at least, the game stops getting Raz to grind things and just packs more good bits close together after that point.

    Yes, all the truly great levels in Psychonauts 1 show up after the 4 hour mark (and probably a fair bit later than that if it's your first playthrough and you're not using a guide to know where to go). The stretch of acquiring all the key powers via Brain Tumbler->Sasha->Brain Tumbler->Mia->Brain Tumbler->Divining Rod->Cobweb Duster is the weakest part of the game (except, of course, for the infamous slog that is the final level). But after that comes five levels that are pure gold.

  • EnlongEnlong Registered User regular
    And that final level really isn’t all that bad. The combat section is pretty dang easy unless you fall down midway through, and the final platforming section is admittedly janky, but not terribly so.

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    edited September 2021
    Eh.
    Escort mission followed by taking spiked clubs to the face.
    Did not enjoy

    Also think they missed a beat not allowing Raz to use the door on Lili, and get thrown right back out.

    discrider on
  • EnlongEnlong Registered User regular
    I mean, it's sort of an escort mission, but it's super simplified if you know what to do.
    Since you can immobilize the bunnies by holding them in place with telekinesis, so Oly catches up quick. And the nightmare meat rabbits go splat in a few punches.

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    =-=

  • EnlongEnlong Registered User regular
    I don't disagree that it's a poor section of the game. But I think it's been hyped up as being extremely awful or difficult, and I honestly don't feel that way about it these days.

    Still the part of the game I like the least, tho.

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    I don't think I ever used TK there, which might explain some things.

  • KrathoonKrathoon Registered User regular
    For some reason, I have to run the game as administrator if I run it offline.

  • KrathoonKrathoon Registered User regular
    edited September 2021
    I am glad the game lets you jump out of a brain to get psi pops and fluff and then resume where you left off.

    Krathoon on
  • EnlongEnlong Registered User regular
    edited September 2021
    Krathoon wrote: »
    I am glad the game lets you jump out of a brain to get psi pops and fluff and then resume where you left off.

    Couldn’t you do that with the bacon in the first game?

    Enlong on
  • KrathoonKrathoon Registered User regular
    Were psi pops and fluff in the first game?

  • KrathoonKrathoon Registered User regular
    I forgot so much of the first game.

  • Lucid_SeraphLucid_Seraph TealDeer MarylandRegistered User regular
    Yay, I beat it

    Using a controller makes the egg / ball sections much easier.

  • KrathoonKrathoon Registered User regular
    I feel like they took the ball stuff from Mario Galaxy.

  • KrathoonKrathoon Registered User regular
    Bowling
    They had just the right amount of difficulty on that level.

  • EnlongEnlong Registered User regular
    Krathoon wrote: »
    Were psi pops and fluff in the first game?

    Dream Fluffs were in the first game; they were a generic healing item (and would be automatically consumed if your HP got too low). I don't think psi pops were a thing.

  • KrathoonKrathoon Registered User regular
    I finally got past that cooking boss. Did two of Ford shard levels. I need to do the mailroom one,
    but I have to find a brain.

  • ThirithThirith Registered User regular
    I finished Psychonauts 2 over the weekend. I greatly enjoyed the game and am glad I supported it, and I am hoping to revisit this particular world and its characters again, hopefully not only in 16 years.

    However, I also think there aren't any true standout levels like there were in the first game, and some levels I felt were pretty weak, either as levels or in terms of the storytelling. For instance, there's a lot I liked about
    Cassie's mind, but I don't think it holds together particularly well, nor does it really makes its disparateness work all that well in narrative terms. It just lampshades it. Overall, some of the new characters were underdeveloped IMO, and in this case the story and level design suffered, even if individual elements thereof were fun.

    webp-net-resizeimage.jpg
    "Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    Yeah Cassie’s level or Psi-King’s were the closest this game got to the creative heights of the first one IMO. And neither were as good as, say, Black Velvetopia, or Lungfishopolis, or Waterloo World.

    And no level even halfway approached the incredible Milkman Conspiracy.

  • KrathoonKrathoon Registered User regular
    That bowling ball level was tricky. They did it just right. That last part could have easily been too frustrating.

  • KrathoonKrathoon Registered User regular
    It is so easy to accumulate psitanium. It resets all the time.

  • KrathoonKrathoon Registered User regular
    Yay, I beat it

    Using a controller makes the egg / ball sections much easier.

    Yeah. You definitely need a controller.

  • MaddocMaddoc I'm Bobbin Threadbare, are you my mother? Registered User regular
    I really liked Ram It Down, if it lasted any longer it would have gotten frustrating, but much like virtually everything in the game it manages to not overstay it's welcome

    Also the boss music whips ass

  • KrathoonKrathoon Registered User regular
    Maddoc wrote: »
    I really liked Ram It Down, if it lasted any longer it would have gotten frustrating, but much like virtually everything in the game it manages to not overstay it's welcome

    Also the boss music whips ass

    That three stage boss fight was a little too much. I had to expand my psi pop and fluff capacity.

  • Shenl742Shenl742 Registered User regular
    I really liked Bob's Bottles. It had some pretty interesting (though also a little frustrating) set pieces and gimmicks

    But most of all it made me seriously tear up...like...alot! I totally didn't expect this game to hit me so squarely in the feels

    FC: 1907-8030-1478
  • MaddocMaddoc I'm Bobbin Threadbare, are you my mother? Registered User regular
    And now I've got the boss music from Ram It Down stuck in my head

  • ThirithThirith Registered User regular
    You're saying you don't have the Grulovian national anthem stuck in your head? Inconceivable!

    webp-net-resizeimage.jpg
    "Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
  • shoeboxjeddyshoeboxjeddy Registered User regular
    Done and dusted 100%. I lost at least 2-3 solid hours finding a few (like... 3) missing figments, which is so dumb and unnecessary, really. You have a hot and cold detecting device in the game already! They could have let you use it to find figments in the post game or laid out specifically where you were missing them instead of thoughtlessly porting over 2008 platformer collectathon rules. In terms of levels that make you go wow, I think this one peaks early, but the main plot was more engaging this time, so that helped carry it. I think the 3 badge limit was an extremely bad idea that kept me from really enjoying my powers. I used higher damage melee + more money + magnet money until I bought everything in the game, then swapped to higher damage shots + more chain shots for the rest of the game. In terms of difficulty... very low? But I'm fine with that, very used to it for platforming games of this type. I had to actually get killed on purpose to get the "use a dream fluff" achievement, in fact.

    I'm very happy with how it turned out and hope the injection of MS resources keeps their team healthy and happy.

  • KrathoonKrathoon Registered User regular
    Ford mail.
    That mail level was an awkward mess. Somehow, Ford knows what happened to Raz's grandparents.

  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    Keep playing…

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