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Psychonauts 2 |OT| Mindraker

elliot5

Member
The first game had a point of no return. I wondered if this one had that.
There is, but you can still go back and do everything after the finale. It's not like P1 where everything is like truly not repeatable after a point.
 
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Is the game cutscene heavy early on?

I have no idea why developers think I want to stop playing the game every 20 seconds to watch a Netflix quality kid show. I'm about an hour in and I'm constantly being told to go here, watch cutscene, be introduced to new upgrade menu, watch new cutscene etc... Does the game open up and let you play eventually?
 

elliot5

Member
Is the game cutscene heavy early on?

I have no idea why developers think I want to stop playing the game every 20 seconds to watch a Netflix quality kid show. I'm about an hour in and I'm constantly being told to go here, watch cutscene, be introduced to new upgrade menu, watch new cutscene etc... Does the game open up and let you play eventually?
Yes it does open up, but there are still plenty of cutscenes. Once you get beyond Hollis in the beginning it opens up a lot and you can explore and take things at your own pace without much interruption.
 
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Handel

Member
Amazing game, as good as the first as an overall package, if not quite as unique in it's storytelling methods or as genius in it's level design to match the peak of the Psy1's worlds like Milkman Conspiracy, which it never could be without trying too hard to be a replica. Psy2 has more consistent quality across it's levels though, and more levels total. Psi King was my favorite level, it's a visual treat with a fun story of getting the gang back together, and the song at the end is mindblowingly good. Where this game really succeeds is having a strong core story that you follow through the worlds, learning more about the original psychics and their relationship to Maligula, and having Raz be tied into the main plot so he develops as a character much more than in Psy1. Love that the character whose mind you're going through is on the journey to fix themselves right alongside you, much more so than in Psy1 where Raz is off fixing them by himself majority of the level. Hub areas are all great too, especially the Questionable Area which is like an adventure through Gravity Falls. Enjoyed the cast of characters outside of those whose brains you visit, but desired more development with the interns especially since it'd lend more emotional weight when they come to aid Raz during missions, and also his family could have done with at least one more transition in their characterization (Dion most of all to get him to accept Raz).

Really hope we can get DLC that expands on the interns and/or Raz's family, while also tying up loose ends like recovering Helmut's body. Would also enjoy seeing the Whispering Rock campers again in a DLC, and since that connects to the Loboto loose end, would be the best choice for expansion.
 
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Handel

Member
Is the game cutscene heavy early on?

I have no idea why developers think I want to stop playing the game every 20 seconds to watch a Netflix quality kid show. I'm about an hour in and I'm constantly being told to go here, watch cutscene, be introduced to new upgrade menu, watch new cutscene etc... Does the game open up and let you play eventually?
When exploring the hub worlds after finishing the opening section you're free to explore without interruption, though the interruption of play by cutscene is still somewhat of a problem in general for the game, same as Psy1. Though most of said cutscenes are within the mental worlds, and they have narrative importance to understanding the character whose mind you're going through, so the "Netflix quality kid show" aspect won't be prevalent like the scenes with the interns or Raz's family introductions are.
 

SkylineRKR

Member
Beat the game at level 65. Its one of the best platform games out there. Perhaps a bit too much padding with slow reveals, but on the whole a great adventure. The final boss was surprisingly straightforward. I expected some thinking man's battle but its not there. There are more bosses rather straightforward while some others are rather ingenious. I had the hardest time with the cooking challenge boss.
 
Haven't played it in the past few days, but I'm at the part where you've met the family and are fixing Ford (can't remember what exactly). Anyway the game is pretty good. Like the art and writing is solid. A very easy game so far which is fine by me. Much improved platforming from the first game.

120hz is a pretty nice inclusion too. It doesn't seem like a dramatic jump from 60 but it's there. I can't even tell if there's been any visual downgrades going from 60 to 120. Playing on Series X.
 

elliot5

Member
Haven't played it in the past few days, but I'm at the part where you've met the family and are fixing Ford (can't remember what exactly). Anyway the game is pretty good. Like the art and writing is solid. A very easy game so far which is fine by me. Much improved platforming from the first game.

120hz is a pretty nice inclusion too. It doesn't seem like a dramatic jump from 60 but it's there. I can't even tell if there's been any visual downgrades going from 60 to 120. Playing on Series X.
Goes from 4K to 1440P, but the game looks great at either res
 

Null Persp

Member
The 2d Raz is amazing, sorry for the useless post but had to get it out.
Don't worry, I thought the same thing today when I got that power :messenger_grinning_smiling:.
I think I am near the end of the game, I really enjoyed it so far, they outdid themselves and it's my goty for now.
There are so many good creative levels in this sequel, my fav are Compton’s Cook Off, Strike City, Cruller's Correspondence and Hollis world.
 

SCB3

Member
So far I’ve been really enjoying this game, the level design is amazing and really well thought out

however the hub world and its map, just sucks and feels like it’s from the Xbox/ ps2 days, for example

I’m at a part where I have to bring a bee back from the forgotten woods, but I’ve not been introduced to that area yet, fine let’s check the map

not there, no way obvious to go outside this hub, so try every exit,

nope, oh wait there’s a lift down and this leads to a cutscene, ok right way I think, that opened a side mission but I have a new open area and map, so back to the forgotten woods, still not on the map but there is forest areas here maybe that’ll lead me somewhere

a waypoint would’ve really helped me here
 

01011001

Member
I'm like 10h in (doing many of the side missions) and I have to say, what really bothers me more and more the longer I play is the ridiculously bad sound design and sound mix of the game. killing a boss has never any stratifying end to it, hitting enemies or getting hit feels super low energy and dramatic scenes often go down not actually feeling epic or dramatic whatsoever... and all of that is mostly due to the really REALLY bad sound design and mixing... it's actually fucking awful sometimes, I just finished the librarian boss and it was so, well... unsatisfying, every hit felt like nothing, getting hit by her felt like nothing, beating her felt super bland and... again... like nothing, as did the scene that followed.

the music is often too unspectacular and muffled, the voice overs badly timed and mixed, the sound effects when hitting anything is super muffled and gives no satisfying audio-visual feedback... I would not be surprised to lean that this team didn't even have a real sound designer/engineer and they just had some programmer do it on the side or something, because that's what it feels like.

I love the game so far because it really feels like a lost sequel from the og Xbox or PS2 days come to life, which is something I really dig, but man... there is so much to improve here, and the sound is one part that is just astonoshingly bad.
 
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Just wrapped it up too. The first title is up there amongst my all time favourite games, so I was a little apprehensive about the sequel, especially after being disappointed by Brutal Legend and Massive Chalice. Thought that maybe Double Fine had lost their touch. In saying that

This. Game. Rules.

I had a blast from start to finish. I was amazed at how well the voice acting comes together near two decades later, especially for Raz. The level design doesn't surpass the best from the first (there's no topping Milkman or Napoleon), but they get pretty damn close.

I likely won't try to wrap it up 100%, collecting all the figments as I just can't be stuffed with that, but recommend for anyone that has finished it to explore the open world and chat to the characters post-story at the least. There's a good amount of post story content to be found there in the conversations.
 

01011001

Member
So far I’ve been really enjoying this game, the level design is amazing and really well thought out

however the hub world and its map, just sucks and feels like it’s from the Xbox/ ps2 days, for example

I’m at a part where I have to bring a bee back from the forgotten woods, but I’ve not been introduced to that area yet, fine let’s check the map

not there, no way obvious to go outside this hub, so try every exit,

nope, oh wait there’s a lift down and this leads to a cutscene, ok right way I think, that opened a side mission but I have a new open area and map, so back to the forgotten woods, still not on the map but there is forest areas here maybe that’ll lead me somewhere

a waypoint would’ve really helped me here

I don't really see how you can not know where to go in this hub world. it's really straight forward and not that big. and most of the stuff is labeled in some way through signs around the map.
 

Krathoon

Member
Whoever designed that cooking boss needs a noogie.
I think I get the strategy. You have to ride the levitation ball to stay out of the puke. The whole cooking level is a slog.
 

SF Kosmo

The Trigglypuff
Just wrapped it up too. The first title is up there amongst my all time favourite games, so I was a little apprehensive about the sequel, especially after being disappointed by Brutal Legend and Massive Chalice. Thought that maybe Double Fine had lost their touch. In saying that

This. Game. Rules.

I had a blast from start to finish. I was amazed at how well the voice acting comes together near two decades later, especially for Raz. The level design doesn't surpass the best from the first (there's no topping Milkman or Napoleon), but they get pretty damn close.

I likely won't try to wrap it up 100%, collecting all the figments as I just can't be stuffed with that, but recommend for anyone that has finished it to explore the open world and chat to the characters post-story at the least. There's a good amount of post story content to be found there in the conversations.
The level design is better in terms of gameplay, but it does shy away from some of the more purely comedic premises that maybe weren't as sensitive (Milkman and Napoleon both fall into that category as kind of playing to stereotypes of the insane).

That said, Psi-King is so laugh out loud funny thanks to Jack Black, and there are still some very funny concepts there like the cooking show and the germ apocalypse.
 

elliot5

Member
Whoever designed that cooking boss needs a noogie.
I think I get the strategy. You have to ride the levitation ball to stay out of the puke. The whole cooking level is a slog.
It's funny how this level turned out to be THE level that is so divisive. I personally LOVED it, but I also love cooking shows and thought it was so clever. A nice unique tight space level. The boss battle was such a "Oh my god" moment. I didn't remember to use levitation for safety, but it was the right amount of chaos for me. One of the highlights of the game for me
 

Krathoon

Member
It's funny how this level turned out to be THE level that is so divisive. I personally LOVED it, but I also love cooking shows and thought it was so clever. A nice unique tight space level. The boss battle was such a "Oh my god" moment. I didn't remember to use levitation for safety, but it was the right amount of chaos for me. One of the highlights of the game for me
It is kind of like an endurance run.
 
It's funny how this level turned out to be THE level that is so divisive
My first time through I was kind of hating it because it had a timer. But it only takes a trip back in the brain tumbler to see that the time limit really did not matter.
I then saw youtubers doing the level and I just slapped my forehead for not realizing I could speed things up doing it another way. :)
Now I no longer hate it.

I think I get the strategy. You have to ride the levitation ball to stay out of the puke.
I really wish I would have figured this out. I pretty much psi popped and dream fluffed my way to the final ford goat puppet.
The cooking boss was the hardest in the game for me.
 

elliot5

Member
My first time through I was kind of hating it because it had a timer. But it only takes a trip back in the brain tumbler to see that the time limit really did not matter.
I then saw youtubers doing the level and I just slapped my forehead for not realizing I could speed things up doing it another way. :)
Now I no longer hate it.


I really wish I would have figured this out. I pretty much psi popped and dream fluffed my way to the final ford goat puppet.
The cooking boss was the hardest in the game for me.
yeah they teach you in Loboto's mind that levitation protects you from danger on the ground, but they use electricity as the example. By the time you're at this boss you haven't had to use levitation in that way at all, really. Or at least, weren't FORCED to so it didn't drill that into your brain. Definitely makes it more difficult as the hitboxes of the puke can be unforgiving.
 
The level design is better in terms of gameplay, but it does shy away from some of the more purely comedic premises that maybe weren't as sensitive (Milkman and Napoleon both fall into that category as kind of playing to stereotypes of the insane).

That said, Psi-King is so laugh out loud funny thanks to Jack Black, and there are still some very funny concepts there like the cooking show and the germ apocalypse.

You're probably right on the gameplay front. It's been years since I've booted up the original. I really should get around to running through it again as my memory is foggy on some parts now.

Psi-King as a character rocked, though I don't know why, but that level didn't especially stand out for me at the time. The cooking show was unreal, and I really dug the casino.

I kind of hope we get a follow-up to Brutal Legend after this. Schafer with a bit more time to create his vision this time around, and Jack Black in a lead role would absolutely rule.
 

Krathoon

Member
They would have to think up something new for Brutal Legend. I kind of think they used up the well on that one.
Was Brutal Legend backwards compatible on Xbox One.
 

SF Kosmo

The Trigglypuff
You're probably right on the gameplay front. It's been years since I've booted up the original. I really should get around to running through it again as my memory is foggy on some parts now.

Psi-King as a character rocked, though I don't know why, but that level didn't especially stand out for me at the time. The cooking show was unreal, and I really dug the casino.

I kind of hope we get a follow-up to Brutal Legend after this. Schafer with a bit more time to create his vision this time around, and Jack Black in a lead role would absolutely rule.
I replayed the original right before this came out so it's pretty fresh in my mind. It hold up well, but some of the levels that stand out as.great are more for their concept than their design. Like Lungfishopolis has those sluggish Kaiju controls, and even The Milkman conspiracy has some annoyingly hidden items and a lot of wandering around. These levels are classics because they're funny more than because they're highlights in terms of level design.
 

Krathoon

Member
I find it funny how they reference stuff from the first game and I don't remember it because that was over ten years ago.

The development team had to have replayed the first game before making this one.
 

Krathoon

Member
The cooking boss fight does that annoying thing where you have to fight waves of enemies. It would have been fine without them.
 

Krathoon

Member
I think you pretty much have to use pops and fluff on the cooking boss. I am still getting killed on it. I think I have to max out my pops and fluff.

I don't see how you can dodge when the judge throws the book at you.
 

elliot5

Member
It looks like you have to max out your telekinesis too.
nah you can definitely dodge the book easily. I think you can catch it in the air anyway. Psi Pops help, but there should be enough health spawns to break to get your through. Use TK on the Judge to grab his hammer too
 

reksveks

Member
Took me a while to get into the loop of slowing down the projectiles and tk them back especially for the enemy that creates fakes of itself.
 

Krathoon

Member
nah you can definitely dodge the book easily. I think you can catch it in the air anyway. Psi Pops help, but there should be enough health spawns to break to get your through. Use TK on the Judge to grab his hammer too
Ok. So, that is trick. You have to catch it. That book is heat seeking and I didn't see the counter for it. I grabbed his hammer. I find you have to attack him from a distance. He has an AOE attack when he gets angry.
 

Krathoon

Member
The game really likes to lock onto you for it's attacks. The cooking puppets pull that too. You have to use the ball to dodge.
 

Roufianos

Member
It's some of the most enjoyable platforming I can remember but I think it's a bit too story heavy. I haven't played a game with this many cutecenes since MGS4.

I mean, the characters are kind of funny and charming but not enough to justify constantly breaking up the gameplay. Just started skipping the dialogue at the book world and I'm enjoying it a lot more.
 

Elder Legend

Yoir Aee Member
Anyone debating or still deciding if they want to play game or just see how it plays/looks at 4K60 - Here is my entire play-through from start to finish. Obviously watch at your own risk for spoilers and there is NO commentary, just pure gameplay - enjoy!

Fun Stats about Creating this Video

It is Rendered at 4K60 with very high bitrate so the YouTube compression doesn't kill the quality.
It took roughly 2 days or so for the entire render to finish
Final size was 168 GBs
It took 2-4 Days to fully upload to YouTube
It took roughly additional week or so to fully process to 4K60 AFTER it has been uploaded
The whole thing took around 3 weeks as far as video editing goes, render, upload and process (not including actually playing the game)
Adobe Premier was used for the video editing/render

 
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