http://media.xbox.ign.com/media/482/482075/vids_1.html
That game looks great–hilarious, and the visuals are nice too. Top of my wishlist
I believe it’s been cancelled for the Xbox, though a PC version is in the works.
Isn’t Erik Wolpaw involved in this somehow?
I believe it’s been cancelled for the Xbox, though a PC version is in the works.[/quote]
Hmm… IGN had a hands-on preview posted within the last couple days on their Xbox page (where I got this link)
There is an xbox version, but it is being ported to ps2. Didn’t hear anything about a pc port.
The PC version was confirmed a while ago.
So its been canceled for the Xbox and is being ported from the Xbox to the PC and the PS2, then?
No, it’s still being developed for Xbox, too.
Microsoft cancels Psychonauts.
Majesco picks up Psychonauts.
Majesco decides to also make it multiplatform. Doublefine (with a bit of Erik) makes the Xbox version. I believe they also do the PC version, though I could be wrong. An outside developer (Mass Media, I think?) is doing the PS2 port.
Damn, and it’s just short of half a gig.
Any indications which platform might be the better fit for the title (PC or Xbox in my case)?
I would guess Xbox since the vast majority of development time was spent there.
Thanks for the demo hookup Matt.
Any game with Tim Schafer’s name on it automatically makes it worth checking out.
My plan: snag the demo for PC this week. If it’s more adventury (look behind you! a three-headed monkey!) then I’ll nab it on PC. If it’s more platformy, I’ll nab it on Xbox.
And given that I’m a complete fucking idiot, I’ll probably agonize over the decision, buy one, be convinced I made the wrong decision, and buy the other version in a few months when I see it for $20.
Somebody please kill me before I shop again.
How the PC version plays will ultimately decide, but keep in mind the PC version seems to be $20 cheaper than the Xbox or PS2 versions. That’s sort of significant.
It’s very much a platformer. I managed all right with the keyboard, but the gamepad is so much better. If you don’t have one for your PC, get the Logitech Cordless Rumblepad 2, it’s $39.99 I think and the cordless convenience is great.
The game itself is the first part of the game: the intro, the first part of the hub (the Summer Camp), and the tutorial mission inside Oleander’s head, which is a battlefield and therefore according to the Transitive Benatar Principle, also love. That must be why there are trapezes in there. Actually, the level designers did a nice job of blending the various platform stuff with the theme of the level.
The weak portion of the demo is that you don’t get to use any psychic powers except for your attack and double jump, which are components of just about every other platformer; you think they could front you one or two of the good ones even though you wouldn’t have them by that point in the retail version.
The game looks pretty cool, but like Sockpuppet said, its gonna be a tough decision. It probably controls better on the Xbox but it probably looks nicer on the PC.
As for the game, very platform-y (in a good way), but its got that Schafer humor. I mean, you gather figments of the imagination and tags for baggage (as in, emotional baggage).
Just played through the demo. Some thoughts:
(i) I’m buying this on X-Box. An analog stick would have made some of the more challenging platform elements WAY easier.
(ii) Tim Schaffer is still the best writer in his medium. Given how short the demo is, it’s amazing how completely I’ve been sucked into the world and its bizarre (but somehow utterly believeable) characters. I want more!
(iii) Level design looks pretty good. There’s nothing too out of the ordinary in terms of actual mechanics (likely due to having no real psychic powers yet), but the implementation ranges from solid to pretty spectacular (the last room of the training level is a humdinger).
(iv) I don’t think the art direction will be for everyone, but I think it looks great and should certainly appeal to those who dig Grim Fandango’s look.
(v) Great voice acting, in the classic Lucasarts style. Your protagonist is voiced by Invader Zim!
(vi) Funny. Quite funny in fact.
(vii) Many many (many) checkpoints. Like God of War, they seem to want you to play the game as a whole, not just the same segment 50 times.
(viii) Minor negatives: Camera need manual adjustment a little too often, and sometimes it felt like Raz didn’t “stick” to areas consistently - not a major issue, but it did make mantling slightly more hairy than it should have been.
So, yeah, I’m getting it.
I’ve been following this game for a while and it looks really cool. I’ll have to grab the PC demo when I get home to my gamering machine.
And to you guys who keep talking about how platforming games don’t play well on PC, I just have to mirror Matthew’s recommendation to get the Logitech Cordless Rumblepad. It’s just nearly as comfortable as the PS2’s pad but it feels sturdier plus it’s cordless. It makes choosing between the same game on PC, Xbox or PS2 a no-brainer.