So I just played Psychonauts for the first time

[Dr.Epic]

Started my first game a few hours ago. Yeah, I know: it's several years old, but I don't care. I was in Game Stop a few days ago, just browsing their PS2 selection and I figured I'd buy it. Psychonauts was a game I knew about when it came out, and I always kind of wanted to play it, but never got around to buying it. I guess I was too busy downsizing the Greek pantheon, killing "zombies" in Europe, and beating the tar out of midgets, clowns, and demons.

Anyway, I'm having fun with it, which is kind of surprising if you think about it. If you couldn't guess by the games list above, I'm usually more a fan of beat-'em-ups and hack-and-slash; games that by the end you're accumulated a body count equal to that of a very large battle or quite possibly a small war. But the game is a ton of fun. It's one of the best platformers I've ever played. The mental levels are original, fun, and creative to explore and walk through. I also love the dialogue and characters.

Overall, I'm having fun. I just learned levitation. So feel free to be nostalgic and discuss a game that's like 7-8 years old. And please, remember spoilers where appropriate.

[factotum]

You'd have been better off getting the PC version off Steam or something--they patched one of the later levels (Meat Circus) to make it less ridonkulously difficult and frustrating. Other than that one glitch, though, the game is one of the best platformers ever made (IMHO)...

[Craft (Cheese)]

<--- Beat the Meat Circus first try.

Had more problems with the catwalks in Gloria's theater to be honest :/


Also, am I the only one who finds the Milkman Conspiracy to be seriously overrated?

[Archonic Energy]

are you in on it?
who's paying you?
...
WHO'S PAYING YOU?
*slap*
we can do this the easy way or the hard way, but either way you will tell me what you know.

[Thiyr]

Deadly....TRIANGLE BEAM!

Sorry, random references to the game aside, hooray for psychonauts. Just watch out for the psychic bears of doom.

And the meat circus. If you haven't gathered, you will cry tears (of bacon grease). Platforming hell given flesh (and circus).


edit: I'm just sayin' the meat circus is cruel and unusual, not that it fits the description of platform hell. It's just terribly painful to experience.

[Cespenar]

Originally Posted by Craft (Cheese)

Also, am I the only one who finds the Milkman Conspiracy to be seriously overrated?

Nah, I don't think it to be the best level either. My candidates would be Lungfishopolis and the neon lights & bullfight-themed level of which I've forgotten the name.

Especially, their boss fights.

[shadow_archmagi]

I felt like the Milkman Conspiracy was a lot of fun as a concept, but the level itself was definitely not the most enjoyable in terms of gameplay.

[Thiyr]

Originally Posted by Cespenar

Nah, I don't think it to be the best level either. My candidates would be Lungfishopolis and the neon lights & bullfight-themed level of which I've forgotten the name.

Especially, their boss fights.

Black Velvetopia, iirc.

[Dr.Epic]

Goggalor! Tee-hee! I love it!

[smuchmuch]

Put spoilers in white text.

The milkman conspiracy was a very fun level for me. The fun mostly comes from just screwing around like you do in the camp, trying wrong objects and getting caught on purpose just to hear all the questions the agents can ask (there are tons of those it's funny) you and so on.
I'll admit it's not for everyone tho, it's one of those level who show how much while being platformer, Psychonaut is a tim shaeffer creation and thus heavily influenced by advnture game.

As for the meat circus, I alway felt ambivalent about it. I think it's an awesomme level and I never understood all the hate for the rising water section, sure it's a step up in diffciulty but it's not that hard and it's it'd be be a challenge. The section with little Olie, however is just annoying and painfull. Boss fights we're disapointing.

it's an excellent game altogether. it's only default IMO is that it is a bit short and really doesn't have that many non tutorial actual levels.

[Dr.Epic]

Originally Posted by Cespenar

Nah, I don't think it to be the best level either. My candidates would be Lungfishopolis and the neon lights & bullfight-themed level of which I've forgotten the name.

Lungfishopolis was a ton of fun. It was a hilarious inversion. It'd be my favorite level so far (I just beat the level and haven't played again yet to give context) if it weren't for the controls. You move a lot slower and clunkier, which I guess physically makes sense since you are 100 feet tall.

Originally Posted by smuchmuch

it's an excellent game altogether. it's only default IMO is that it is a bit short

Seems like a decent length to me. Granted I'm not done with it, but I've already spent 5 hours playing it and my Psi level is only 45, so there at least seems like there's a few more hours.

and really doesn't have that many non tutorial actual levels.

Yeah, that was an annoyance to me too. Yeah, I get it!
Warning: strong language

One thing that surprised me was Steve Blum's character in the game. I heard he did voice work for Psychonauts, but I wasn't sure which character. I would have never guessed in a million years Spike from Cowboy Bebop shared the same voice as this character. Which probably adds to the hilarity!

[Psychonaut]

As one might gather, I am a fan.

I agree with the sentiment that the Milkman Conspiracy is lacking as far as gameplay goes, but I absolutely love the concept and execution. In fact, it's kind of a microcosm for the game as a whole in that way. (IMO, the game as a whole is rather mediocre with regard to the platformer elements that make up the bulk of the gameplay, but the concept and humor makes it entertaining nonetheless.)

[Dr.Epic]

Originally Posted by Psychonaut

As one might gather, I am a fan.

What!? You username Psychonaut is a fan of the video game Psychonauts! Surely you jest!

I agree with the sentiment that the Milkman Conspiracy is lacking as far as gameplay goes, but I absolutely love the concept and execution.

Again with the Milkman Conspiracy. Why so much hate? I'm gonna have to play this part and see for myself. Am I close? I just got past Lungfishopolis and arrived on the island or wherever it is.

In fact, it's kind of a microcosm for the game as a whole in that way. (IMO, the game as a whole is rather mediocre with regard to the platformer elements that make up the bulk of the gameplay, but the concept and humor makes it entertaining nonetheless.)

Well, I'll have to take everybody's word for this. I'm still playing it. I'm having a lot of fun though. And yeah, the humor and concept is probably the best part.

[Craft (Cheese)]

Originally Posted by Dr.Epic

Again with the Milkman Conspiracy. Why so much hate? I'm gonna have to play this part and see for myself. Am I close? I just got past Lungfishopolis and arrived on the island or wherever it is.

You're just about to do it: It's the level immediately after Lungfishopolis.

My problem with the Milkman Conspiracy is it basically consists of running around a neighborhood searching every last one of the identical houses on identical streets for the items you need to proceed. It's very easy to get lost and oftentimes you'll pass over the area you're supposed to go because you'll assume you've already been there. I had to resort to a video walkthrough, which just sucks all the fun out of it.

It's not even really that funny until you get to the end which, I have to admit, was pretty brilliant. It has one joke, and it just repeats tiny variations of this joke over and over.

[factotum]

Originally Posted by Craft (Cheese)

I had to resort to a video walkthrough, which just sucks all the fun out of it.

The only level I recall having to do that on is the bull level--how the heck you're supposed to figure out the route through that one without dying 50 squillion times is beyond me, and dying 50 squillion times is not fun!

[Psychonaut]

Originally Posted by Dr.Epic

Am I close? I just got past Lungfishopolis and arrived on the island or wherever it is.

If you just got past Lungfishopolis, you're practically there already.

Again with the Milkman Conspiracy. Why so much hate?

It's not hate so much as a feeling that it's overrated. Whenever anyone describes this game to anyone else, the Milkman Conspiracy is inevitably cited as an example of the game's brilliance (and frequently the only example, to the detriment of its other brilliant levels).

I don't really agree with Craft's critique of it, though. TMC is highly linear, so I'm not sure how one could get lost so easily, and the reason it uses the same theme/joke over and over is that it's basically an exploration of what happens when you take the "mindscape" concept of Psychonauts and apply it to the mind of a paranoid schizophrenic (combined with multiple personalities, as so many works are wont to do). So naturally, a lot of the level's artistic design is based around the idea of seeing everyone and everything as working against you, seeing conspiracies in every shadow, etc.

[Dr.Epic]

So I just finished the Milkman Conspiracy. And yeah, you guys were right. It is overrated. The only really enjoyable thing was all the Steve Blum guys.

[Knight13]

Lungfishopolis is the best level ever, especially with the ridiculous lungfish freedom fighters, complete with headbands and tiny definitely-not-AK-47s.

"Freedom!"
"Freedom!"
"Free-DUUMM!"

Not to mention that even the so-called instructors in the game all seem to admit that having kickass psychic powers isn't about using them responsibly so much as just doing awesome stuff for the hell of it.

Sasha Nein: "You will learn to control these emotions, focus them, concentrate then, and release them."
Razputin: "As therapy?"
Sasha Nein: "No, as firepower."

Ford Cruller: "Now you have to promise only to use your power of Pyrokinesis when it's really, really important or really, really entertaining."
Ford Cruller: "And if you're doing it to impress girls, make sure none of them are wearing a lot of hairspray."

[smuchmuch]

Pshaah, milkman conspiracy is an excellent level and you people have no taste. "Beware the cows, not all milk is enriched !" will never stop to make me giggle.
I thinkt the best joke is that if you get arrested you can get the question: "what is the purpose of the google ," and then bost battle happens. "I'll pluck out your eyes ! " "You can't ! That is the purpose of the googles".

(Lungfishopolis is fun but in my opinion, the lack of telekinesis make it feels just so ,damn slow when you took the habit of bouncing and flaoting around.and the boss battle is just so gimmicky)

In my opinion, the worst (by which I mean less good because there isn't any really bad level in this game) level in the game is Waterloo world. It has a few okay jokes and design but the figment are such a pain to get and the musical score gets annoying after a while.

[Domochevsky]

Originally Posted by smuchmuch

...

Spoiler

In my opinion, the worst (by which I mean less good because there isn't any really bad level in this game) level in the game is Waterloo world. It has a few okay jokes and design but the figment are such a pain to get and the musical score gets annoying after a while.

Spoiler

Man, how i hated that one jump onto the roof from the flagpole... never could pull it off. No idea why.

But yes. As a platformer Psychonauts is mediocre. But the whole package is just so well made, with the narrative being the best part of it.

[Dr.Epic]

I just beat the Napoleon level and the Theater level (I forget there official names). I liked the Napoleon level, but the Theater level I thought was lacking. I'm about to do the artist guy level, then I'll have all three items to fool that one guy.

[Sipex]

Wow, you're tearing through this game. I recently got the PC version and am in the middle of the Milkman Conspiracy. I really don't see why you guys think it's overrated, I've been enjoying it so far.

Now I just have to figure out how to get past that girl guide (don't tell me, I'm having more fun figuring this out myself).

[DiscipleofBob]

Originally Posted by factotum

You'd have been better off getting the PC version off Steam or something--they patched one of the later levels (Meat Circus) to make it less ridonkulously difficult and frustrating. Other than that one glitch, though, the game is one of the best platformers ever made (IMHO)...

That just seems like sacrilege. Part of what makes the Meat Circus so awesome is that it's ridiculously difficult and takes multiple tries. It feels like that much more of an achievement when you finally do beat it.

Also, the final boss could quite possibly be my favorite boss in video games, if for no other reason than the psychological aspect.

[Dr.Epic]

So, I think I'm almost finished with the game...

Spoiler

I beat Coach Oleander's brain in the tank, and then I threw my own brain into the tank, and then I saw Oleander as a child with a rabbit, then I turned off the game and went to bed for the night.

[Tebryn]

You're at the end, or close to it yes.

[DiscipleofBob]

Originally Posted by Dr.Epic

So, I think I'm almost finished with the game...

Spoiler

I beat Coach Oleander's brain in the tank, and then I threw my own brain into the tank, and then I saw Oleander as a child with a rabbit, then I turned off the game and went to bed for the night.

Yup. I wish I would've mentioned something earlier, but it's worth noting that while you can visit all the mental worlds at this point, you can't go back to the overworld and get missed collectibles like the cards, Psi-cores, or brains.

[Dr.Epic]

Originally Posted by DiscipleofBob

Yup. I wish I would've mentioned something earlier, but it's worth noting that while you can visit all the mental worlds at this point, you can't go back to the overworld and get missed collectibles like the cards, Psi-cores, or brains.

Yeah, I kind of figured that out...

Spoiler

...with the asylum exploding.

[factotum]

Originally Posted by DiscipleofBob

That just seems like sacrilege. Part of what makes the Meat Circus so awesome is that it's ridiculously difficult and takes multiple tries. It feels like that much more of an achievement when you finally do beat it.

Not really. I just felt relief when I finally finished it because some bits were so cheap--in particular:

Spoiler

Having to climb all the way up the big top while protecting Lil' Oleander at each level was ruddy ridiculous. All that platforming would have been hard enough on its own without having to do it all to a really strict time limit!

[Tebryn]

Originally Posted by factotum

Not really. I just felt relief when I finally finished it because some bits were so cheap--in particular:

Spoiler

Having to climb all the way up the big top while protecting Lil' Oleander at each level was ruddy ridiculous. All that platforming would have been hard enough on its own without having to do it all to a really strict time limit!

Spoiler

Yes. That part was brutal but I was so happy with myself at the end. I felt like...I'd climbed a mountain but with my fingers while on fire.

[Craft (Cheese)]

The problem is, the difference between "Wow, that was great! I'm so proud of myself for accomplishing that!" and "Wow, that was absolutely horrible! I never want to do anything like that again!" is very often quite subtle. The trick is you have to make the player blame failure on themselves, rather than on the game itself, but where the finger gets pointed can be really, really arbitrary.