Psychonauts PC Demo out

[Moosferatu]

OMG guys, I just heard a radio commercial for the game psychonauts. Actually it was for the psychoportal website thing. I don't think that the commercial seemed that effective though.

Sweet! Is anyone doing that psychoportal thing, by the way? I gave up after finishing the cross-word on the first day...

[JoeX111]

What? What? Um, Harry Potter is originally 1) Not a movie 2) not a game based on the movie. It's a book, remember?

And he is, in part, talking about the game, remember?

Or did you think that this quote: "Gameplay is a platformer; you look for various collectibles which are kept track of in a nifty inventory display. Completing dungeons allows you to gain more special powers necessary to progress and unlock hidden stuff" was talking about the books? If you did, then

As for the platformer in question being Mario, well, no. He was talking about a specific kind of platformer, and Mario it ain't (unless you are talking about some recent Mario game that I have yet to play). Zelda is probably right, though.

[Wormsie]

They do? They do?!

I ... I love you, Tim. :\

No. Actually, the smallest size they've got is S. I hate Tim.

EDIT: And they have size 3XL!!! WHAT THE FUCK!?

[JoeX111]

Sweet! Is anyone doing that psychoportal thing, by the way? I gave up after finishing the cross-word on the first day...

I've been doing it. I'm signed up with the San Fran group. Me and Vandal from the forums there had the first puzzle figured out before anyone else did, but we didn't know you had to use Dallas' answer rather than our own.

Since then, each time I've come back to help, they've been solved before I could join in. Much sadness is mine.

[MrHoatzin]

We have to look at Psychonauts in the proper postmodernist fashion as a more or less conceptual work built by appropriation and recontextualisation of known symbols, archetypes and situations. The true genius of the concept is only then made flesh.

[amishler]

Sweet! Is anyone doing that psychoportal thing, by the way? I gave up after finishing the cross-word on the first day...

I'm in the Seattle group, where there are 6 or 7 of us who get together on IM each evening to work on the puzzles. I even got a mention from Raz the other day, which was pretty cool.

I'm looking forward to seeing what they have planned at the end of PsychoPortals. It sounds like there may be events in the cities listed, which would be a good way to meet the people I've been chatting with during the game.

[JoeX111]

I'm looking forward to seeing what they have planned at the end of PsychoPortals. It sounds like there may be events in the cities listed, which would be a good way to meet the people I've been chatting with during the game.

Dang, that'd be a lot of fun, but I live like three hours away from the city the event for my group would be hosted in. It'd have to be a pretty crazy-go-nuts event for me to make the trip. And knowing my luck, it would be.

[amishler]

Quite possibly so. The San Francisco one would have the most potential for awesomeness, since it's the home of Double Fine. I think at this point, I'm crazy enough about all things Psychonauts that I'd make a 3-hour trip just for the possibility of superstar cameo appearances by Tim and/or the gang. I'd probably try to make it a long weekend with other things planned around it, though, just so it didn't seem too crazy.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

No. Actually, the smallest size they've got is S. I hate Tim.

EDIT: And they have size 3XL!!! WHAT THE FUCK!?

Don't worry. You can check out the girlie sizes. A medium would probably fit you and me.

[tabacco]

I'm in the SF psychoportals group

(Doors 2/3 are much simpler than 1, I think)

[CanarDuck]

Heh. I wasn't trying to piss anyone seriously off, just to play some mild provocation in the middle of this Psychonauts/Schafer mania.

Don't get me wrong, I'm as much of a Schafer fan as anyone here, and I'm sure I will thoroughly enjoy Psychonauts. It's just that, playing the demo, I got just a tiny little bit disappointed because I was expecting something a little more innovative in the gameplay. Actually, the part about the story resembling Harry Potter's in my original post was really provocation, I honestly don't care and I'm actually avidly curious to see how Schafer can bend and pervert this kind of initially cliché trame to make it his. The visuals look great and imaginative too.

But, seriously, as far as gameplay is concerned, it really, really felt like I was playing Harry Potter (yes, I played it. I admit it. There.). And it's not just about being a 3D platformer with random stuff to catch. At the time I played the Beyond Good and Evil demo, I felt it was Zelda-like and yet there was something additional, new, different which gave me the urge to play the rest of the game. As far as Psychonauts is concerned, I certainly want to buy the game to see the character delvelopment, the story arc, the probably superb and imaginative visual design. But I feel like I will only moderately enjoy *playing* it. Again, it was only the demo, and I may change my mind with the full game.

And, seriously, do the following experiment: fire up your little sis' Harry Potter game when she's not here, play around a bit, and take a look at the map screen and the various inventory screens. Compare it to Psychonauts and then tell me honestly if you don't find not only a vague conceptual and remote similarity, but rather an actual déjà vu feeling.

-- Oh, and while you're at it, play and lose a few Quidditch matches in your sis' savegame. She was such an ass last week with your DS, you deserve some relief.

[manny_c44]

There is probably a sum total of 10 games that were actually really unique, expecting that from any game going in is, put simply, dumb.

[MrHoatzin]

:uptight: :indignation:

[Chris]

No. Actually, the smallest size they've got is S. I hate Tim.

What size do you usually wear? It's hard to imagine you being much smaller than me, and I don't think I've ever needed less than an S.

EDIT: Obviously I mean since I stopped growing.

[CanarDuck]

There is probably a sum total of 10 games that were actually really unique, expecting that from any game going in is, put simply, dumb.

Right. Reading back what I wrote and the rest of the thread, I admit I had unrealistic, fantasized expectations about the game while the rest of the crowd was prudently poised in cautious optimism.

[Wormsie]

What size do you usually wear? It's hard to imagine you being much smaller than me, and I don't think I've ever needed less than an S.

EDIT: Obviously I mean since I stopped growing.

I'm 170 cm, slim. Usually I wear size S, because size XS is impossible to find. Some S's are fine, others aren't... And my guess is that the US size S is larger than the European one.

BTW, Trep, I think I can borrow my brother's credit card (here's hoping).

[Chris]

Uh, I don't know what any of that means. I still think you probably aren't much smaller than I.

[Wormsie]

Admit it, you just want me to buy the t-shirt even if it doesn't fit me!

[baconian]

Right. Reading back what I wrote and the rest of the thread, I admit I had unrealistic, fantasized expectations about the game while the rest of the crowd was prudently poised in cautious optimism.

ah feck off. Schafer's never failed us before. I did laugh when I read that though.

[MrHoatzin]

I just saw the latter part of a Psychonauts comercial on Comedy Central. Maybe they'll do this one right, eh?

[nsps]

This game is not as tough on hardware as some would lead you to believe. I have personally seen it played smoothly on a MX400, a card which can be bought easily for 30 bucks or less, and is included with any low end PC purchased today. Bump it up to 60 bucks, and you can get a Radeon 9600 which will make it even purdier. For 100, you can get a Geforce 6800 GT, and run it with options maxed and no slow down.

The MX400? Don't the minimum requirements say excluding the MX model? I'm trying to get a video card and have no idea what I'm doing or where to show (US). Any further input would be greatly appreciated. Thinking about the Xbox and Chris's "it just works" philosophy.

Thanks.

Edit: For example, would a "GeForce4 MX4000 128MB card work if the minumum requirements say 64MB GeForce 3 or higher...(excluding GeForce 4 MX)." If I want the game to look decent, what cards should I check out? Should I consider this doodad?: http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102295R

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Wow, that's cheap. I don't even mind that it's secondhand.

[Thrik]

If I were you, I'd avoid the Geforce 4 MX range. They are pretty much souped-up Geforce 2s, and as far as I'm aware can be easily outperformed by most of the Geforce 3 range. Take the "MX" off of there though and look at the higher range GF4s and you'll find yourself with a fairly decent card.

I'd personally not skimp though, and just try to get hold of the highest-range card that you can afford. Psychonauts is fairly intensive if you decide to play it with its settings all beautified, and I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that a GF4 of any kind would have trouble with it at times -- possibly even the lower half of the GF5 range.

It really is a huge kick in the teeth to buy a new graphics card and then have it not support the games you want to use it with too well. The Radeon 9600+ cards are fairly decent from what I've seen though.

[JimmyTheFish]

Yeah, I saw it work on a mx400, but I wouldn't recomend using one. If I were buying a new card today, I wouldn't be caught dead with anything under a Radeon 9600.

EDIT: Yeah, Saphire is a bit of a crappy company, but the price is right. I'd snatch that... well not really, but I am a graphics whore.

[nsps]

How crappy a company is Saphire? What other brand might be better? Thanks again.