Dr. Beat Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 This thread was made explicitly for the discussion and celebration of the best game ever made: Double Fine's Psychonauts. Please feel free to post fan art here, discuss your favorite characters, and wait impatiently for the release of Psychonauts 2 (whenever Tim Schafer actually decides to give us a release date). Because I can't usually actually find anyone in the Psychonauts fandom and I fully expect this thread to eventually become buried, I'm also stating that this is AVEN's official fan thread for Psychonauts (because it's the only one). Other Double Fine games and good games in general are also to be discussed here. First topic: is anyone else excited as f*** that Jack Black is a VA in Psychonauts 2? And that he's apparently doing a rock opera style musical number? Link to post Share on other sites
abandoned-account Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 Now this is my kind of thread! Come to think of it I still haven’t 100% completed the game til this day. For shame on me! I also had no idea about Jack Black! I’m really hoping Pychonauts 2 is going to be worth all the delay in the end. Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Beat Posted February 23, 2020 Author Share Posted February 23, 2020 God the G-Men lines are all iconic. I also admittedly haven't completed the entire game (the Meat Circus is the one part of the game that I find kind of unforgivable, plus I'm playing on the original PS2 version that's bugged). At this point, I've waited over 12 years for this game. I'm willing to wait as long as needed as long as it's good. Yeah, apparently Jack Black is a big fan of several Tim Schafer titles and Lucasart games he worked on. He sat down with peter McConnell (my favorite soundtrack composer) and they worked on a psychedelic acid-rock style song for a part in the game where you go into a brain that's been sitting in a jar for years Link to post Share on other sites
abandoned-account Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 36 minutes ago, Dr. Beat said: Yeah, apparently Jack Black is a big fan of several Tim Schafer titles and Lucasart games he worked on. He sat down with peter McConnell (my favorite soundtrack composer) and they worked on a psychedelic acid-rock style song for a part in the game where you go into a brain that's been sitting in a jar for years Oh shit, that sounds rad! Probably more or less accurate but I’m picturing something similar to that acid trip scene in the Beavis & Butthead movie, lol. I totally agree that it’s totally worth the wait if the end product turns out the best it can be. Just as they say, a rushed game is forever bad (just look at unfortunate titles of the past like Crash Twinsanity). If anything it’s given me more time to get off my ass and finish the first game already. Oh and I don’t blame you about Meat Circus, that one is a pain. MR. BUNNY, Y U NO STAY STILL? Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Beat Posted February 23, 2020 Author Share Posted February 23, 2020 1 minute ago, Veezle said: I totally agree that it’s totally worth the wait if the end product turns out the best it can be. Just as they say, a rushed game is forever bad (just look at unfortunate titles of the past like Crash Twinsanity). If anything it’s given me more time to get off my ass and finish the first game already. Dude, you've played Twinsanity too? Awesome! That's one of my favorite Crash games. I mean yeah, the platforming needs some serious tightening up, the models and textures are kind of dated even for when they came out, there are tons of glitches, and the story makes no sense, but i love the art style and humor. Also, a video game soundtrack done entirely in a capella is genius and incredibly fitting for the Crash series. Also, a weird intersection between Twinsanity and Psychonauts: the original idea for twinsanity actually involved going into the minds of other characters via the Psychetron (hence why it's called the Psychetron- they just didn't bother renaming it). there's even code for a beta version of Coco's mind in the game, complete with a cut soundtrack for that area. I'll be forever disappointed that the idea got scrapped due to time and budget restraints. Link to post Share on other sites
abandoned-account Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 @Dr. Beat Oh man, I could go on and on about Twinsanity. I don’t know how much you’ve seen of the cut content that’s surfaced through the years, but like 75% (if not more) of what the game would have originally been was scrapped, thanks to being horribly rushed by Universal. It truly is a shame with all the amazing potential and love that was put into it. The development team had so many ideas but only got to to publish one very unfinished game and were shut down. :( Oh and YES the soundtrack. I listen to it all the time and hardly ever get tired of it! I really wish we could have heard much more work from Spiralmouth, they had such brilliant talent. (there is also their one album and the CTTR soundtrack, I recommend listening to them if you haven’t before!) Only thing I’d disagree with about what you said about the visuals looking dated. I still think they look great in their time and even now, with the unique cartoony style they chose and how expressive the characters were (especially Crash and Cortex). Just look at, say, CTTR (which came a year after) and Twinsanity’s models look miles nicer and smoother IMO. As for the story, I’d say it was decent enough especially for a Crash game, but the plotholes are definitely there, especially when you see the missing scrapped material. One for instance how Crash got Mechabandicoot in the Twins battle. Did you know that was originally going to be explained with a level where you’d play as Mecha on auto-pilot under the ocean? (Imagine how cool that would have been!) and lastly yes, I have noticed the similarities with Psychonauts! To think Gone a bit Coco came so close to making it in and we could have led Cortex through a pastel-colored nightmare. Sigh... Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Beat Posted February 24, 2020 Author Share Posted February 24, 2020 @Veezle They certainly did their best with what they were given. As much as I don't really like the Evil Twins (and the fact that a bunch of enemies in the game don't make sense anymore due to them being mashed into the game- hence why there's just a huge colony of weird ant-soldier-aliens underneath N. Sanity Isle that isn't really fully explained), the 10th dimension looks cool and certainly functions well enough. As for the models, I don't personally think they look bad; they're just kind of unpolished in my opinion due to the game being rushed. And not all of them look unpolished either. Most of N. Sanity Isle, most of the jungle, and the Academy of Evil look great. plus the main cast looks good too. And I agree that CTTR's models definitely don't look nearly as good (I love that game too but I definitely recognize how janky a lot of it is) I'm so freaking disappointed that we'll probably never be able to have a crash game with the concept of going into other people's minds now. Considering how fucking weird most of the cast is and how cartoony the games are the sheer amount of creativity and fun the devs could have had would have been absolutely amazing. I love that the cult fandom for this game is still going strong though. And the current crash developers know too; there was a huge reference to twinsanity in the newest Grand Prix for CTR Nitro Fueled Link to post Share on other sites
abandoned-account Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 @Dr. Beat Ikr? There’s just so many fun ideas and potential left unexplored.. but well, what else can we do... Anyhow, let’s bring the focus back to Psychonauts before this becomes a Crash thread. XD What characters would you like to see return, aside from the obvious main crew? Any of the other campers, Dr. Loboto, Mr. Pokeylope? Who do you think will? Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Beat Posted February 24, 2020 Author Share Posted February 24, 2020 Loboto is definitely going to be a major part of the story, and it would be extremely cool to see some campers return. It would also be cool if there was at least a reference to Linda. i would love to see what happened to the former inmates too, even if it's just a cameo or reference since this game takes place too close to the first game for the inmates to have really moved anywhere in life yet (other than finally leaving the asylum). How about you? Link to post Share on other sites
abandoned-account Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 If Loboto is going to have a bug role, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing him and more of Sheegor (she was adorable and I loved how she had the exact voice of Bubbles from PPG, as it was even Tara Strong herself I believe)! Not too sure if we’ll see too many returning characters, but it would be at least cool to see some reference or even some lore on them. Of course, I’m pretty interested in what new characters (and minds) we’ll see as well! That being said I’m just really hoping it will manage to keep the charm that made the original awesome, especially since it’s been so many years. At least from what I have heard though it seems there’s a lot of goodness in store. Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Beat Posted February 24, 2020 Author Share Posted February 24, 2020 From looking at the E3 demo and all the press for it, it looks like it will be great. Pretty much all of the original cast and crew are back. And I loved Rhombus of Ruin when it came out, so they definitely still got it. the first world in the game appears to be a nightmarish hellscape of flesh and teeth (guess whose mind that is), and it looks absolutely horrifying in HD. They won 'Best teeth' at E3. Got anything in particular you love about the series? For me, it's the soundtrack. I fucking love all of it. Peter McConnell is genius Link to post Share on other sites
abandoned-account Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 OMG I wasn’t aware of the E3 gameplay, I looked it up to watch it and the first world looks spectacular already (definitely deserving of that award, haha). Got some hype goin’ in me now! :D Maybe I should watch a playthrough of RoR too? (don’t have a VR) and TBH it’s hard for me to pick one favorite thing about the series. I love the artstyle, the soundtrack, the humor, and definitely the gameplay and quirky level design! It’s all so unique and imaginative, definitely drew me in the first time I played the original Psychonauts. I’m definitely glad it’s kept a cult following through all these years and it’s coming back strong! 💚 Oh, and not to mention to top it all off it stars Richard Horvitz, one of my favorite voice actors ever (whom I’m lucky enough to have had the honor to meet!) and he’s coming back to be our favorite Psycadet again. It just wouldn’t be the same without him. Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Beat Posted February 24, 2020 Author Share Posted February 24, 2020 His voice is iconic. He really makes the character. And yes I would definitely recommend watching a playthrough of RoR. It's weird, extremely short, but incredibly charming and surprisingly very immersive. Also, no spoilers but part of the story is essential in understanding one of the most iconic characters in the series. It punches you in the gut. The game is one of the most imaginative and creative games I've ever seen. Literally everything in everyone's mind goes into telling their story or establishing their personality in some way. I personally think the soundtrack is genius. The clever use of the 'Mental' piano motif is great and the characters' minds are scored in exactly the way they should be. The Milkman Conspiracy is one of my favorites. It starts off with a nice, 50's-esque cartoony piano riff, and then immediately starts to get apprehensive and just gets worse and worse the longer you listen, with the 'Mental' piano motif popping up and the key modulating and weird instrumentation showing up. It perfectly captures how stuff in Boyd's mind gets weirder and more sinister the closer you look at it Link to post Share on other sites
abandoned-account Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Ah yes, I like how much of the soundtrack just has this sense of... vertigo, for lack of better terms. Where it feels like something is off, you’re in a strange environment and are becoming dissociated with what’s around you. But that’s how it’s supposed to feel when in someone’s mind that’s just a mess of several factors about themselves, usually without any rhyme or reason. The more I look back on it I see more of how the elements of visual and sound/music design go together so well. What are your favorite levels and moments in the game? Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Beat Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 The first time in the brain tumbler is pretty darn awesome and strange. You get dumped into this nightmarescape thinking it's your mind and then have to deal with how weird stuff is. Waterloo is also really cool just for the big musical joke that the soundtrack is telling. Also, there's a part in RoR where Sasha is comforting Lily and actually calls her 'darling.' It's small but it's a very little moment of character enrichment. Also in RoR, Peter McConnell wrote an in-universe boy band song for one of the scenes. It's hilarious to hear McConnell write something like that. It sounds exactly like N*SYNC How about you? Link to post Share on other sites
abandoned-account Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 Ah yes, I watched through RoR yesterday! "I only heard the last bit darling, it's adorable!" gotta love Milla. Her backstory is very interesting and sad too. I liked how when you visited her mind it had an overall fun and inviting atmosphere, but her trauma was stored away in a small box (it makes me feel so guilty looking in there when she keeps asking not to). It was probably what the majority, if not all of her mind looked like for a long time. RoR did have some good scenes indeed, I could feel the classic humor and quirk of Psychonauts was still indeed there. I was a bit confused with a couple of things though, like how could Raz see where Trueman was via Lili's music box in the beginning? For the levels and scenes in the original game, it's hard to pick favorites but I think I'd go with Milkman Conspiracy and Linda's mind (I think it was called Lungfishopolis?) Black Velvetopia comes close too (though mainly for the aesthetic). I think going through the asylum was a pretty interesting point in the game overall, and I loved Sheegor and Pokeylope. There's also the notable "OMG, let's make out!" scene, lol. (also Waterloo world drove me near insane because there was damn figment I was missing and could never find, fffffff) Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Beat Posted February 26, 2020 Author Share Posted February 26, 2020 It's clairvoyance. Like how you could use the objects in boyd's mind to see from the perspective of someone associated with them. Apparently Truman gave the box to Lily. And yeah, there are a few little things in RoR that don't canonically make sense (like how at the end of the first game they said they knew who had kidnapped Truman and knew where he was, but RoR states that you don't know where he is or who took him or why). Mr. Pokeylope is iconic. I love how Raz's face in that scene is just kind of 'Okay this is happening now that's fine.' It's incredibly weird and never explained but it works. Do you have a favorite character? Link to post Share on other sites
abandoned-account Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 Ah, I guess I forgot he could use Clairvoyance on items that are closely associated with people. Another thing is Raz's fear of water, I know in RoR he said he didn't mind if he was only there mentally, but wasn't he still afraid of water in the original game even when in people's minds? Maybe he's more just afraid of getting in contact of it? Picking a favorite character is hard too tbh. I like Raz (I don't know if I'm highly influenced by Richard Horvitz, but I think it's a combination of all his aspects, as in design, personality, etc.), Lili, Sasha, Milla, Sheegor, Pokeylope, Linda, and Boyd Cooper. Out of the other campers, I think I like Dogen and Vernon the best. Oh, and those two cheerleader kids. How about you? Link to post Share on other sites
Mundane Mesh Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 I'm just chiming in to say that I too am a human that enjoys Psychonauts and Crash Twinsanity! Twinsanity is definitely among my favorite ps2 games. I got Psychonauts relatively late, (2012 on steam,) and now I haven't played it in four years apparently (which is probably when I beat the game). But I have played RoR and I'm a backer of Psychonauts 2! Link to post Share on other sites
abandoned-account Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 1 hour ago, Mundane Mesh said: I'm just chiming in to say that I too am a human that enjoys Psychonauts and Crash Twinsanity! Twinsanity is definitely among my favorite ps2 games. I got Psychonauts relatively late, (2012 on steam,) and now I haven't played it in four years apparently (which is probably when I beat the game). But I have played RoR and I'm a backer of Psychonauts 2! Welcome, brethren! Link to post Share on other sites
Janus the Fox Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 Now that's a game I haven't seen in years... I should find some reason to finish it some day, or see if it still works on the high end 4K PC Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Beat Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share Posted February 27, 2020 7 hours ago, Veezle said: Ah, I guess I forgot he could use Clairvoyance on items that are closely associated with people. Another thing is Raz's fear of water, I know in RoR he said he didn't mind if he was only there mentally, but wasn't he still afraid of water in the original game even when in people's minds? Maybe he's more just afraid of getting in contact of it? Picking a favorite character is hard too tbh. I like Raz (I don't know if I'm highly influenced by Richard Horvitz, but I think it's a combination of all his aspects, as in design, personality, etc.), Lili, Sasha, Milla, Sheegor, Pokeylope, Linda, and Boyd Cooper. Out of the other campers, I think I like Dogen and Vernon the best. Oh, and those two cheerleader kids. How about you? I think it's established that it's the contact with water that's scary since he's incredibly aware that he's supposed to die in water. Honestly I like all the characters in the game. I especially like Raz (partly for the fact that Horvitz voices him, but also because he's just written as a precocious, quirky kid who legitimately wants to help people and is super empathetic and understanding with everyone dealing with mental illness or distress). Sasha and Milla are incredibly charming, Ford is awesome and kind of like everyone's grandpa, and pretty much all the campers are charming in some way. By the way, have you checked out their friendster profiles? It actually gives a significant amount of extra development to some of them. Also showcases a lot about how they interact. Spoilers if you want to go look through the profiles yourself first, but there's something incredibly sweet that they put in the one on Crystal (CW): Spoiler So it's canon that Crystal and Clem (cheerleader kids) are both very actively suicidal. It leaks out a couple times in game, but it's never fully explained. The profiles are all made speaking as the characters that they're for (it apparently helped Schafer write the characters) and there's a section where Crystal goes more into detail about an apparent attempt last summer and how she's been feeling bad but wants to be better. The comment section is flooded with notes from pretty much all the other campers asking her to hang out and telling her to talk to them if she needs to. That is incredibly fucking sweet. Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Beat Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share Posted February 27, 2020 @Janus DarkFox @Mundane Mesh Welcome! Link to post Share on other sites
SithLord Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 There's gonna be a Psychonauts 2? That sounds interesting. I still need to go back and 100% the game but the thought seems tedious. It was definitely quite fun. Link to post Share on other sites
abandoned-account Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 Woot! We’ve got a party going here! @Dr. Beat Ah yes, I know about the Friendster profiles! Weren’t they taken down long ago, though? Do you know of any archive or something where I can still find them? I really want to see! I remember Clem and Crystal’s story too, even the part where you can find them on the roof. Very bittersweet, it makes me even more curious to see the Friendster stuff. @Janus DarkFox I believe it should work. Runs perfectly fine on mine. Link to post Share on other sites
Dr. Beat Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share Posted February 27, 2020 @Veezle The Doublefine site is currently down (they're finally remaking it) which is where they were archived before. I think you can get to them via links on the TV Tropes entry for Psychonauts (Also on the Wiki page for Campster via the Wayback machine) Link to post Share on other sites
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