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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 27, 2005)
| Pulse | GET EXPERIENCE [ now hiring freelance writers ] Write a freelance story for the upcoming Moving Guides, published May 6 through June 3. Contact Freelance Editor Ashley Griffin with your story ideas at ashleygriffin@dailyemerald.com or at 346-5511. Spring 2005 ‘Psychonauts’ succeeds with amusing dialogue and unique level design The game about psychic secret agents hit stands last week after three years of jumping among production companies BY ANDREW MCCOLLUM DAILY EMERALD FREELANCE REPORTER "Psychonauts" has been through some tough times. The game was announced at E3 in 2002 by Double Fine Productions, a new studio headed up by ex-LucasArts creative god Tim Schafer. Schafer is known for his work on adventure classics such as "Grim Fandango" and "Full Throttle." Microsoft was to publish the game exclusively as an Xbox ti tle, but the company changed its mind in March 2004 and dropped "Psychonauts" from its lineup, giv ing no reason for its decision. In Au gust 2004, Majesco picked up pub lishing rights forthe game, which was finally released last week. "Psychonauts" is an incredibly entertaining, wildly creative plat former destined to be a cult hit. In the game, players take control of Raz, short for Razputin, a gifted psy chic kid who just snuck into Whis pering Rock Summer Camp. The camp is filled with the standard fare: obstacle courses, camp fires, a ca noe-filled lake. But Whispering Rock isn't your typical summer camp; it's a training ground forthe Psychonauts, a group of psychic secret agents. Children are taught how to hone their psychic powers so they may someday become Psychonauts themselves, but Raz's father does not want Raz practicing his powers. When Raz arrives at camp, the coun selors call dad and let them know where he is, which means our hero has only a few days to perfect his powers and discover why some campers are losing their brains. "Psychonauts" looks like an up beat version of Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Char acters are cartoonish and exaggerat ed. Graphically, the game looks smooth and colorful. Throughout i "Psychonauts," Raz gets psychic powers that allow him to set things on fire, move objects with his mind and blast enemies with psychic energy, to name a few. The psychic powers work well in the game, but they are nothing special. With that said, "Psy chonauts" shines in two particular areas: dialogue and level design. Schafer wrote some genuinely fun ny dialogue for "Psychonauts." There are moments in the game when a player can choose to sit and listen while two characters talkto each oth er. The voice acting is superb, and each character has a distinct voice. The levels in "Psychonauts" are unique. Most other platformers find players running through worlds with generic themes (Fire, Ice, City, etc.), but the levels in "Psychonauts" are inside characters' minds. Coach Oleander's level is filled with plants sprouting leaves of ammunition, trenches, barbed wire and other ar tifacts of his military past. Sasha Nein is a scientific Psychonaut; his level is a simple cube adorned with drab geometric art. Boyd Cooper, a conspiracy theorist, has a mind filled with men in dark trench coats doing roadwork in a psychedelic, 1950s styled neighborhood. Inside the minds, Raz finds loads of special challenges and visual puns. Censors, who are impish looking bu reaucrats, try to get Raz out of the mind he is exploring by hitting him with stamps. Inner Demons blow up in Raz'sface if they are not dealt with. Raz will bump into "emotional bag gage," anthropomorphic purses, steamer trunks and briefcases that cry until they are reunited with their baggage tags. "Psychonauts" is a great plat former with classic puzzle-solving elements, amazing level design, fun dialogue and decent gameplay. NMMk 9 flower pots 9 vases 9 candle holders 9 martini glasses Spend an afternoon with us & you will have a piece you are proud to show your friends. 954 Pearl St. | 485-7161 | 10-9M-Sat. | 10-8 Sun. I PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER.
