Psychonauts 2 (XB/PC/PS4/Game Pass) - 32 part "making of" documentary out now.

‘Psychonauts 2’ preview: Double Fine’s best game yet

Psychonauts 2 preview: Shaping up to be game of the year material

Psychonauts 2 Preview: A Wonderful World Stuck In A Frustrating Game

Psychonauts 2 Hands-On Preview: An Ambitious Return To A Classic

Highlights from Peter McConnell's 3-hour score to Psychonauts 2! Learn more about his process in this interview with SPIN: spin.com/2021/08/psychonauts-2-musical-tour

And, of course, you can always look at Peter's other work at his personal website: www.petermc.com

twitter.com/DoubleFine/status/1423690533281705991

Psychonauts 2’s weird and wonderfully written story is full of interesting, nuanced characters that I instantly fell in love with. Most of its fresh ideas go a long way toward elevating the Psychonauts formula into the modern era, though its enticing new equippable pin system can be a little too stingy. Double Fine has also done a great job of expanding this universe toward both grander and more intimate threats without losing the joyous childhood adventure vibes of the original. It may bring a bit of that mid-2000s action-platformer clunkiness along with it, but Psychonauts 2 is still just about everything I could have hoped for from a sequel to one of my favorite games.

On the surface, Psychonauts 2 is an engaging, ambitious, honed-in take on colorful 3D platformers. However, the most rewarding aspect hasn't just been mastering its platforms or combat, but peeling back the layers to see what's beneath it; to take a closer look at its characters, the depth of their struggles, fears, and regrets, all of which serve as the game's foundation. It's an emotional, hilarious, and, at times, devastating story, but a story about forgiveness and second chances. It's an astonishing achievement in nearly every regard and the quintessential display of Double Fine's mastery in story, gameplay, and distinct direction, making it the studio's best game to date.

I adored almost every second of Psychonauts 2. It achieves something I don’t often see in games – a continual sense of awe as each of its worlds unfold. It took 16 years to reach release, but Double Fine has delivered an incredible sequel. I hope we get a third installment that doesn’t take nearly as long to create.

Psychonauts 2 is, once again, a universe of damaged teachers and teaching environments, a space for thinking through dark thoughts with varying degrees of earnestness and absurdity. Its worlds are works of matchless invention, its characters a joy to exist alongside. I might have missed it first time round, but I'm glad that games like this are still being made.

Psychonauts 2 feels like a game that’s been thought about for 15 years. There’s simply no other way that the sheer magnitude of creativity, wit and passion of this game could be achieved.

If you were to make a list of the ten most visually impressive levels in gaming history, there’s a strong case for Psychonauts 2 taking up half of that list. Beyond the excellent animation and colourful, vibrant world, the inventiveness of the levels you’ll platform through is so impressive that it makes us wonder how one team came up with them all.

While the combat and some of the psychic abilities can be frustrating at times, it’s impossible to dwell on those issues for too long while you’re surfing a giant piece of mail or floating through a LSD-infused music festival.

It's honestly astounding how incredible Psychonauts 2 is. After 16 years, the expectations for the sequel were so high it felt as though they were impossible to meet. We don't know how they did it, but the wizards at Double Fine not only met them but smashed through them with ease. Psychonauts 2 is an extraordinary achievement in both its gameplay and storytelling, balancing heavy themes of mental health with its whimsical world. In lesser hands, it could have been a disaster, but the team has taken every aspect of the original game, built upon it and respected the fanbase in the process. Psychonauts 2 is the best game of 2021 so far and one of the greatest sequels ever made.

Psychonauts 2 is a testament to how good video game storytelling can be when left to creative people who have been allowed to let their imaginations run wild. It is a must-play experience.

Psychonauts 2 is a fantastic romp that manages to channel the vibe of the original while expanding on everything it did. It by no means revolutionary but given how strong the original game has been and the reverence so many players hold for it, just having more is hardly anything to balk at.

Psychonauts 2 shines by delivering an absurd amount of creativity to the player. The story is filled with heart. The gameplay is smooth and fun. The character cast and the environments show incredible diversity throughout the entire experience. The next brain you’ll visit will always be more even more creative than the last, and the game does all that while also being absolutely gorgeous to look at.

Psychonauts 2 is the best game Double Fine has ever created and the best release by Xbox first-party in many years.

A huge impact was left on me by Psychonauts. While that’s not likely to be the same story for Psychonauts 2, I wasn’t disappointed. There was no single place that let me down so severely that it soured the overall experience. Nothing that struck me as starkly inferior. It’s maybe not quite as genius, but it’s still a mind worth exploring.

Psychonauts 2 is a masterpiece of game design, narrative and subtle, yet powerful storytelling. It is a must-play and one of the greatest experiences I've had with video games in my 32-years playing.

Double Fine Productions had a monumental task on their shoulders with Psychonauts 2- making a sequel to a cult classic a over a decade and a half old can be a tricky task, and so often, it’s a task that many tend to fail at. But Psychonauts 2 exudes a level of confidence that you’d expect not from a sequel to a really old cult classic, but from a blockbuster game coming from a developer that has all utter confidence in its vision and capabilities. Double Fine smartly decided to double down on what made the first Psychonauts so good and so unique, and in honing those ideas and expanding upon them in meaningful ways, Psychonauts 2 ends up delivering a sequel that is bigger, more ambitious, and better than its predecessor in every way.

Psychonauts 2 is a glowing example of how to do a sequel right. It perfectly captures what made the original special, showing an understanding of everything that players loved and doubling down on all of it. Most of all it truly feels like it needed to be made, rather than existing just to sate fans’ hunger for more from the IP. Double Fine has never really had to prove itself as a creative powerhouse but if it did, this mind-bending, hilarious and heartfelt psychic adventure is all the proof it needs.

Parksey wrote:Are people recommending playing the original before this?

Fancy the sequel but not sure I can be faffed with the jank of the mid-2000s original.

Xbox One: 1080p / 30FPS
Xbox One X: 2160p / 30FPS
Xbox Series S: 1620p / 60FPS or 1080p / 120FPS
Xbox Series X: 2160p / 60FPS or 1440p / 120FPS
Playstation 4: 1080p / 30FPS
Playstation 4 Pro: 1440p / 30FPS
Playstation 5: 1440p / 60FPS (running via BC)

- The results of the resolutions in the areas tested have given the same official results offered by Double Fine, but I do not rule out that there could be dynamic resolution.
- There is no native version for PS5. It runs the PS4 Pro version with the framerate unlocked at 60FPS.
- The VRR is exclusive to Xbox Series S/X and PC.
- HDR is exclusive to Xbox Series S/X (due to auto-HDR maybe).
- Loading times are better optimized on Xbox consoles of both generations.
- The graphic settings are very similar on all platforms. On PC, it stands out a better anisotropic filtering and the drawing distance in the ambient occlusion and some shadows.
- Xbox One X and PS4 Pro should have offered a 60FPS mode, although it is a perfectly enjoyable game at 30FPS.
- There are more frequent FPS drops on PS4 / PS4 Pro when changing zones. During cutscenes, all oldgen versions suffer some drops.