Psychonauts 2 |OT| The Spy Who Lobed Me

[GrrImAFridge]

👩‍💻 Developer: Double Fine
📀 Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
🎮 Platforms: PC (GOG, Humble Store, Steam, WinStore); PlayStation 4 (PSN); Xbox One (XBL); Xbox Series X|S (XBL)
🏷️ Price: $59.99/€59.99/£54.99 or your regional equivalent*
📅 Release date: August 25th, 2021

* Pricing on platforms/stores other than Steam may vary.

📖 About:

I missed the Fig campaign and would prefer to buy a physical copy. Is that an option?
Sort of. PlayStation and Xbox players can pre-order a physical Collector's Edition from iam8bit.com, but, unfortunately, there is no standard edition, and PC players are out of luck altogether.

Microsoft has owned Double Fine for a couple of years now. What does this mean for those of us playing on PlayStation?
The game will launch on PlayStation 4, as promised to backers during the crowdfunding campaign. However, there will be no native PlayStation 5 version; instead, PlayStation 5 users will be playing the PlayStation 4 Pro version at 1440p60 rather than 1440p30.

Speaking of tech specs, how have the Xbox versions shaped up? And what about HDR support?
The Xbox One version runs at 1080p30, the Xbox One X version runs at 4k30, the Xbox Series S version runs at either 1620p60 or 1080p120, and the Xbox Series X version runs at either 4k60 or 1440p120.

HDR is supported only on Xbox Series X|S, although if you're on PC and running Windows 10 build 21337 or higher, or Windows 11, you can use Auto-HDR.

Does Psychonauts 2 being fully multiplatform mean future Double Fine games may also release on platforms other than Xbox and Windows?
No. Psychonauts 2 is releasing on competing platforms simply because Microsoft is honouring pre-existing commitments, and Double Fine has categorically stated that "going forward, [it'll] be focusing on Xbox, Game Pass, and [Windows] PC."

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Previously On Psychonauts...

Art & Animation by Michael Firman.Been 16 years since you last took a trip to Whispering Rock? Didn't have the gear needed to visit the Rhombus of Ruin? Have...

www.youtube.com

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Razputin "Raz" Aquato, trained acrobat and powerful young psychic, has realized his lifelong dream of joining the international psychic espionage organization known as the Psychonauts! But these psychic super spies are in trouble. Their leader hasn't been the same since he was rescued from a kidnapping, and what's worse, there's a mole hiding in headquarters.

Combining quirky missions and mysterious conspiracies, Psychonauts 2 is a platform-adventure game with cinematic style and tons of customizable psychic powers. Psychonauts 2 serves up danger, excitement and laughs in equal measure as players guide Raz on a journey through the minds of friends and foes on a quest to defeat a murderous psychic villain.

- Experience an imaginative, cinematic story that mixes humor and intrigue, brought to you by legendary game designer Tim Schafer (Grim Fandango, Brütal Legend, Broken Age).
- Explore unique environments using Raz's ability to dive into people's brains to battle their inner demons, unlock hidden memories, and resolve their emotional baggage.
- Leap acrobatically through the air, traversing tightropes and trapezes in a varied, challenging, and joyful platforming experience.
- Wield a powerful array of psychic powers to blast, burn and levitate things, or even slow down time itself to solve environmental puzzles and battle strange enemies.

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📷 Screenshots:

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🎞️ Trailers:
Announcement
First Trailer
First Gameplay Trailer
Brain in a Jar
Action/Release Date
Story
Musical Tour (soundtrack preview trailer)
Basic Braining (a collection of short videos that explore the mechanics of the game)
Launch

✍️ Reviews:
Era review thread
Metacritic - PC (89)
Metacritic - PlayStation 4 (87)
Metacritic - Xbox One (91)
Metacritic - Xbox Series X|S (87)
OpenCritic (89)

 

[GrrImAFridge]

Posting this "early" because the intention was to post it 24 hours before release, so as to account for multi-console owners who are on the fence and might be swayed by the technical side of things, but I'm not sure I'll be on Era 24 hours from now, so here we are!

Literally counting down the minutes.

I'm sure I sound like a broken record at this point, but I haven't been this excited for a game since I was kid and I'd tear small holes in birthday/Christmas wrapping paper just to get a peek at the retail box.

Just three days to go.

Edit: I'm a dumbo and forgot to link the actual video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbvzs2g69c8

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[SCUMMbag]

Fantastic thread title. Bravo.

 

[Jeremy]

Played 2 hours of the first game again today. Hyped for this!

 

[RatskyWatsky]

I hope it lives up to expectations. I've been waiting half my life for this!

 

[Egg0]

This looks dope. I hope it's accessible to someone who doesn't really have time to play the original.

 

[vixolus]

THE HYPE IS REAL.

I checked the GP app and also your OT countdowns but I was surprised it unlocks in the afternoon on the 24th rather than on the 25th! WOOHOO!

 

[shoal]

Hyped!

 

[julia crawford]

i'm so excited!!! fuck!!!!! ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mr. Tibbs]

x

 

[vaderise]

When are the reviews dropping?

 

[dreamfall]

Incredible OT - I am so ready! What a dream come true, I hope the team has the best launch!

 

[Firebricks]

This is the first game in a long time I really want reviews to be mostly positive, I think we all need this one to be good.

 

[terminaljeremy]

Congrats on the thread title. Lovely.

 

[Capra]

Amazing title.

 

[vixolus]

Here are some recent videos too. There's of course all the dev update videos, but there may be too many for the sake of the OT without a neat playlist option.

Psychonauts 2 Basic Braining Episode 1 - The Interns

In this first episode of "Basic Braining," a behind the scene peek at Psychonauts 2, we look at some of the new characters Raz will meet at Psychonauts HQ: h...

www.youtube.com

(playlist of all 6 basic braining episodes)

Psychonauts 2 Action Trailer // Summer 2021

Psychonauts 2 is out on August 25th! You can preorder today on the Microsoft Store/Xbox or on Steam - additional consoles and storefronts comings soon!Razput...

www.youtube.com

Psychonauts 2 Musical Tour

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-mus...

www.youtube.com

Psychonauts 2 Accessibility Feature Q&A w/Senior Producer Kevin Johnson

Psychonauts 2 is a game for anyone and everyone! To help ensure a variety of players can enjoy the game, we've worked on many features ranging from combat ad...

www.youtube.com

Psychonauts 2 // Brain in a Jar Trailer

Psychonauts 2 releases in 2021 on Xbox Game Pass, Windows PC, Mac, Linux, and PS4. Best of all, it’ll be Optimized for Xbox Series X!Psychonauts 2 is a mind-...

www.youtube.com

edit: just saw these are hotlinks in the OP :)

 

[Weiss]

I can't focus enough to play games right now so I gotta put the whole thread on Ignore, because Psychonauts is way too special for me to play Psychonauts 2 with my overdrive ADHD brain where I can't enjoy myself in the slightest. Cheers, y'all, we're finally coming home.

 

[Madrugador]

Great thread!!

Does anyone know If the game will have be compatible with Steam Family Share? I want my sister to play this (with her own account of course).

 

[Speevy]

I have faith in Tim Schafer, but it was something of a minor miracle that a game like Psychonauts turned out like it did when it did.

This has 16 years pushing against it.

Hoping for the best!

 

[BackwardCap]

I thought June was gonna be heavy on the number of games I want to play this year, but august has turned out to be even worse.

 

[GrrImAFridge]

Great thread!!

Does anyone know If the game will have be compatible with Steam Family Share? I want my sister to play this (with her own account of course).

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It will. Unreleased games are excluded by default (to prevent reviewers and streamers from unwittingly sharing upcoming titles), but this restriction is removed automatically upon release.

 

[Brinbe]

have a good feeling this will be a very special game. can't wait.

 

[Madrugador]

It will. Unreleased games are excluded by default, but this restriction is removed automatically upon release.

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Excellent. Thanks!!

I wasn't sure since it wasn't listed on the Steam page.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

kinda worried because they're not letting reviews drop until the game is almost out :omg:

 

[Liliana]

DOUBLE FIIIIIIIINEEE! *Jack Black voice*

Can't wait!

 

[Deleted member 17184]

Hey folks, do you recommend any specific YouTube video to catch up on the story? It's been a while since I played the first and never completed it. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to play it, so I'm going directly to the second one.

 

[vixolus]

Hey folks, do you recommend any specific YouTube video to catch up on the story? It's been a while since I played the first and never completed it. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to play it, so I'm going directly to the second one.

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Double Fine is including an animation that covers the events of the first and the VR game 👍

 

[GrrImAFridge]

Hey folks, do you recommend any specific YouTube video to catch up on the story? It's been a while since I played the first and never completed it. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to play it, so I'm going directly to the second one.

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There'll be a recap in the game itself, but if you have half an hour to kill, there's this video.

Late edit: DF has released its own recap video.

 

[Van Bur3n]

Potentially the greatest game of all time.

 

[Winnie]

Probably the best game of the year and a top 5 of mine. I have it bought on Steam but it probably unlocks earlier through Game Pass, so i will play it there.

 

[Corgi]

I have been meaning to play the original. And with Game Pass having it, and Psychonauts 2. Now is the time

 

[Geg]

Very excited for this. Didn't realize it was digital-only though

 

[Deleted member 17184]

Double Fine is including an animation that covers the events of the first and the VR game 👍

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There'll be a recap in the game itself, but if you have half an hour to kill, there's this video.

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Oh, I didn't know that. Thank you!

 

[dojo32161]

Been avoiding all the marketing so I'm excited for this, watched the VR title earlier, so interested to see where it goes.

 

[julia crawford]

omg my first time playing a double fine game on release

i am beyond myself

 

[jediyoshi]

Preloaded on GP. Treat me well DF.

 

[HorseFD]

I'm so glad DF got to finish the game the way it was meant to be in the end.

 

[Aztechnology]

Yes yes yes yes yes yes

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Didn't realize it was digital-only though

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what

 

[Fanto]

There's going to be a documentary for this by 2 Player Productions still, right? Do we know any more about that yet?

 

[PaulloDEC]

God, it's been a long road. Super excited to finally play this; I have high hopes.

 

[ThereAreFourNaan]

what

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High tier backers get a physical edition (unsure if that's at launch), otherwise digital only release. There's hints they might organize some kind of physical release later.

 

[vixolus]

There's going to be a documentary for this by 2 Player Productions still, right? Do we know any more about that yet?

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Yes there will be. It won't come out until like a half a year to a year after release though IIRC. I think I asked during the Psychonauts playthrough DF did recently.

 

[Richietto]

Fuck I can't wait.

 

[Fanto]

Yes there will be. It won't come out until like a half a year to a year after release though IIRC. I think I asked during the Psychonauts playthrough DF did recently.

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Nice, good to know, looking forward to that for sure. I have the Double Fine Adventure doc on bluray lol.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

High tier backers get a physical edition (unsure if that's at launch), otherwise digital only release. There's hints they might organize some kind of physical release later.

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I haven't been following development since the very very early days, but I somehow completely missed that.

:/

 

[Milennia]

Very excited for this, congrats to doublefine

 

[The Living Tribunal]

 

[Iwao]

what

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Yep. I'm still pretty irritated by this decision. Double Fine hasn't been independently operated for over 2 years now, so the lack of planning around a physical version outside of the Fig commitments is baffling, and only really reflects on Microsoft's lack of interest in offering that choice. So a double dip it may have to be.

 

[CubeApple76]

I probably would never have been excited for this game, since I missed the first, and at a glance it didn't appeal to me. But because it was launching on Gamepass, I figured what the hell I'll play the first to see if I'd be interested in the sequel, and the first was catapulted to the top of my list of favorite platformers and even games in general. Very few games can boast of such a variety of content. Now this is one of my most hyped games, and I absolutely cannot wait!