Not to sound like the Youtuber Penguinz as a teenager, but Psychonauts is my favorite video game of all time. This game shaped my life as dorky as that sounds, and throughout my life I've all but wanted to tie every friend and family member I have to a chair and make them play this game. I legitimately play other platformers and get a feeling in my gut that I'd rather be playing this, and I say that with platformers being my favorite genre.

To me the best type of game is a 3D platformer collectathon with secrets around every nook and cranny, a game you can fully lose yourself in the world and plot of while also playing for fun or obsessively seeking out every single collectible. This game perfects that description. I always fall into the second category and I like to 100% this game for fun or whenever I'm feeling down. It's important with a collectathon that you never tire of the characters, art, or music, because you're going to be seeing A LOT of them. I first played this game as a child and the world it presents has never grown stale.
It's one of those games where you can feel the creators passion for it in every detail.

As far as story it isn't anything insane or that'll make you cry, but it's a fun set piece for the game to rest on and it has enough to it that you won't be comparing it to overly simple platformer stories like Mario and A Hat In Time.
The game's sense of humor is amazing and still makes me laugh to this day, even the way the lines are delivered is perfection. As a teenager during one of my escapades of forcing my friends to play this game, shortly into it my friend asked me if I had been playing this since I was really little, I told them I had, and they replied that it made perfect sense where I got my sense of humor from, which shows the way the writing and delivery shaped me.
The game even delves into dark humor at times which I adore, without overly relying on it like a Danganronpa game might.
Even if you don't 100% the game try to get all of the memory vaults! It's well worth your time for the extra art, addition to the story, and several touching moments in the wordless storytelling that always gets me tearing up.

The art direction in this game is brilliant, Scott Campbell's work is unique and pulls you in, but I've found that it's not for everyone since some people I show this game to will remark that the art leans more "weird" than pretty to them, which might tip some people off. (Not me!) The art still influences me in what I draw to this day, and I always keep art from this game up on my wall to inspire me.

One flaw the art has in this game lies mainly in its 100% completion requirements. No spoilers but there is a race segment of the game. The walls are very groovy and colorful with fun patterns on everything and it looks pretty as you whiz by it all. The race only takes a minute or two to complete, so you won't be there long, however if you are 100% completing the game you'll find yourself coming back to this race, albeit this time a bit more slowly. Pacing over every inch of the racing track looking for figment collectibles that often blend in to the colorful designs is a NIGHTMARE. You'll find yourself missing plenty and if you want to walk backwards it'll be a pain in the ass since the track is sloped for forward movement only. Whenever I look for figments in the game I save this for last as I detest it, and I quickly get motion sick 10-20 min into exploring the race track. On that note there are a few figments that are overly difficult to find. One of which feels like it's in the middle of nowhere and I've heard many miss that one. I had to look up where figments are placed (Luckily with the game giving you a book of your collected ones it's VERY simple to follow guides for these) and I HATE looking up collectible placement. One I missed was green, see through, and looked like a tree. It was in a backyard area that was hard to center the camera on and in GREEN grass. I was pissed when I finally found it. The game does what I think all collectible games should do and lists how many of each item you're missing in each sub area AND level, but don't feel guilty if you have to look one up!

The gameplay hasn't changed much since its Xbox/PS2 days, but I love the way Raz feels and controls, the platforming is so much fun to learn and perfect over time, but the game never gets overly difficult, just enough to make you feel proud of yourself for getting through parts without making you angry. I've heard some people say Raz controls "janky" and doesn't respond how they want or expect him to, and while I don't notice this it is something that I could have grown blind to over years of playing, though I remember it feeling amazing even as a child.

The music is charming and expressive though not very emotional. The game wants you to have fun more than cry your eyes out. It's very recognizable as I played through Costume Quest and found a camping store in it that played Psychonauts music, I realized what it was right away and was thrilled. It's not even the only Psychonauts Easter egg in the game, or in games in general, which shows the cult following it has amassed. From Brutal Legend to Alice Madness Returns many games have taken to referencing it.

All together if you like 3D platformers or even if you just like the art and humor, go check this game out, as I'm sure it'll continue to inspire people for years to come.

Not to sound like the Youtuber Penguinz as a teenager, but Psychonauts is my favorite video game of all time. This game shaped my life as dorky as that sounds, and throughout my life I've all but wanted to tie every friend and family member I have to a chair and make them play this game. I legitimately play other platformers and get a feeling in my gut that I'd rather be playing this, and I say that with platformers being my favorite genre. To me the best type of game is a 3D platformer collectathon with secrets around every nook and cranny, a game you can fully lose yourself in the world and plot of while also playing for fun or obsessively seeking out every single collectible. This game perfects that description. I always fall into the second category and I like to 100% this game for fun or whenever I'm feeling down. It's important with a collectathon that you never tire of the characters, art, or music, because you're going to be seeing A LOT of them. I first played this game as a child and the world it presents has never grown stale. It's one of those games where you can feel the creators passion for it in every detail. As far as story it isn't anything insane or that'll make you cry, but it's a fun set piece for the game to rest on and it has enough to it that you won't be comparing it to overly simple platformer stories like Mario and A Hat In Time. The game's sense of humor is amazing and still makes me laugh to this day, even the way the lines are delivered is perfection. As a teenager during one of my escapades of forcing my friends to play this game, shortly into it my friend asked me if I had been playing this since I was really little, I told them I had, and they replied that it made perfect sense where I got my sense of humor from, which shows the way the writing and delivery shaped me. The game even delves into dark humor at times which I adore, without overly relying on it like a Danganronpa game might. Even if you don't 100% the game try to get all of the memory vaults! It's well worth your time for the extra art, addition to the story, and several touching moments in the wordless storytelling that always gets me tearing up. The art direction in this game is brilliant, Scott Campbell's work is unique and pulls you in, but I've found that it's not for everyone since some people I show this game to will remark that the art leans more "weird" than pretty to them, which might tip some people off. (Not me!) The art still influences me in what I draw to this day, and I always keep art from this game up on my wall to inspire me. One flaw the art has in this game lies mainly in its 100% completion requirements. No spoilers but there is a race segment of the game. The walls are very groovy and colorful with fun patterns on everything and it looks pretty as you whiz by it all. The race only takes a minute or two to complete, so you won't be there long, however if you are 100% completing the game you'll find yourself coming back to this race, albeit this time a bit more slowly. Pacing over every inch of the racing track looking for figment collectibles that often blend in to the colorful designs is a NIGHTMARE. You'll find yourself missing plenty and if you want to walk backwards it'll be a pain in the ass since the track is sloped for forward movement only. Whenever I look for figments in the game I save this for last as I detest it, and I quickly get motion sick 10-20 min into exploring the race track. On that note there are a few figments that are overly difficult to find. One of which feels like it's in the middle of nowhere and I've heard many miss that one. I had to look up where figments are placed (Luckily with the game giving you a book of your collected ones it's VERY simple to follow guides for these) and I HATE looking up collectible placement. One I missed was green, see through, and looked like a tree. It was in a backyard area that was hard to center the camera on and in GREEN grass. I was pissed when I finally found it. The game does what I think all collectible games should do and lists how many of each item you're missing in each sub area AND level, but don't feel guilty if you have to look one up! The gameplay hasn't changed much since its Xbox/PS2 days, but I love the way Raz feels and controls, the platforming is so much fun to learn and perfect over time, but the game never gets overly difficult, just enough to make you feel proud of yourself for getting through parts without making you angry. I've heard some people say Raz controls "janky" and doesn't respond how they want or expect him to, and while I don't notice this it is something that I could have grown blind to over years of playing, though I remember it feeling amazing even as a child. The music is charming and expressive though not very emotional. The game wants you to have fun more than cry your eyes out. It's very recognizable as I played through Costume Quest and found a camping store in it that played Psychonauts music, I realized what it was right away and was thrilled. It's not even the only Psychonauts Easter egg in the game, or in games in general, which shows the cult following it has amassed. From Brutal Legend to Alice Madness Returns many games have taken to referencing it. All together if you like 3D platformers or even if you just like the art and humor, go check this game out, as I'm sure it'll continue to inspire people for years to come.