Psychonauts 2 Is Now Available With Xbox Game Pass

Will play next after I finish Hades. I almost escaped yesterday.

amazing game and it looks absoutely beautful!

BRILLIANT game so far!

@LordMonkfish ohhh, I'm getting happy for no reason then lol

Just started this. Never played the first. Seems decent so far.
Anyone missing the Rewards quest for this? There was a challenge yesterday to get an achievement, but this morning, when it's actually possible to get, it's been replaced by the FH5 quest.

It feels so fluid, and refreshing and layered with this nostalgic sensation that isn't just because of its prequel but also because it captures that old school gaming vibe. It feels like I'm playing a 2021 game on an original Xbox, if that make sense haha

This game really impressed me so far. Played through the first mission and exploring the hub. Didn't even get to the next mission. But it feels way more polished and elaborate, and the action controls so well after having tried to force myself into the original. Super impressed. I kinda don't want to use it all up at once, so I'll pace myself slowly through it. I'm kinda binging on GP games (that I already own....) right now with Yakuza series, DQXI (going slow to savor it, I don't want it to end), Skyrim (lol), Outer Worlds, Tried Outriders...done with that, Hades...done with that too, this, and random Quake play.....all at once. Cloud/SSD has broken me...

@LordMonkfish That honestly sounds miserable. The worst thing about a rogue-like is the feeling you're just doing the same exact thing over and over and all progress is for nothing. Hades does better than many at making that feel fresh still....for a while. But the thrill war off after beating Meg twice, for me, I can't imagine getting all the way through and then having to keep re-doing the same thing. I respect the quality of that game, but I definitely don't get the hype for it.

I am floored with how good this is. Definitely lives up to the original and then some.

@ResoluteCustoms There is a thing the says “show all” which when clicked will let you see the Psychonauts one.

@LordMonkfish I think it mostly cements that I can't stand the idea of a rogue-like. Hades promises to be more than a roguelike but ultimately, it's still a roguelike, and if there's one thing I can't stand in gaming it's being made to do the same thing twice. If I've already completed a challenge, I've moved past it and don't need to do it again. having to do it twice I just start mashing buttons to get past it because I don't really want to be doing it again at all.

I mean, replaying a game is ok if you want to play it again, etc. But I mean, progressing through once, I did the grind, I went through the first area, I beat the first boss, I'm done. I don't want to do that again unless I want to replay the game again. I did do it, like twice more, but it's frustrating to play the whole first area, fight a boss (the same boss!) get into the next area, die, and have to keep re-doing it. That's just the worst. But having to do it ALL multiple times? How many times do you play the first room? Ugh. It's like an ode to arcades past.

I do love the sound and art design, and overall feel of the game. Reminds me of what made Diablo II special in the day (which is also repetitious, but different because you're exploring, too, and with portals you're not forced to directly repeat too much. I kind of assumed Hades would have a checkpoint after each boss, or at least the boss chamber would be empty after you defeat the boss once. I'd have liked it more, then. Well made, but ugh, the genre....I wish it were another genre.

Though playing Hades made me finally realize why I can't stand Soulsborne, either. It's a cleverly disguised Roguelike. You just keep repeating the same thing until you're good/powerful enough to go past it, and then you have to do it again if you die/heal. Ugh!

I played it last night for a few hours and i can already tell you it's my GOTY.. Absolutely fantastic game..

Most Tim Scheafer games feel "rough" in some way, including the original Psychonauts. This one feels super polished....it's pretty special so far!

@LordMonkfish At least you have some amount of taste and dislike Soulsborne

There are so many games it's hard to replay any. There are certain ones that just feel so good to play or have such fond memories you didn't get enough of the first time around. Something like Quake 1 still feels like an old pair of slippers all these years later. The classic Mario games still play great and are fun to go through. Ratchet & Clank PS4 was so fun I went through it like 4 times on all the difficulties to get all the upgrades. And I wouldn't mind revisiting the Mass Effect trilogy again. But yeah, I rarely get around to replays of most games.

I think the randomization in Diablo II really makes it endlessly playable. The scenery is similar, you know you're looking for That One Cave, but you have no idea what it is or what the layout will be so each time feels like the first time, and you keep getting more powers all through it. I think Diablo is quietly a rogue, but with portals and fast travel it bypasses the most controversial aspects of a rogue. Hades, IMO isn't quite random enough. Like, yeah, you get random chamber sequences and some chambers appear in some runs and not others, but it's still the SAME chambers just connected in random order, with no exploration/navigation aspect, so every time it still feels like really the same arcade path just with randomly ordered sequence. IDK. The world loves Hades. I love the feel, the look, the sound, the controls, combat, and everything about the world, except the progression

@FatalBubbles appreciate that. Also feeling quite blind.