TGO Daily | Tuesday August 24, 2021 | Psychonauts 2 Review Roundup
In the news: A Review Roundup for Psychonauts 2 & Alien: Fireteam Elite.
TGO Daily | Tuesday August 24, 2021
✏️ From the Author
The past week I’ve gone walking nearly every day for about an hour. There’s something so cathartic about just walking aimlessly and listening to music.
It’s so peaceful and serene, even with the constantly loud screeching I hear, which persists no matter how loud the music is. You’d think I’d just stop singing and save my poor ears. Alas, if only I were so forward-thinking…
Until next time,
Brandon
Review Roundup | Psychonauts 2
The much-anticipated sequel 16 years in the making officially releases Wednesday (August 25th) for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 4. The gameplay within the series features entering someone’s ‘brainscape’, where you venture into their mind and help them resolve their mental traumas.
Psychonauts 2 follows soon after the events of VR game Rhombus of Ruin, bringing our hero ‘Raz’ into the Psychonauts headquarters to investigate a mole within the organization. You need not have played the game to understand the plot, as they did include cutscenes to get you up to speed.
The game is currently sitting at an 88/100, with 98% of critics recommending it on OpenCritic. Let’s go over the pros and cons that critics noted:
Pros:
Many critics are praising Double Fine’s handling of mental trauma within the game. While walking a fine line of making for fun gameplay, the game does deal with concepts like PTSD, addiction and anxiety - and, per reviewers, handles them with finesse.
Critics also discussed combat feeling solid, while not being a focal point in the game. They praised the game constantly moving you between story, combat, platforming and puzzles to make for engaging gameplay.
Cons:
While not necessary to beat the game, some critics did not like the many varied collectibles within levels that work as a progression system for leveling up - specifically that it felt too much for the little impact it had.
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell of Eurogamer had some really enjoyable observations that I’d recommend you look at in his review. I’ll leave you with his final words on the game:
“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.”
Brandon’s Thoughts: I never did play the first one, though I very much do intend to. For me, it just ended up being one of those games you hear about that you want to play, but just somehow never got around to playing. The concept seems unique, the characters quirky, and the animation looks very cool. It really seems like this game very much holds its own in the series - not something easy to do 16 years after the first one.
Review Roundup | Aliens: Fireteam Elite
The latest in the series, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is releasing today (August 24th) for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
The game features gameplay reminiscent in style to your modern zombie co-op shooter campaign game. You can play with friends as a fireteam holding back a horde of Xenomorphs as you try to contain them.
The game is currently sitting at a 69/100, with 40% of critics recommending it on OpenCritic. Let’s go over the pros and cons that critics noted:
Pros:
Most praise seems to center around exactly what you expect from a co-op shooter - mindless and fun gameplay that pairs great with friends.
Most critics praised the frantic action that kept pacing well-balanced throughout the levels.
Cons:
The main complaint of the game has been its length. One reviewer beat the campaign in 5 hours on casual difficulty. Challenges and harder difficulties are unlocked once beating the campaign, but the levels are still the same, which can make for low replayability for some.
Kyle Campbell of IGN sums up the game succinctly:
“Aliens: Fireteam Elite does enough right to be plenty worthwhile for a trio of co-op shooter fans who’d rather battle hordes of xenomorphs than the usual zombies. Between the excellent weapons, classes, and enemy types and some wonderful nostalgic hat-tips toward what came before, it's a must-play if you hold any fondness for this series. The caveats, of course, are having to put up with repetitive scenarios and some excruciatingly drawn-out missions. Aliens: Fireteam Elite may not be a triumphant win, but it's far from a game over, man.”
Brandon’s Thoughts: I just wanted to include one more quote from another review if you’re interested, just because it makes me laugh every time I read it. It comes from Alyssa Mercante at GamesRadar+ “Aliens: Fireteam Elite is not a deftly handled tool that only belongs in the hands of a well-trained professional, but a big ol' hammer looking for some nails to beat in. Those nails are the xenos, and there's plenty of them to go around.” If you’re looking for some short, mindless, shooter fun with your friends, I think the game will provide that. However, I think it’s a buy-on-a-sale game, unless you have a big love for the Aliens franchise.
🔦 Article Spotlight
How do you discover when people find your game? | Gamasutra
A cool look on how to monitor the success of your game through data and social media. Would recommend the read if you’re interested in a small peak behind the curtain for developers and how they monitor ‘game discovery’.
💡 Read More
Looks like Crusader Kings 3 could be on its way to consoles.
Hoa review: a gorgeous platformer with big Studio Ghibli vibes. This game looks pretty! Kind of gives me Ori and the Blind Forest vibes in aesthetic.
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Thanks for the read <3