They Deserved Better, Part Four - Psychonauts

In the fourth, and final part of our They Deserved Better series, Adam Montgomery takes a look back at one of the most unique, visionary and just plain fun games ever created - Tim Schafer's Psychonauts.

Psychonauts is the last, and best, of the games that Deserved Better. The game's creator, Tim Schafer, proved himself a master of mind-melding; he allowed us into his mind to play in a detached world of psychics and sinners, with characters as disjointed and witty as his mind could muster. The Psychonauts are some of the first to touch down on the 360 as part of the new Xbox Originals download service coming with the December 4th firmware update, so it’s an ideal time to revisit this sorely-missed classic of the last generation.

Razputin, the lead character, spends as much time bouncing off the cast in sharply-timed and written dialogue as he does bouncing off the earth on his mentally-projected ball. “Levels” are contained within the minds of characters. Their fears, wants, and well-being are all portrayed in the mental landscape you traverse and contend with. Pleasingly, the comedy continues, and perhaps climaxes, with the internal monologue and private commentary transpiring due to your mind-tampering.

The psychic abilities Raz learns and hones during his time at the Psychonauts’ camp are a joy. From basic attacks, to more interesting abilities, they are key to completing the game’s many memorable challenges and puzzles. Clairvoyance, for instance, allows you to view yourself through the eyes of another – allowing you to judge the effectiveness of your disguise. These abilities raise the game above its rather generic roots, and without them, Psychonauts would feel like any platformer with a theme.

It’s fortunate then that the psychic theme is so well executed; woven expertly into the characters, the world, and the gameplay. It’s simply a joy to play; a well-executed spin on a genre which has suffered greatly in recent times.

What makes Psychonauts truly special, keeping it from becoming just another platform-puzzle game, is that it’s a sparkling example of wit and a quirky, joyous romp through a world like no other.

Search for it and you can find a Schafer quote: “genre isn’t important, quality is.” His game builds on a firm foundation of stable convention, with a gentle shuffle around “generic”, and becomes an enjoyable, polished oddity which is as fun as it is catatonic.

And that’s it. That’s all I have to say about Psychonauts and all I have to say about the games that Deserved Better. There are a lot of great games out there that have been shunned, and wrongly so. If you take a look back and enjoy Beyond Good and Evil, Oddworld:Stranger’s Wrath, Okami, or Psychonauts, then take a chance in the future. Otherwise, I offer only the sad guarantee that a number of future classics will be cast aside as the masses scramble for yet another licensed sequel.

Pick that game up off the floor. Choose quality.

Adam Montgomery

They Deserved Better Part 3: Okami

In part three of our four part series, "They Deserved Better", our British contributor, Adam Montgomery strolls the lush foliage and incredible imagination of Okami. See why cutting edge processors and lifelike graphics aren't everything when it comes to creating a gaming world of wonder.

The penultimate honouree in the They Deserved Better series is Clover Studio’s stunning Okami, the best of their titles released at the end of their lifespan.

A challenge to the continuing technical advancement of the industry, the developers conjured the ever-diminishing feeling of wonder at a game’s visual style from the oldest hardware in the market. The admittedly conventional structure of the adventure is also undeniably well executed, with a merit which qualifies it to clone the Legend of Zelda series. It’s truly a master of the now, not the next.

“Life” is the theme of the game. The world revolves around creation, and creation being a positive force. You’re main interaction with the world is through painting. The Celestial Brush invites the player to create, like the developers have clearly relished in doing, and works to remove that controller, the translator, that allows you access to the virtual world. Projection of what you’re thinking, whether it’s a solution or destruction in the world, is achievable and rewarding.

The superlative word bank has been plundered as critics clamour to heap praise on the game’s visuals. These looks weren’t crafted on computers. They were moulded in imagination; the dreams of the developers realised. We see what they saw. Okami is tapping people on the shoulder and asking, “Why?” Why do we need realism? Why do we need unique graphics? It’s not an attempt to deride the merits of a game’s appearance, but it’s an attempt to get developers to ask, “Why?” Okami is trying to get developers to dig into their imaginings. When they do this, when they draw the tangible from what was intangible, they can firmly communicate. And they can do it with more then words.

Flawed in a number of ways, yes, but that shouldn’t stop you purchasing Okami. Much air-punching occurred when a Wii port was announced. Many more will be able to play Okami and can enjoy what is such a wonderful, creative, and fresh experience; and looking back now, despite format, Okami remains everything the Wii ever hopes to be.

Adam Montgomery

They Deserved Better, Part Two - Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is the second game to be honored (and mourned) in our They Deserved Better series. The Oddworld series was the brainchild of game designer Lorne Lanning and was one of the original Xbox's landmark series. It's quirky, striking visual style and offbeat sense of humor helped define the new console and set it apart from Sony's Playstation 2.

Like previous honoree Beyond Good and Evil, O: SW was the end for the series, and in this case, for the developer itself. It was an especially cruel turn for Oddworld Inhabitants, who now produce movies, considering that O: SW was the best in the series so far. The game can't lay claim to being a financial success, but it can lay claim to being the finest meshing of many different game play styles to date.

The game is a first- and third-person perspective adventure. Hitman had the option of a first-person perspective, and Oblivion had the option of a third-person perspective, but both were afterthoughts and felt tacked on. O: SW fully incorporated both, and each reaped its own benefits.

Shooting was best controlled in first-person. Live-ammo, of a different sort, was used. You literally had to capture creatures from the environment and employ their form or personality to overcome opponents. "Fuzzles" are a highlight of this mechanic, distinctly non-cute creatures with a lust for blood; after being fired into the area they immediately start chomping through enemy flesh. There are others too. Some would distract, some would explode, and some would cocoon the victim. The ammo's different uses gave a tactical satisfaction when employed correctly, akin to the use of ammo in a much later game, Bioshock.

Movement and sneaking was best done in third person, where you were best able to judge your own location in the environment. This was especially useful during the platform-jumping periods of the game. Avoiding enemies would allow you first attack. If the landscape didn't give you a route to circumvent enemies, you could use any of the live ammo to distract and destroy. Ideally you would remain undetected, allowing you to assess the tactical situation and determine the appropriate course.

If you have played any previous Oddworld games you will be acquainted with the all-pervading humor the developers work into the game, and it's present here, even if somewhat hampered by the weak voice-work.

Factor in its pleasing wild-west art style, and you have a game with a truly unique feel.

If I have whetted your appetite with this taste of a gaming banquet, then go out and grab this overlooked gem. You may have a hard time if you have traded in your Xbox, as Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath isn't yet supported on Xbox 360 software emulation. Hopefully this will change in the near future.

When you get the chance, make Stranger a stranger no more.

Adam Montgomery

UPDATE - November 6, 2007 1:07AM: Lorne Lanning and his studio Oddworld Inhabitants is set to make an ambitious return to interactive entertainment with Citizen Siege, a new original property developed from conception as a CG animated movie and videogame.

The movie will be produced by John H. Williams, responsible for the Shrek series, and directed by Lanning himself. The game is currently being sought by a number of big-name publishers.

They Deserved Better - Part One: Beyond Good and Evil

This is part one of a four part series called "They Deserved Better" where Adam Montgomery examines the fate of some of the greatest games ever made that never achieved the level of commercial success they deserved. These games hold a special place in our hearts. They are the cult classics of the gaming industry and deserve our recognition and, if possible, a place in your game library.

In part one, Adam Looks at Beyond Good and Evil from Michael Ancel, the brilliant creator of the first two Rayman games.

Jade battled to free the minds of Hilllys’ inhabitant, but she was only free to do this after Micheal Ancel had a similar battle with videogame audiences. Beyond Good and Evil is the product of Ancel’s struggle; it is his attempt to open minds.

Originally intended as part of a trilogy, BGAE failed to sell. It was so much of a commercial failure that the work that had gone into the game-world’s engine was cast aside (although the JADE engine did go on to feature in the more successful Prince of Persia) and the franchise died without delivering it’s sequels.

It’s a shame too, because Jade’s home world of Hillys felt real. It felt like every step you took in the world left a footprint. Crowds would gather in support of the rebellion. Every exposure you made was broadcast and heard by the people. The JADE engine made possible long-distance visuals, preventing feelings about the environment being an endless series of “levels” – it was a hive of activity. It was a prize worth liberating.

Cinematic sequences carried a sense of drama and emotion. Jade’s personality wasn’t explicitly told to the player; it was signed in unspoken language: with the nuance of her character revealed in the movements and framing of the camera.

Ancel had a tale to tell, and he told it impeccably.

And then there’s Jade. She wasn’t from the mold of other female protagonists, and she wasn’t bound by their shared restraints. She was mentally strong, strikingly independent, and was the backbone of a revolution – a willing messiah for Hillys. Most importantly, and most distinguishingly, Jade was untouched by marketing staff seeking the dollars of teenage boys. She was the opposite: she was a feminist heroine.

Jade’s spiritual, she’s resilient, and she’s a woman of substance – tied to her purpose without thoughts of failure. Most endearingly, Jade is a mother figure, but not just a mother figure. Her role as caretaker is but a reflection of one aspect of her personality and, when paired with her thirst for truth, makes up her drive. Yes, Jade began by taking care of a few, but she ended up taking care of an entire nation.

Metroid Prime’s Samus Aran is an icon; the moment she removed her helmet to display her femininity is seminal. However, and this will anger some, when you’re playing the game she’s not a woman. She’s not even a man. She’s a sexless, soulless it.

And when Samus won the Gamefaqs character battle it was a bit sad. The first woman to win the contest wasn’t really a woman at all, she was a canvas; a white sheet for the player to project themselves onto; she was a safe nothingness.

Compared to Samus, Jade in Beyond Good and Evil is Women’s Rights 2003: liberation in a new medium.

It’s just a shame she had such a sad and premature ending.

Adam Montgomery