Kotaku: Psychonauts

This Noble Theme Will Get You in the Mood for Psychic Heroism

Kirk Hamilton — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:15:00 EST

Look, no one really knows what's going on with this whole Notch-Tim-Schafer-Psychonauts 2 thing. But that doesn't mean we can't sit back and listen to what might be my single favorite piece of music from the original Psychonauts! More »

Bankrolling Psychonauts 2 was Just a "Semi-Joke," Says Notch

Owen Good — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:30:00 EST

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A Tweeted offer to back a sequel to Tim Schafer's cult favorite Psychonauts was "a semi-joke," said Markus "Notch" Persson, the creator of Minecraft and a guy who's not hard up for cash in light of that game's success. Notch rattled off a host of reasons why we shouldn't get our hopes up, especially the cost of the project. More »

The Past and Future of Psychonauts 2

Stephen Totilo — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST

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Until about, oh, early last week, Psychonauts 2 seemed like an idea—or maybe a wish—that would never become a video game. More »

Great Moments in Video Game Humor: Let's Make Out!

Mike Fahey — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EST

You want to know how Tim Schafer and Double Fine managed to generate more than a million dollars in Kickstarter cash? Look no further than this hilarious exchange from twisted platforming classic Psychonauts. Sometimes you just gotta make out. More »

Psychonauts Creator Says Notch-Funded Sequel 'Could Happen'

Jason Schreier — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:37:00 EST

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After joking around earlier, Double Fine head Tim Schafer has told Kotaku that a Psychonauts sequel funded by Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson could very well be a possibility. More »

Psychonauts Creator Seems Confused By Surprise Sequel Benefactor [Update]

Jason Schreier — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST

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Double Fine head Tim Schafer is just as baffled as the rest of us at news that Markus "Notch" Persson wants to fund a Psychonauts sequel. More »

Minecraft's Creator Wants to Put Up Money to Make Psychonauts 2 a Reality

Evan Narcisse — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST

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Tim Schafer's Psychonauts is practically synonymous with the phenomenon of great, under-appreciated games. It didn't set the world on fire with massive sales when it came out years ago but has gone one to become a cult favorite, with a Mac release happening late last year. More »

Why I Talked About Chickens to a Room Full of Game Developers

Kirk Hamilton — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:00:00 EDT

A couple of weeks ago, I attended GDC Online in Austin. I was covering the event, but I was also there as a speaker, giving a microtalk as part of a six-critic panel on great game storytelling. Joining me were N'Gai Croal (Hit Detection), Leigh Alexander (Gamasutra), John Davidson (CBS Interactive/Gamespot), and Ben Fritz (the L.A. Times). The talk was organized and led by Chris Dahlen, who is editor-in-chief at Kill Screen Magazine. More »

Double Fine Delivers Custom Pick-Me-Up Card to Gamer with Rare Brain Disease

Evan Narcisse — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:40:00 EDT

Psychonauts, arguably Double Fine Studios's best and most well-known game, is all about memories and how they shape our lives. The PS2-era game impacted Chris Machado so much that he wrote into the dev collective founded by Tim Schafer, which led to a visit to their San Francisco offices. More »

Wow, Psychonauts Just Got A Big Update, Achievements and a Mac Version

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:40:00 EDT

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Like, totally out of nowhere, Double Fine just hit us with an update to the PC version of "excellent game" Psychonauts, adding Steam Play cloud saves, achievements and support for Mac OS X. Additionally, there's a "slightly modified Meat Circus." More »

Psychonauts is Back Where it Belongs

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 03:30:00 EDT

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Having been the property of companies like THQ and Majesco, the publishing rights to cult platformer Psychonauts are now back where they belong: with Double Fine, the people who actually made the game. More »

So, Video Games, Where Are All The Good Jokes?

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 04:30:00 EST

You ever wonder why there aren't more genuinely funny video games? One of the few genuinely funny men in the business, Double-Fine's Tim Schafer (Psychonauts, Full Throttle) has an idea. [image] More »

Psychonauts Creator Is Totally Ready For A Sequel

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 22:00:00 EST

Tim Schafer, creative force behind Grim Fandango and Brutal Legend, is ready and willing to give you that Psychonauts sequel you've been dreaming of. Now he just needs a publisher to finance the damn thing. More »

Psychonauts Meets Inception (And It Works)

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 20:40:00 EDT

Double Fine Productions' Psychonauts, the classic psychic adventure, when cut to ape Christopher Nolan's Inception scene-by-scene works shockingly well. Either consider this fan-made mash-up a dose of clever nostalgia or a reminder that, yes, you really should play some Psychonauts. More »

Happy Tenth Birthday, Double Fine

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:30:00 EDT

Scott Campbell, art director at Brutal Legend and Psychonauts developers Double Fine, has marked the studio's tenth birthday with this rad cartoon. More »

"You Gonna Read This, Fisher?" The Art of Enemy Taunts

Chris Breault — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EDT

I can't think of another game so destroyed by its dialogue as Splinter Cell: Conviction; not by bad lines alone (which are nothing novel in gaming) but by the way Ubisoft's designers and programmers used them. More »

Distilled To A Purer Substance

Laura Michet — Tue, 18 May 2010 10:00:00 EDT

Have you ever played a game where the minigames or secondary goals were more exciting and compelling than the rest of the entire game? More »

Why We Play Games, And Why We Grumble About Them

Leigh Alexander — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:40:36 EST

Sometimes, one gamer's flaw is another's feature. Even the highest-rated games aren't always perfect – but what determines the flaws we'll tolerate versus the ones we can't forgive? It all depends on why you play games. More »

Psychonauts Now Just Two Measly Bucks On Steam

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:00:00 EST

Have you somehow missed Double Fine's lovely and under-appreciated Psychonauts? Now you have no excuse. The debut title from the makers of last year's Brutal Legend is just $2 USD on Steam. Your 2.0 GHz Pentium IV can handle it! [Steam] More »

Will Brütal Legend Be On This List?

AJ Glasser — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:40:00 EDT

Half the fun of super-long video game lists is scrolling through to see if your favorite/most-hated games are on there. The other half of the fun is looking for Tim Schafer games. More »

Tim Schafer Doesn't Want You To Worry About Sales

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:40:00 EDT

If there's one thing Brütal Legend and Psychonauts creator Tim Schafer doesn't want you spending valuable brain cycles on, it's the sales figures for video games—especially his own. More »

Psycho-pedia Is Like Wikipedia, Only For Psychonauts

Luke Plunkett — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 01:00:00 EST

Remember that ominous "COMING SOON" scare we had with Psychonauts a few months back? Well it just came! While it wasn't, of course, a new Psychonauts game, it's probably the next best thing. More »

Portal Devs Reveal The GLaDOS That Never Was, Inspiration Behind Weighted Companion Cube

Michael McWhertor — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST

Kim Swift and Erik Wolpaw, two of the key developers on Portal, gave GDC attendees a behind the scenes look at The Orange Box hit, focusing on the process of integrating narrative and design. The two also showed early and, by their own admission, failed, version's of the game's final boss fight with GLaDOS, the talkative, ever present artificial intelligence. They highlighted three attempts at making a successful boss battle, driving home the fact that ample playtesting brought them to the incinerator battle they ultimately settled on. More »

Xbox Originals Arrive, Bring Free Themes

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 19:20:00 EST

Hey, those Xbox Originals (aka old Xbox games) have arrived on Xbox Live Marketplace as of today, bringing a handful of extras with them. While the more mundane but practical stuff includes PDF instruction manuals and online controller mappings for games like Psychonauts, Halo and Indigo Propechy, there are some fun freebies, too. Picture packs and themes for each of the Xbox Originals are available for download by going to Marketplace > Game Store > Xbox Originals. Gussy up your Xbox 360 blades with free Fable stuff, if you want. Huzzah! More »

GameTap Debuts Psychonauts For Free

simonc — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:00:06 EST

'All you can eat' game service GameTap has sneaked out a little present for Thanksgiving. More »

Xbox Originals Are Achievement Free

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 18:20:17 EST

Microsoft blogger Larry Hryb takes no delight in crushing fan dreams today with an update on the recently announced plan to release original Xbox games via Xbox Live Marketplace. Apparently, some were speculating that the company would go the extra mile for the 1200 MS Point releases, adding Achievements and Gamer Score to games like Halo, Fable, Psychonauts and Crimson Skies. Sadly, Mr. Hryb writes that adding such a feature would be technically impossible for the older titles, even adding a little frowning emoticon to illustrate the seriousness of the matter. More »

Tim Schafer Talks Shit About XBLA Development

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:20:43 EST

Oh, not in a bad way. You didn't think based on that headline that... no... oh, no. He's quite a swell fellow that Tim Schafer, despite the potty mouth. He's simply crafted one of the finest analogies in response to questions if he and the team at Double Fine Productions are working on an Xbox Live Arcade title. With Schafer speaking warmly of "blue-sky prototyping" and of a flood of ideas during the development of Psychonauts that didn't make the cut, one would assume that Double Fine was dedicating at least some resources to Epic Saga: Extreme Fighter HD Remix. Nope, says Schafer. More »

Xbox LIVE Turns Five, Gives Away Carcassonne

Mark Wilson — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 13:00:11 EST

We've long been waiting to hear what Xbox LIVE would be pulling out for their fifth anniversary. Now we know. Carcassonne, an already released XBLA board game, will be available for free download between 12:01 a.m. PST on Nov. 15 and 11:59 p.m. PST on Nov. 16. In addition, members of LIVE who've been faithful since 2002 will be gifted 500 points. Also, our new press release has mentioned that Psychonauts is coming to XBLA as a classic Xbox download with the fall update. Score. Here's the full press release: More »

Double Fine Studios Halloween Contest

fdemarco — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 10:00:00 EDT

Halloween is just a few days away and it seems pumpkin carving competitions are the contests du jour. Tim Shafer's Double Fine Studios is getting in on the action with a pumpkin contest of their own taking place on their forums. Simply submit a carved pumpkin with any Double Fine or Double Fine product design and you could win some fabulous prizes. Actually, I don't know what the prizes are and neither do they, but they promise a prizes for their favorites including a Psychonauts poster autographed by Shafer himself. That alone is worth a couple hours of drawing and carving. All entries must be in by Oct. 30 and as of now the entries are rather sparse so if you're quick on the draw and have a modicum of talent, you stand a pretty good chance of winning something. Good luck and if any of you win be sure to send us your winning entry so we can post it to our ever growing jack o' lantern gallery of doom. More »

Psychonauts Sequel Not Happening (Tear)

Mark Wilson — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:00:21 EDT

Despite how we may have gotten your hopes up about Tim Schafer's potential exciting new Psychonauts project, according to the man himself, Double Fine is not ready to announce a new Psychonauts project...yet.

Haha. Nooooo. There's no new Psychonauts game in the works right now, but I'm glad some people got excited by the idea. I know *I* got excited.

Mr. Schafer, a storyteller as powerful as yourself should understand the mystique of darkness. You could put a donut in silhouette and half the Internet would be speculating glazed or powdered. More »

Majesco Titles On GameTap

Mike Fahey — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 12:20:00 EDT

Every week I am feeling a bit better about that $.99 GameTap free trial that I keep forgetting to cancel. Not only will they have Clive Barker's Jericho for the only price worth paying for it (free), but now they've signed a deal to provide Majesco games to lazy folk like me that never got around to stopping the service. If I had actually gone through with ending it only to have Psychonauts suddenly become available I would have kicked myself so hard. BloodRayne 1 & 2 and Jaws: Unleashed I could give or take, but mmmm Psychonauts.

"Given the limited shelf space and relatively quick turn of titles at retail nowadays, we consider GameTap to be a valuable vehicle that can help extend the video game lifecycle," said Ken Gold, vice president of Marketing, Majesco.

That's the truth. I've been using the service lately to fill in a few gaps in my gaming portfolio. If you haven't experienced the joy of Psychonauts, now would be an excellent time. More »

Double Fine Readying Jack Black Attack?

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:20:35 EDT

International House Of Mojo, a site primarily focused on LucasArts, Double Fine and Telltale Games coverage, recently ran a rumor on Tim Schafer and Double Fine's unannounced next game. Dubbed Brutal Legend, the game allegedly stars actor and musician Jack Black as a roadie who dies, is banished to Hell and must claw his way to Rock 'N Roll Heaven. More »

Xbox 360 Backward Compatability Update Leaked? (Psychonauts!)

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 19:40:37 EST

According to one Cheapassgamer, Microsoft updated their Xbox 360 backward compatability list on the official site, only to retract these games moments later. Did someone hit publish a little too soon? Included in the list of newly supported titles were fan favorites like Shenmue II, Dead or Alive Ultimate, and the Double Fine Studios cult bomb Psychonauts. More »

Psychonauts Now On Steam

kotaku.com — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 09:40:49 EDT

After being forced to endure excruciating games like SiN: Emergence and Bloodrayne, Steam has finally added a half-decent game which, I must admit, I never quite learned to love, but at least don't actively loathe, again like Bloodrayne: Psychonauts. Also, congratulations on reading the longest sentence in the history of Kotaku! More »

Psychonauts Comes To Steam

kotaku.com — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:40:07 EDT

Psychonauts was a game that, despite my best intentions, I never quite learned to love. But good news for Psychonauts fans: the classic-for-everyone-but-me Doublefine title is going to get some more exposure, thanks to Steam. We're sure the influence of Erik Wolpaw of Valve, previously Doublefine, previously Gamespot, previously Old Man Murray helped that along. Florian Eckhardt More »

Psychonauts Backwards Compatibility Still Coming

kotaku.com — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 12:40:34 EDT

The last Xbox 360 backwards compatibility came and went, and there was much gnashing of teeth. "Where's Psychonauts?" asked the Internet's vast constabulary of fans of a game I've never been smart enough to appreciate. A yellowish loogie was perceived to arc from Microsoft's puckered lips into Tim Schaffer's face. More »

Tim Schafer Shows Us How to Do That

egauger — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 20:20:46 EDT

Tim Schafer seems smart. Like, really smart. I am extremely impressed with the very simple, very true little bombs he drops over and over in this recorded lecture from GDC 2004. More »

Stop the Presses: Online Petition Actually Effective!

egauger — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 20:20:42 EDT

Psychonauts fans were recently called to arms when creator Tim Shaffer created an online petition demanding a backwards compatibility patch on the 360 for his game. A few days later we have news that wonder of wonders, it worked, and a Psychonauts patch is on the way. The report is from a highly dubious source, as CVG recognizes: More »

Help Get Psychonauts on the 360!

brownlee — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 12:40:22 EDT

I didn't like Psychonauts. That admission alone will cause some of you to wrongfully vilify me as some sort of monster. I'm not a monster. I tried to love it, I wanted to love it! I played two hours of Psychonauts, then quit: the game's quirky humor, much lauded by the same internet that finds Something Awful funny, was lost on me as I stared at the screen, my lips compressed into a grim, humorless line. Upon being forced to fight some stupid tank that I couldn't figure out how to beat, I quit in disgust and went out to beat a baby to death with a bag full of kittens. More »

Why Did Majesco Bow Out of the Big Time?

lsmith — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 13:42:48 EST

Chris Morris' Game Over column looks at why Majesco stepped out of the triple-A title race. The company drew many of its titles from a pool of movie licenses, Bloodrayne, Jaws, Advent Rising and Taxi Driver (the latter of which has been cancelled). Majesco did have Psychonauts, however, a wonderful little platformer from Tim Schafer, but even that flopped financially. They've been forced to retreat back to its roots in the handheld market. Gone, but with games like Psychonauts, not forgotten. More »