Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Psychonauts 2 New Screenshots and Coverage

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: ,
May 192021
 

I love Psychonauts, and Psychonauts 2 is one of my most anticipated games of the year.

Psychonauts is a 3D platformer in which you travel into people’s mental worlds, which leads to a number of really unique levels (and a lot of humor). If you haven’t played it, you really should give it a try!

(It’s on Game Pass now, too.)

The long-awaited sequel is due out this year for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S|X, and Game Informer has now revealed it as their new cover story.

That means that we have a lot of Psychonauts 2 information coming soon. Not only is it the featured article in this month’s issue of the magazine, but they’ll also be covering the game throughout the month.

The video announcing their Psychonauts 2 coverage includes gameplay footage, some of which I believe is new. It all looks fantastic and very fitting to the Psychonauts style.

For a while, I was nervous about Psychonauts 2. I love the original so much that I worried a sequel wouldn’t be able to capture that same magic, especially when I had mixed feelings about some of Double Fine’s more recent games, such as Broken Age. However, the things I’ve seen since then restored my excitement for Psychonauts 2 and left me hopeful that this really will be the sequel it deserves.

I don’t have a copy of the magazine to check out the new content, but screenshots from the article have been posted online, and they look great!

That’s in addition to earlier screenshots that have been shared by Double Fine. All together, these screenshots show a wide variety of levels, which is exactly what I’d expect from a Psychonauts game.

Earlier this month, Psychonauts 2 was briefly made available to pre-load from the Xbox store, although it was since taken down.

A lot of fans took that as a sign that the game is almost ready to be released, although it’s possible the pre-load was meant for a preview build accidentally opened up to everyone at first. Either way, that together with it being the central story of a major gaming magazine makes me think we’re getting close to a release date.

Personally, I now expect it to come out in the summer, right in the middle of all the other games I want to play at launch, because why not make the decision even harder? Either way, I can’t wait for Psychonauts 2 to come out!

I probably should look up the story of Rhombus of Ruin in the meantime…

Are you looking forward to Psychonauts 2?

Bowser’s Fury is a Standalone Free-Roaming Adventure

 Video games  3 Responses »  Tagged with:
Jan 132021
 

We’ve got more reviews on the way, but first let’s discuss the new information about Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury.

Back when Super Mario 3D All-Stars was announced, they also announced a Switch version of Super Mario 3D World with a new addition called Bowser’s Fury.

At the time, I wasn’t particularly interested in it. I much prefer the Super Mario 64/Sunshine/Odyssey (and Galaxy to a lesser extent) style of gameplay, so while I enjoyed Super Mario 3D World, it’s not a favorite.

However, yesterday Nintendo gave us our first look at Bowser’s Fury in a new trailer, and I became much more interested.

The trailer gave the impression that instead of following the 3D World format of small levels with a goal to reach in time, Bowser’s Fury would actually be more in line with the 64/Sunshine/Odyssey style of having a large world to explore with collectibles to find.

It actually feels a little out of place with 3D World, aside from it expanding the cat themes.

If that’s the sort of game Bowser’s Fury is, it makes me much more interested in playing it… but is it enough to re-buy 3D World when I already played it on the Wii U?

Well, today Nintendo released a 7-minute overview trailer about Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury. While some fans argue that the Bowser’s Fury section doesn’t really show anything that wasn’t already in yesterday’s trailer, it does confirm a lot of the conclusions fans had.

(The Bowser’s Fury section starts around 3:55.)

Bowser’s Fury is a “whole other adventure,” rather than new levels for 3D World, set in a lake kingdom inhabited by cats. While the main game supports 4-player co-op, Bowser’s Fury supports 2-player co-op with one player as Mario and the second as Bowser Jr., who joins you as your reluctant ally.

You have a large area to traverse, with the ability to ride Plessie across both the water and land, and your goal is to collect the Cat Shines scattered throughout the world.

Bowser will appear “after a certain amount of time” in his new Fury Bowser form, transforming the world into a darker, more dangerous version until he finally calms down and the world returns to normal. Many players have interpreted his arrival to be based on an actual in-game timer, although I feel that part isn’t completely clear.

You need to collect enough Cat Shines to purify the Giga Bell so that Mario can transform into his new gigantic cat form and fight Fury Bowser.

(Also, when it comes to the main game, the stamps that were used for Miiverse in the original are now usable in a photo mode.)

So yes, the trailer confirms that Bowser’s Fury is a standalone adventure set in a single large world with a focus on exploration and collecting Cat Shines. What it hasn’t answered is how long this new content will be. The official website describes it as a “short but action-packed standalone adventure.”

Since it specifically says it’s short, my guess is it will be a couple hours long and anyone expecting a full-length game is setting themselves up for disappointment. The website also describes it as a “free-roaming adventure” where you’ll “collect Cat Shines to reignite lighthouses and clear darkened terrain,” so the number of lighthouses will probably be a good indication of how long it will be.

Four beams of light shine on the Giga Bell in the trailer, so there are probably four lighthouses and four major zones in the area.

Personally, I’m still conflicted. Super Mario 3D World isn’t a game I’d re-buy on its own, and I’ll probably never replay the main game. However, Bowser’s Fury looks like the sort of game I’d enjoy. Is it worth the purchase? I’ll wait to hear more about its size… and maybe wait for a sale.

What about you? What do you think of Bowser’s Fury, and are you planning to buy this new version of Super Mario 3D World? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Mixed Feelings on Super Mario 3D All-Stars

 Video games  7 Responses »  Tagged with:
Sep 042020
 

Instead of holding a big Nintendo Direct, Nintendo’s strategy lately has been to release smaller presentations like the partner showcases.

Yesterday, they continued the trend by dropping a surprise Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary Direct.

The Direct was full of Mario announcements, including a new Mario Kart entry that uses real toy karts racing around your house as you play the game (which I probably won’t get, but absolutely would have wanted as a kid), and the much-rumored Switch ports of the 3D Mario games.

Super Mario 3D World is getting its own separate Switch release with new content called Bowser’s Fury, but the announcement I was most interested in was Super Mario 3D All-Stars, a collection of Super Mario 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy, plus an in-game music collection.

(But not Super Mario Galaxy 2. It didn’t even show up in the montage of Mario games at the end!)

I wasn’t surprised that all three games look pretty much like straight ports. I wasn’t surprised by the $60 price tag, either. I could see them easily pricing Super Mario Galaxy at $30 or $40 if it was a standalone release, for example.

And when they said the physical edition would be limited, I was disappointed but not surprised… until I realized they also said the digital version is limited. Super Mario 3D All-Stars will be out on September 18, but it will only be sold up through March 31, 2021.

Why?

Why make even the digital release limited?

A moment later, I had my answer, because I immediately went from, “I’ve played the originals, so I don’t know if I really want this,” to, “But I only have until March to decide, so maybe I’d better get them!” Being available for a limited amount of time might make people more inclined to buy them who would have otherwise waited.

My other theory is that after March 31, all three will appear as individual purchases on the eShop at a higher price all together. Since they haven’t announced that, however, the “fear of missing out” theory still applies even if they do release them separately.

Some fans have defended the decision, saying it’s supposed to be limited since it’s an anniversary celebration and past All-Stars releases were like this, but I still don’t like it.

This has left me conflicted. On one hand, I don’t know if I want to re-buy slightly three games I already have just because they’re on a newer console. On the other hand, I feel I should buy them just in case I do decide I want to replay them. But then, that makes me feel like I’m being manipulated into buying them, and then I don’t want to.

At least I have until March to decide. How do you feel about the Super Mario 3D All-Stars Collection?

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