10 minute read
Games
XSX, XB1, PS4, PC / doublefine.com
Psychonauts 2
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The original Psychonauts offered a genuinely interesting story that wasn’t just about saving the princess or the world, or collecting a hundred MacGuffins. Here’s why its sequel is a timely one…
Adirect sequel setonly a few days after the first game, Psychonauts 2 is keen to catch you up on everything that happened to little Raz prior to his graduation to become a member of the elite Psychonauts.
The story sees Raz investigating both the secret group and his own circus-performing family, and often diverts you off course with new areas to explore and side-quests to tackle. While that might interrupt the pacing, you will find yourself in plenty of fascinating scenarios, like navigating a giant pachinko machine or taking part in a bizarre cooking show.
But as was the case with the first game, this one’s at its best when exploring other characters’ minds, with each mental world having a different theme; thishas allowed for imaginative level design with vastly diverse art styles.
Combat is the weakest element: it’s oftensomewhat scrappy, with a lock-on that can be more of a hindrance than a help when you’re occasionally mobbed from all directions. But anyone who hasn’t signed up for a challenging game can opt to toggle to invincibility mode at any time (at the very least we recommend turning off fall damage).
Still, if we’re going to talk about accessibility, Psychonauts 2 could have done more to provide hints or ease your navigation, such as prompts when you’re stuck at a puzzle because you don’t have the right power equipped.
Still, any minor annoyances are far outweighed by the game’s generosity, includingthe chance to revisit past mental worlds. Its physical and intangible realms are both full of warmth and humour – just be prepared for plenty of puns.
This isn’t a game about heroes fixing people or defeating villains so much as it is about recognising our own flaws and how dark thoughts exist within everyone, and it treats the player’s own journey of mental wellbeing with patience and empathy. So nothing like Twitter, then.
Yeah, but just try getting planning permission for a real octopus-shaped casino. Well, it is frustrating buying a suit when your arms are thicker than your head.
People have the powers
Raz has a repertoire of psychic powers that really add to the gameplay, and which you can upgrade or modify over the course of the game. There are the obvious ones such as telekinesis and psi blasts for ranged attacks, but the most inventive ones come in useful for platforming, combat and puzzle-solving.
For instance, time bubbles can slow down both enemies and fast-moving objects, like a spinning fan that’s blocking your path; and levitation lets you speed around on a ball that can traverse dangerous terrain but can also be upgraded as a way to knock down or ground-pound enemies.
One of the more inspired powers is mental connections. This seems to be a grappling hook, but it can be used to connect two disparate ideas in someone’s mind. In fact, you could even break off someone’s negative thoughts associated with a certain idea and reconnect them with more positive ones.
It’s an interesting concept… andbehind the puzzle-solving, the game also explores the implications of trying to ‘fix’ someone’s mind. It’s a good example of how Psychonauts 2 playfully and meaningfully uses mechanics to develop both themes and narratives.
PS5, PC / bethesda.net
Deathloop
If you do one thing before lockdown runs out: play Deathloop. No, seriously. If we weren’t here writing this review, we’d be playing Deathloop
If you played Dishonored, you’d know that Arkane loves to show off its brilliant formula of combining dynamic combat, ingenious puzzles and expansive verticality. The wonderful thing about Deathloop is that it manages to improve on this formula without any real compromises. Every facet aligns with the next beautifully, and this all makes Deathloop frickin’ incredible.
The result is a game that’s easy to pick up but almost impossible to stop playing. Comparisons with Groundhog Day – though with significantly more violence and a dearth of Bill Murray – are extremely apt, as players will essentially loop around the same day, trying to get something different to happen.
Deathloop is set in Blackreef, a secret isle nestled in the North Atlantic somewhere. Here you’re free to traverse the four districts: The Complex, Karl’s Bay, Fristad Rock, and the urban sprawl of Updaam at different times of day. The inhabitants of Blackreef go about their day (quite literally) without fear of death, simply because a strange anomaly has made it so none of them can die.
Okay, they may die – the normative rules don’t apply, though. The world will attempt to make that death swift, with things like poisonous gas and icy waters and ballistic turrets and too many weapons for one island. If the inhabitants (here they’re called The Eternalists) perish, they wake up that same morning, ready to relive the same day again, with no memory of the previous day. That’s where the ‘loop’ bit comes in.
Now, you’re tasked with breaking this loop. Easy, right? Perhaps not, but Arkane’s blend of stealthy shooter action and interesting traversal mechanics mean you’ll be thrilled at the prospect of accomplishing this impossible task. You’ll compare it with other titles from the studio, and with good reason, but this is its own, endlessly looping, beast. One of the best games this year.
Every district changes depending on the time of day. When a loop restarts, you’ll lose your cool weapons and trinkets.
Far out, man
Players quickly find out that protagonist Colt Vahn is a former leader of The Eternalists faction called a Visionary. Initially, you won’t know why Colt has suddenly switched teams — because now he’s tracking down the other Visionaries to try and break the loop.
Which in turn means that everyone (and we mean everyone) on this seemingly peaceful isle wants to kill you, the traitor.
This makes the base mechanic of this game very clear: don’t die, find the target, and end them. So it’s a stealth shooter, but Arkane has managed to pack this game full of nifty little gems, interesting features, puzzles and an awesome map system.
The island features four very distinct districts — and within each, there are various possibilities, depending on the time of day.
Traversal, like getting around and such, is absolutely brilliant — and brings with it a fair amount of freedom and verticality for players. Cole doesn’t need to stick to main roads, and sometimes shouldn’t. This makes a sort of sense, his main lair being the underground tunnels that he uses to get from one district to another.
ALWAYS ON CALL
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MAIL OF THE MONTH
Q REGIONAL DELICACIES
I ordered educational DVDs from Amazon but cannot get them to play in my DVD player. They seem to work on my laptop, but only if I play them from the folder. Is there any way I can get them to play in the DVD player? What would your recommendations be? Maria
AWe’ve encountered this sort of problem before – it’s very likely that you’ve got Region 1 DVDs there. South Africa, along with a variety of other territories, uses Region 2, so most DVD players sold here, especially older ones, only support Region 2 discs. Check the disc’s cover, or the disc itself, to make sure whether it’s a region issue (it’ll have a large number 1 in a rounded square). If so, you’ll either need a Region 1 or regionfree DVD player to get them working on a TV. It’s also possible to covert the discs themselves, but that’s a lengthy (and technically illegal) process. It might also be worth investigating your DVD player. Some can be region-unlocked by tinkering with settings or using the remote to input an unlock code. It’s not a surefire solution but search the model of you DVD player online and see if there’s a (free) tested method to make your hardware region-free. If anyone asks you to pay for the answer, though, tell ‘em to sod off. It’s also possible to buy region-free players. They’re not terribly expensive, but that’s a last resort.
Speak your brains to Stuff and you could win! This letter wins a Xiaomi product hamper.
Q GOING THE DISTANCE
I look after my 88-year-old mom and was wondering if there is a way for me to use food apps, like KFC, Nando’s or Steers to order food for her in SA while I’m in the US. Neville A We don’t see why not. Most of us at Stuff use Checkers Sixty60, Woolies Dash, and various food delivery apps all the time, but we’ve never tried to use them while overseas. It should be possible to order and send food to a local address, even if you’re on another continent. If you have problems, try using a VPN to pretend to be back to SA.
Q UNICORN HUNTING
Sony’s PlayStation 5 feels more like a unicorn than it does the gaming console with which I can relive my childhood fantasies through the rebooted Ratchet & Clank franchise. The nine months
WRITETO USANDWIN
since its hyped release have felt like a lifetime of frantically refreshing websites, navigating COVID-19 scares, chip shortages and actual snack shortages in the wake of the ever-changing curfew rules. Thankfully, having watched Sony’s State of Play in September, I can reassure myself I won’t be missing out on too much over the festive period. God of War Ragnorok and Marvel’s Spider-man 2 appear to still be some time off. Maybe 2022 is the year for us, the deprived. Alex
AHang in there Alex. We can’t really speak to the COVID issues, but it doesn’t look like the chip shortage will be ending anytime soon. We recommend contacting a local retailer and getting your name on some sort of list so that when the stock arrives, you’ll be notified. That way you won’t need to replace your F5 button.
Q THE MAGIC WAS IN YOU ALL ALONG
I'm looking for an iPad keyboard. I'm leaning towards the Magic Keyboard (the one that attaches to the iPad) as it seems to have a good trackpad as well as a nice keyboard. My budget is whatever the best one is. Sasha
AGo with your gut here. Since you’re already a part of the Apple ecosystem, the Apple Magic Keyboard will suit your needs well. While there might be other, cheaper options, or some that offer a slightly bigger trackpad or typing experience, none will be as easy to pair.
Q DRIVE TO DESTRUCTION
The 500GB Toshiba external hard drive my brother gave me for Christmas in 2012 has stopped working. The light stays on but doesn’t appear with my other drives on my Windows 7 PC. I then tried it on another two USBs in my system. Still the same. I have also tried it on my mother’s system. It does not work. I have taken my hard drive to a technician, and they said they can’t find anything wrong. What else do you think could be the problem, and what do you think I should do next? Gavin
AFirstly, having congrats on a hard drive last that long. Mechanical drives are to computing today what lobotomies were to medicine in the 40s. As to your problem, it sounds like a classic drive fail, although we would recommend getting a second opinion. If the drive has failed, the only thing to do would be to get a replacement. If you can’t do without the contents, be prepared to pay in the thousands for specialists to retrieve it.
Next month’s mail of the month wins a hamper of Xiaomi products* worth R2 000!
This gadget leapt straig outta testin and into ou rankings.
OP EN
NEW OF EVERYTHING
Searing with techy genius, a product that’s set our hearts aflame.
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Time changes everything, including Stu Top Ten placings.
UPDATE
A solid gold bargain. Worth owning, regardless of cashflow.
