Games Cheats and Reviews

Bargain alert: Right now you can grab the PC version of Psychonauts, the game that put Tim Schafer’s Double Fine Productions on the map, for just two bucks on Steam. This midweek sale will last until Thursday, at which point the game will return to its normal — and still fairly reasonable — price of $9.99.

Never heard of Psychonauts? Picture a fairly traditional platformer set in a summer camp for kids with psychic abilities. As tends to happen when you mix unsupervised children with the supernatural, things go awry quickly and the main character is forced to enter the deranged minds of the camp’s staff. It’s also full of the kind of quality writing you’d expect from the people that brought us Brutal Legend, like this little gem: “Over time, my husband will desire me less, sexually, but he will always enjoy my pies.”

If you’re still not sold, there’s also a free demo available. Just be sure to make your decision before the end of Thursday, or you’ll be stuck paying full price for Tim Schafer’s mind-bending adventure.

There is no doubt whatsoever that Japan’s influence in the video game market in past times has been paramount. From the classic titles found in arcades to the quirky yet fun console games they produced, gamers of all ages have enjoyed some fantastic games. From Mario to Solid Snake, Tetris to Street Fighter, everyone knows of the great games developed by this little gem of a country. The Japanese influence on gamers was at one stage absolute, and to say Japan ruled the video game market, seemed to some, an absolute fact.

Did anyone expect the original Layton game, Professor Layton & the Curious Village, to do as well as it did? It certainly deserved to – the brilliant blend of puzzles, characters, story, and humour made it a little gem – but even with the growing casual market on that system, I can’t say I expected it to be more than a cult hit. I was very, very happy to be proven wrong when it consistently placed high in the DS sales charts.

Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box (or Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box if you’re in the States, because as the first Harry Potter taught us, whoever names things reckons that mythological references will go over your head) is a follow-up in very much the same vein.

TPG says, "Dance-Off. Battle Game. If ever there were two words that went together, these are not them. Now add a third: RPG. Confused? So was I when I received this little gem in the mail the other day.

Some would call this a bold attempt to build an RPG from atypical elements, including rhythm-based gameplay, complete stylus control and…well, a cute yet deep story line is fairly standard for RPGs."

When I think of matches made in heaven, I don’t exactly imagine fuzzy Muppet characters fitting into the Resident Evil universe.  That said, through the glorious power of the internet, these worlds have been melded into one of the most amusing pieces of satire that I have seen in quite some time.  Just imagine Ernie busting down a door, shotgun at the ready, looking to save his buddy Burt and kick some ass at the same time.

As off the wall as it sounds, this is a very amusing look into creative uses for game assets.  There are even voiceovers that have been pulled from the game, that are put to good use telling the amusing, albeit brief, story synopsis.  Be sure of one thing before you watch this trailer, make sure the kids are in the other room.  I can only imagine this ruining the childhood of the impressionable masses across the globe.

Check out the full trailer below:

Let me know what you think of this wonderful little gem in the comments.
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