Rain Woman Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 I recently happened upon a preview of Psychonauts at gamespot.com - from 2002 (!). Here's the address (sorry, I don't know how to link): http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/psychonauts/preview_2867778.html Some rather odd and interesting info in that article, for example: In one of the first missions in the game, one of the teachers at the school asks Raz to come up to the classroom so that he can attempt to help a girl who's been having nightmares. ...and... When you finally reach the classroom, you'll jump into the mind of the girl and immediately find yourself in an odd Nightmare Before Christmas-like level where there are lamps made of bacon, sinister-looking trees, and large slabs of meat at every turn. Within the first few seconds of entering the girl's mind, you'll see an odd-looking rabbit that the teacher says may be the source of her nightmares, so you're told to follow it. The enemies in this particular level are called sensors, and they attempt to attack Raz because they know he doesn't belong in her imagination. These enemies are a little difficult to describe because they look so odd--they almost look like walking stalks of asparagus--but they yell warnings at Raz in a hilarious robot voice. Well, I think most of us have seen those scenes from an early version of the game with censors in the Brain Tumbler Experiment. But until I read the article, I had no idea that the Brain Tumbler Experiment was supposed to take place in Lili's (?) mind. And there's more: In one such puzzle, Raz comes across a small ravine filled with thorn bushes that can be burned, but can also regenerate within a matter of seconds. If you look to the side of the screen, you'll see a large boulder that Raz can pick up and place in the ravine using his psychic crane skill. With the boulder in place, Raz can cross without getting a single scratch. There's another puzzle that is quite similar, but for that one, you have to use Raz's fireball skill to set the boulder on fire and lift it into the ravine with the crane so that the thorn bushes will catch on fire and disappear. This gives Raz a brief opportunity to jump on the boulder, run a few feet across the bottom of the ravine, and then jump back out. Obviously, THAT level didn't make it into the final cut. It goes on: At various points in this particular level, Raz will encounter creatures that manifest themselves in the girl's dream as a result of events that happen in her actual life. For example, the girl knows the story of a large, horrible fish that lives at the bottom of a lake at the school. This fish appears at about the midpoint of the level and it somewhat serves as a sub-boss. Since the story of the fish is a widely known one at the school, it makes more than one appearance in the game. Well, in the final version, said fish DOES appear more than once, but you only battle it once; afterwards it becomes your ally. And they were right about some things that appear in the BTE appearing in "real life" in the game. But get this: Eventually, you'll learn that the source of the girl's nightmares is her father, who apparently raised rabbits--rabbits that her father actually used for his butcher shop. Naturally, at the end of the level, you'll have to defeat a manifestation of her father. So it would seem that the story of Psychonauts went through some major rewrites over the five (?) years it was in production. Well, we now know that by E3 2002, the main character had already been transmuted from Dart to Raz. (I had thought that that had happened more than halfway through production.) Fascinating stuff, huh? I think it's kind of a shame that the story was changed from the above; it would have been interesting to get inside Lili's mind. (Assuming that that girl WAS Lili...) "I get it! You're using Clairvoyance! You grabbed one of the squirrel's nuts and now you're using Clairvoyance on it to form a mental link and see what the squirrel sees!" "Uh, could you say 'acorns' instead of 'nuts' if you repeat that to anybody?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruducuuz Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 So originally, Olyander was Lili's dad, this all took place in a school, and raz had a psychic crane ability. Sweet. You'll also learn how to use Raz's psychic skills (such as mind control and confusion), Mind control? Who would scrap that idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klaythan Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 Very interesting. I almost feel disappointed that the game wasn't like this, but then again Schafer is a complete genius. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tahnee Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Yeah, I remember reading about some previews like this one where all the characters' stories were flipped around. Lili had Morry's obsession with meat, and Morry was the one with the high school/cheerleader hang-up instead of Edgar. On one hand, I'm glad they changed Morry's backstory around--it's much more interesting the way it is in the final game. On the other hand, getting a peek into Lili's head would have been pretty awesome, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthAve Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Wow, "nightmare before christmas-like mind" That just makes me think of a meaty halloween town. Jack Sausageington Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smon Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Wow, "nightmare before christmas-like mind" That just makes me think of a meaty halloween town. Jack Sausageington I just shuddered due to either horror, or cheesiness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthAve Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 I just shuddered due to either horror, or cheesiness. No! It would be meatyness, not cheesiness. Silly Smon, happy fourth! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyrohappygirl Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 *At this point, large skeletons burst into the room with large lamb shanks and sausages* "We want your money... And your sanity..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smon Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 No! It would be meatyness, not cheesiness. Silly Smon, happy fourth! Ugh, pun-tonite, another of my many many weaknesses. Also my new sig has an actual quote found on Richard Horvitz' official site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthAve Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Ugh, pun-tonite, another of my many many weaknesses. Also my new sig has an actual quote found on Richard Horvitz' official site. I love the quote. Also, some of the crap not used, like that lever could be used in the sequal if there is one, which there will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyrohappygirl Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 There had better be... Or you shall have an angry pyro here... And you won't like me when I'm angry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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