Emiliano Pardo Saguier

I'm glad I got to see this gem through my cosmic eye. If we'd only had one Psychonauts game, I still would've died happy; getting two, though, feels like a blessing. It's the kind of thing that defies all odds: a sequel made years after the fact that refines the original's approach and exceeds the wildest expectations. As I sit through the credits, and the strummed electric guitar near the final bit reminds me of the days of LucasArts adventures--with the strange, offbeat Americana of games like Sam and Max, Full Throttle, or Day of the Tentacle--I can only smile. It's the perfect mix of what worked in the past with forward-looking design and writing choices. Where the first game was more adolescent, this one delights in empathy and compassion. That they're two of our age's most endangered virtues is not lost on me. We've grown, and Psychonauts has grown with us. May we all be so blessed as to keep our inner Maligula in check.