I have a lot of great things to say about this particular game. Especially compared to my childhood - high school days, I've become a lot less lenient and lots more harsh with my tastes and reviews with any form of media over time. Used to give a lot of high marks, but nowadays, almost nothing I watch, read nor play feels that same way.

This is a very, VERY rare game with a very ambitious scale which actually lives up to it. So much so I'd even say it's a shame people aren't paying full price for the game because of XBOX Game Pass. Like, seriously, this is the best $60 I've ever spent.

Psychonauts 2 was, and is, a treat from start to finish and ultimately set a record-high bar for my standards for "excellence;" a game that's newly bestowed my honor of "one of my favorites, ever;" best $60 title I've ever had the pleasure to not only spend money on, but preorder. This game only ultimately suffers from bad marketing, which... isn't even the game's fault. This is sadly an issue the other Psychonauts titles have suffered as well.

Way to go, Tim Schafer. Thanks for one of the great experiences I've had the pleasure to play in gaming! Easy Game of the Year 2021 for me.

Pros:
+ Aesthetically stunning; Better than the likes of Red Dead Redemption II, EA Star Wars Battlefront II and Destiny 2.
+ Story was near-excellent: Amazing followup to the first game that really fleshed out the Psychonauts universe and added tremendous depth. Coulda done mildly better developing the [REDACTED] subplot, but that's just me nitpicking. Writing doesn't feel politically shoved down your throat like most media nowadays as well so that's incredibly nice.
+ Game controls are some of the best: simple yet flexible, optimized for both controller and keyboard/mouse gameplay
+ No microtransactions nor paid DLC? You don't see me complaining.
+ Incredibly rewarding and in-depth exploration
+ Gameplay mechanics are very diverse whilst maintaining its form of identity as a cartoony-platformer
++ Jack Black. The legend himself is a pro no matter how good or bad any form of media is. His singing earned bonus points.
+ Soundtrack is incredible: classics from the first game also remixed whilst adding fresh new songs which fit the themes of each brain you enter.
+ Still a better love story than Twilight.
+ Level designs are unique, wacky and fresh, with a much improved camera system
+ Tons more enemy variety than Psychonauts 1.
+ Pleasing UI that gets its job done and looks nice doing so.
+ Phenomenal voice acting from both new and returning voice actors.
+ Genuinely funny during its comedic moments
+ Length of the game is more than satisfactory; it fits the game's ambitious scale and plot.
+ Difficulty of the game got the job done; required some variety in psychic power combo-ing whilst dodging during combat; the real difficulty lies in finding all the hidden secrets. Invincibility mode is also there for people who just simply want to experience this story.
+ A great game to serve as healing and empathy for people who feel hurt and trauma from their mental conditions.

Neutral:
+- Characters have a lot of depth and personality, but a good handful of side characters could have been utilized a little more; they really deserve it!
+- Performance: 98% of the time, the game runs crisp and smooth, but there are very few areas with performance dips, albeit nothing gamebreaking.

Cons:
- Replayability: Minus some of the figments from Loboto's mind in the beginning and two achievements, you can continue playing after the main game to finish side quests and collecting collectibles, so there's no reason to replay the game.

I don't know if I'm missing anything or being biased, but I really can't see anything bad with this game minus the replay value. I normally don't agree with most things people find popular or highly-rated, but this game more than deserved its "Overwhelmingly Positive" status on Steam. This game's a hidden diamond and a half.

I have a lot of great things to say about this particular game. Especially compared to my childhood - high school days, I've become a lot less lenient and lots more harsh with my tastes and reviews with any form of media over time. Used to give a lot of high marks, but nowadays, almost nothing I watch, read nor play feels that same way. This is a very, VERY rare game with a very ambitious scale which actually lives up to it. So much so I'd even say it's a shame people aren't paying full price for the game because of XBOX Game Pass. Like, seriously, this is the best $60 I've ever spent. Psychonauts 2 was, and is, a treat from start to finish and ultimately set a record-high bar for my standards for "excellence;" a game that's newly bestowed my honor of "one of my favorites, ever;" best $60 title I've ever had the pleasure to not only spend money on, but preorder. This game only ultimately suffers from bad marketing, which... isn't even the game's fault. This is sadly an issue the other Psychonauts titles have suffered as well. Way to go, Tim Schafer. Thanks for one of the great experiences I've had the pleasure to play in gaming! Easy Game of the Year 2021 for me. Pros: + Aesthetically stunning; Better than the likes of Red Dead Redemption II, EA Star Wars Battlefront II and Destiny 2. + Story was near-excellent: Amazing followup to the first game that really fleshed out the Psychonauts universe and added tremendous depth. Coulda done mildly better developing the [REDACTED] subplot, but that's just me nitpicking. Writing doesn't feel politically shoved down your throat like most media nowadays as well so that's incredibly nice. + Game controls are some of the best: simple yet flexible, optimized for both controller and keyboard/mouse gameplay + No microtransactions nor paid DLC? You don't see me complaining. + Incredibly rewarding and in-depth exploration + Gameplay mechanics are very diverse whilst maintaining its form of identity as a cartoony-platformer ++ Jack Black. The legend himself is a pro no matter how good or bad any form of media is. His singing earned bonus points. + Soundtrack is incredible: classics from the first game also remixed whilst adding fresh new songs which fit the themes of each brain you enter. + Still a better love story than Twilight. + Level designs are unique, wacky and fresh, with a much improved camera system + Tons more enemy variety than Psychonauts 1. + Pleasing UI that gets its job done and looks nice doing so. + Phenomenal voice acting from both new and returning voice actors. + Genuinely funny during its comedic moments + Length of the game is more than satisfactory; it fits the game's ambitious scale and plot. + Difficulty of the game got the job done; required some variety in psychic power combo-ing whilst dodging during combat; the real difficulty lies in finding all the hidden secrets. Invincibility mode is also there for people who just simply want to experience this story. + A great game to serve as healing and empathy for people who feel hurt and trauma from their mental conditions. Neutral: +- Characters have a lot of depth and personality, but a good handful of side characters could have been utilized a little more; they really deserve it! +- Performance: 98% of the time, the game runs crisp and smooth, but there are very few areas with performance dips, albeit nothing gamebreaking. Cons: - Replayability: Minus some of the figments from Loboto's mind in the beginning and two achievements, you can continue playing after the main game to finish side quests and collecting collectibles, so there's no reason to replay the game. I don't know if I'm missing anything or being biased, but I really can't see anything bad with this game minus the replay value. I normally don't agree with most things people find popular or highly-rated, but this game more than deserved its "Overwhelmingly Positive" status on Steam. This game's a hidden diamond and a half.