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DMC3, Mercenaries, or Psychonauts (PS2)

S

Socreges

Banned
I'd like to grab a new game (rent or buy, haven't decided) and I have these three in mind.

Please say which ones you've actually played (hopefully all three) and why you chose the one that you did. Go ahead and criticize the other games, but a plain "______ sucks" won't really enter into my decision for obvious reasons.

Thanks
 
if it's anywhere near as good as the xbox version, get psychonauts.... one of the best platformers this gen. If not, in the time i spent with DMC 3, it was pretty awesome, although if you didn't like the first game, you won't like this one either... mercs is all flash and no substance, my time with it was pretty limited, but it was extremly meh.
 
I own and have played Mercenaries and Psychonauts (Xbox versions). I would say Psychonauts just because it's so much different than anything that's come out recently. It's just a lot of fun (especially the first 8 hours or so when evertything is fresh). The platforming is varied with lots of powers and great visual design.

Mercenaries is really good too, if I had a complaint it would be that it's too repetitive. Both good choices though

Word of warning though (others may be able to flesh this out) I've heard the PS2 version of Psychonauts is problematic(glitchy, frame rate issues)
 
i haven't played the other two, but Mercenaries is badass. Like GTA set in a (real) constant warzone. The only problem is it isn't quite as focused as GTA and can get a tad repetitive, but its still top notch.
 
Duck of Death said:
It's not. It's glitchy and almost unplayable at times. I don't think the team that ported it to the PS2 even finished it.
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thats unfortunate.... i would say dmc3 then as long as you're up for some very high difficulty, and you don't mind the crappy save system. the difficulty is not a problem for me, but the save system is a barrier that keeps me from fully enjoying the dmc games.
 
I'd say Psychonauts or Devil May Cry 3, but keep in mind, Dante's Awakening is really freaking hard. I thought the reviewers were just soft, but they're right. The game is really really tough.
 
I recently beat Psychonauts PS2 and it was still super fun, so I almost feel like reccomending that on principle.

HOWEVER...

DMC3 and Mercenaries are both fucking awesome. I don't know which I'd get if I had to choose between the two. But...hmmm...I might just barely go for DMC3. Just more my flavour, I guess. Faster paced and crazy action moves. But no Psychonauts (PS2), especially because Psychonauts (PS2) is inferior to Psychonauts (XBX/PC). Unless you find it in your heart to want to help Double Fine/Majesco for releasing that insta-classic.
 
Devil May Cry 3, easily.

Just because of how much depth there is to the battle system. I've had the game since March and there are still things I'm discovering.
 
Mercenaries (Xbox) was good inspite of the incredibly frustrating bugs and the lack of checkpoints and horrible last level. It's fun to play around in the battlefield, but it also punishes you for doing so. It's a much more restricted version of GTA set in a Korean battefield.

Psychonauts (PC) has great level design and sense of humor, but also suffered from a horrible final level. If you're in the mood for a good laugh and a platformer with great design, play this. PC version is only 30 bucks MSRP, btw. :D

Haven't played through DMC3 yet.

Overall, I think psychonauts had more "wow" moments than Mercenaries, but Mercenaries has more replay value.
 
I own DMC3 and Psychonauts (Xbox), but I've only played the demo of Mercenaries.

I'd tell you to go for DMC3. There's a lot of depth to be had in the combat system, and the absurd action cinematics are hilarious. Great challenge, too. It's really a fantastic game from start to finish. I haven't played the PS2 version of Psychonauts, but the Xbox game is a charming, imaginative experience that isn't to be missed. Game is selling like shit, so a big price drop is inevitable. Get DMC3.
 
Mercenaries is GTA with good combat. Makes a world of a difference.

Still need to play DMC3 and finish Psychonauts.
 
Mercenaries is not as blazingly hard as DMC3 or as bug-ridden as Psychonauts PS2, so you'd do best by getting Mercenaries.

Mercenaries. Unless you like extreme difficulty, then DMC3. Save your Psychonaut experience for Xbox or PC.
 
Socreges said:
What does that mean?
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It means the game (DMC3) looks good, because it was developed for the PS2 in mind. Both Psychonauts and Mercenaries aren't equal to their Xbox counterparts (although I'm sure this is less of a problem with Mercenaries, that game doesn't appeal to me). I know that Psychonauts PS2 has been criticized for various technical problems.
 
Mercenaries was great for the first couple of missions, but it fast became repetitive, offering little to distinguish one mission from the next. Every mission ultimately amounts to the same setup:

- go here

- kill [insert clan]

- return to base

Zzzzz...

The fun, I guess, lies in receiving the variety of attacks you can purchase from the Russian mob, such as 'carpet bombing' and 'fuel bomb.'
 
I find it hard to recommend Psychonauts on the PS2 but more people need to experience this game. It's really a toss up between Psychonauts and DMC 3. I enjoyed the hell out of both games. Psychonauts was so new and refreshing and DMC 3 just plays so well and the combat is so damn awesome. I didn't really care for Mercenaries. I rented it and played it for several hours but I just got bored with it. What it does, it does well. The game looks good and the gameplay is fun, but I couldn't really get into it so I got bored with it quickly. I'd say go with either Psychonauts or DMC 3. If you were able to pick up Psychonauts on the Xbox or PC, I would easily tell you to go with that. It's still great on the PS2 but it has a few problems.
 
DMC3 is pulling ahead. Psychonauts has a special place in my heart, but I'm concerned about what makes it "unplayable at times". Mercenaries sounds like it could be a lot of fun.... or just a little.

IJoel said:
Mercenaries/Psychonauts
.
.
.
DMC3

:p
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Ah I suppose it was inevitable.

Duck of Death said:
It's glitchy and almost unplayable at times.
Click to expand...
Can you (or someone else) elaborate?
 
By the way, I think Psychonauts is fantastic. I just don't want your opinion of it affected by technical problems.
 
Socreges said:
Ah I suppose it was inevitable.
Click to expand...

Well, it wasn't really out of spite for the game, but I really think it pales to either Psychonauts or Mercenaries. I played all 3 games.
 
Ironclad_Ninja is essentially correct, although there were one or two moments when I thought it APPROACHED unplayable but not quite... due to a mix of irritating load times and one or two moments where the framerate was really bad (ex: when you run up the ramp in the kids cabin area, it gets SO bad)

I'll crosspost what I wrote.

Amir0x said:
So I rented to PS2 version just to compare, and let me just echo some of the complaints above.

Load times seem way longer, they've almost become unbearable.
Framerate is fine some places, awful others. It becomes nearly unplayable in one or two moments (like the ramp in kids cabin, one or two of the more crowded areas of Milla's Dance party, etc...)
Inconsistent visuals (some models seem much more detailed in some cinematics, very poor in others. This is most jarring on that bully kid and Coach Oleander), but still remarkably close to the other versions in that regard.

Dialogue seems exactly the same. I haven't noticed any difference. However, I did encounter an audio glitch in the PS2 version. I don't know if it can be recreated in XBX version or PC version, but whenever I start Milla's Dance Party the sound automatically starts skipping after a while.
Click to expand...

Marconelly said there's a way to speed up load times. He said remove the memory card while playing because the game autosaves everytime you move between areas which greatly contributes to the load times, and that you should do the whole HDLoader thing. He says then load times are only 2-3 seconds between area, which is much more manageable.
 
Yeah, when I said good impressions, I was essentially talking about yours, Amir0x. ;)
Anyway, did you encounter that sound glitch in any place other than Milla's Dance Party. I played through the PS2 version and while the load times are longer, and the framerates takes quite a few dips, I never encountered this sound glitch.

If you can, definitely get Psychonauts running off of HDLoader. I'm sure it should cause the glitches to occur less frequently as well.
 
Ironclad_Ninja said:
Yeah, when I said good impressions, I was essentially talking about yours, Amir0x. ;)
Anyway, did you encounter that sound glitch in any place other than Milla's Dance Party. I played through the PS2 version and while the load times are longer, and the framerates takes quite a few dips, I never encountered this sound glitch.
Click to expand...
.

No, it only seems to happen at Milla's Dance Party. Like, I'll be playing a part of the level for like 5-10 minutes, and then suddenly the music will just stay on a part and skip for the rest of the time. It's really weird, but it does consistently occur for me.

Ironclad_Ninja said:
If you can, definitely get Psychonauts running off of HDLoader. I'm sure it should cause the glitches to occur less frequently as well.
Click to expand...

I should really do the HDLoader thing some time.
 
Oh, SMT changes everything. You should probably pick up SMT right now mainly because it's not going to drop in price soon. If anything, it's going to become harder to find, thus being more expensive. You could always pick up Psychonauts or DMC or Mercenaries later, and hell, they maybe cheaper. Damn Atlus games.

Edit: Also, there is no way you should play DDS 2 without having played DDS 1. It's meant to be a two-parter so you pretty much have to play the first one. Still, they're both great games.
 
When we're talking PS2 games, if SMT is involved it is always the winner (possible exception: MGS3). Do not hesitate to buy Nocturne right now. It's only going to get more expensive. It would be wise to grab Digital Devil Saga as well. But Nocturne first.
 
Socreges said:
I don't know, guys. I just don't know.

Maybe I'll just scrap them all and pick up SMT.... :)
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i'm still working through nocturne and i would barley recomend it over psychonauts for xbox (and thats saying something because i loved psychonauts)... Just be prepared for an extremly hardcore RPG, that is totally unforgiving... Thats part of it's appeal but for some people it might be a problem... you will die a few times in nocturne.. probably even regular enemies in dungeons will drop you a few times.. But the difficulty is what helps bring out the strategy in the combat. the customization/character building is on the level of a really deep western RPG. that is it's greatest strength.
 
Alright, I think I'm going to track down Nocturne. If I really enjoy it, DDS, too.

I'm sure I'll play the other three eventually. Maybe not DMC3 since DMC4, 5, 6, etc are inevitable. I hope the 360 will play Psychonauts. Otherwise, fuuuck Microsoft.
 
Damn, the C-Warrior was late.

SMT is a good game though, so it's not like you went to the dark side or anything.

DMC3 is the best out of the bunch. Mercenaries honestly, gets boring after the first segment (after you've caught/photographed) oh--about 8 or so of the targets it begins to wear down on you. It lacks that diverse feel of GTA, so there is nothing to keep it fresh.

DMC3 is all action, but the thing is--you always get new moves and new weapons like every two missions. The instant you start getting bored of a weapon, you get a new one. Instnat weapon changing, challenging gameplay, carry over stats = lotsa replay value, 12+ bosses that have more attacks than most action games main characters do, and the fact that DMC3 is probably the few games out there with high production values that's really hard. So that's something many should appreciate.
 
DMC3, I'd say. Psychonauts rocks, but I don't know about the PS2 version...

If you choose DMC3, though, you best be ready for a serious challenge.
 
C- Warrior said:
Mercenaries honestly, gets boring after the first segment (after you've caught/photographed) oh--about 8 or so of the targets it begins to wear down on you. It lacks that diverse feel of GTA, so there is nothing to keep it fresh.
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Only, in my case, it began to collect mold a lot sooner than the end of the first segment. I'll admit, I finished it, but the game is very repetitive and routine. I'm not sure what you mean by the diverse feel of GTA, but Mercs could have used more personality. In GTA, the city, automated as it is, feels alive. The denizens of Mercs' mini-NK are zombies, lifeless drones that lumber up and down the streets. The clan system needs serious overhaul in the next installment:

Make it so that we're able to play them against one another.

Make the missions contingent upon how friendly we are with the clans/the clans are with one another.
 
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