Psybadek
North American cover art
Developer(s)Psygnosis
Publisher(s)Psygnosis
Designer(s)Graham Sidwell[2]
Artist(s)Mick Harrison[2]
Composer(s)Mike Clarke[3]
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
Genre(s)Platformer
Mode(s)Single-player

Psybadek is a video game for the PlayStation console. It was designed and released by Psygnosis on November 17, 1998. The game was sponsored by shoe company Vans.

Plot

The evil Krakken has appeared and causes a rampage at the local "hoverdek" park, where "dekkers" Xako, Mia, and their friends practice their skillz. Using his powers, Krakken kidnaps the "dek kids" and magically transforms them into his minions all to make the place his new home. Now it is up to Xako and Mia to save their friends and stop Krakken's evil, sending him back to where he came from.

Gameplay

The player warps to different worlds, known as time zones[4] from a hub area. Each world is broken down into levels which consist of courses that the player must travel through on their hoverboard.[5] In order to properly complete each world, the player must collect a certain number of stars, obtained along the course or by stomping on the heads of enemies. At the end of each world, the player faces a guardian which lies in wait at the end of the level.[4] Some levels feature a shooting gallery format. Here the player character is positioned in the center and fires a weapon within a time limit.

Player characters have no weapons by default, and must pick them up from drop boxes scattered through the levels.[5]

Development

Psybadek was developed by Psygnosis at its Liverpool Headquarters. The game was designed by Graham Sidwell,[2] and Nick Burcombe was the project lead.[6] Programmer Stephen Balmer came up with the game's original concept of the player free-roaming across landscapes on a board, while concept designer Mick Harrison drew images of characters on hoverboards. According to Sidwell, the game was in development for both the PlayStation and PC, but the latter was scrapped because it "diluted" the design team's focus.[2] Sidwell explained that creating Psybadek involved much trial-and-error, mainly due to the difficulty of melding traditional platform genre obstacles with sports-related "momentum".[2] Sidwell emphasized the difference between Psybadek and other boarding games. "There's obviously the snowboarding feel to this game," he stated, "But unlike most games in which you're racing against the clock and performing tricks on the way down for points, in Psybadek, those tricks actually do something. The stunts themselves are weapons."[7]

Psybadek was officially announced in May 1997, with a tentative release for the last quarter of that year.[8] However, the entire development team was temporarily pulled away from the project in order to work on other Psygnosis games.[9] After their releases, the developer continued work on Psybadek, attempting to improve its character motions, touch up its 3D environments, and expand the number of levels.[10] Like many other Psygnosis titles at the time, Psybadek was created using Softimage 3D.[11] Psygnosis partnered with California-based apparel company Vans to sponsor the game. Psybadek's in-game characters feature Vans clothing in exchange for the game's promotion at the Triple Crown series and the Warped Tour.[1] The characters were designed to have a cute yet cool manga-style look.[6]

Reception

The game received unfavorable reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[12] Next Generation said, "As a concept, Psybadek has been dangled in front of gamers for quite a while and created at least some excitement. It's a shame that because of bad designs, controls, and graphics, the potential was never realized."[20] GamePro said that the game was "too annoying for novice gamers and just not entertaining for experts."[23][b]

GameRevolution listed Psybadek as eighth on their list of the 50 Worst Game Names Ever.[24]

Notes

  1. ^ Two critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game each a score of 2/10, and two others gave it each a score of 3/10.
  2. ^ GamePro gave the game 3/5 for graphics, 4/5 for sound, and two 2.5/5 scores for control and fun factor.

References

  1. ^ a b Psygnosis staff (November 17, 1998). "Ride High in Psybadek From Psygnosis". Business Wire. Berkshire Hathaway. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Nelson, Randy (September 3, 1998). "Psybadek's Designer Speaks". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  3. ^ "Psybadek - Les musiques du jeu". VGMdb. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "News: Psybadek". PlayStation Plus UK. Vol. 2, no. 9. June 1997. p. 9. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Semrad, Ed (August 1997). "Special Feature: Psybadek" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 97. Ziff Davis. p. 83. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "NG Alphas: Psybadek". Next Generation. No. 33. Imagine Media. September 1997. pp. 74–75.
  7. ^ Ward, Trent C. (March 2, 1998). "Colony Wars 2 Shown by Psygnosis". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on April 22, 1999. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  8. ^ IGN staff (May 30, 1997). "Decked Out". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  9. ^ IGN staff (January 27, 1998). "Psybadek Back on "Trak"". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  10. ^ IGN staff (January 28, 1998). "Psybadek Gets Pumped Up". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  11. ^ Microsoft staff (June 19, 1997). "Psygnosis Uses Softimage to Create Hot New Games Lineup". PR Newswire. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Psybadek for PlayStation". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  13. ^ House Michael L. "Psybadek - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  14. ^ Davison, John; Hager, Dean; Hsu, Dan; Williams, Ken "Sushi-X" (January 1999). "Psybadek" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 114. Ziff Davis. p. 228. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  15. ^ Grant, Jules (January 13, 1999). "Psybadek". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on November 12, 2003. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  16. ^ "Psybadek". Game Informer. No. 70. FuncoLand. February 1999. p. 57. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  17. ^ Mielke, James (November 25, 1998). "Psybadek Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000"]". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on December 5, 2004. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  18. ^ Perry, Douglass C. (November 13, 1998). "Psybadek". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  19. ^ lightman (September 28, 1998). "Test: Psybadek". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  20. ^ a b "Psybadek". Next Generation. No. 49. Imagine Media. January 1999. p. 106. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  21. ^ Faragher, Steve (December 25, 1998). "Psybadek". Official UK PlayStation Magazine. No. 40. Future Publishing. p. 114.
  22. ^ Rybicki, Joe (December 1998). "Psybadek". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Vol. 2, no. 3. Ziff Davis. p. 143. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  23. ^ Miss Spell (January 1999). "Psybadek" (PDF). GamePro. No. 124. IDG. p. 122. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  24. ^ Ferris, Duke (June 12, 2006). "The 50 Worst Game Names Ever". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on June 2, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2023.

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