Have you had the chance to dive into the sandy adventures of Dubai with us for the November TA Playlist feature, Spec Ops: The Line? As November wraps up, we’re excited to reveal the winner of the December 2024 TA Playlist poll.
For December, we decided to reflect on all the games from this past year. Each team member chose one or two they felt deserved another moment in the spotlight. ManicMetalhead went with the lively 2017 run-and-gun platformer, Cuphead, and the open-world “ShARk-PG,” Maneater. BetaSigX20 championed the 2023 survival horror sequel, Alan Wake 2, and ChewieOnIce threw in the awe-inspiring 2021 action-adventure, Psychonauts 2. The vote was nail-bitingly close, keeping us all on edge until the very end. But emerging as the victor for the final TA Playlist game of 2024 is… Psychonauts 2!
Developed by Double Fine and brought to us by Xbox Game Studios in 2021, Psychonauts 2 hit the scene a full 16 years after its predecessor from 2005. The game follows Razputin “Raz” Aquato, an acrobat with psychic powers, who has long aspired to join the international psychic espionage organization—the Psychonauts. It’s a thrilling journey packed with intrigue and humor, as these psychic spies confront internal betrayal and external threats, leading Raz through the minds of allies and adversaries to thwart a deadly psychic villain.
The TA community rates Psychonauts 2 quite highly, scoring it a robust 4.48 out of 5. Over 178,000 gamers have given it a go, though just about 9%—a little more than 16,000 players—have managed to complete it fully. Completing all 57 achievements might take you between 25 to 30 hours, but don’t fret; CitrineWorm138’s walkthrough might help trim those hours down a bit. Plus, if you’re on Xbox Game Pass, you’re in luck—it’s available across all subscription levels.
The poll itself was one of the closest we’ve seen in a long time. Throughout, Psychonauts 2 and Alan Wake 2 were in a fierce competition, inching past each other by just a vote or two, whereas Maneater and Cuphead remained consistently in third and fourth places, not quite managing to challenge the top contenders.
To earn your TA Playlist badge this December, unlock any achievement in Psychonauts 2 or engage in meaningful conversation in the Spoiler and Spoiler-Free threads launching on December 1.
A heads-up regarding the forums: We’ve adjusted the way we handle forum participation badges. Previously automatic, it’s now a manual process, giving moderators the chance to remove non-substantive “badge only” posts. Although this might cause a slight delay for those involved in forum posts only, rest assured your badge will be awarded within a day or two unless you’ve been told otherwise.
This effort to address “badge only” contributions has led to a noticeable decline in such posts, and we appreciate everyone making the extra effort to post thoughtful content. After all, TA Playlist thrives on these discussions, and we’re grateful for your ongoing participation each month!
