Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy

"Finally a game where I can throw terrorists around with my mind!"

Now, I'm usually not a big fan of games where you have to sneak around, infiltrate a terrorist group, and stealth-kill terrorists, but I got Psi-Ops anyway. I began playing, expecting more of the same, but after playing 20 minutes and acquiring my first Psi-power, I was hooked! Psi-Ops takes a basic shooting game and turns it into something much deeper.

Graphics: Luckily for most gamers, Psi-Ops doesn't disappoint, graphic-wise. The environments are richly detailed, the characters look life-like, and the Psi-powers are well illustrated. There's really nothing you can find to complain about concerning the graphics.

Sound: The sound in this game is done extremely well. The voice acting for all the characters in the game is very life like; the terrorists you beat up actually sound like they're in pain! You also encounter several boss characters, and their voices are incredibly well done, too, with the exception of one or two cheesy-sounding people.
But the voice acting is only one part of the sound. The other sound effects, such as gunfire and explosions, are about as true-to-life as it gets. The music for the game sets the mood just right, and kept me from listening to a CD while playing.

Story: Now this is one part of the game that might turn some hardcore gamers off: Psi-Ops does have a main character with amnesia. I know there have been several games with someone who can't remember anything, and it's a bit over-done, but it just makes the story more interesting when you have to start putting the puzzle together in your mind before the whole thing is revealed.
Besides this, the story is well done, and it puts a new twist on the whole "terrorist organization threatens the world" game. I won't spoil the story by saying much, but I'll just say it is full of twists and turns, and you want to keep playing just so you can learn more about the whole Mindgate Conspiracy.

Gameplay and Controls: Ah, yes, one of the most important aspects of a game. When I began playing Psi-Ops, I imagined endless scrolling through menus to select Psi-powers and guns, but this game makes controlling your psychic powers a breeze by having each power assigned to a different button! This makes it unbelievably easy to throw or burn your enemy with psychic powers with just the touch of a button.
But in addition to having Psi powers, you still have the option of adopting the old strategy of just shooting everyone down with your machine gun. However, this poses a couple of problems in Psi-Ops: First, there is a limited selection of guns. There are only about 7 guns to choose from, including your pistol that you start out with, and can't drop for the entire game. The second problem is that you can only carry 2 guns; one rifle or machine gun, and your silenced pistol, which cannot be swapped for anything else. This may make you think the game is boring, but trust me, after you acquire the power to throw your enemies into an exploding canister and watch them burn, you'll forget all about the limited gun supply. I found myself, throughout the entire game, just mindlessly tossing my foes every which way, and I seldom used my gun. You can also use your hands to make stealth kills, and beat the enemy senseless.

Game Length and Replay Value: Psi-Ops feels a little short for just maybe 5-15 hours, depending on how good and experienced with this type of game you are. But this game is really fun to play over again, and there are different difficulty settings if you want to try it again with more of a challenge. There are also a few extra items to find scattered throughout the game, and finding them will give you access to more hidden features. Also, if you get bored of just the same old stuff, there are a good amount of cheats you can put in to make the game a bit more fun, if you aren't enjoying it enough already.

Rent or Buy?: My opinion is, buy it! It will keep you entertained for hours on end, and it almost never gets boring. If your unsure whether or not you'll like it enough, rent it first and try it out. Never hurts, unless there's no video rental store near you. But trust me, this a great game with a new twist on your old, basic shooting game.

Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 9/10
Story: 8/10
Gameplay and Controls: 10/10
Length and Replay: 9/10

Psychic powers and shooting terrorists couldn't have been combined any better!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/30/04