Nick.
He will possess the powers of telekinesis, pyrokinesis, remote viewing, mind control,
aura view, and even the power to drain enemies of their psi, allowing him to replenish
his own supply. What really makes Psi-Ops fun is that the powers weren't
simply rudimentarily implemented, they are fleshed out and purposely designed
to allow a great deal of freedom to the player to go through the game how they
choose. Those who prefer stealth can use the out-of-body sight to see through
doors and memorize the patrol routes of guards, then sneak behind them and pop
their heads off with a mind drain - which drains much more psi than from a deceased
foe, but it also requires the soldiers to be ignorant of the player's presence
- or go through with guns blazing, tossing soldiers into walls and being a mix
of Rambo and Darth Vader. The patient gamer will also uncover cool tricks to use
with the powers: continually levitating a crate to ride on while shooting at guards;
timing levitations to bounce troops up and down to kill them before they hit the
ground; or setting objects on fire and quickly tossing them into a crowd to set
them ablaze. The most memorable move, though, is making an enemy commit suicide:
a quick animation will play of the person fighting themselves, shaking their head,
screaming, but eventually turning their weapons on themselves. In a wise move,
Midway opted to leave this move out of the manual, requiring people to search
around to find out how it's done, and severely penalizing players who use it by
making it drain large amounts of psi power and making it impossible to drain psi
from the deceased foe because their head is required for the body to be drained.
Since that truly is the pinnacle of power, it undoubtedly made me feel super badass,
but I also appreciate that it was done in a responsible way (I have a feeling
Acclaim would pay people to blow their heads up or something if they had this
in a game) - a good call all around.
The powers will also be used to
solve environmental puzzles, like fixing crates to form a makeshift staircase
to reach a ledge, controlling workers to activate platforms, or setting a crate
on fire to act like a fuse against a tank of gas to destroy a turret. Since levitation
is pressure sensitive, objects can be lifted as high or low and moved as slowly
or as quickly as the player wishes. By having so much control over objects, regardless
of whether or not the player utilizes the ability to the fullest, the feeling
of control that is needed to convey a strong sense of power is there.
It isn't all throwing people around and making them jump off of rooftops, though.
Those who want to make with the boom-boom will have access to shotguns, assault
rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, and a silenced pistol. Nick can only hold
two weapons at once, and one always has to be his pistol, so choosing a weapon
carefully is crucial. Despite having a lock-on system, it can be pretty tough
to kill enemies. Although they are rather limited, with only slight variations
in armor and really only differing by what weapon they are using, even the lowliest
of goons will be wise enough to run for cover. Not to mention that the machine
gun and assault rifle don't pack much of a punch. To help beef up the gunplay,
the developers wisely chose to add both a peak and a swivel move; players can
put their back against a wall and peak around a corner or, much like in Indiana
Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, brace one foot against the wall and turn out
to fire and then quickly go back behind cover. For the most part, the ability
to actually use cover works well, but there are often places when the architecture
makes it impossible to use, because a small column or pipe will stop Nick from
being able to place his back against the wall; I also have control problems a
few times with he stepping away from the wall instead of simply turning to fire.
When useable, it is great fun and the firefights, as erratic and ammo-consuming
as they may be, benefit quite a bit.
Despite the enemies not being varied,
they do look cool - as is usual for all futuristic fascist regimes. Strangely,
the bosses don't look as good. But, what they lack in design, they make up for
by offering up some of the most memorable battles in any game. One of the first
fights involves either shooting or throwing flaming soldiers into chambers to
destroy the machines and whatever else is in the vicinity of the explosion, while
another involves tossing debris at a boss that retaliates with trains. The fights
are frantic and heavy on both powers and firearms, and none disappoint.
For the most part, the levels are about as varied as the enemies. That isn't to
say that they are redundant, though. Clocking in at about 10 hours, Psi-Ops
keeps the levels short and sweet, with most taking place indoors; however, there
are a few gems, in particular was one gigantic hallucination that's a maze, with
ghost Nicks running along the sides of walls and along the ceiling. Upon completing
a mission, the game tallies up the arms used, how much destruction was caused,
and what powers were used the most, among other things. These totals go towards
rewards given to the player, including still shots, boss battles, and even a weird
multiplayer mode where one person controls the body and another the powers - not
the quasi Jedi-on-Jedi battle one might expect given the material, unfortunately.
The diverse battles and unlockable goodies keep the replay value surprisingly
high, though a bit more wouldn't have hurt.
Aside from the troops being
well designed, everything in the game has a solid look to it. Effects, both the
psi powers and weapon-based shenanigans, are fitting with the games darker tone.
Most of the time, though, the game is too dark; not the kind of dark that enhances
atmosphere, but the kind of dark that turning the brightness on the television
all the way up won't fix. Aside from the aforementioned random control snafus
with the swivel-and-fire move and being dark to a fault, I also encountered some
technical problems on the sound side. Most of the sound effects are standard fare,
same with the voice-overs and music, but in a few areas, and in particular the
second boss battle, the television speakers popped repeatedly. The problems were
isolated, though.
Overall:
8/10
Minor gripes aside, Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy is a diverse
action title that delivers a unique and enjoyable experience. Its relatively short
length might knock it to the rental list, but I found playing around with all
the powers to be addictive enough to warrant continued play. For those of you
who have been disappointed by the latest crop of action titles, Midway's offering
should be just what you've been looking for.
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