Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
Encyclopedia
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy is a video game developed by Midway Games
for the Xbox
, PlayStation 2
and Microsoft Windows
PC
platforms. It was also being developed for the Nintendo GameCube
titled ESPionage but later cancelled. The game was released in North America
on June 14, 2004; the Europe
an release followed on October 1, 2004. On June 9, 2008, the full version was offered as a free download hosted by fileplanet with in-game advertising
, but also allowing to purchase the game in order to remove the advertising. A FilePlanet
subscription is required to receive the game.
A traditional shooter in many respects, Psi-Ops banks on its ragdoll physics
(by way of Havok 2.0) and variety of psychic powers to differentiate itself. In Japan
and Southeast Asia/East Asia, the game was marketed by Capcom
as Psi-Ops: Psychic Operation. In the game, the player is Nick Scryer, a "PSI-Operative" whose mind has been wiped to allow him to infiltrate a terrorist organization. However, he is captured and must fight his way out with the help of Sara, a double agent. As he progresses, he regains his PSI powers.
Nick also faces off against a plethora of former PSI-Operatives, all of whom have defected with the general that formerly led the PSI-Ops project. Each is specialized in a certain field of psychic ability (the first boss, for example, is an expert in mind control) and far more powerful in that field than Nick. Nick defeats them one by one; usually through creative combinations of his weaker but more varied psychic abilities.
As Nick moves his way through the organization, he learns of mysterious, psi-based objects that have been the focus of wars over the last century (a cutscene suggests these artifacts are in fact the causes of wars such as World War II
). At the same time, he begins noticing strange behavior in Sara, who seems to rotate between friend and foe for no apparent reason. It is eventually discovered that Sara in fact has a twin, who is killed by Sara near the end of the game.
As the game comes to an end, the many artifacts are combined into a single device, which when combined with a special machine give the user nearly limitless psychic power. Nick regains his full memory while attempting to stop this. The general uses this device on himself, and is summarily defeated by Nick. Though his defeat is the same regardless of how the player goes about doing it, the point of the battle is to absorb some of the immense psychic power before the general, giving Nick a special weapon to use and a much better chance of defeating the general than if he had missed the opportunity to do so.
After the general is defeated, the device is broken back into its component artifacts, and two helicopter gunships promptly appear to recover them, not concerned with the lives of Nick or Sara. In the game's final cutscene, Nick crashes one of the helicopters with telekinesis.
The screen fades to black and the words "TO BE CONTINUED" appear, although a sequel is unlikely due to Midway's closure.
To begin with Nick has no access to his psychic powers, but regains his memories of how to use them one by one at various points in the game. Each remembering event is followed by a training level instructing the player in each powers' use. The powers are listed in the order which they are unlocked.
ranked as the #21 on the list of the games that need sequels.
In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
.
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
for the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
platforms. It was also being developed for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
titled ESPionage but later cancelled. The game was released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on June 14, 2004; the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an release followed on October 1, 2004. On June 9, 2008, the full version was offered as a free download hosted by fileplanet with in-game advertising
In-game advertising
In-game advertising refers to advertising in computer and video games. IGA differs from advergaming, which refers to a game specifically made to advertise a product.The IGA industry is large and growing...
, but also allowing to purchase the game in order to remove the advertising. A FilePlanet
FilePlanet
FilePlanet is a video game download service that provides demos, patches, mods and other gaming media and other gaming media downloads to its users. FilePlanet was launched, and is run by, GameSpy, which is now a subsidiary of IGN, and is one of the most used video game download sites on the...
subscription is required to receive the game.
A traditional shooter in many respects, Psi-Ops banks on its ragdoll physics
Ragdoll physics
In computer physics engines, ragdoll physics is a type of procedural animation that is often used as a replacement for traditional static death animations.-Introduction:Early video games used manually-created animations for characters' death sequences...
(by way of Havok 2.0) and variety of psychic powers to differentiate itself. In Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Southeast Asia/East Asia, the game was marketed by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
as Psi-Ops: Psychic Operation. In the game, the player is Nick Scryer, a "PSI-Operative" whose mind has been wiped to allow him to infiltrate a terrorist organization. However, he is captured and must fight his way out with the help of Sara, a double agent. As he progresses, he regains his PSI powers.
Story
When the story begins, Nick Scryer has no memory of who he is, his mind having been wiped in order to infiltrate a terrorist organization known as The Movement. After being imprisoned, the player is released by Sara and given a drug to regain his memory and lost abilities. It begins with the game's most prominent power, telekinesis, and moves from there.Nick also faces off against a plethora of former PSI-Operatives, all of whom have defected with the general that formerly led the PSI-Ops project. Each is specialized in a certain field of psychic ability (the first boss, for example, is an expert in mind control) and far more powerful in that field than Nick. Nick defeats them one by one; usually through creative combinations of his weaker but more varied psychic abilities.
As Nick moves his way through the organization, he learns of mysterious, psi-based objects that have been the focus of wars over the last century (a cutscene suggests these artifacts are in fact the causes of wars such as World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
). At the same time, he begins noticing strange behavior in Sara, who seems to rotate between friend and foe for no apparent reason. It is eventually discovered that Sara in fact has a twin, who is killed by Sara near the end of the game.
As the game comes to an end, the many artifacts are combined into a single device, which when combined with a special machine give the user nearly limitless psychic power. Nick regains his full memory while attempting to stop this. The general uses this device on himself, and is summarily defeated by Nick. Though his defeat is the same regardless of how the player goes about doing it, the point of the battle is to absorb some of the immense psychic power before the general, giving Nick a special weapon to use and a much better chance of defeating the general than if he had missed the opportunity to do so.
After the general is defeated, the device is broken back into its component artifacts, and two helicopter gunships promptly appear to recover them, not concerned with the lives of Nick or Sara. In the game's final cutscene, Nick crashes one of the helicopters with telekinesis.
The screen fades to black and the words "TO BE CONTINUED" appear, although a sequel is unlikely due to Midway's closure.
Gameplay
Most of the gameplay in Psi-Ops focuses on the use of Nick's various psychic powers, which are unlocked as the game progresses. Though there are numerous weapons available, only two can be carried at a time, one of which cannot be replaced (Nick's silenced pistol). The available weapons also become virtually useless in the later levels, especially against the larger armored enemies. The low ammo totals for each weapon also force a dependence on Nick's psychic powers, which are much more effective in practice. The player is given a meter that limits the total amount of energy they can expend at any given point, though like any power meter it can be restored through various methods. Unlike the game's antagonists, In which each one is a master of one Psi power, Nick is unique in that he has access to the full range of psychic abilities, albeit in a more limited form than the more specialized psychics. Other than his psychic abilities and the weapons he can wield, Nick may also attack with a melee punch.To begin with Nick has no access to his psychic powers, but regains his memories of how to use them one by one at various points in the game. Each remembering event is followed by a training level instructing the player in each powers' use. The powers are listed in the order which they are unlocked.
- Telekinesis (TK) is the ability to move objects with the mind. This is Nick's "bread and butter" skill and has numerous uses, ranging from using loose items as projectiles, slamming enemies into walls, or flying on an object being levitated (TK Surf). By applying telekinesis to swinging ball chains, discarded boxes and debris, a stable environment can soon become a lethal battleground through the added benefit of Havok 2.0 ragdoll physics.
- Remote ViewingRemote viewingRemote viewing is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen target using paranormal means, in particular, extra-sensory perception or "sensing with mind"...
(RV) gives Nick a literal out-of-body experience, separating his mind from his body and enabling the player to look anywhere within a short distance unhindered by walls or doors while their real body remains motionless. The distance determines the amount of power it consumes.
- Mind Drain (MD) is used to absorb a target's mental energy to replenish Nick's own. So long as the target is unaware, unconscious, or dead, Nick can steal their mental energy. This will kill the target if they are still alive at the time and the process is completed. Catching a living target standing and unaware, or at the moment they stand up after being knocked down, will restore up to fifty percent of Nick's energy while causing the target's head to explode upon completion; unconscious and dead foes provide progressively lesser energy. Enemies missing a head will not yield any mental energy.
- Mind Control (MC) allows Nick to enter another person's mind and take full control of their body. Much like RV, the drain on the player's energy is determined by distance. A controlled enemy can be used to attack other enemies or simply be made to commit suicide; enemies will promptly kill the person in question for acting as such. Several points in the game also require that Nick control enemies to reach switches he cannot reach on his own.
- PyrokinesisPyrokinesisPyrokinesis, derived from the Greek words and , was the name coined by horror novelist Stephen King for the ability to create or to control fire with the mind that he gave to the protagonist Charlie McGee in Firestarter...
(PK) allows Nick to summon a wave of flame with a swing of his arm, igniting anything in its path a short distance ahead of Nick. It can be used to burn foes, start chain reactions with crates and/or explosive cans, or flush out enemies from hiding spots.
- Aura View (AV) is the final power Nick acquires, allowing him to see beyond the visible spectrum. This allows the player to see things such as erased messages on whiteboards, invisible mines, and extra-dimensional "Aura Beasts."
Reception
In 2010, UGOUGO
UGO Entertainment, Inc. is a website providing coverage of online media in entertainment targeting males age 18–34. The company is currently based in New York, New York, United States. On July 24, 2007 it was announced that Hearst Corporation would acquire UGO Entertainment...
ranked as the #21 on the list of the games that need sequels.
In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die
Quintessence Editions Ltd.
Quintessence Editions Ltd. is a publishing company based in London which is the originator of the "1001 Before You Die" series. Typically, the titles in this series are intended as reference books. They are illustrated books authored by multiple contributors...
.