Dare I call this game "psi-sational"?
Here it is in very few words: Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy is a must play game for ANY and ALL fans of action-adventure games. It's a one of kind experience that really rewards creative play.
You play the game as Nick Scryer, a psi-agent who has had his memory erased. He has great, untapped, psychic abilities that he is unaware of and as the game rolls out, these powers are regained and so too are his lost memories. As he regains his true identity of course he wants to seek out and stop the bad dudes who made him this way. This is the setup for Psi-Ops and it plays out by the numbers. If this game has one true weakness it is the storyline. I list it first because the rest of the game is so far beyond superior that it truly does make up for the crap that is Psi-Ops storyline. The voice talent and cut scenes are straight up cheeseball, B-movie, wince inducing, schlock. It can be a fun sort of "Plan 9 from Outer Space" kind of schlock, but it's best to be warned going in that this game is no MGS or Splinter Cell when it comes to story telling.
On to the greener grass...
The presentation of this game is quite simply off the charts. Everything about this game feels like a big budget franchise. The first things that makes this game feel truly special is, of course, the Psi-powers. Everything from telekinesis (the ability to move things WITH YOUR MIND) to pyrokinesis (the ability to set things on fire WITH YOUR MIND) to Mind Control (the ability to take control of enemies WITH YOUR -ah you get it) are totally fresh and completely fleshed out in this game. Add in the idea of being able to freely mix these powers together in a sort psi-combo/psi-strategy sort of way and you get a gameplay experience that is second to none.
The level design is also very impressive for a game that is essentially on a linear path. The freedom with which the game gives you, when approaching each scenario is really quite innovative. If you wish you can grab an enemy and throw him towards you, as he gets up Mind Drain him (causing his head to explode), set his corpse on fire, then pick him up and throw him at an approaching enemy. Or you can simply shoot him. It really is completely left up to the player and it's the experimentation with these powers that makes this game such awesome fun. This open ended approach tends to wain during boss fights though, as most bosses have a very distinct attack pattern and a very specific way in which to take them down. It doesn't take that much away from the overall experience, but it would have been nice to see more options available when taking on these bosses.
The graphics are polished and fairly stunning for a PS2 (to this day). I have seen ragdoll graphics done poorly before. Psi-Ops is not one of these games. If nothing else, Psi-Ops is the ragdoll bar for which all others should be reaching. Throw in expressive characters, with excellent facial animation, and some great video games explosions, and it's just adds a few more layers on this delicious Psi-cake. But wait, there's more! Mix in some really nice audio for said explosions and things like gun fire, roaring fires, and the sound of a human head exploding from the inside out. There is really nothing about this game that feels unpolished or buggy. It's a triple A title wrapped in a blanket of under-appreciation.
The weakness of this game, as I said, is it's storyline and for as cornball as it was, the ending is poorly planned and completely forgettable. With that small negative though it should by no means stop you from picking this game up (undoubtedly for super-cheap) and playing one of the most unexpected surprises the PS2 has to offer.
Psi Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy is a great "ahead of its time" game that was completely over-looked and completely deserving of a sequel. My highest recommendations.
+Fresh feeling psi-combat system
+Rewards creative play
+Has the nice, polished feel of a well thought out game
-Cheesy storyline
-Very poor "cliffhanger" ending
