History VideoGame / PsiOpsTheMindgateConspiracy

''[[PunBasedTitle Psi-Ops]]''[[note]]Another name for psychological warfare[[/note]] is a ThirdPersonShooter designed by Creator/BrianEddy for the UsefulNotes/{{PS2}}, UsefulNotes/XBox and [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]] that incorporates PsychicPowers into combat and puzzle solving. The game centers around Nick Scryer, a powerful psychic in the employ of the government who has been [[LaserGuidedAmnesia stripped of his memories]] and [[FakeMemories given a new identity]] in order to infiltrate [[NebulousEvilOrganization "The Movement"]], a terrorist organization led by powerful psychics who are defectors from the government. He is aided by Sara, a [[{{Telepathy}} Telepath]] who is also undercover.

** Further, said mines are invisible without Aura View '''and''' the spaces between them (particularly in the endgame) are almost ''exactly'' as large as a crouching character. You seriously have mere pixels between safe passage and instant death. Thankfully, mooks will set them off, so you can punch larger holes in certain paths by tossing mooks into the mines.

* AGodAmI:
** The General, after using the Monolith to gain superpowers.
** Long before that, Nicholas Wrightson styles himself as the "True God of the Ether."
* ANaziByAnyOtherName: The opening movie shows that the General ripped off quite a bit from ''Triumph Of The Will'' when forming his organization, The Movement.

* RealSongThemeTune: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiMpY_NJQJE "With My Mind"]] by Music/{{Cold}}, written exclusively for the game but still popular with Cold fans.

* FunnyFlashbackHaircut: In the present, Edgar Barrett normally keeps his head shaved. However, in flashbacks to Nick Scryer's psychic training sessions at Mindgate, Barrett (who presides over each test) sports a progressively more ridiculous array of haircuts, including flat-tops, afros, dreadlocks, mohawks, and many more.

* DuelingGames: With ''VideoGame/SecondSight'', another third person shooter that combines gunplay with psychic powers. ''Psi Ops'' is a more straightforward shoot-em-up third person shooter with heavy sci-fi and military themes, whereas ''Second Sight'' had more emphasis on adventure and stealth elements and played more like ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}''.

* BossArenaIdiocy: Pyrokineticist Marlena's level has oodles of fire extinguishers... ''self-replenishing'' fire extinguishers. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], as it's not meant to be an arena, but an important lab and facility which harnesses her powers. Given how unstable she is, they would be foolish not to have all that coolant at the ready.

* AGodAmI: The General, after using the Monolith to gain superpowers.

The PC version was released by Midway as ad-supported Freeware, and was available on Fileplanet (but due to the latter site having been shutdown it's not down possible to download it from there anymore). Since 2018, the game can be downloaded from majorgeeks.com using the following link: https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/psi_ops_the_mindgate_conspiracy.html

The PC version was released by Midway as ad-supported Freeware, and was available on Fileplanet (but due to the latter site having been shutdown it's not down possible to download it from there anymore). Since 2018, the game can be downloaded from majorgeeks using the following link: https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/psi_ops_the_mindgate_conspiracy.html

The PC version was released by Midway as ad-supported Freeware, and was available on Fileplanet but due to the latter site having been shutdown it's not down possible to download it from there anymore.

* YourHeadASplode: The result of draining a mook of all his psychic energy. One of the more prominent and graphic examples in all of gaming.

The PC version has been released by Midway as ad-supported Freeware, and is available from Fileplanet (Ausgamers also has a mirror download if Fileplanet doesn't work).

* YoureInsane: Spoken verbatim by Scryer to Barrett.

* MindOverMatter
* MostDefinitelyNotAVillain: [[spoiler: When EvilTwin poses as Sara, she has a sultry inflection, half lidded eyes, makes off comments, and generally acts "off". Of course, [[IdiotBall Nick trusts her and hands over a piece of the artifact.]]]]

* SlaveMooks: All the mooks used by the Movement are this. Mind-wiped, engineered to feel no pain, and controllable en masse by the mind control guy. Leads to a bit of NightmareFuel in the opening, where a rocket is fired into a group of mooks. One does a backflip, lands on his feet missing an arm, and still keeps shooting with his remaining arm.

* MeaningfulName: Nick [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrying Scryer]].

* QuirkyMinibossSquad: Leonov, a blind man who uses his powers to brainwash the Movement’s army, Barret, a powerful telekinetic and Nick’s former partner from his Mindgate days, WeiLu, a master of illusion, Kessler, a hot-tempered and powerful pyrokinetic, and Wrightson, a man who is almost perpetually outisde his body, which is witherd and on life-support.

* QuirkyMinibossSquad: Leonov, a blind man who uses his powers to brainwash the Movement’s army, Barret, a powerful telekinetic and Nick’s former partner from his Mindgate days, and Kessler, a hot-tempered and powerful pyrokinetic.

* PsychicPowers: Throughout the game you collect six Psi powers which you can use during gameplay.: [[MindOverMatter Telekinesis]], [[AstralProjection Remote View]], [[VampiricDraining Mind Drain]], [[MeatPuppet Mind Control]], [[PlayingWithFire Pyrokinesis]], [[AuraVision Aura View]] and [[MasterOfIllusion Illusion]]. {{Telepathy}} also exists, used as a way to communicate with Sara during cut-scenes.

%%* QuirkyMiniBossSquad
%%* RagdollPhysics

%%* {{Telepathy}}
%%* ThemeTuneCameo

* PsychicPowers: There are seven Psi powers: [[MindOverMatter Telekinesis]], [[AstralProjection Remote View]], [[VampiricDraining Mind Drain]], [[MeatPuppet Mind Control]], [[PlayingWithFire Pyrokinesis]], [[AuraVision Aura View]], {{Telepathy}} and [[MasterOfIllusion Illusion]].

As the game progresses the mental blocks inhibiting his powers slowly give way, causing a power to resurface [[PlotTailoredToTheParty just in time for a new puzzle]]. He gains several powers, among them {{Telekinesis}}, MindControl, [[ManaDrain Life Drain]], AstralProjection, [[PlayingWithFire Pyrokinesis]], and AuraVision.

%%* PsychicPowers

* RealSongThemeTune: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiMpY_NJQJE With My Mind]]" by Music/{{Cold}}, written exclusively for the game but still popular with Cold fans.

* --> '''Edgar Barrett:''' Those guys'll never get A-HEAD with that job!

* CliffHanger: For those who really want to know: [[spoiler: The game ends with the General killed via being sucked into a black vortex. Three helicopters enter. Nick shouts out that they aren't there to help, remarks he remembers everything from his past, and proceeds to telekinetically grab one as it prepares to fire.]] Que black screen and the words 'To Be Continued'.

''[[PunBasedTitle Psi-Ops]]''[[note]]Another name for psychological warfare[[/note]] is a ThirdPersonShooter designed by Creator/BrianEddy for the UsefulNotes/{{PS2}}, UsefulNotes/XBox and [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]] that incorporates PsychicPowers into combat and puzzle solving. The game centers around Nick Scryer, a powerful psychic in the employ of the government who has been [[IdentityAmnesia stripped of his memories]] and [[FakeMemories given a new identity]] in order to infiltrate [[NebulousEvilOrganization "The Movement"]], a terrorist organization led by powerful psychics who are defectors from the government. He is aided by Sara, a [[{{Telepathy}} Telepath]] who is also undercover.

* IdentityAmnesia: Nick wakes up at the start of the game with no memory of who he is.