PSI-OPS: The Mindgate Conspiracy
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this first-person shooter gives players an additional weapon: psychic mind control. However, by allowing players to smash enemies into walls with their minds, essentially beating them to death, or burning them in a rush of "pyrokinesis," any potential creativity is lost in violence.
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User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
Good, but violent
great for teens
What's it about?
In PSI-OPS: THE MINDGATE CONSPIRACY, players assume the role of Lt. Nick Scryer, a member of the U.N. Anti-Terror Corps with psychic abilities. Planted inside the terrorist organization known as \"the movement,\" Nick unravels the mysteries of both the organization and his past. He uses traditional weapons and his mental powers to fight \"the general,\" the former leader of a U.S. special forces program known as Project Mindgate. The general has gathered his forces to start a war between those who have psychic powers and those who do not.
There are plenty of weapons, including silenced pistols, machine guns, sniper rifles, and even flamethrowers and rocket launchers. The enemies are kidnapped soldiers who have been brainwashed. Nick's psychic abilities include \"mind drain,\" in which the player drains the life energy from a victim until their head pops in a shower of blood, or pyrokinesis, allowing the player to shoot a stream of flame at enemies.
Is it any good?
Many factors make PSI-OPS: The Mindgate Conspiracy a poor choice for kids. Most obviously, the game contains a great deal of violence, blood, and gore: Players can smash enemies into walls, leaving bloodstains, or throw them into electrical generators until they burn into a smoking corpse. Scariness is also a factor for younger players. And strong language is scattered throughout the game.
The addition of psychic powers may make this more interesting from a gameplay perspective, but it does nothing to make it more kid-friendly. It only magnifies the violence.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about the violent use of psychic mind control in the game. Ask your child what she would do with special powers. Do gifted people have more of an obligation to protect and advance society? Is violence OK if it's for the "greater good"?
Game details
- Platforms: Xbox
- Price: $39.99
- Available online? Not available online
- Developer: Midway
- Release date: June 14, 2004
- Genre: First Person Shooter
- ESRB rating: M
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