Parents' Guide to

PSI-OPS: The Mindgate Conspiracy

By Jeremy Gieske, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Psychic powers take violence to an extreme.

Game Xbox 2004
PSI-OPS: The Mindgate Conspiracy Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

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?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (3 ):

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

  • Platform: Xbox
  • Available online?: Not available online
  • Publisher: Midway
  • Release date: June 14, 2004
  • Genre: First-Person Shooter
  • ESRB rating: M
  • Last updated: November 4, 2015

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate