An unrecognized innovation
What really makes Psi-Ops a great game simply boils straight down to execution. The psychic powers are simply handled better than any other game has ever even come close to. It's games like this that make you think "Why didn't any of the Star Wars games use this system?". It also has one of the best uses of the Havok engine available. The powers would really be nothing without the ability to throw a huge marble ball tumbling towards a group of enemies. The problem with the game is that if you took the powers out it really wouldn't be much of a game. The shooting is fairly loose and it may be from the creators of MK but it certainly doesn't have a strong fighting system behind it. The game does control fairly well however. The jumping could have used a bit of tuning but since it's not really full of jumping puzzles it's a minor gripe. The psy powers are the easiest thing in the game to control. 15 minutes into the game and you'll be tossing explosive barrels and enemies into elaborate death traps like you were raised doing it. Speaking of elaborate death traps, you will find them everywhere. They are truly a treat that compliments all your abilities perfectly. Don't want to kill that guy by slamming him into the walls or tossing a desk at him? Fine. Throw him into that enormous spinning fan or drop him in that painfully exposed section of power cords.
Playing the game is thankfully the funnest thing to do. Watching it is not. Nick Scryer isn't exactly the coolest video game character on the block and he definitely compliments his 'Ripped straight from an old 007 movie' villians perfectly. With main enemies with names as scary as 'The General' and the age old mentor gone bad guy the gangs all here. Thankfully you get to kill most of them! Shockingly the bosses are not very much fun at all. They usually rely on a sorely overused sequence which you rinse and repeat until finished. There is simply no excuse for the hum-drum boss fights with the gameplay that is present in this game. Since it is a game from the fellows at Midway this game is packed with actually entertaining special features. From extra costumes, modes, levels, and an array of cheat codes to use, Psi-Ops makes longevity the name of the game. Is it completely perfect? Of course not. But it does a stellar job at what it commits to and does it better than any others that have tried before it. Here's hoping that the sequel, which the ending set up perfectly for, improves on the areas lacking and truly makes it the stellar game it deserves to be.