Mind Control, Telekinesis and More; It’s Mind Over Matter in “Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy”

by Louis Bedigian

 

Project Leader Brian Eddy erases our memories and replaces them with new info on Midway’s highly anticipated action-thriller.

 

 

You think you have choices.

 

You think you have control.

 

But what if your mind was more vulnerable than you think?  What if someone – say, Jedi Master Yoda – could make you do anything he wanted just by waving his hand?

 

Or suppose the government or another powerful organization found a way to erase your memories and replace them with fake ones.  Jedi mind tricks might only be possible on a galaxy far, far away, but at the rate that computer technology is advancing, memory wipes could someday become a reality.

 

For the characters of Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy, it is a reality.  Part action, part thriller, Psi-Ops will do more than vie for gamers’ attention – it’s going to reach out and take it.  Brian Eddy, project leader of Psi-Ops, sent our anticipation through the roof when we sat down to chat about the game.  And he did it without using a single mind trick!

 

 

Put our readers inside the game. Go into detail about the gameplay, explaining why it's more than just another third-person action game.

 

Brian Eddy: Players familiar with other third or first person action games will immediately feel at home when they pick up Psi-Ops, as the controls and initial game-play are pretty similar to a lot of popular games they've probably played.  We did this on purpose, because we wanted to ease players into the radically different game-play that the Psi-powers offer.  After several minutes of regular game-play players will get their first Psi power, Telekinesis, and quickly realize that they are dealing with something totally different.  Telekinesis will allow them to pick up, move around and throw objects in the world, which opens up a whole new level of tactics when encountering enemies.  For instance, the player could enter a room with two enemies and instead of shooting them one at a time, the player could pick one up and smash him into the other, or pick up an explosive object and throw it at them while they are next to each other, or sneak in, throw an object into a corner to distract them, do a stealth kill on one, pick up another and shoot him while he is in the air.  Those are just a few things you can do, and that is only with the first power you get in the game.  The Psi-powers are not just an add-on or an afterthought to the game; they have been part of the design from the beginning and are fully integrated into nearly every aspect of game-play.

 

Tell us about the various stages or locations that players will be able to explore in the game. What makes them unique and exciting?

 

BE: We don't want to give away too much about the game, but the locations range from a former soviet missile silo, a double skyscraper in Hong Kong, to an abandoned monastery in the Himalayas.  Each location has a very unique look and feel to it, and has allowed us to create a lot of very cool objects that both match the environments and offer new ways for the player to interact with them using their powers.  For example, there is a large bell in the abandoned monastery that the player can use Telekinesis on to swing into nearby enemies, sending them flying with a very satisfying gong sound.  Bridges that connect the skyscrapers in Hong Kong offer great opportunities for the player to use Mind Control on enemies and have them jump off with a very satisfying scream.  In other parts of the game there are many environmental hazards that players can use to dispatch enemies, like open furnaces or heavy machinery with their moving parts exposed; perfect for using Telekinesis to throw someone into.

 

 

Target confirmed.  Target eliminated.

 

 

Were the levels designed to correspond with the psychic gameplay mechanics?

 

BE: Levels were designed specifically for using Psi-Powers.  As mentioned above, there are a lot of areas that give players the opportunity to use their powers in cool ways, but we've also setup a lot of puzzles and events that players must figure out how to use one of their powers, or a combination of them, to get by.  A good example of this is what we call the electrical plate puzzle.  The player enters a hallway with three electrified plates blocking their path.  They are too long to jump over, and walking on them hurts, a lot.  There are actually multiple ways that they can get across: Players could use Telekinesis to build a bridge over the plates, use Pyrokinesis to destroy the generators powering the plates, or Mind Control one of the enemies that enter through the door on the other side of the room and have them run onto the plates, which shorts them out (and makes the enemies crispy).  There are even more ways to get across than I've listed, and we've tried to setup most of the puzzles and scripted events in the game so that players can discover multiple ways to solve each using their Psi-powers and/or traditional weapons.

 

Could you go over the different types of psychic powers that will be available in the game?

 

BE: Here are the Psi-powers which are "remembered" at key moments in Psi-Ops, along with a brief description of what they do:

 

·                     Telekinesis. The ability to pick up people and objects, then move, throw or smash them in any direction.  Players can do what we call Telekinesis surfing if they ride on an object they've picked up.

 

·                     Pyrokinesis. The ability to launch a wall of fire that ignites everything in its path.  Objects or people that catch fire can spread their flames to other objects or people that are nearby.

 

·                     Mind Control. The ability to take control of enemy bodies and use them to solve puzzles, do surveillance or just open fire on other enemies.  Enemies won't know you've Mind Controlled their buddy until you turn on them.

 

·                     Remote Viewing.  The ability to go "out of body" to see through doors to plan your "attack", avoid ambushes and/or get information you would not be able to get in physical form.

 

·                     Mind Drain. The ability to drain Psi power from enemies to replenish your own.  Stealth

 

·                     Mind Drains on living enemies give a lot more Psi power to players, and also kills your victim.

 

 

·                     Aura View. The ability to "see" elements, remnants of the past, that aren't visible in the real world.  Used to find clues to puzzles, avoid traps and even see certain enemies.

 

 

Great balls of fire.

 

 

Are psychic powers your only form of defense?

 

BE: Although offensive power is a big part of the game, thinking defensively can serve the player well.  The primary defenses in the game are the proper use of stealth and cover.  Stealth comes very much in handy when combined with the Psi-powers.  For example, the player can use stealth to get into a good position take over enemies with Mind Control and then wreak havoc on the other enemies around them that don't know until it is too late that you now control their friend, or players could use Aura View to see groups of hidden enemies ahead of time and avoid them altogether.  Cover is useful when you are in a firefight with several enemies and want to avoid taking the full brunt of their weapon's damage head on.  First dispatching a couple of enemies from behind defensive cover and then leaving that safety to take out any remaining is a smart approach for players to take.  Telekinesis can also be used defensively.  By throwing an object in a different part of the room, you can distract or sneak by enemies that go to investigate.  You can also pick up an object or an enemy using Telekinesis and keeping it between you and your enemies to use it as a shield.

 

How will your enemies attack or retaliate? What kinds of weapons will they use?

 

BE: Most of the enemies in Psi-Ops do not have Psi-powers, but that doesn't mean they don't stand a chance against you in numbers.  The AI is pretty smart about using cover, destroying cover you may be using, dodging your attacks and, of course, attacking you.  They have a variety of traditional weapons, including assault riffles, shotguns, sniper rifles, machine guns, flame throwers, missile launchers and grenades.  Grenades are especially nasty because you may think you are under cover and save when suddenly you hear the familiar beep of a grenade that has just landed nearby to flush you out. If you are fast enough you can TK the grenade and throw it back at them.

 

What is control layout, and how does it differ between the Xbox and PS2 versions of the game?

 

BE: The controls are fairly similar between the two systems, and we have multiple layouts for each.  The primary controls for both systems and between all of the control configurations are the use of the left analog stick for player movement, and the right analog stick for camera/targeting (positioning the reticule that is used for both weapons and Psi-powers).  Also, since the height of objects you lift with Telekinesis is determined by how hard you press the button, this is controlled by a shoulder button on both platforms.  Otherwise, the controls for both consoles are very similar.

 

 

Light as a feather, stiff as a board,

light as a feather, stiff as a…

 

 

How does the story unfold?

 

BE: Set in the near future, a Psi agent named Nick Scryer has his mind wiped and false memories implanted so that he can infiltrate a terrorist group known as the "Movement," which has its own Psi agents that would have detected him in his normal state. Now believing he is an anti-terrorist soldier, he helps defend a facility from the Movement but is captured by their terrorist forces. Nick is aided by a beautiful double agent named Sara. When Nick escapes from his captors, he begins to regain his Psi powers and fights to get closer to the truth surrounding this elusive secret society and the man who runs it, a U.S. Military rogue known as "The General".

 

Nick must fight against not only the brainwashed super soldiers, but also against its Psi agents, each of which possess a potent psi power of their own. Soon Nick realizes that his own psi powers are boiling to the surface, each more powerful than the last, and he must master them in order to defeat his enemies. Infiltrating deeper and deeper into the Movement's compounds, he is able to learn that his own fate is wrapped up with that of The General. Nick had a previous existence that was wiped from is memory. He too was once a Psi Agent. He too was once a part of the conspiracy that he now fights against.

 

As he and Sara search for answers they uncover that The General's ultimate plan involves a mysterious ancient artifact known only as the Monolith, an object that has played a major role in nearly every major historical event during the last 12 centuries. Why does The General want it, what is its power and why are so many dying to discover its secrets? To discover his own past, Nick must delve into the heart of the Movement to find out, confronting his past and delivering the world from a madman bent on gaining the power of a god

 

Are there any unique sound or music effects that correspond with the psychic abilities in the game?

 

BE: Yes, in fact each psi-power has its own sound effect that corresponds with it.  For instance, when you go into Aura View mode, you are seeing into a different dimension that exists along side our own, so the entire look of things on screen change and there is a sound effect that matches the effect. Also since the game uses surround sound you get the hear things moving in the environment. For example: During TK if you move an object around the world you can hear it moving around you in complete surround sound. It really feels like you are there doing the power. Sound is very important in all aspects of Psi-Ops and really helps to bring the game to life. 

 

I like my enemies well done.

 

 

What kind of research was done for this game? Does anyone on the team have a degree in psychology?

 

BE: No, but several people on the team have gained their Masters degrees is psi-chology while working on Psi-Ops in order to detect when I'm using Remote View to check up on them in their offices.

 

Metal Gear Solid had an interesting boss battle in which you lost control and had to plug your controller into the second controller slot. Anything like that in Psi Ops?

 

BE: We have something similar to that where the player's controls are reversed by one of the attacks of the Mind Control boss, Jov Leonov.  It makes the battle more challenging, but players seem to get what is happening (after all, he is the Mind Control boss!) and figure out how to adapt fairly quickly.

 

Sounds awesome.

 

Thank you for your time.