On the surface, Midway's Psi:Ops looked very much the atypical 2004 third-person shooter - the usual array of firearms, a decidedly generic military hard man protagonist and an absurd amount of exploding barrels (why do these evil organisations need so many anyway?) - so there was always the risk of the game being lost in the shuffle. However, the feather in Psi-Ops's cap is hero Nick Scryer's psychic powers, which are implemented brilliantly. The stellar Havok physics engine makes the simple act of lifting various items with your mind and flinging them at goons endlessly satisfying. On top of that, you unlock new abilities through the game, such as enemy mind control and pyrokinesis, i.e. setting things on fire. These powers give the game's action a refreshing twist, and perhaps the best fun comes when you combine the run-and-gunning with the psychic skills - throwing an enemy in the air only to pump him full of lead when he comes back down is rather pleasing in a morbid sort of way. Admittedly once you've played through the somewhat short-lived campaign Psi-Ops doesn't offer a whole lot else. It's a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am affair, but those whams and bams are thrilling. In a world where franchises like Assassins Creed and Call Of Duty pump out game after game, it's frankly amazing that this never got a sequel.
Northern Irish man living and working in London. Heroes include Ledley King, James Ellroy and whoever invented elasticated sweatshorts. Follow me on Twitter - @MJLowry23
