While laying in bed and delirious from a fever last week, I found myself sifting through the Xbox Live Marketplace in search of something to blow my “fake money” on. I made my way to the “New Arrivals” section of the Marketplace and stumbled Ubisoft’s CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars. Perhaps it was because I was in the mood to just shoot around or maybe the brain matter I had hacked up beforehand was the part of my mind that usually inhibits me from making hasty decisions, but I quickly found myself paying 800 MS Points for the title. In retrospect, I’m kind of thankful that I did lose that piece of my brain because the folks at Timeline Interactive and Immersion Games made a fine FPS.
CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars is reminiscent of Unreal Tournament or Red Faction 2 multiplayer in the way that it is just an enjoyable, mindless shooter. Also, you get psionic abilities. The player has the choice of playing as the Bishop (no guns, heavy on the psionic powers, flight ability), Guardian (no psionic powers, can dual-wield guns, double jump), and Black Op (single wield, some psionic powers, short teleport). The differences between these three characters add an interesting dynamic to the gameplay. Oh, and get this–in multiplayer, you can switch characters between deaths. So, imagine gunning down a few people as a Guardian with dual pistols, meeting your demise, and then respawning as a Bishop to get your revenge by tossing a pile of scrap metal at one of your opponents for a one-hit-kill.
The gametypes offered are standard: deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag, and assault. A lot of emphasis is put on the multiplayer aspect of the game as the single player campaign pits you against bots on the multiplayer maps (There’s no story whatsoever). By completing certain levels of the single player campaign, the player unlocks rewards which gives you an edge up on your multiplayer rivals. Such rewards grant you the ability to be invisible on enemy radars, increase your maximum health, or increase the range of your weapons.
The game suffers just a tad in its matchmaking. Skill is not taken into consideration when teams are formed, and the number of players on each team will not necessarily be equal. However, players can jump from team to team in the pause menu. So, the people who designed Psychokinetic Wars took a laissez-faire approach to how the matchmaking is set up in the way that it’s up to the players.
I’m surprised that I haven’t heard much buzz surrounding such a competent FPS. The key, I think, is to not take this game too seriously. Take it for what it is–an 800 MS Point XBLA title that has solid controls, is perfectly fine to look at, and has a highly enjoyable multiplayer mode. At $10, you can’t go wrong with this one. If you find that your trigger finger is itching for some action, at least check the demo out. About a week’s gone by since I’ve purchased CellFactor, my fever’s gone, and I’m still playing it. You can take that for what it is too.
And here’s where I put my “fake money” where my mouth is:
-Want to win 1600 Microsoft Points? It’s yours as long as you PROMISE to spend half of it on CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars (and provided that you’ve been selected). If you you’re not feeling it, use the other half on another game you wanted! For a chance to win, post about a game that was shown or mentioned at E3 that you’re excited about. The winner will be chosen “semi-randomly” (clearly, if you’re excited about Pennzoil Build-N-Race: Speed Demons, we’re not sure if you should be allowed to spend MS Points).
-Limit 2 comments/games per day
-Contest ends Tuesday, June 17, 2009 10:00 PM CT
“Godspeed, Spider-Man.”
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