Status:
Complete and Play Tested
----------------------------------
Mindjack (PS3) Review
Concept & Mechanics
Mindjack is a sci-fi third-person shooter where players can "mind hack" enemies, civilians, or robots to take over their bodieswhile other players can invisibly invade your campaign in real-time (, ). In theory, the concept feels fresh and rooted in sci-fi ambition. But in practice, the visceral fun is hidden beneath a mountain of flawed execution.
Gameplay & Technical Execution
-
Clunky Gunplay & Controls: Weapons feel weak, aiming is sluggish, and enemies can shrug off headshots. The cover system is unreliablesometimes you can't take cover, other times shots inexplicably bypass barriers ().
-
Poor AI & Level Design: Friends and foes alike behave oddlyducking into walls, shooting into barricades, or ignoring incoming fire entirely. Level design is dull, repetitive, and drenched in blue-gray sci-fi blandness ().
-
Hacking Mechanic Falls Flat: While mind-hacking starts promising, it quickly becomes underwhelming. Possessed enemies rarely help meaningfully, and boss battles or human-invasion moments become chaotic rather than strategic ().
-
Campaign & Difficulty: Story pacing feels plodding, voice work is hammy and cringe-worthy, and checkpoints are poorly distributedmaking the roughly 58 hour campaign feel longer and more tedious (, , ).
Visuals & Audio
-
Graphically Underwhelming: Environments are sterile and visually uninspired. Enemy models and backgrounds lack identity. Effects like shadows and animations feel cheap and unpolished (, ).
-
Audio is a Drag: Sound effects and music are forgettable, often clashing with poorly delivered dialogue and ham-fisted writing. The script arguably includes some of the most awkward lines in gaming history (, ).
Multiplayer Twist: A Mixed Blessing
Mindjacks multiplayer allows up to six players to infiltrate the single-player campaignblue-team players can help, reds can sabotage. Its interesting at first, but becomes frustrating fast: unbalanced encounters, endless spawns, and lack of control over invasions often turn multiplayer into griefing rather than collaboration ().
Community Consensus
Mindjack often appears on lists of the worst PS3 games. Reddit reflects that its considered a curiosityworth noting, perhaps, but not worth playing:
I just replayedMindjack on the PS3. I remembered it being unbelievably generic Turns out, I remembered correctly. (, )
The idea was cool but the execution was terrible. ()
And yes, it even earned a 1/10 from Angry Joe for sheer frustration. ()
Final Verdict
Mindjack is a notable example of good ideas undermined by poor execution. The mindhacking multiplayer twist and sci-fi setup tantalizebut the executionclunky controls, flawed AI, repetitive design, and bizarre writingpush the game into forgettable territory.
Score: 3.5 / 10 A conceptually ambitious shooter marred by broken systems and tedium. Only worth streaming if youre curious about its ideasbut not worth playing straight through.
Best if youre: A game historian or collector of odd, niche titles.
Not for: Anyone wanting polish, fun gameplay, or meaningful narrative.
