View larger photos on the main NCSX website.

Update: December 29, 2005
«©NCSX» As 2005 closes out, Taito celebrates the tenth anniversary of the original Psychic Force coin-op with a collection of all three games in the series - Psychic Force (1995), Psychic Force 2012 (1998), and Psychic Force 2012EX (2002). Airborne warriors gifted with ESP battle with conventional blows as well as psychic projectiles that arc across the screen. The fighting action takes place inside a transparent geometric cube that floats above a cityscape or other kind of landscape to provide background color and shape.

Psychic Force - Nine heroes takes to the skies and battle while lofted within a geometric cube. Gamers were introduced to: Burn / Wendy / Emilio / Sonia / Wong / Brad / Genma / Gates / Kieth.

Psychic Force 2012 - Three returnees and seven new heroes: Wendy / Emilio / Gates / Regina / Carlo / Might / Patty / Genshin / Setsuna / Gudeath.

Psychic Force 2012EX - Three heroes join the cast from Psychic Force 2012: Brad / Genma / Sonia

View the back cover and screenshots on the main NCSX site.

NCS Game Notes
* In the intro to the game, the camera pulls away from a blood red moon and animated renditions of the fighters are mixed with polygonal from-game captures before everything coalesces into a jumble and the Psychic Force Complete logo.

* Upon pressing START on the title screen, gamers may choose from the three Psychic Force games or view what's in the Gallery.

* The Gallery is broken up into sections as follows (everything's viewable):

MOVIE / View the PFC opening movie or the intro movies for the three Psychic Force games. The evolution of the artistic style and composition is evident.
PSYCHIC FORCE / Nine pieces of character artwork from the original game.
PSYCHIC FORCE 2012 / Thirty nine pieces of character artwork.
CONCEPT / Thirty nine sketches and renditions of the characters in the game.
OTHERS / Nine pieces of character artwork where the original cast is drawn in super-deformed style. Emilio and Wendy are endearing.

* Psychic Force play test
Upon pressing START, the following options appear:

ARCADE MODE / One-on-one bout
STORY MODE / Follow the tale of a chosen hero
TRAINING MODE / Practice moves and attacks against a dummy opponent
VS MODE / Two player contest - only lights up if 2 joypads are connected
OPTION MODE / Set the joypad, time limit, sound settings, save/load data
TO GAME SELECT / Return to PFC game selection screen

The game is based on the coin-op version of Psychic Force and not the Playstation conversion. Psychic Force is essentially a run 'n gun fighting game where two opponents face off within a geometric cube that's suspended in a locality. The two fighters spiral and orbit each other inside and fire off projectile attacks and the occasional close-combat frenzy. Since every fighter in the game floats within the geometric cube, players use the d-pad to float towards an opponent for melee attacks or stray away to an opposite corner to attack on the cheap with projectiles. Standard semi-circle moves + attack combinations will unleash special attacks.

It's been a while since we've played this game and it looks chunky and severely aliased. Only the d-pad is used for movement and the L-analog is inactive. Along with two attack buttons (TRIANGLE and O," a guard move is activated by pressing SQUARE. In Story Mode, the COM-controlled opponents are completely non-aggressive and will generally not range close for melee attacks. You'll have to bring the battle to them if you're hankering for some fisticuffs. To perform a dash move, press both TRIANGLE+O simultaneously to close the distance between an opponent.

NCS values the original Psychic Force game more as a gaming artifact than something that we'd sit down and actually play. The game is 10 years old at this point and it shows.

The fighters in the game are as follows: Burn / Wendy / Emilio / Sonia / Wong / Brad / Genma / Gates / Kieth.

* Psychic Force 2012 play test
Upon pressing START, the following options appear:

ARCADE MODE / One-on-one bout
STORY MODE / Follow the tale of a chosen hero
TRAINING MODE / Practice moves and attacks against a dummy opponent
VS HUMAN MODE / Two player contest - only lights up if 2 joypads are connected
VS COM MODE / Face off against a COM-controlled Psychiccer
WATCH MODE / Choose two warriors and watch them battle each other autonomously
OPTION MODE / Set the buttons, vibration, time limit, rounds, adjust display, sound settings, and save/load data
RECORDS / View the top three player initials for every fighter in the game
TO GAME SELECT / Return to PFC game selection screen

The PS2 version of Psychic Force 2012 is based on the original coin-op code which ran on Taito's Wolf board with a 3Dfx chipset. The run and gun mechanics are the bread and butter of the Psychic Force games but the visuals and execution are improved over the original. If playing against the COM, be prepared for non-aggressive attack tactics from some of the fighters (Gates, Emilio) where the opponent futzes around the geometric cube and occasionally closes in for an attack. You'll have to engage Gates directly for the game to become interesting. On the other hand, Regina is a firecracker and she'll take the initiative to attack directly and engage the player. The action changes dramatically when two human players go at it with close-up attacks, projectile throwing, and hot pursuit theatrics.

The fighters in the game are as follows: Wendy / Emilio / Gates / Regina / Carlo / Might / Patty / Genshin / Setsuna / Gudeath.

Burn, Kieth, and Wong from the original Psychic Force are secret characters in the game.

* Psychic Force 2012EX play test
Upon pressing START, the following options appear:

ARCADE MODE / One-on-one bout
TRAINING MODE / Practice moves and attacks against a dummy opponent
VS HUMAN MODE / Two player contest - only lights up if 2 joypads are connected
VS COM MODE / Face off against a COM-controlled Psychiccer
WATCH MODE / Choose two warriors and watch them battle each other autonomously
OPTION MODE / Set the buttons, vibration, time limit, rounds, adjust display, sound settings, and save/load data
RECORDS / View the top three player initials for every fighter in the game
TO GAME SELECT / Return to PFC game selection screen

Technically, a solid fighting game and the best of the bunch. The control is refined over Psychic Force 2012 and the movement is deliberate and weighty. Gates is still non-aggressive - we stood Genma in front of him for 5 seconds before Gates threw a punch... and a weak one at that. Regina and Patty are firebrands and are aggressive in their attack style. In terms of game play, we spent the most time with this Psychic Force - it's playable and enjoyable, more so than the previous two games.

The characters in the game are as follows: Regina / Carlo / Might / Patty / Setsuna / Gudeath / Gates / Wendy / Genshin Emilio.

In Arcade Mode, the following characters are added to the roster: Brad / Sonia / Genma.

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