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Another psychic-power-having title arrives. This time, courtesy of Codemasters (who I still find to be a very strange publisher for a title like this) and Free Radical (who is best known for their work on the Timesplitters series). Midway Games’ Psi-Ops was heralded for its unique blend of psychic powers in an otherwise standard game, can Second Sight do the same?
Second Sight tells the story of John Vattic, a strange little man who awakens without knowing why he got there or perhaps more importantly, who beat him up. John then discovers that he has quite a variety of physic powers and begins his journey to discover just how all of this happened. The guys at Free Radical put a lot of effort into the story and it shows as it is interesting and you’ll actually want to know what happens next. The story itself is told through two different storylines, the one where you wake up and one that takes place a few months before.
While Midway’s Psi-Ops is more of an action game with physic elements, Second Sight is best classified as physic-enhanced stealth game. Vattic can go all sorts of stealthy moves like tip-toeing about and getting that perfect headshot. There are times when you’ll need to use stealth because otherwise, you’ll be punished severely by the game’s many enemies. However, the game isn’t another Splinter Cell, so there will be plenty of levels in which you can simply blow up whatever you want. Many levels let you choose which one you want, and choice is always a plus.
Given Free Radical’s shooter roots, it isn’t surprising that gunplay is very solid in Second Sight. The developers added an auto-targeting system, although you’re free to auto-aim if you want to get the stealthy headshots I mentioned above. Along the way you’ll find many weapons from rifles, to assault rifles to the ever-popular shotgun and reliable pistols.
Combat is enhanced by the game’s use of physic powers. Although not quite as straightforward as Midway’s effort, the physic abilities in Second Sight are more than capable. You can use John’s physic powers to make yourself invisible, launch a projectile and heal yourself, among other things. There are also much more useful abilities like being able to fling stuff around (also known as telekinesis) and being able to launch an astral version of yourself to travel to other unreachable areas. Unfortunately a few problems in the physics engine, particularly with collision issues don’t allow the psychic abilities to reach their full potential.
Besides the assorted combat and stealth elements, you’ll also find simple puzzles in the game. These aren’t very hard at all, but they do diversify the game a bit. Additionally, in certain levels you’ll be able to fight with an AI-controlled character, further diversifying the core gameplay.
The game’s visuals are pretty good. The numerous environments and locales you’ll traverse through are quite detailed and very charming, in a strange sort of way. The character models are also detailed and are similar to those in the TimeSplitter games. The characters have excellent, wildly exaggerated animations which complete the package.
The game’s audio is equally impressive. The background music is very fitting for the game’s theme, and the many sound effects are top-notch, with particular care given to the psychic abilities. The voice acting is good throughout, which is fortunate given the game’s reliance on story telling.
When it is all said and done, Second Sight offers an enjoyable adventure throughout its length. While the game does many things well, it doesn’t do anything particularly remarkable. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Oct 5, 2004
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