From the acclaimed developers of the Timesplitters series comes a new a third-person action-adventure game. Yes, the people at Free Radical have changed gears from their normal projects and have decided to dish out the psychological thriller Second Sight instead.
John Vattic wakes up laying on a medical table. He doesn’t remember a thing. Amnesia? Yep. His hair is all gone. There are cuts and lacerations all over his body. One of his eyes is swollen. Not exactly a happy start to a story. But soon John discovers something both horrifying and intriguing.
He has psychic powers.
All the better though; these strange talents will play a large role in the gameplay of Second Sight. Let’s take a look at these abilities.
Psi-Blast
With this attack, blue pulses of energy will radiate out from John’s body, knocking over anyone in its range. This power will allow you to get a bit of room when you’re surrounded by enemies.
Telekinesis
This ability allows John to move and throw objects, people, and whatever he can get his hands on. Someone makes you mad? No problem. Throw them out a window. That’ll teach ’em.
Psi Pulse
John’s hand will glow blue for a moment, then a transparent torpedo of energy will shoot out, knocking over anyone who it hits.
Charm
Ever wanted to become invisible? Now you can. Ok, I lied. With Charm, you actually distract enemies so that for a strange reason they look through John. Wait... doesn’t that mean you’re invisible?
Projection
With this ability John will step into another’s body. The enemy will glow blue, and suddenly you can control him. Then you can shoot his buddy up in the balcony.
It’s interesting to see how Free Radical will incorporate these powers into the gameplay. We’ll see soon.
So why the heck did the company decide to make the third-person Second Sight instead of another FPS? Well, says David Doak, the director at Free Radical, "We didn’t want... to just be known as an FPS company". The team also has a few challenges to overcome as well. Doak adds, "Third-person shooting is often handled very badly in games, and we really wanted to demonstrate that it could be done well." Perfect.
Let me tell you a little bit about the story. To do that, we have to travel back a bit in time...
John Vattic is wearing glasses and has hair (!). A military group called WinterICE needs help finding a discredited Nazi scientist who is known to have extraordinary results in psychic research. The leader of the faction, Jayne Wilde, has specifically requested that Vattic be in Siberia with her.
And this is how John comes to being experimented on. Second Sight will hop from John’s past and present. And you might have guessed that what you do pre-amnesia will definitely affect the future. Here’s an example: currently John discovers that Jayne Wilde is dead, but after a memory flashback he saves her life instead. Second Sight is in a way a free-form game, but there will always be a somewhat certain route that players will take, like the story is guiding you forward.
In addition to a mysterious story, Second Sight will feature tight controls, a first-person viewpoint (used mostly for accurate shots), and quite a few weapons. This list includes the likes of a revolver, a soviet rifle, an SMG, a .45, and if you want to be a bit cleaner, tranquilizer darts.
Vattic has a few moves in his repetoire. He can crouch behind walls and boxes, jump forward, take a peek around a corner, and target enemies with ease. The targeting system of Second Sight will zoom in on the center of a foe, but pros may want to take the one-hit kill by focusing on head shots.
The game will make John use his powers for him to proceed onward. Sometimes a new area is concealed behind a few crates, so he will need to use his telekinesis to move them. He will be able to throw objects at enemies and flip levers from behind a barrier. If Free Radical is able to capitalize on the numerous possibilities available, this game could be hailed as a brilliant achievement.
Second Sight seems to be a bit like the Hitman series, in which you have the option to exercise your freedom of going more towards a stealthy style of play or the gung-ho style instead. Of course, there is a huge difference, because Second Sight gives you mental powers. It’s probably more rewarding to trick your enemies and puzzle them instead of giving them the classic "Say hello to my little friend".
Graphics-wise, Second Sight looks to be pretty slick (see screenshots below). They will be close to those featured in Timesplitters 3. I can tell you this--the visuals of this game should be solid.
Free Radical has changed paths with Second Sight, and it looks very cool at this point. The game is scheduled to be released for the PS2, Xbox, and the Gamecube on September 21, and it will be an experience you will want to... well, experience.
