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Second Sight - Hands On Preview
Chris Leyton
29/06/2004
Free Radical apply their genius to the stealth genre as we take a look at Second Sight...
Second Sight marks a bold new adventure for Free Radical, given their previous pedigree in the first-person-shooter genre with the TimeSplitters series and previously the likes of GoldenEye 007 when team members were employed at Rare.
Whilst the stealth/action genre may be becoming too crowded for its own good, thereās no doubt that when such talented developers take their turn itās time to sit up and take notice.
TVG recently received an updated build of Second Sight, and have to admit to being impressed by the solid and strong experience currently on offer, whilst the game throws up a few new tricks to anyone who believes theyāve seen all the genre has to offer.
Players take the role of John Vattic, as he awakens from a coma in a US medical facility, not knowing who he is or where he is; all he knows is that his only chance of survival is to escape from the constraints of his bed and unravel the mystery that has led to his imprisonment.
Amnesia is certainly an interesting concept when it comes to story progression within videogames and opens the doors for plenty of plot twists. Whilst the concept has been addressed in previous titles and isnāt entirely new, we have to say that from what weāve seen thus far, Second Sight handles the issue with a degree of clever thinking and execution thatās rarely seen ā“ itās like playing a videogame adaptation of Momento at times.
As players take control of Vattic during these opening sections, the player learns of Vatticās basic abilities, as it turns out that this guy has one or two smart tricks up his sleeves. For some reason that remains unexplained towards the beginning, but will likely become apparent towards the end of Vatticās adventure, he has access to various psychic abilities that become unlocked as you progress through the game.
Perhaps the most fundamental and first skill that players learn is Vatticās telekinetic powers enabling him to move objects. This skill serves many purposes, allowing Vattic to toggle switches that are unreachable to grabbing hold of objects and either terrifying nearby guards by floating the object in their vicinity or knocking them unconscious with a few blows around the head. Thanks to the wonders of the physics engine at work this aspect never seems to grow dull, picking up objects and moving them feels spot on, whilst youāll still find yourself chuckling when youāve banged a dustbin around the enemyās head for the umpteenth time.
Itās likely that youāll find yourself having too much fun with this power, however eventually youāll need to progress and find the game continues to twist and turn. Having escaped from his confinement, Vattic finds his way to the elevator and an accompanying cut-scene. In the relative security of the elevator Vattic discovers his name on a wristband, which triggers a playable flashback stage taking place six months prior to the unlucky situation that Vattic finds himself currently in.
Here we find Vattic in his normal state; heās a relatively cocky scientist who has been enlisted for a top secret mission with the US military despite his own reservations. Whereas the opening stage features a battered and bruised Vattic, we now find him looking more like Gordon Freeman. Having learnt a few basic facts about the mission Vattic is tasked with completing an obstacle course, which provides a nice tutorial to the stealth and weapon techniques available.
Naturally this involves the traditional techniques such as backing up against obstacles, shooting practise and testing the playersā reflexes; however once again every aspect of this is extremely solid. Players can easily move Vattic around all sides of an object when heās hiding against it, a simple technique but one that many stealth titles fail to implement and require the player to detach from the wall before crouching up against the next side. General movement throws up very few issues with a smart camera system that allows you to switch between cinematic and chase cams, whilst a responsive aiming system helps to ensure that combat is exciting and not frustrating; a number of the weapons provide a significantly different experience to what weāve been used to, with the Sniper Rifle providing a nice change from the norm.
Transitions between the past and the present continue to develop as you progress into the game, with events in the present triggering off playable flashbacks that help to develop the storyline. One such aspect introduces the appearance of a key character whose name you stumble upon on a computer terminal in the medical facility, which in-turn triggers a flashback of her introduction within the military mission taking place six months previously. This approach truly deepens the immersive nature of Second Sight, and helps to ensure that youāll find it hard to put the pad down once youāve started.
Vattic continues to develop new physic abilities as he struggles to come to terms with whatās happening in the present time, with such techniques as being able to recover energy, toggle invisibility to casting a psychic blast guaranteed to give the target more then just a headache. Vattic has two gauges that players have to keep a close eye on, with one representing his health and the other his psychic energy; naturally his psychic energy depletes when youāre using these abilities and a neat filter effect comes into play when youāve used this up completely, however it quickly replenishes over time and ensures the tempo is kept at a quick pace.
A good game is often one that has been lavishly looked after in development, and thatās the impression you get when playing Second Sight. Itās the little details such as knocking out a guard, logging onto his computer terminal and reading his IRC chat with his partner who becomes increasingly concerned by the fact heās not replying to any of her messages. Playing with computers is often crucial to progressing within Second Sight, as you can often access security options such as unlocking doors or switching off security cameras to important information that wouldnāt necessarily be common knowledge. You have to use the computers much like you would in real-life, moving the cursor to switch between windows and double-clicking on applications; once again itās a small detail, however much like the other aspects it adds to the overall experience and gives an indication of the depths that Free Radical have explored.
