Gone is the off-beat humor of the TimeSplitters games. Suddenly, we are thrust into the gritty world of psychics and ESP. You play as John Vattic, a man who is waking up with no memory, although he does seem to have some psychic abilities. As he tries to escape the facility, the game will occasionally transition back to his past where he slowly learns what led him to that point. That's the basic structure of the game's presentation.
If you pay very close attention to the present day segments of the game, you will begin to realize that you are killing a lot of innocent people who are just at their daily jobs. They are mostly security guards who aren't actually working for some evil organization. It actually kinda hurts when you realize you're doing this, but the game does deal with this in a very cool way later on... something that I refuse to spoil.
Your powers as a powerful psychic are as follows:
-Telekinesis: The ability to lift objects and people up with your mind. You can also throw switches at a distance. Super useful.
-Healing: The ability to heal yourself and others.
-Charm: The ability to convince people that you are not there. It can also be used to calm hysterical people down.
-Psi Pulse: This is an attack. You toss a forceful energy pulse at someone, sending them flying into a wall with enough impact to damage or kill them. You can also send out a blast wave that will knock multiple people down, but it's less powerful.
-Projection: My favorite. You can run around outside your body. You can also use it to posses other people and temporarily take over their bodies. It is a good way to do reconnaissance without putting yourself in danger.
You have to utilize these powers as well as the weapons in your arsenal to deal with the threats this game sends your way. One thing I dislike was that if you switch to one of your powers, he automatically holsters his gun. It is an annoyance you just have to get used to.
The presentation of the game is quite good, but it does sometimes come across as a bit video gamey. There was one scene where you were walking with a squad into enemy territory. One of your sharpshooters gets hit by a bullet--blood and everything. I was like, "Oh, god! He's dead or wounded!" But the game just sort of ignores that he ever got hit from that point on, treating it like a loss of HP rather than a real wound in battle. In mid-gameplay that sort of thing is okay... but in a cutscene?!
The game definitely borrows a lot of inspiration from Metal Gear Solid 2. It even lets you switch to a first person perspective, letting you do some fine aiming with your gun or your powers. The first person gun stuff definitely reminds me of the look of the TimeSplitters games, but you are not allowed to move around while in this mode. It very much feels like they just took the TimeSplitters engine and made a Metal Gear Solid game with it.
To be absolutely fair, this game is a bit janky. Also for those of us who prefer an inverted Y control scheme, they totally dropped the ball. I had to create my own mod in order to get it to play comfortably for me. The story, however, is one of the best ever told. They dropped all the silliness of the TimeSplitters games and made a really interesting and intriguing story. I was totally sold and enjoyed it right up until its fantastic twist ending.
Sadly, "Second Sight" is the last good game by Free Radical Design. Their next game was called "Haze," and it was a load of crap. It also destroyed their whole group. I won't be reviewing that one. I do easily recommend "Second Sight" though. They set out to make a serious game, and they succeeded. It might not be a perfect game, but it's good enough to enjoy.
By the way, if you want to play this one, it is available on Steam. It is the only game by Free Radical Design that is still publicly available. For some reason, the TimeSplitters games are just gone. Can't find them anywhere. It's really too bad.
This blog was written on July 24, 2024.
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I wrote a novel about people with psychic or magical powers on missions involving guns and knives. This game seems to balance powers and weapons the same way. I am glad to hear you took this game seriously. It means my book and its pending prequel/sequel can be taken seriously too.
ReplyDeleteIt does a good job. I have played this a few times in my life.
DeleteThe use of psychic powers tends to lack balance. If you are using your mind to do these things, it would be apt to take a toll. At least there should be a level of fatigue experienced.
ReplyDeleteFatigue or downright depression.
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