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Second Sight - Australian Review (Reviews)26/11/2004 11:26:00
Sick of crushing hordes of moronic henchman into chowder with AK-47's, Rocket Launchers and Chainsaws? Want to conduct your mass evil-doer genocide with more thought and superior finesse? Well that is the gameplay gimmick on offer with Second Sight, a game where the bespectacled nero (a nerd that's a hero) uses his brain power to mentally massacre those that would oppose him. But for all its supposed foresight, Second Sight is second best. It looses out to Psi-Ops in the battle for 2004's greatest psychokinesis-3rd-person-action-adventure in a big way, taking a solid idea and inventive story-telling then butchering it with wayward controls, lame combat and weak as piss gameplay. And it's a down right shame too because Second Sight had plenty of potential. When the game begins you come-to in a hospital bed with no memory and looking like you've been chewed and spit-out by a cave-troll's ass. Dead-set, this dude is one of gaming's fugliest, able to strip paint from 10ft with nought but a grimace. But it's what's inside that counts (right?) and you soon discover that you can manipulate objects with your mind, opening door locks, throwing bins across the room and other such tomfoolery. Using these powers you attempt to escape the 'hospital', but as you progress you are hit by flashbacks, slowly unravelling the mystery as to how you went from dimwit Rump Steak to psychically gifted Chop-Suey. It's inventive storytelling that works in keeping you interested throughout, but it also plays a large role in Second Sight's demise. The gameplay rhythmically alternates between the current world of the fugitive mentalist and that of his flashback past and in doing so, switches between the gameplay mechanics of psychokinesis and standard 3rd-person shooter. In the current world, gaming is reasonable fun. Attacking and defending with your mind makes for a pleasant mix of Hitman-styled hide in the shadows gaming and Metal Gear Solid-styled violence. As you progress you begin to understanding new 'moves' such as mental-blow, healing and charming, providing you with an impressive arsenal to help navigate the levels. When the scene switches to you standard 3rd-person affair, however, the poor quality of Second Sight's development steps out from its 'cool gimmick' shadow. The controls and camera are a sphincter away from shit, providing reasonable at best handling and vision while exploring, but havoc in claustrophobic combat. There are glitches in the AI, the animations are unspectacular, the cut-scenes poor and the dialogue in your head ensures that challenges are solved seconds after you get to them. Example - 'The door is locked, maybe I need to turn this machine off to open it.' Add some bland level design and the true nature of the Second Sight's experience is exposed. Thus, it just scrapes into the 'rent it' category. The narrative is appealing, the mental powers are fun to play with and there is just enough sense of adventure to sneak it over the line. But this is far short of a 'must buy' and the gameplay rarely matches the concept for entertainment. If you are keen to game-on with a brainiac hero, you are far more likely to enjoy Psi-Ops.
Score = 6.0/10
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