Second Sight (video game)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. You can assist by editing it now. A how-to guide is available, as is general documentation. This article has been tagged since January 2007.

Second Sight
Developer(s)	Free Radical Design
Publisher(s)	Codemasters
Release date(s)	September 21, 2004 February 18, 2005 (Win)
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (T)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Windows
Media	DVD

Second Sight is a video game developed by Free Radical Design and published by Codemasters for GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PC. It was released on September 21, 2004.

The storyline follows MIT parapsychology researcher John Vattic and his attempts to recover his memory as well as the secrets behind his new powers of telekinesis, mind projection, healing, and possession.

[edit] Story

John wakes up in a US medical facility with no memory of how he got there or who he is (the subtitles for the level even refer to him by his patient name of JV-034). He manages to learn how to use two of his strange psychic abilities before he escapes. He tries to find the patient records room early on to establish why he was brought here, but he is haunted by memories from six months ago. He experiences a flashback from this time, encompassing his training in a military facility in Bremen, Germany, in preparation for a mission.

The mission six months ago was to travel to Russia with a small combat squad named WinterICE, which is under orders from the US Government, and establish why a supposedly dead Russian scientist wanted to gain political asylum in America. This scientist, Professor Victor Grienko, was said to have died during World War II after collaborating with the Germans and carrying out tests concerning psychic abilities in prison camps. The Russians stormed the camp he was in and they claimed he was killed in the siege. However, after the war ended Stalin started a project with the same goals as the Nazis, with a professor named Grienko leading it. This project in Russia was known as the Zener Project, based under a village called Dubrensk. John is chosen to accompany WinterICE on this mission on the advice of a psychic named Jayne Wilde, who also joins the squad. John is sceptical about Jayne's prediction that he will be crucial to the mission, but he goes along anyway.

In the medical facility John locates a computer containing patient records, and discovers that Jayne was killed in action. He has another flashback to the beginning of the mission, in which he saves her life. He then wakes up and finds the computer now shows Jayne is alive, but has been incarcerated in a mental institute in Rutland, Vermont. While finding and rescuing her, John learns more of his past.

Jayne tells John that the leader of WinterICE, Colonel Joshua Starke, was killed on the mission, but he has a flashback in which he saves the Colonel from death. During this flashback he sees projections of children that are trying to lead him to the village of Dubrensk. One of the children possesses the Colonel's body and asks John to go to the village and help them. The Colonel accidentally gets captured by the enemy while John is talking to a projection of one of the children. The child shows John that psychic powers really do exist and awakens John's own latent powers (at this point, the player has already got to grips with these powers in the 'present' levels). John saves the Colonel who discovers that the Russian enemy soldiers in the area are using American Special Forces equipment, meaning the US is somehow involved with the Zener Project.

After escaping the asylum, John and Jayne track down the Colonel who, like Jayne, apparently survived the mission thanks to John’s actions in the previous flashback. The Colonel now lives in an inner city area of Queens, New York, where he grew up. He tells John that the rest of the WinterICE team was killed. This prompts yet another flashback in John, and once again he manages to help the team survive, thus somehow undoing their deaths in the present. They discover that the soldiers have killed almost everyone in the village. However they find one survivor, a female scientist named Sasha Barranikov, escaped from the Zener Research Facility, who reveals that the children whose projections keep contacting John are psychic test subjects, but they too will soon be disposed of.

Back in the ‘present’, the Colonel gives John all his information regarding the failed WinterICE mission and the Zener Project, telling him how a man named Hanson, a director of operations at a US government agency called the National Security Executive (NSE) has taken Grienko's research files and started his own experiments in America, after killing everyone in Dubrensk to cover up, and using the WinterICE team as scapegoats to keep them quiet. The Colonel then helps John escape the area, now besieged by NSE agents. In the process, Jayne is captured.

John infiltrates the NSE Headquarters, where he discovers that after the failure of the WinterICE mission, he himself was experimented on, and that the research from the Zener Project is being used to create a new breed of psychic soldiers. At this point John forces himself into another flashback, picking up where the previous one finished.

Dr. Barranikov warns that if the entire WinterICE team tries to rescue the children, the children will kill them out of fear. However they aren’t afraid of John, as he shares their gift. John enters the facility alone, and succeeds in freeing the surviving Zener children. He finds Grienko, who confirms that Hanson is taking all his research to America for further development. Thus it becomes clear that the soldiers are killing everyone under Hanson’s orders.

The flashback ends, and John finds and confronts Hanson in the NSE Headquarters. Hanson reveals that he deliberately allowed John to escape the medical facility and evade capture as a trial run for the new psychic soldiers. John tries to kill Hanson using telekinesis, but Jayne is brought in with a gun to her head. Faced with a situation in which he can’t win, John enters a flashback.

Back in the Zener Facility, John tells Grienko about Hanson’s plans to kill the Zener children. Grienko reveals that Hanson is in fact inside the facility, on the lower level. Grienko is then killed by an NSE shock trooper. John makes his way down to the lower level to try and dispatch Hanson before he can cause all the future problems. At this point the game’s main plot twist is revealed; the 'past', or the WinterICE sections of the game are actually the present, and the levels set six months later are really the future, or rather possible futures that would result if John fails to help during the critical events of the WinterICE mission. This explains why John's actions in the 'flashbacks' seemed to affect the 'present'. What John is experiencing is the last of his psychic abilities, precognition: the ability to see the future.

John finds Hanson on the lower level, protected behind bullet and psi-proof glass. There are also several cells in the area, containing more Zener children, who have been mutated by the experiments they were subjected to. While soldiers flood the area and attack, John frees the children who help him in this battle. Once the soldiers are all killed, the children use powerful telekinesis to pull away the frame around the glass (causing it to shatter). Once Hanson is exposed, the children attack and presumably kill him with their bare hands, although it is debatable if the children actually cannibalized Hanson.

The game ends with American troops in helicopters landing in Dubrensk as the Colonel and Jayne help an exhausted John out of the base. Once in a helicopter, he is given a respectful nod from the Colonel and Jayne speaks to him, but we don't hear what she says.

[edit] Characters

Andrew Lawson as Doctor John Vattic
Tom Clarke Hill as Colonel Joshua Starke
Doug Cockle as Director Silas Hanson
Lynsey Beauchamp as Jayne Wilde
Andrew Wincott as Professor Grienko

[edit] Setting

The year in which the story is set is never mentioned, but considering the technology, weapons, locations and so on, one can assume it takes place sometime in the current decade.

The two time segments portrayed are actually about seven months apart, not six as the game suggests. The earlier section involving the WinterICE mission takes place in mid-February, while the later section occurs (or would occur) in early October of the same year.

The sole mention of a year is during the mission "Reliance" where a file on a computer mentions 1997 as if it where in the past (the file list staff records for the end of the year 1997).

[edit] Locations-Present Day

[edit] Osiris Medical Facility

Vattic awakes in a Virginia medical facility only known as Osiris Medical. He doesn't know who he is or why he is there. Soon after his escape, he begins to have more and more flashbacks.

[edit] Penfold Asylum. Rutland, Vermont

Upon his escape from Osiris Labs, Vattic stole a car and ventured to the fictional Penfold Asylum, where his old WinterICE associate Jayne Wilde was being held. Upon arrival, he discovers a new telekinesis ability and he rescues Jayne. Jayne Doesn't know who he is until they escape the asylum proper.

[edit] Storm Drains. Underneath Penfold

The NSA has released agents and SWAT teams into the sewers where Vattic and Jayne have escaped. Jayne finally snaps out of her delusion and recognizes John, telling him that Colonel Joshua Starkes was KIA. John has a flashback and discovers where his abilities came from. Jayne and Vattic then escape through a series of twisting hallways and pipes filled with NSA Search and Eliminate Teams. They Eventually escape to the streets, where they get ready for their next venture.

[edit] Queens. New York City, NY.

Jayne and Vattic arrive in New York in an attempt to find Col. Starkes. John must go through the back alleys, buildings, and streets of Queens, NY littered with gangs and NSA agents in order to find the home of Col. Starkes and possibly get some answers.When in the alleys do the gang a favour to get to the Col.Starkes

[edit] NSE HQ, New Jersey

After the adventures in NYC, Vattic makes his move to NSE itself. He must be stealthy in order to get what he needs.

[edit] Locations-Past

[edit] Training Center-WinterICE

Strictly a Training Center. Vattic learns stealth and combat skills.

[edit] Russian Mountains

The WinterICE team of 7 attempt infiltration into the Russian mountains to find a lab where Professor Grienko is said to be working on experiments. They are ambushed by snipers while proceeding to the factory.

[edit] Village of Dubrenske

After infiltrating the factory and finding information on Grienko, Vattic and Wilde proceed to the village of Dubrenske where it is believed that Grienko and some of the Russian intruders are performing heinous experiments on children. One child, who projected himself, gave Vattic his powers which can now be used.

[edit] Psychic Powers

John uses psychic abilities as the main weapon in his arsenal; it is also one of the main draws of the game. However his psychic powers have other uses, for example for regenerating health or distracting opponents.

[edit] Telekinesis

The first power John learns he possesses, the classic telekinesis allows him to move objects without physically touching them. He can use this to pick up objects and throw them at enemies, use them as shields or to distract or frighten guards so he can sneak by. He learns he has this ability by breaking some restraints that hold him to a stretcher in the medical facility. John can also pick up discarded enemy weapons and draw them to him.

Mid-way through the game, John learns how to pick up living beings as well. He first uses this power to strangle a guard in the mental institute while he is trying to rescue Jayne Wilde.

John’s upgraded telekinesis uses ragdoll physics to bend and toss enemies around the environment in a realistic way. Once someone has died, it is possible to use clipping to get them stuck part-way through solid objects such as walls. It is also very useful in one part of the WinterICE mission when John must defend a communications building with JC. He can suspend a soldier in the air giving JC a clear shot.

[edit] Regeneration/Healing

This is the second ability John learns that he has. It gradually restores John's health meter, but leaves him vulnerable to attack, as he is immobile while healing. The power is discovered very soon after the beginning of the game; John wakes up with serious injuries, so his health meter is almost empty, and he moves very slowly. After learning the power he is able to quickly recover. John can also use this ability to heal his allies, as each has their own health meter which must be sustained.

[edit] Psychic Attack

John accidentally discovers this "technique" when faced with an armed guard. The guard points his gun at John and tells him to get on the ground. John has a sudden headache and attacks the guard with a psi pulse, a focused bolt of mental force, sending him flying backwards and killing him instantly. This attack uses up half of John’s psi meter, but is useful for instantly and quietly dispatching a single enemy. Later John learns a variation of this attack, the psi blast. this discharges the same kind of energy into a large radial blast, stunning, but not killing anyone caught in the radius. He discovers this attack when he gets ambushed while trying to get out of the medical facility. Again, it uses a large amount of psi power, but is effective when surrounded. However, these attacks have their weaknesses. The psi pulse is useless if it collides with another object when fired, so it’s difficult to hit guards behind cover.

The psi blast is also effective for dissipating the psychic shields used by Hanson’s shock troopers and psychic soldiers, later in the game.

[edit] Charm

This is discovered by John after a guard hears him, and goes to check what the noise was. John, without even realizing what he's doing, makes himself "invisible" to the guard by wrapping himself in psychic energy, manipulating the guard’s mind. Thus charm allows John to walk past any guards or other people without detection, until his psi meter runs out. However, trying to activate the power while someone can see John will instantly drain the psi meter. It also won’t work on security cameras, as the machinery has no mind to fool, or whoever is watching the camera is out of range of the psychic energy. Charm is very useful for sneaking up behind stationary guards and taking them out without being noticed.

John can also use this to calm someone down from an emotional high. This is used during the asylum escape, where Jayne, under influence of mind-altering medication, will become scared by gunfire or other sudden shocks. John must calm her down using charm before she will follow him further. It can also be used to tell allies to follow John or stay put when need arises.

[edit] Projection/Possession (Astral Form)

Projection is learned when John is faced with a laser grid blocking his progress, with the switch to turn it off on the opposite side, out of range of his telekinesis. John inadvertently projects his consciousness into an astral form, which can move independently. It is able to pass through the laser grid and turn it off. The projection ability is similar to remote viewing, which is ostensibly used to spy, track someone down, or look out for danger. However projection also allows for limited interaction with physical things, enabling completion of a necessary task from a safe distance. In the game, these tasks generally involve using John’s projection to pass an obstacle which is impassable to John’s physical self, then somehow clearing said obstacle, such as the laser grid already mentioned, or doing things which would normally require the help of another person, such as using the projection to unlock a time-limited door, allowing John to quickly go through before it locks again. Additionally, the projection is invisible to both people and cameras, which can be quite useful for scouting enemy locations and their security systems. As with charm, the range of the projection is limited by the psi meter, and the astral form cannot punch, crouch, grab, or use any of the other psychic abilities at the same time, besides a very weak version of telekinesis. Also John's body is left unoccupied and immobile while he projects, leaving him vulnerable, but if attacked, the projection will disappear and you will retake control of John's body.

Later John learns how to make his projection possess another person’s body and suspend their consciousness, meaning he can take control of their bodies for short periods of time. This is useful if faced with a group of patrolling enemies; John can possess one of them and use him to kill all his comrades, leaving John with only one person to deal with after exiting his body. It is also necessary for bypassing certain security features, such as hand print scanners; John can simply possess someone who has access and use them to deactivate the scanner. The same rules for projection apply for possession. You can fire the weapon that the person possessed is using, nothing more; the other psychic abilities are limited to John's body ONLY. As with projection, if John's unoccupied body is attacked, you will lose control of the person possessed and go back into his body.

[edit] Comedy

Though largely a very serious, sombre game, Second Sight contains quite a lot of hidden humour, in the style of developer Free Radical's other series, Timesplitters.

• If John tries to log in to a computer before discovering the correct username and/or password, he will enter absent-minded guesses, for example “12345678”, “PASSWORD”, “NO IDEA” or "LUCKYGUESS".
• In the first level if John alerts the guards and runs back to his cell, waits for the guards to follow him, runs out and locks the cell, the two guards chasing him will bicker that neither has a radio and eventually kill each other out of spite.
• In the NSE (FBI) headquarters, screensavers scroll "NSE: National Security Executive", but occasionally scroll a comment left by bored agents such as “If SH (Dr Hansen) finds these, we're done for”.
• Also in the NSE is one odd character, a cleaning lady by the name of Darlene. If John kills her in a certain computer room, a nameless NSE agent enters, looking for her, and from his dialogue it's obvious the two are in a relationship. If the agent finds her body he panics, screaming "Oh my God, NO!" and runs from the room. Having seen the NSE acting like emotionless Men in Black throughout the game, this serves both as light relief and a potent reminder that even the evil agents are still human. Some other good examples of this are in the same level, where two agents are playing I Spy in order to pass the time, and in a different level where there is a guard is singing along with some music
• After the scene where John accidentally kills a guard with his new-found psi pulse, if a player checks the guard's computer you’ll find that he was chatting with his girlfriend on an instant message service before being disturbed by John. She continues to post messages after you log back on, first trying to get him to reply, then becoming annoyed about being ignored, and finally panicking as she decides something terrible must have happened - and something terrible has happened.
• In the same area, lifting a telephone from the desk results in a "misdial" tone and pre-recorded error message if the Vattic moves close enough.
• In the Asylum, freeing the inmates from padded cells will result in their running (or hopping) rampant, headbutting and biting anything that moves close until the guards move in and use whatever weapons they have, including shotguns, to permanently subdue the inmates.
• Possessing a person and talking to someone else can have some humorous results, as somehow John’s voice carries over to the possessed person. If you try possessing an NSE agent and talking to his colleague, John will try to imitate an agent and say, "Let's go interrogate some civilians, Yeah!" If you possess a WinterICE member and talk to another, John might say, "Look at me! I can possess people!" and the character will give their opinion on what he says, generally in an annoyed tone. Also if you possess one of the gang members in the level Street Life and talk to another gang member, John might say "Hello, I mean er ... yo!" Or, "Good evening, fellow gang member".
• The same sort of humour can be found when grabbing a guard. Sometimes, they will plead, "Please don't, I have heart condition" or say "Heh, heh, you wanna wrestle, eh?". The Russian soldiers will sometimes say "You think you big man, eh?". Other guards might say, "Quit screwin' with him or I'll break yer face." The guards won't shoot, for the fear of killing their comrade. Shock troopers, however aren’t so compassionate , and will say "I don't care, I'll shoot you anyway" (in fact the shock troopers don't even seem to care about there own life when this happens, as they will turn off their shields to allow bullets to hit the player), and open fire. Another interesting result is in the first level where a guard is given a full name.
• In the later missions, some guards won't get scared that easily, and if you try scaring them by picking up objects with telekinesis, they won't even react to it and say "your little party tricks don't scare us" or "you ain't scarin' me that easily" or "OK, let's floor this psycho".
• At one point in the game at the NSE, as John comes around a corner, two guards are discussing the TV series that they were in that got 'pulled off air'.
• When escaping with the still heavily medicated Jayne, her complete lack of understanding of the life-or-death situation and belief that she is a child "Mommy, it's raining, my dress is all wet..." helps to break the more serious tone of these sections. In addition, it is possible in the rooftop escape section to "float" a straightjacketed inmate out of his cell and onto the roof to distract guards.
• Messages left by characters around the game are often a source of light relief, such as the monthly password contest in the asylum (The current password is 'mad2bhere') and security guards posting notices that a key is missing and that one "Hopes that it's not been eaten by an inmate".
• Lastly, in one level John comes across a room with an arcade machine and a pair of Russian soldiers. One says, "You won't beat my high score." The other replies, "How is that thing working anyway? I thought the power was off?" The first Russian then says, "You still won't beat my high score."

[edit] Soundtrack

In 2006 Free Radical placed the soundtracks for all of their currently available games up for download on the company website, including printable album artwork. The soundtrack for Second Sight can be found here.

[edit] See also

• Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy

[edit] External links

• Official Second Sight Website
• Free Radical Design's Second Sight Page
• Second Sight at MobyGames
• Second Sight at Game Rankings