Second Sight Q&A

Second Sight is the upcoming action game from UK-based developer Free Radical, best known for its prowess with developing first-person shooters. The knack for crafting games in that competitive genre is the result of the cumulative experience of its staff. The company is made up of many of the key people responsible for the hallowed Nintendo 64 classic GoldenEye and the TimeSplitters games, which have become popular first-person shooters in their own right. Second Sight is a clear change of pace for the developer and offers a third-person, story-driven action experience that's quite different from the FPS genre. We had the chance to speak to producer David Doak from Free Radical about the upcoming game, which is slated to hit the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox later this year.

GameSpot: How did Second Sight come about? What inspired the game?

David Doak: Fundamentally, we wanted to make an original game with an intriguing story that was told well. The idea of having a flashback narrative came very early. There's a long history of people wanting games with interactive storylines, and our take on that was to present a story starting in the middle where things have already gone wrong, and to allow the player to piece it together and fix what is broken. This allows us to control the story-branching and contingency while still involving the player.

Another goal was to have a believable, contemporary realistic setting but to indulge in one fantastic element--we had a few ideas but decided that psychic powers would open up new gameplay possibilities. There was a real synergy between the flashback narrative and the psychic elements, so "Second Sight" was born.

Second Sight is about as far away as you could get from the games Free Radical is known for.

GS: Free Radical has traditionally focused on shooting games. Has working with stealth gameplay been a constraining or a liberating experience?

DD: It has been fun, and I think that our take on stealth in Second Sight is really quite fresh. The charm, psi power (kind of a distraction mind trick), effectively allows the player to improvise stealth in impossible situations, like sneaking past a guard who has a corridor absolutely covered. It can feel very empowering and a little naughty to outmaneuver the artificial intelligence like this--however, it's also a risky tactic, mistiming or blundering into guards can completely wipe out your psi power, which can leave you effectively "psi naked" in the middle of a bunch of gun-toting guards.

GS: In what ways is working on Second Sight different from the TimeSplitters titles?

DD: From a game development point of view there are actually more similarities than differences. The same kinds of challenges always arise--largely to do with getting the assets (art, animation, sound) to integrate with the code, building workflow pipelines, checking and rechecking data, coping with unforeseen problems.

Notably, we didn't have multiplayer to deal with in Second Sight, but on the other hand, we were creating a considerably deeper single-player adventure narrative experience that necessitates dealing more fully with the player's exploration of the game environment. This is particularly true of levels with friendly AI characters.

From a creative perspective, TimeSplitters has always allowed an almost ridiculous freedom and almost anything goes; however, it has actually been quite refreshing to work with the more realistic world in Second Sight. Being constrained to a strong narrative and by believability can add a very useful focus and discipline. For instance, TimeSplitters has always had a tongue-in-cheek humor about it, like monkeys with flamethrowers--our sense of humor is alive and well in Second Sight-- it's just a little more controlled and wryly delivered.

While you'll have a good arsenal of weapons to choose from, there's just no beating your brain.

GS: What advice could you offer to someone about to play Second Sight for the first time?

DD: Enjoy the story, and don't be afraid to improvise with the psi, gunplay, and stealth--there are often multiple approaches, and whatever works for you is right.

GS: How did you brainstorm Vattic's psychic powers? Did you come up with any powers that were too outlandish to include in the game?

DD: We took out the ability to see right through ladies' clothes.

GS: Is it conceivable that the game could actually be completed without using any of Vattic's psychic abilities?

DD: The psychic abilities are a vital part of Vattic's "arsenal," but given that there are a fair number of firearms kicking around, it is possible in many occasions to rely entirely on gunplay. However, there are plenty of situations where psychic powers are necessary to progress (for example, you can't get out of the first room in the game without using psi!).