Second Sight: Free Radical's Forgotten Gem

Mind-le Gear Solid, I'm sticking with that one
Patreon: / purposelessrabbitholes
Twitter: pr...
Many thanks to the talented KZbinrs whose footage I used to create this video alongside my own; Volound, MLGCOD, jabram89 and Slippy.
(Re-uploaded because I spotted a tiny error that no one would have ever noticed, and now I noticed anOTHER ERROR OH GOD YOU CAN SEE MY COMPUTER MOUSE SOMETIMES I’M SO SORRY)

[@iim4xii129]

Mental Gear Solid

[@PurposelessRabbitholes]

Hahaha another dude just commented the same thing, now two people have beat me to the pun-ch

[@iim4xii129]

Nice!

[@Oskanwhitchfather]

Come on, Metal Gear Psychic was right there. Or Mental Gear Psychic... Nah, that one doesn't work as well.

[@theghostartist3889]

I miss second sight and pys ops those were some good ones.

[@WolfHreda]

@@theghostartist3889 Psi-Ops was my jam!

[@boiledelephant]

"White-person-politely-trying-to-cross-the-street jaunt". 10/10

[@lucascoval828]

The best kind of person.

[@Johny40Se7en]

Second Sight will never be forgotten by me, it's such an under rated gem. The well written story, characters, very immersive and dark music and the cool gameplay mechanics are incredible, by gameplay mechanics I mean the abilities John Vattic unlocks along the way. The ending is so awesome because of the precognition twist, very thought provoking. When I was back in school in 2004, a friend often asked me if I wanted to borrow it and I always said I'd love to but I said next week, and then he asked again, I said next week and I just sort of put it off for so long that when I left school I still hadn't played it and then I grew distant from most friends. I went on a journey and about 2016 when I pieced myself back together, I (Properly =P) bought if off ebay for ps2 and I absolutely loved it. I like the humour in this video, adds to the charm, good stuff.

[@電日本人]

Johny40Se7en I thought he died. You know when he confronted his rival in the building. The girl screamed... I got the chills. I was. Sad. Lol and at the end I was like nooo vattic you are dreaming. Turns out its the opposite

[@doppelganger7934]

Same, I still think about the game all the time

[@Hagadorny]

I was gonna post a pretty deep comment, but you basically said it. Miss the creativity back then

[@JohnDoe-tj8lj]

ya its amazing I have beat it like 5 times it never gets old, way ahead of its time

[@Johny40Se7en]

@@電日本人 "I thought he died. You know when he confronted his rival in the building. The girl screamed... I got the chills. I was. Sad. Lol and at the end I was like nooo vattic you are dreaming. Turns out its the opposite" Please excuse the half a bloody decade late reply, YouTub's not sent me notifications properly for ages... Oh right 🤨🤔 Is there more than one ending to Second Sight? I had a great ending, where I thought that the lady and John dies, but then he sort of goes back in time. But that's what I meant by the precognition twist. He foresaw it in a vision. The final ability which John unlocks is that he can see into the future in a premonition sort of way, then he can change his or someone else's fate, similar to Phoebe on Charmed 🙂

[@thigikna]

sadly, emuparidise is no longer with us. a moment of silence, please.

[@R3volutionEarth]

@ImAdaptation Go on...

[@Mwrp86]

@ImAdaptation intrigued

[@vinzo0913]

@ImAdaptation pm me? 😅

[@polkadotjohnson]

@ImAdaptation hey i want in on that too

[@adamjones8258]

ImAdaptation Please share your knowledge with us wise one

[@chadschmaltz9790]

What really impressed me when I first played it was the enemy AI spotting your footprints while invisible.

[@brianmiller8120]

I remember my mom bought me this game from a grocery store. It costed $4 and it was the best $4 dollar ever spent! I played this game everyday. The gameplay was amazing. Such a underrated game it was.

[@akakerness6396]

For some reason, when I was a kid I thought this game was really scary. And the music made it x10 worst. I love it.

[@NemoEtNihil]

I absolutely loved this game as a kid. I'm sort of glad it never got a sequel - it's a great little standalone story.

[@megacide84]

Agreed, By now...Whoever held the IP would be milking it with crappy sequels for a quick cash grab.

[@creativeguy1martinez693]

I heard that Second Sight would’ve gotten a sequel if it had gotten enough buzz and it would’ve been interesting to answer some questions I had in my mind 1: What would happen to Grienko’s research and the Zener children? At the end of the game, we know the US troops come in to secure the village, but the US could swoop in and take charge of the Zener project like Hanson did. And then there’s the Zener children. Judging from the present day levels, the villagers fled or died when Hanson set up shop in Dubrensk, with implied casualties being the kids’ families. Ideally, it would be kinda cute to see John (and maybe perhaps Jayne) adopt the Zener kids and become a family if their original relatives were dead, but who knows how that would play out, given that they are classified information from the public 2: what would be the status of John’s employment after being on the WinterIce squad? Vattic was a researcher that debunked psychics, but now ironically is one. Would he resign from his position or would he continue his job like normal, as if nothing happened? 3: this ties back to 1, what if the US decided to use Grienko’s research to find others that are psychic positive? They could use them as super soldiers, or if they were young, indoctrinate them into thinking they are a superior species or sumn

[@creativeguy1martinez693]

I heard that Second Sight would’ve gotten a sequel if it had gotten enough buzz and it would’ve been interesting to answer some questions I had in my mind 1: What would happen to Grienko’s research and the Zener children? At the end of the game, we know the US troops come in to secure the village, but the US could swoop in and take charge of the Zener project like Hanson did. And then there’s the Zener children. Judging from the present day levels, the villagers fled or died when Hanson set up shop in Dubrensk, with implied casualties being the kids’ families. Ideally, it would be kinda cute to see John (and maybe perhaps Jayne) adopt the Zener kids and become a family if their original relatives were dead, but who knows how that would play out, given that they are classified information from the public 2: what would be the status of John’s employment after being on the WinterIce squad? Vattic was a researcher that debunked psychics, but now ironically is one. Would he resign from his position or would he continue his job like normal, as if nothing happened? 3: this ties back to 1, what if the US decided to use Grienko’s research to find others that are psychic positive? They could use them as super soldiers, or if they were young, indoctrinate them into thinking they are a superior species or sumn

[@ungooglablegames]

Third person shooters with psionic powers should have been a trope that took off, unfortunately that wasn't the case. Both Second Sight and Psi Ops were considered good but underperformed, while Infernal was so hated that it killed the studio, something that I consider slightly unfair. I actually did a review on my channel.

[@CaptainPrincess]

Forgotten by who though Cause not me I never got over it Partly because I convinced myself it takes place in the Timesplitters universe, purely because visuals

[@chrisrichfield8906]

The animations and textures are very similar to Timesplitters Future Perfect.

[@dechangeman]

I owned that game on gamecube and PC, since I loved it so much. One of the best from this decade.

[@ImAustinTopham]

Played the hell outta this game with my step-brother back in the day, but never finished it. Just beat it on PC, thanks to the bois that threw it up on Steam. Such an underrated classic.

[@joshuashepard583]

I LOVE this game. It’s the only game whose story I remember ever actually blowing me away. I saw some movies at the time that tried to do a similar twist, but none of them portrayed it as well as this.

[@bwm54321]

I remember seeing this game all the time at the rental store. The cover always had me interested lol

[@Digamortis]

Same here. When I was a kid I remember renting this and Timesplitters 2 from Blockbuster. Both of them were life changing.

[@chadschmaltz9790]

I never even considered trying it until I saw a friend play it when I visited his house. I rented it from Blockbuster and enjoyed the hell out of it.

[@eg769]

Do you remember some warrior fighting game as well I can't think of the name but I'm searching for it. It ends with about 3 warriors all attaching the main boss antagonist that's like a dragon lord. He has dragon plated armor and he's some what slender with psi attacks. Second sight and this game was always next to each other in the stores that I remember. Save-a-lot it was lol.

[@namfaivkingreeks4961]

This game is still relevant today. The backstory is really a masterpiece

[@marsmugio]

These are the type of reviews I look for. Just reviews about games I’ve never heard of before, with tons of humor and charm. Usually gets me to buy the game

[@hamakuasledgehammer1920]

Second Sight is a pretty good game man, give it a try.

[@ungooglablegames]

Third person shooters with psionic powers should have been a trope that took off, unfortunately that wasn't the case. Both Second Sight and Psi Ops were considered good but underperformed, while Infernal was so hated that it killed the studio, something that I consider slightly unfair. I actually did a review on my channel.

[@marsmugio]

@@ungooglablegames this comment is from ages ago and by now I've checked out second sight and understand why these games probably underperformed. It's hard to get people into something sort of niche like this, on top of having tons of mechanics that could be confusing for general consumers. Although not as bad as some stuff nowadays that have so many mechanics that you'll forget about absolutely everything except 5% of what's offered, games with unique power systems tend to still bloat the gameplay with context sensitive mechanics. Second sight could be an even better game if it had trimmed some of the fat and offered gameplay that warranted the existence of these games in the mainstream, so for now this and psi ops are just cult classics.

[@ungooglablegames]

@@marsmugio I m just waiting for a possible indie clone. Fear and Jet Set Radio had theirs.

[@TROY2048]

There is a PC version, plays well with mouse and keyboard too

[@davisthegamelord]

Problem is it wont run on most windows 10 PCs

[@dimmabek2132]

Where can you still get it? I played this game when i was little and been searching for it ever since

[@jeweerly2319]

@@dimmabek2132 like in the video, you crack that shit

[@megacide84]

@@dimmabek2132 It got rereleased on Steam. You can buy it again.

[@dimmabek2132]

@@megacide84 really??? Ill check it out thanks!

[@joshuacharnes295]

Bro, I have had this game since I was 4 years old, mad nostalgia. This makes me so happy that it is getting love even now.

[@flyingninja1234]

I hope THQ Nordic makes another Second Sight.

[@lorkhel]

third sight now

[@lucascoval828]

Second Sight: The Return of The Seconding

[@creativeguy1martinez693]

Second Sight: Retro vision

[@reaper4131]

i was lucky enough to get it on steam before it was removed but i also grew up playing it on ps2

[@CherrylBomb]

wuuuut was removed from steam?

[@agentooe33AD]

@@CherrylBomb All I could find out was "legal" issues. But it's back on Steam now.

[@h888k]

I wish they remake or remaster this game for current Gen console. The music was eerie and in a strange way, satisfying. Not to mention the gameplay. Underrated gem

[@DeadE5iah]

I played and beat this game when I was like 6 or 7. I’m glad my dad picked up such a classic

[@LeQuack147]

The Asylum theme still comes up in my mind from time to time. Also- I loved playing loud and seeing how many kills/KO's I could rack up through clever use of cover and all the enemies coming running around the corner like lemmings even as the bodies of their fellows were still cooling on the floor.

[@Tar-Numendil]

I remember playing this over a decade ago. For years and years I could not remember what it was called. All I could remember was vague images, and then I finally found it at a game store at my local mall. So satisfying to finally know what it was and to know that it wasn't something I dreamed up.

[@deathdealer036]

Playing timesplitters 2 with the GameCube C stick is a damn nightmare, especially in arcade league or the challenges

[@MarcsVideoDumpster]

I always come back to this review, it's one of your best.

[@thefalsekingslayer3717]

This is one of those games that always hides somewhere in the back of my nostalgia. I remember seeing it be played, but can never remember the details.

[@Treeplot]

I remember playing second sight when my dad was in a mental hospital when I was a kid, obviously I didn't know what that meant as a 10 year old but it hit me a few years back when I realised that actually happened.

[@samuelc6246]

One of my favourite games ever. And I recognised the Cortez voice immediately. The third person aiming was awesome once you got the hang of it, and the first person sniping... Well, I'm off to replay it.

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

I loved this game. I still have my original Xbox copy of Second Sight. I don't even own an Xbox anymore.

[@ak-t7d6f]

now that THQ Nordic acquired the rights to this game maybe they could make a sequel! but I'd definitely buy a remastered rerelease on PC and maybe also consoles

[@ak-t7d6f]

they relisted this on Steam a while ago and I had to buy it

[@ryohazuki3161]

Finally some recognition in this place

[@fullmetalheel]

Oh God you just dusted off an old childhood memory of me playing this on a PS2 demo disc, along with some cartoonish viking game I can't remember the name of

[@emrebagdu4038]

I can never forget it... the game that never could see the enough value it deserved. I always wanted to see it inspiring a director to film this game into movie one day.

[@oliverpony]

I would have loved to see a Second Sight 2

[@Vatteck]

Finally a video about where I got my name!!

[@gungster911]

LMAO that part about you "purchasing" it...it really gotta be like that sometimes my dude Dope video too i remember this game, did you happen to play "psy-ops" too?

[@wickedwizardry7603]

I bought Spore two times in my life and eventually had to result to downloading it to play it because it was removed from everywhere at one point.

[@Kinos141]

The story line and how it played out was freaking awesome and no one ever did it ever again.

[@mrcheesemunch]

Damn, I remember playing a demo for this or something Weird how shit just goes out your mind but still lingers years later

[@SkrebMasters]

When Timesplitters 2 and Future Perfect were made backwards compatible on Xbox One and Series X|S, I really wanted Second Sight to also be included on that list. Maybe next time

[@spiderboy43]

This takes me back. I never played Psi-Ops, never even heard of it till now. True this game did frustrate me at some points. But it was oh so worth it!

[@joeltaveras198]

Psy ops is better then second sight.and there's blood and gore

[@Coreisus]

Tri camera should be in EVERY game. The option to look in 1st person, play in 3rd person over the shoulder, and play in 3rd person fixed camera angles, was great. Like 1st and 3rd person gameplay are both immersive in their ways. And fixed camera angles are super cinematic! Imagine if we could play literally any game in fixed camera angles? That'd be great! Imagine if we could play literally any game in 1st person or 3rd person over the shoulder? That'd be great!

[@Coreisus]

This is assuming that the creators choose perfect angles...

[@roughwoof]

*SECOND SIGHT WAS FREAKING AMAZING!*

[@Volvith]

Can i just say that, from a realism perspective, the shooting system in this game is _fucking brilliant?_ Because it's what you do in real life. You lift a gun somewhere in the general direction of the twat you want to aim at, and then aim specifically for wherever you want to shoot him. It's elegant, it's realistic, it's not too easy or difficult... Can we have this in more modern games please?

[@verdantis9960]

I struggled with this a lot, but enjoyed it. That music! Graeme Norgate is a legend!

[@DtRSowfeeld]

My aol email address back when aol was a thing, was jvattic13. Thats how much i loved this game. Im super stoked that more people are "discovering" this game recently.

[@MrLaggan]

It was a wonderful game big fan of psychic games need to play control

[@tomdonovan4755]

Just beat it tonight, after discovering it 17 yrs ago. Loved every minute of it. Unique but awesome game.

[@DtRSowfeeld]

@@tomdonovan4755 right? Its such a gem.

[@AntTonyPony]

Great video. It had some very funny moments and this deserves way more views.

[@KyNiDo]

I've been hearing about this game on and off for years. Think I would have loved it, especially during my pre-MGS PS2 days as a young teenager. Found your channel through a small channel recommendation chain on twitter and glad I did. Btw, that aiming system is exactly the same one they use in 24: the Game (a guilty pleasure of mine), and a lot of character animations, movement speed and assess look eerily similar

[@luckydog9277]

Fuuuuck man, thank u for making this video. I remember when i use to have this game when I was little, but I never beaten it since i didn't have a memory card. I never really got the chance to fully enjoy through. Edit: Also the game music hit me like a bus

[@joeywalsh1949]

Thank you so much for this video. Always loved Second Sight and Time Splitters. Nice to see Sight finally getting some love.

[@MrGreenToS]

Wonderful cover of this classic game, I fell prey to playing Psi Ops before this and thankfully own an xbox disk version and love the twist and turns the game pulls off.

[@CptBrave]

The soundtrack, the story, the character, the gameplay.... I LOVED THIS GAME

[@chadschmaltz9790]

I loved using the telekenisis to mess with things while hiding and freaking out the guards. I did that more than complete the objectives.

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

I LOVE this game. I wish it would get a sequel or a remake or even a spiritual successor. I played the crap out of it back when I had an original Xbox.

[@ZeeSample]

Played this on pc. I was at the time like 11 or something like that. I loved the concept of superpowers + stealth, I've been always a fan of Metal Gear so My feelings for this game at the time can't be forgotten, hope some studio will adopt and remake it.

[@gregmcmill1798]

Dunno if you still read this but 007 everything or nothing has the same aiming system

[@ascnd]

YES SOMEONE ELSE WHO REMEMBERS THIS

[@FrostFormation]

Wow, I love this game. Haven't heard of Psi-ops before. Been wanting to pick it back up

[@zacharyhagan818]

I never forgot this game. This was the first game that blew my mind, and fucked with my expectations. That final power reveal really threw me for a loop (I was also stupid when I was young). I didn't see that twist coming, but I was never looking for a twist.

[@37Kilo2]

I slept on this game. I love Free Radical games, and loved Psi-Ops, so I'm sure I'll love this one. Luckily I have a copy of it cuz I'm collecting the Xbox library. But, I also have a totally legit copy on my computer that I absolutely didn't download from the isozone years ago.

[@TheKrigeron]

Hey that's the modern gta aiming system. They might've been inspured by it.

[@Chevalier_knight]

I loved this game as a kid i was just expecting a generic 3rd person shooter but what i got was a great story that felt like metal gear with great gameplay.

[@lolrus5555]

So, I'm sure I'm wrong about this, but I could've sworn there was a scene in this game where the main dude is running down a dark, wooden hallway that gets progressively more fucked up while the laughter of what sounds like a Heaven Smile from Killer7 gets closer and closer, causing the main character to get more and more panicked.. For the longest time, I've always associated Second Sight with this bizarre scenario, and it's because I remember seeing a scene like this back when my brother and his friend played this game during a sleepover.

[@wowno5763]

I randomly thought of this game after probably not thinking of it for decades when i saw Advent Rising somewhere and thought, "huh, is that that old psychic shooter game my friend had way back in the day?" I googled it and found that it wasnt. So i googled "psychic shooter original xbox" and there it was. And now i might get it.

[@eggbaron3968]

YESSSS so glad someone's giving this title the attention it deserves

[@RobleViejo]

DUDE THIS GAME!!!! I COULDNT FIND ANYMORE BECAUSE I DIDNT REMEMBER THE NAME!!! THANK YOU!!! This game was installed in my frist pc ever and then after switching pc i couldnt find it anymore and i didnt remember its name. This game is amazing.

[@PsychoRavager]

I do love... *cough* *cough* ...buying games with my student budget.

[@ralphwarom2514]

XD lol.

[@dankauffmanmusic]

I forgot about this one. Liked it a lot back in the day

[@Don-h4d]

This game is one of my all time fav for PC. I'd play it again. The coding and gameplay is top notch. Codemasters! The only boring component of the story is the military/tactical part of the flashbacks. The psychic powers are something seen nowhere at today. I hope there will be a following!

[@Phloxix]

I never got past the first part of the game because I never had a memory card for my gamecube. This video really made me wanna go back and try to actually finish it!

[@Jack-Baxtertoys]

Just found this video, awesome and also saddening to think that "Mental Gear Solid" was missed as an opportunity...

[@dontaskjust3744]

Yoo holy shit. I played this with my uncle with a intel G HD. Goddamn. A lost memory. Thx PR

[@Rapraideri]

Found this gem finally. I think i was around 14 when fist time played it. My parents let me join a game club where you got games every month. i got this from it.

[@loboahriman7680]

I remember seeing that game club on TV. They had SS as the premier title. That's how I found out about the game. I wish I could remember what the club was called...

[@loboahriman7680]

Gametap!

[@mxcokoko]

Id love to see a remake of this game, alongside Medal of Honor Frontline/Rising Sun

[@joeltaveras198]

I.would.much rather see remake to prototype or Psy ops the mind gate conspiracy

[@bob1669]

I honestly thought this game was a fever dream 😢.

[@DetectiveStablerSVU]

One of my favorite games. If they did this again with modern controls, graphics, and a modern engine it would be killer. Like a better Control.

[@PurposelessRabbitholes]

I’m soooo hoping we get a new Second Sight! Free Radical has just been brought back from the dead and is helming a new Timesplitters with the OG devs, so there’s LEGIT HOPE for a sequel for the first time in 15 years! PRAY WITH ME BROTHER

[@DetectiveStablerSVU]

@@PurposelessRabbitholes yeah I was aware of that news and my fingers have been crossed since I found out. I've literally never once talked to a person that played Second Sight.

[@travclone4391]

1:40 I promise you This is the best joke I've heard on the internet so far.

[@Scoupe400]

Wow. What a flash back. Free Radical were always trying new stuff and trying to push limits. Perfect Dark was a big step change. Time splitters. But this game was really unique at its time. Rag doll wasn’t common. The telekinesis was new. Your frustrations were apparent upon its release. I struggled with it.

[@razt9776]

Game is $2.50 on steam right now. Get it, love it and hope for a sequel.

[@faraswahyu3291]

I love the Projection This game needs remastered

[@Ky-Nas]

I've heard of this game but not Psi-Ops. Genuinely nutty how that's the opposite of what you stated in the video. Neat.

[@bryano2130]

Came for the nostalgia, stayed to relive it

[@zubzero304050]

I remember playing and loving this when I was younger

[@PurposelessRabbitholes]

Playing through it again right now, it’s still great!

[@davehoogs]

This game was awesome! The story was really really good. This could have been a great mind bending movie.

[@LakesideAmusementPro]

I love Second Sight. I go back quite bit and replay it firing up the ol GameCube and getting lost in this game.

[@leinadreign3510]

This game was really cool. And confusing with the twist!

[@chadschmaltz9790]

Shhh....don't spoil it. Yes, it was really cool.

[@swishy5677]

I remember this game i played tf out of it back in the day i wish i still had it

[@ryusteel4556]

I have the gamecube version still need to finish it

[@ClassicMiddleton]

This is a fantastic video. Thank you so much for this.

[@las10plagas]

aiming system seams to be the same as GTA V and without it, I could not have played the game (because I suck with a controller)

[@kennethwilliams543]

Its 2019 and man did this video put me on game! *Goes to Emuparadise*...........What the ffffffff!?!?

[@rdosk05]

I remember my uncle gave me a whole bunch of games when I first got my GameCube and this game being one of them was my favorite to play as an 8 yr old lol

[@shaneprior5329]

I bet someone could get a decent crowd funding or something to get a remake or a remaster, I think people would be able to see the potential this game has.

[@travisshannon8562]

Second sight < psi ops:the mindgate conspiracy

[@natorious314]

Dude, I miss the early 2000's when so many games had incredible ambient industrial soundtracks.

[@pixelbit5]

Mental gear solid. The pun was right there. You were so god damn close...

[@PurposelessRabbitholes]

forever deeply ashamed that I missed that pun

[@calvinasuncion4287]

Played it a fuck ton as a kid. Loved it. Wish it got a sequel or like a spiritual successor. Although that control game looks cool.

[@mintmag8748]

You can also get this on PC, but it was taken down.

[@The_Chimera]

Mint Mag Where could I find it?

[@mintmag8748]

@@The_Chimera I have it. It's a gog version so there's no DRM and since there's no way to buy it I'm happy to just hand it to anyone who wants it.

[@The_Chimera]

Mint Mag Awesome! Do you have it saved to Mega or some other service?

[@josuakarnbo865]

Would love to get this, mind sending a PM with a link?

[@PiersyP1990]

Would love a PC copy if you’re able! One of my favourite ps2 games of all time.

[@ragues_]

dude I got this for 5 euros on a whim cuz the box art is really cool. Played it for like 2 hrs and it was a pretty cool game, never looked at it in this light

[@Antinomi-Oh]

I hate you, I was taking a bong rip at 2:01 and when you said "What if a mf is left handed" I blew smoke out of my nose and nearly died

[@joshuacharnes295]

I totally forgot about this game, I'll have to go back and play it.

[@notmus]

That game is underrated, i found it from a ps2 magazine demo back in 2009.