10 More Great Video Games Nobody Bought
4. Second Sight
In a previous list on the same subject, we mentioned the underrated gem that is Psi-Ops. However, you can't really mention that game without referencing Second Sight or vice-versa. Both just so happen be solid third-person action games with telekinetic protagonists that released around the same time in 2004.
However, neither game particularly won big when it came to sales.
Second Sight follows amnesiac John Vattic as he awakens and promptly breaks out of a medical facility upon discovering he has psychic abilities.
What made the game feel so good is that every development choice felt very deliberate. The team at Free Radical clearly had a strong vision in mind for the game's pace (since John can't sprint), with unique aiming systems and three camera settings. The game gave players an, at the time, unprecedented level of choice between third person, first person and fixed cameras (à la Resident Evil).
Considering the importance of stealth in Second Sight, having a sturdy base and these options were all key. Choice is everything in fact. Half of the game was open-ended arenas that give players a toolbox of powers - invisibility, telekinesis, possession - and let them solve encounters as they saw fit.
This level of emergent gameplay was almost unheard of in 2004 and it simply deserved better.