One of gaming's forgotten gems, "Second Sight," returns to Steam after a nine-year absence. Developed by Nottingham-based Free Radical Design and best known for its "Timesplitters" series before being driven into bankruptcy by Lucasarts, "Second Sight" is a 2004 third-person adventure and is built around flashy telekinesis.

The game was de-listed from both Steam and GOG in September 2012. At the time, GOG staff stated that "some legal issues arose regarding Second Sight" before it was removed from the store, presumably due to Crytek's acquisition of what was left of Free Radical a few years earlier; THQ Nordic announced in 2018 that it was going to release " Second Sight" and "Timesplitters," but this re-release is not a remaster and is identical to the version last released (and published by Codemasters) in 2012.

Second Sight was the first game Free Radical Design, formed by Rare veterans, was supposed to make. When we started out, we had no intention of making 'TimeSplitters,'" co-founder Steve Ellis told me many years ago. We were working on a game called 'Redemption,' which would eventually become 'Second Sight. Development time was estimated at three years. Redemption was the plan," recalled artist Lee Ray. Then Ian Livingston, being the fighting fantasy freak that he is, said, 'If there's a demon in it, let's do it.' He was into demons! He was into demons.

The studio went back to the concept of Redemption instead of Time Splitters. As the convict John Vatic, you basically use your brain (or you can hijack theirs) to mess with the guards and try to figure out what's going on.

I'm not going to pretend that Second Sight is a buttery smooth experience. Even back then, the camera was a bit funky, and there's no denying that visually the game looks like it came out in 2004. But this is one of those games that was a little different back then and still holds its own today. [David Doak, co-founder of Free Radical and one of the game's writers, recalls, "The story hasn't changed at all. 'I'm very proud of that story, and I think it's got a twist to it. We saw no reason why we couldn't make 'Metal Gear Solid. If we could go back in time and change anything, we would spend more time improving the controls. Switching powers and all sorts of controls were too clunky. But I still think the lock-on targeting and snipers in "Second Sight" are really innovative.

Maybe I'm just looking back with nostalgia, but I loved "Second Sight" back then and can't wait to see if it holds up. There are plenty of other games out there that will grab your attention, but Second Sight's setup and ability to hold up had no equal. This game is one of those paths that hasn't been walked very often, and it's great to see it back.