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Timesplitters Review
Jon Lenaway
00/12/0000
Time Splitters serves up a large helping of console shooting goodness for the PlayStation2 launch.
Free Radical Design, made up of former members from Rarewareâs Goldeneye and Perfect Dark projects, have already hit the ground running on the PlayStation2 doing what they do best first-person shooters. Time Splitters serves up a large helping of console shooting goodness for the PlayStation2 launch. Many first-person shooters have gone the route of Half-Life, offering players character interaction and a plot chaining together missions. If youâre expecting a game of that sort from Time Splitters, you may be a bit disappointed. However, if non-stop action and an unbeatable multiplayer mode is what you crave, Time Splitters has definitely got you covered.
Time Splitters is easily the smoothest moving shooter on a console yet. The game locks into a solid 60 fields per second frame-rate and never stumbles. Free Radical has built this game from the ground-up to run fast, and they have certainly succeeded. While you may not be in awe of the fairly plain-looking character models, thereâs no denying that this game has got it where it counts: gameplay. While not as cleanly controlling as the keyboard/mouse combo of PC first-person shooters, the Dual Shock 2 is well suited for the task allowing you a wide range of controls (including the all important turning while strafing.)
Unlike other shooters of this sort, Time Splitters isnât full of all the blood and gore. The violence in the game is more analogous to a shooting gallery or an old movie where opponents just fall over and die instead of bleeding. This allows the game to stretch to a bit wider audience, but doesnât really affect the integrity of the overall experience.
I have read several earlier reviews of this game on other sites, and many people seem to complain about a âshallowâ one-player mode. If by shallow they mean lacking in plot and story, it certainly is that as the point of all the levels is grabbing an item and running to a goal. But, if by shallow they mean not having enough to do, they simply havenât played it enough. The game starts out by offering you three levels, and when you complete them, you unlock three more. There are nine of these areas in total, but thatâs not where the game quits. Each level also offers three different difficulty modes. These harder modes not only unleash more enemies and smarter enemies, but they also unlock new areas within each level. For example in the first Egyptian level, the harder levels unlock deeper rooms in the tomb. Each time you beat a harder level, you are rewarded with new arcade levels in which you can use in either the multiplayer or arcade modes.
Once you finish one run through the âstoryâ mode, a new âchallengeâ mode is revealed. Each of these challenge levels usually give you a certain amount of time to complete various tasks. In the first of these levels you must behead 50 zombies with your shotgun, which is no easy task. The second challenge level is perfect for all of you have some sort of rooted hatred for ducks (usually credited to over-exposure to the horrible movie Howard the Duck). Picture dozens of Howards running around with machine guns, and having to kill 100 of them in only five minutes. âChallengeâ certainly is the most fitting word to describe these levels, as youâll have to be at the top of your game to complete most of them.
If this wasnât enough for you as a single player game, there is also an âarcadeâ mode that plays very similar to an Unreal Tournament bot-match. You pick your level, a winning condition, the available weapons, your opponents and jump right into action.
Time Splitters quite simply is the single best reason to buy the multi-tap for the PlayStation2, as its 4-player split-screen mode canât be matched anywhere on another console game.
If you finally find yourself getting tired of all of the pre-built levels included in the game, there is also a level creator included. Donât be afraid just yet if youâve found yourself befuddled by PC level editors for games like Half Life or Unreal, this one is easy as pie (although honestly I canât make pie, so it must even be easier than that!) You start out with an empty grid, and making a level is as easy as choosing room tiles from a menu and pasting them in place. You can also set various colors and effects for the lights as well as place items anywhere you please. Without bothering the user with sorting through individual textures to define the looks of walls and other objects, this editor includes texture theme sets. By simply changing the theme, you can completely change the mood of a level from a dark gothic look to high-tech futuristic look. I was able to create a presentable level in as little as five minutes, but I am sure results that are more impressive could come by taking your time with it. The level editor certainly adds to the shelf life of the game, as the possibilities for new levels depend only on your imagination.
If you're looking for a stealthy, story-driven shooter you may want to look elsewhere. If you're looking for fast action that never quits with an excellent multiplayer mode, Time Splitters easily fits the bill.
