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TimeSplitters review

Game: TimeSplitters
Platform: PlayStation 2
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Developer: Free Radical

Reader review by johnnythm

Date unavailable

Once again the people of Eidos bring us a game that everyone seems to like. With the fledgling Free Radical Design Studios behind them, Timesplitters comes to us exclusively on the PS2. For those not in the know, Timesplitters is a FPS, or First Person Shooter, made by Free Radical Design. Those are the same folks that brought us Goldeneye 64. So those with already high expectations are in for a treat. The basic plot is quite simple and is really lackluster. A race of evil beings known as Timesplitters who come from the depths of time and space have ripped through the fabric of time to take over the human race. It is up to you and an intrepid group of 55 characters from all different times and places to stop the Timesplitters and banish them to their home back in the void.

Graphics: As smooth as a FPS can be, Timesplitters dazzles with many superb visual effects, whether it be the awesome rocket launcher blast, or the incredibly detailed characters. At times you will wonder how the PS2 can do so much with such low system power. The lighting effects in this game are quite stupendous, rivaling even most new PS2 titles. The ability to have strobe lights that actually look like strobe lights is truly a treat. Even better are the weapon effects. Muzzles flash with fire, rayguns discharge crackling energy. Every bit of this game's Graphics engines screams ''Play me!'' There isn't much more to say except that you will not be disappointed.

Sound: I'm split between the sound in Timesplitters. While the Sound effects are downright awesome, the music leaves something to be desired. Sound effect-wise it's pretty good. Guns have that realistic sound to them and flickering lights make that dying sound, zombies have that creepy sound to them, and even your characters spit out one-liners every once in a while. The music, on the other hand, is quite boring. It seems to consist only of the same 3 or 4 gothic techno songs. This will get on your nerves real quick, and I suggest turning the music off turning the effects all the way up and playing your favorite CD in the background.

Control/Gameplay: The controls in Timesplitters are quite confusing at first. The left analog stick is your movement (back, forth, strafe left/right, etc.) and the right analog stick is your aiming (move left/right, look up/down). Firing is done with the R1 and R2 buttons. Overall a tough scheme to get into, but after a while it becomes second nature. Gameplay is slightly different from most FPS's. Instead of sneaking around corners to take out enemies, you are encouraged to run in guns blazing till you reach the goal. The fun part comes after you reach the end of the level. After you grab the item in the level you need to go back to the beginning where the exit is, but there is a twist: now you must fight the timesplitters. These nasty little buggers can kill you outright in 2 or 3 hits! Overall, as stated before, the levels are quite shallow and the game breezes by in less than 5 hours. The game really shines, though, in the multi-player. With options like Deathmatch, Bag tag, capture the bag, and domination, you will surely not be bored. And the ability to get as many as 12 bots on-screen at one time isn't too shabby either,

Overall: Even with the fact that this game at heart has no plot and is quite shallow, it still has the power to take over your life for at least a few hours. I myself get 3 friends together at least once a week and play the multiplayer. With the ultra-cool feature of being able to make your own levels from scratch (which is quite easy, by the way) this game has lots of lasting appeal. If you are looking for a good FPS for your PS2 and you skipped Unreal Tournament, pick up this gem instead. With that said, I give Timesplitters the score of 83.

Rating: 8/10

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