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Review:

5th November 2002:
TimeSplitters 2
Another great first person shooter for the Xbox, could this be the GoldenEye 2 we have all been holding our breath for?
Posted by John Grothier - Xbox - UK and Europe

TimeSplitters was a launch title for the PlayStation 2, a competent first person shooter that suffered slightly from a weak single player mode. Now TimeSplitters 2 has been released for the Xbox, and it looks more like a sequel to that most fabulous of all first person shooters, GoldenEye. Developers Free Radical Design were set up from a migrating group of programmers from Rare, who worked on GoldenEye, (which made more money than the actual film!), and also worked on the first TimeSplitters. But where the original looked a little rushed in time for the PS2's launch, TimeSplitters 2 has been tweaked to near perfection, and looks stunning on Microsoft's machine.

The year is 1990, 1932, and err 1895 - in fact TimeSplitters 2, like the original, is based on nine time-travelling episodes that take the player from the Wild West to Blade Runner-like Neo Tokyo. Each of these levels has it's own distinct look and feel, and gives the game huge amounts of diversity as you traverse throughout time. The aim of the Story mode is to collect nine time crystals from a hugely evil race of creatures know as the TimeSplitters, who have mischievously hidden these crystals throughout the very fabric of space and time itself.

Story mode starts in the Oblask Dam in Siberia in the year 1990. This Russian adventure is remarkably reminiscent of GoldenEye, and sees our heroine trying to complete some very spy-like mission objectives, while taking out as many AK-47 wielding Russians as possible. Each zone has primary and secondary mission objectives to perform, some are simple, but others can take some time working out the best way to complete the mission. These objectives are reflected in the difficulty modes in the game. Select 'Easy' and there will be only a handful of enemies and objectives to complete, but on 'Normal' and 'Hard' settings, there will be a lot more to do - and indeed see. One of the clever ideas that Free Radical Design have utilised with TimeSplitters 2 is the fact that you only usually get to see the whole of the level on the 'Normal' and 'Hard' settings. For example, in Siberia, the player will only get the chance to get across the Dam itself in the 'Normal' mode, which means that you will properly complete all nine time zones on the 'Easy' mode, and then come back to see what you have missed.

The amount of thought that has gone into each of the nine levels is simply staggering - each has a very original look to them, and the mission objectives are varied, challenging and have been well designed. TimeSplitters 2 takes the player from gangster-inspired 1930's Chicago, to wonderfully gothic Notre Dame in the last part of the 19th centaury, to the futuristic comic book inspired 'Return to Planet X. Each is an absolute joy to the eyes and most importantly incredibly fun to play. Indeed, you will have fun just re-completing some of the Story missions over and over again, and unfortunately there aren't too many games around today that offer that level of playability.

TimeSplitters 2 also includes a number of other game modes, which include Arcade, Challenge and Mapmaker. Arcade mode allows for some quick blasting with your friends in a number of different multi-player arenas, or you can even take on the computer with 'Bots'. The settings for these games are almost limitless with so many ways you can engineer an Arcade game. Players are invited to select different weapons, bot settings, handicaps, power-ups, score limits - even the music can be tweaked with. As well as many different death match modes there are lots of game variations to discover and unlock, including some old favorites like capture the bag. There is also an Arcade League, which like the Challenge mode, offers the player certain objectives in order win bronze, silver and gold medals. Once you have won a certain amount of these accolades - playable characters, death match arenas and game modes will become unlocked - the more gold medals you win the more of the game will become unlocked. Multi-player modes are split screen, and are fast and furious. This really is the best fun you will have with your friends since GoldenEye. All your standard weapons are available including remote mines, shotguns, grenade launchers, sniper rifles, flamethrowers, and my own personal favourite the homing launcher.

TimeSplitters 2 also includes a Mapmaker, which allows the players to create their own arenas and save them onto the Xbox's hard drive. Items, tiles, weapons, start points and even lighting effects can all be employed in order to create death match arenas to test your mate's patience.

The graphics in TimeSplitters 2 aren't quite 'Halo', but they have been designed with a more 'comic style' look to them, which works wonderfully. The Story mode features a complex narrative with some superbly animated and entertaining cut-scenes. The whole game runs at that all-important sixty frames per second, and despite hordes of enemies and huge explosions going off, the game never slows down. Sound too is top notch with some memorable music, voice acting, and some fantastic weapon and gunfire effects presented in ear splitting surround sound.

Overall the Xbox has two fantastic first person shooters on the system now, and while TimeSplitters 2 never really stood a chance to topple the glory of Halo, it comes an incredibly playable, hair splittingly close second.

John Grothier

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Review Summary:

Another top-notch first person shooter hits the Xbox. Great single player Story mode combined with fantastic Arcade and Challange modes make this a great FPS as well as the best multi-player fun since the legendary GoldenEye.

Related Games:

TimeSplitters 2
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