TimeSplitters 2

Synopsis

by T.J. Deci

Free Radical Design returns to the TimeSplitters 2 saga for this GameCube sequel to the PS2's popular first-person shooter. Once again, characters from the past, present, and future meet in the arenas of history to battle for survival and bragging rights.

The animation system from the original release has been redesigned to offer smoother, more natural character movements in this GameCube game. The 3D engine has been enhanced to provide larger, eye-catching backgrounds.

Though the emphasis of this sequel remains on the large-scale fast-paced multiplayer battles, a deeper single-player story mode is featured here as well, offering a developed narrative and several goal-oriented missions. As in the original TimeSplitters, a level editor is included to allow players to create their own scenarios.

Features

• Compete with up to four players in sixteen different game types
• Create your own custom maps using the included Mapmaker function
• Unlock extra modes, levels, and characters by completing challenge events

Extra Credits

by Matthew House

While the original TimeSplitters was well received, there were some complaints about the shallowness of the Story mode missions and the limited deathmatch options; all criticisms were chalked up to the game being rushed to meet the PlayStation 2's launch. TimeSplitters 2 addresses all of these problems with an abundance of new challenges while adding new deathmatch modes, over 100 usable characters, and an enhanced Story mode with multiple mission objectives. Even the MapMaker mode has been overhauled. One of the complaints about the original was that the Story missions were disjointed and unrelated, and the sequel has attempted to make this mode more cohesive.

Because of the vast amount of deathmatch features, TimeSplitters 2 resembles other first-person shooters such as Quake III Revolution, Red Faction II, and Unreal Tournament 2003. Though promised in the game's development stages, the PlayStation 2's online support was not implemented. Instead, TimeSplitters is compatible with i.LINK cables so that a group of PlayStation 2 machines can be hooked together in a LAN setting.

Also Available On