Time Splitters 2

Time Splitters 2
Reviewed by Pirate Yoshi

Over-view: After teammembers of Rare's GoldenEye (N64) left the staff to join Free Radical, the talented group worked on a new title that possessed all the best elements from GoldenEye: lots of multiplayer options, fantastic run-and-shoot levels, and a thorough selection of enemies and bots to keep the game speed driving players madly through the game. Though they diverged from the control scheme of GoldenEye, Free Radical came up with a style that has since infiltrated back into Bond games, and is commonly accepted now as a default FPS control scheme, making use of both the control stick and the C-stick for a turn-run combination. The team's first big-name project, however, was not such a big name then: called "Time Splitters", it featured firearm combat against a race of sinister alien-like beings who threatened the past of mankind. Much-acclaimed, yet poorly-appreciated, Time Splitters sat on the shelves of PlayStation owners alone. Then, with the next generation of consoles, Free Radical produced the second title in the series--and, this time, for not only the PlayStation 2, but for GameCube and Xbox as well. Needless to say, the title got all the hype it deserved this time around, and it certainly lived up to the expectations, say critics. But has it quite achieved what it vowed it could, in the eyes of this reviewer? Read onwards!

Graphics: 9.5/10
If there's anything Rare has always been known for, it's phenominal graphics. Apparently, ex-employees of Rare retain all their graphical abilities when they switch companies, because Free Radical has produced a graphical masterpiece in Time Splitters 2, with some heavy improvement over the original in this catagory. While some have complained but the graphics are not realistic enough (therefore, worse than those of chief-rival Halo), the graphics are the perfect match for a title of this caliber. With a clever, yet sophisticated sense of humor, and action-packed gameplay, the graphics prove to give the game a mood of comic book action and a Hollywood action film; a bit unbelieveable, but unable to be designed in any other possible way without losing something special. This is definately a thumbs up, and it seems to me that increasing the quality of the visuals for Time Splitters 3 will be even more difficult than ever before...

Sound: 10/10
Sinful? Cheap? Blasphemous? Many will say so, but I could not sleep soundly at night if I gave TS2 anything lower in its Sound catagory. There is not a flaw to be found here, and room for improvement seems virtually impossible. If I may, I shall begin by boasting over the AMAZING score of Time Splitters 2. NEVER have I heard such fantastic music, in a movie, in a concert, in a game, or on the radio. This is precise, effective, and beautiful music, with perfect tone and pace to fit every scenerio taking place in the game. I kick myself that I can't (at the moment, or usually) remember the name of the composer(s) responsible for this masterpiece of a soundtrack, but they deserve some sort of an award, because the work they have done is fit for a museum. Now, on to the sound effects. While there's not much here--guns firing, bullets bouncing, flames burning, mist spraying, machines running--it's all very suitable for the actions each is assigned to, and the detail put into each effect is stunning. Different guns, with different shot sounds, give a very sharp feel to the game, and playing with no sound effects on is just not the same. Finally, the voice acting is EXTREMELY professional, to the point where the cast could easily make a full feature-length movie for theatres. Specific voice actors were hired to say one or two lines for the game, simply because they had the perfect pitch for the perfect character, and the effect is fantastic. This is undoubtedly some of the best voice acting I've ever heard in a game, and I only hope more designers start putting for the same effort to achiever oustanding sound components. To be completely unwitty and lame, this score is "very sound."

Controls: 10/10
Can't complain with perfect controls, right? But what if you happen to be (like myself) unable to adjust to these new-fangled set-ups, with the C-stick turning and the control stick running? Perhaps you *JUST* can't stand the crouch button so far from your thumb, or the Control Pad is too big a pain to use for adjusting weapons... Perhaps you don't want to use the control stick to move! You can change just about ANY button to most ANY function, making for some really simple--and, other times, REALLY goofy--control schemes, including set-ups where the R and L buttons will move you along, or where the game is played predominately with the C-stick! With so many options, any complaints you may have are *probably* your own fault for not adjusting them to something better! If you can find a complaint, it's a generic flaw with the design of the controller.

Challenge: 9.8/10
To put the game to the test is to play Story mode on Hard by yourself in the Space Station. And to do that is to die...a thousand fold. This game is so hard, in fact, that I believe it's part of the reason why unborn children often resist entering the world: they fear they may, in fact, one day find themselves playing the last level of Time Splitters 2 on Hard. As if the Story mode wasn't difficult enough, the individual Challenge mode "mini-games" (an insult to call them that, they're more like "mini-death counts") can not only keep you on your toes, but coming back for years trying to simply beat one! That's not to say that the game's impossible; it's just so uberly difficult that few players in the world can make it all the way to the end successfully, just like the good old days of many NES games. TS2 is on the "Extreme" section of the GCN's "Challenging Games Library."

Gameplay: 9.5/10
Spectacular Gameplay makes for spectacular fun, and that's what TS2 is based on: straight-up fun. The levels are designed intelligently, but are always memorable down to the nitty-gritty details. The action is fast-paced, the characters are vibrant and likeable, and the mixture of weapons are smartly-designed to give every individual a favorite gun for every occaision. Throwing in the addicting challenges and the wild Arcade matches, as well as one of the biggest hordes of unlockables any recent game has offered, TS2 delivers strong on one of the most important catagories any game can offer.

Replay: 9.9/10
This catagory seems to be unbeatable. Firstly, the vast array of multiplayer options are more than enough to make this a party classic for years. Second, there's so many darn things to unlock that no mortal being can POSSIBLY stop playing until they've obtained every character, map, cheat, and mode ("gotta catch 'em all!"). Though the Story mode seems to tedious to drag yourself through over and over again, the Co-Op is helpful in keeping it fresh, the numerous difficulties are fantastic, and the Map Maker tool is the perfect addition to make TS2 last forever and an eternity. Because it not only allows players to construct their own maps, but also to give them missions and objectives--such as reaching an exit, killing a certain character, or obtaining an item--that can be twisted and tweaked as needed for the ultimate challenge...or a hilarious mini-game. Some such games I've made include a fast-paced race of dropping from floor to floor without dying from enemies firing at your from behind, a maze in which the player must find and be seen by all guards to successfully make them die, and--a personal series I've designed--"The Unarmed Spy", in which your character uses a mixture of stealth and First-person hand-to-hand combat to solve puzzles and take out enemies. The only possible complaints to make are that the created maps can never be quite as big as you may like, the objectives system can be irritating to work out on your own missions, and the selection of tile sets for map maker are also rather weak. Still, TS2 possesses some serious replay value.

**Story: .8/1
The Time Splitters have taken the Time Crystals back in time and will destroy our past! As various cutscenes explain the complexities of the story and time eras, the plot thickens. With memorable characters (whom should definitely be made into a movie, by the way) and an eerie, dramatic tale of the war that rages between the Time Splitter race and humankind, TS2 has the sort of plot that more movies and books should look for.

**Multiplayer: 1/1
This is perhaps the ideal multiplayer FPS. Compared to the greats (GoldenEye, Halo), TS2 has the huge selection of weapons, the giant teams, the fantastic arenas, the clever cheats, and the plethora of "skins" (characters) needed to make for the ultimate party. Being addicting and possessing the map maker utility, TS2 is abnormally hard to put down when playing in a group, and the different modes (ranging from Regular and Team Deathmatches to Flame Tag, Zones, and Vampire) offer so much variety that it can hardly be put into words. Even with no friends (or no extra controllers, to be fair), it's a blast to play alone against (or with) teams of bots, in big campaigns or tiny Elimination matches. Simply put, this is on the level with games like Super Smash Brothers Melee.

Graphics: 9.5/10
Sound: 10/10
Controls: 10/10
Challenge: 9.8/10
Gameplay: 9.5/10
Replay: 9.9/10

**Story: .8/1
**Multiplayer: 1/1

Total Score: 10

Score Explanation: ....I confess, something here is wrong... This game is not perfect, and does not deserve a ten, but there's so little wrong with it, and so many good things, and almost two full bonus points-..... If I strip away the extra points awarded for Multiplayer and Story bonuses, then TS2 obtains a score of 9.8. The truth, then, probably lies in a score of 9.9, which happens to be the score between giving it credit for bonus points, and taking all extra credit away. At such a low price now, and with a sequel soon to hit stores, I highly recommend you pick this title up as soon as you have the chance (and the cash). TS2 is definitely worth a rent, if nothing better. Play it alone or with a room of friends, this is a must-have classic on the GCN.