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Platform: Xbox Genre: Shooter Publisher: Eidos Developer: Free Radical ESRB: T (Teen) Released: Q4 2002 Support AE! Buy Games Here:
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TimeSplitters 2Score: 9.3 / 10 |
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Pros: - An awesome first-person shooter - Great graphics and sound - Excellent multiplayer - Fun!
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Cons: - Sucks up huge amounts of time - Expect many late nights
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Related Links: Review: TimeSplitters 2 (Playstation 2)
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"When you’re dropped into 1932 Chicago, the design is totally true-to-life – at least, as much as a videogame can mimic."
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If you played the classic N64 shooter, GoldenEye, then I can guarantee a complete sense of déjà vu – that, “I’ve been here and done this before” that’s vaguely unsettling most of the time – when beginning TimeSplitters 2 (TS2).
The premise behind TS2’s story mode is that alien invaders are attempting to wipe out humanity by traveling to the past and doing all sorts of nefarious things (or something like that). It falls onto your shoulders to save the day by leaping into the alien time portal and assuming personalities from their respective eras to seek out the time crystals that power the alien temporal device. You’ll make forays to Chicago (1932), the Wild West (1853), Tokyo (2019), and a Robot Factory (2315) among others, but first stop is Siberia (1990), which is entirely reminiscent of GoldenEye’s opening levels.
The similarities with GoldenEye don’t end there though. The gun bob is nearly identical, solid and responsive control, the bullet ricochets are similar, the pause menu is just like looking at Bond’s watch… there are a few more but all of this is for good reason as many of the same people worked on both titles. Something else that the two share is the bar they set in terms of what gamers should expect from a console shooter.
When you’re dropped into 1932 Chicago, the design is totally true-to-life – at least, as much as a videogame can mimic. The layouts of each area make sense and the graphics are excellent. There’s not much else I could ask from a game that mixes equal parts action and stealth. (Okay, so they're not exactly equal.)
TS2 can be played through a number of times owed to the three difficulty settings. Play through on Hard, then try Easy and you’ll get a very different experience (and one you can practically sleep through – Easy really does mean easy). It’s a tribute to the level and game design – an aspect evident through the other main mode, Arcade, that offers some great multiplayer fun (in the form of Deathmatch, Elimination, etc). If you think you can make a better level, give the Map Maker a whirl – it lets your imagination out to play. (Nevermind the horrendous – horrendous! – screenshot error that is sure to cause constipation, hypertension, and arthritis among Xbox diehards.)
And fun is really the key here, as is the addictive quality of the gameplay. If you have Halo and loved it, climb aboard! This is a must have game for shooter fans! It’s got a large assortment of weapons, tons of action, excellent multiplayer, and lots of replay value. Sure, it doesn’t support Xbox Live, but who cares? TimeSplitters 2 is a great game – make sure it’s on your Christmas list.
- Omni (November 14, 2002)
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