| Game Review - TimeSplitters 2 |
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Contact Mr. Shade and make fun of him
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| Publisher: |
Eidos Interactive |
| Developer: |
Eidos Interactive |
| Rated: |
T for Teen (why?) |
| Length: |
4-5 hours |
| Genre: |
Action FPS |
| Website: |
Time Splitters |
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OVERVIEW
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Apparently Timesplitters 2 is the sequel to Timesplitters - a really bad game
that was released on the PS2. I haven't played the original, but several
reviews I saw said that Timesplitters 2 improved greatly on the first one.
Apparently the original required you to look at a blank screen for fours hours,
but I digress. Let's see - there are these things that are traveling through time
(Timesplitters) and they have time crystals. You have to travel through
different time periods to get the time crystals from them. I think that sums up
the entire story. Timewasting, not Timesplitting, ensues.
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MR. SHADE'S TAKE
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After all of the rave reviews and the comparisons to Halo that Timesplitters 2
received I was really excited about this game. Maybe it was good and the copy I
got was actually Daikatana with the wrong cover art (only PC gamers will get
that joke). All I know is that the game I played was average at best.
The gameplay is awful. Your character can't jump or crouch and the controls are
jerky. Enemies pretty much run at you and shoot. Your goals are pretty
simplistic - find something and blow it up, get a key to a door or kill
someone. On one level they do try to add some stealth gameplay by making you
follow a scientist without her noticing you. The problem is that this is so
poorly done that it is a complete chore to finish this level. If she notices
you following her you have to restart the entire level because she just sits
there shooting at you and never goes to the "secret area." Splinter Cell this
game is not.
The levels are actually pretty cool looking. Each of them is set up with a text
introduction that gives the year, location, and what your goals are. It appears
(it's never explained) that your character is hopping into people ala Quantum
Leap, and the Timesplitters (the bad guys) are hopping into historical villains.
I'm guessing that the Timesplitters are trying to change history - I was hoping
that they would find a way of preventing me from playing this game. You foil
the evil plot of that level, collect the time crystal, and move on to the next
level. If they actually did something with the story in the levels it might make
them fun, but this is not the case. There are only a few cutscenes in the game
(all in the beginning and end of the game if I remember correctly) and
virtually no dialog (I think a few of the enemies yell at you and some of the
people you rescue thank you). Overall there is no sense of accomplishment after
beating a level or even the game.
 This
brings me to my next complaint - the end of the game. After explaining JACK
SQUAT during the game we are treated to a cutscene that explains even less and
leaves the game open for a sequel. Could they have at least tried?
The one area that this game excels in is its multiplayer. There are many
different maps with odd sets of characters. Ever wanted to shoot up the
Gingerbread Man? Now you can. Mad because Santa brought you Timesplitters 2
instead of Halo? Put a rocket in his rear end. The weapons are interesting as
well - everything from crossbows and pistols to laser cannons and acid
spitters.
If you want something that you can play through with a small child and you can
pick this game up for under $20 then I can actually suggest this game. It's
short enough to not make you completely lose interest and children will
probably think it's cool. Plus, the four-player death match with all of the goofy
characters is a blast. However, if you're looking for a good single player FPS then
look elsewhere.
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| Category |
Description |
Score |
| Presentation |
They do a good job of introducing the levels and goals. If they followed up on
this with a story during the actual level then this could have been a good
game. |
7.5 |
| Graphics |
Pretty bland. Levels look pretty convincing, but not much effort was put into
the character models. |
6.0 |
| Sound |
Standard fare. They really could have used some voice work. |
5.0 |
| AI |
Dreadful. Enemies run at you and shoot. You'd think we could have smarter
enemies in the 21st century. |
4.0 |
| Gameplay |
I remember a game with similar gameplay garnishing rave reviews. It was called
Doom and it came out in 1992. |
4.0 |
| Replayability |
Once you have played through a level you've seen everything it has to offer.
The good thing is that the game only takes about 5 hours to beat. |
3.5 |
| Overall |
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5.0 |
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