Freshness is what keeps Timesplitters
2 moving. The pacing of the first game in the series (a launch PS2 title) is gone,
thankfully slowed down to a controllable level. Now you'll have time to appreciate all the
little details that goes into creating a dozen different time periods. Unlike a lot of
first person shooters, you'll never see the same area twice. You'll be sent back in time
to a variety of historical periods, each one looking different than the last. Even though
the animation routines and guns have little to separate them, the look alone is enough to
make each new level exciting.Maintaining a solid frame rate, locked at 60 fps, Timesplitters 2 offers some incredible mechanics. Everything feels natural, and your aim is adjusted by the ability to see bullets flying through the air, not a cursor. Destructible environments add to the feeling of power. Enemy AI is fair, and they'll make a few moves to avoid being killed. The models always maintain a simple style, and there's no question everyone involved had fun making this one (you'll spend an entire level trying to take down a pack of ravenous monkeys).
Each level offers a few
objectives, but there's always a time piece to be found. These transport the player into
the next level (hence the title), and are the highest importance. Each stage is short and
linear, and the entire experience can be beaten in a day. Where it continues is the
multi-player, and this is obviously the focus. These are some of the most memorable set-ups for a first-person shooter. The staggering amount of characters (earned in single player) and flawlessly balanced attributes make these a joy to play. If by some chance these become boring, the detailed and simple to use map creator continues to expand the life of the game.
The only annoyance is targeting. It's an adjustment to say the least. Instead of turning the c-stick to look, it first moves the gun. If you can imagine, think of it as moving your wrist when holding a gun instead of your entire arm. Worse, once you think you've found the spot, it auto centers. This is the same for every gun, from the sniper rifle to the standard pistol. There's no real reason or logic for it, and if you don't have the patience to make the adjustment, you won't keep playing.
If that's your excuse
though, you're only hurting yourself. This is a perfect example of how a game can fall
into a crowded genre and stand out based on gameplay alone. It's going to fall under the
category of "lost classic." Timesplitters 2 is just simple, light fun,
and with multiple players, it's on a whole new level. 