TimeSplitters Future Perfect review:
The name of the game with the TimeSplitters series has always been random, chaotic, hilarious, fast-paced first-person shooting, and Future Perfect is the finest offering yet.
TimeSplitters Future Perfect review:
The way power-ups and health packs now reappear suggests that EA wanted Future Perfect to be easier going on the player too. Which it certainly is, and that's a good thing.
TimeSplitters Future Perfect review:
While many have probably never heard of it, the Timesplitters series is one of the few FPS franchises to hold strong on the PS2. With in-depth yet comical gameplay, a unique look and feel, a full-on map editor, and fantastic multiplayer, each installment offers up a ton of fun from start to finish. Therefore, when we first heard the announcement of Timesplitters: Future Perfect, the latest iteration to join the crew, we could only imagine what the game could be like. Not to our dismay, Future Perfect brings all the elements that we loved about the first two titles with a big scope and hits the nail on the head.
TimeSplitters Future Perfect review:
Have you tried curling a monkey?!Rarely a game is named after the bad guys, but in the TimeSplitters series, you’re up against the powers of evil known only as TimeSplitters. Take control of Cortez through the third addition to the TimeSplitters series, as you save humanity from imminent destruction. Future Perfect is different to the other TimeSplitters games though… It’s so much cooler.GameplayThirteen missions make up the story mode, but once you finish the story, the game has plenty more to offer – In fact, according to the developers, the story is only considered as 8% of the entire game. TimeSplitters Future Perfect has an innovative Arcade/League mode, as well as a Challenge mode that will keep you playing for many, many hours. Arcade/League mode puts you in control of different multiplayer matches ranging from deathmatch to unique TimeSplitters game styles, such as Monkey Assistant and Capture the Bag. Compete for fun in Arcade mode, or take on the challenges awaiting you in League mode, blasting your way through the three separate leagues: Amateur, Honorary, and Elite. These challenges are a LOT harder than the singleplayer campaign, so you’d better get your boots on.Challenge mode puts you in the hot seat for some serious mini-game fun. You’ll be doing everything from decapitating zombie monkeys to throwing boxes at Zombies. It doesn’t sound like THAT much fun, but we definitely spent a lot of time fooling around with it in the deep lair of GameBiz. The best thing about TimeSplitters is that you’re rewarded for practically anything. Unlocking challenges, characters, and lots of other stuff all goes towards your overall percentage of how much of the game you have finished. Any average gamer would have a very rough time finishing TimeSplitters: Future Perfect completely – and then of course there’s more fun to be had with net play!The storyline basically sees you controlling Cortez as he brings the Time Crystals back to Spacetime Marine HQ. The year is 2401, and inevitably, problems arise throughout the story… but we won’t delve into the story, as it would ruin it! Cortez is your average superhero, probably based on Vin Diesel somewhere along the line. He’s tanned, bald head, well built, and wears goggles. You do absolutely everything you can ever imagine throughout TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, ranging from driving a tank to jumping through time. More about that later though.Cortez has a nice little system set up where he can rotate between guns by pressing left and right on the d-pad. There’s a quick-change button, but it’s very unlikely that you’ll use it that often in the singleplayer campaign the first time around. You can’t jump, yet Cortez is extremely acrobatic in cut scenes. Some of your weapons have alternate features which can be reached by pressing up on the d-pad while you have that weapon selected. This can range from a hologram map for your special grasping claw that you’re always equipped with to a grenade launcher for your assault rifle. You’ll find that you need to utilize every weapon at some stage in the game, which is really nice to see, as often you can simply go through the entire game with just one gun in your hand, not having to worry about changing weapons and such.Throughout the story you of course travel through time a lot. It will be cool when they work out how to add this to the multiplayer – but for now it’s just in the story mode. You can jump back in time for as much as 400 years, or as much as 40 seconds. Of course, the 400 year jumps are much more significant and hence create the start of a new level, however throughout levels you reach stages where you jump back in time in order to help yourself. Of course you’ll be ready for this because your future self will have already helped you at some point. This gets a little out of hand when all of a sudden there are four of you working together, but it’s all pretty damn cool and something that can only be experienced in TimeSplitters games.Much of the story mode is spent with other characters running through helping you and getting in your way. This can include your future self as mentioned above, but also a large range of very unique NPCs that will give you a few laughs every now and then. They all fit in to their respective ages too. There’s a guy from the 1960’s that thinks everything is cool, and there’s a girl from the modern day that has an attitude very similar to the average 16 year-old girl. They all help you from time to time, but sometimes the AI gets a bit disappointing and characters will run in front of your fire. If you kill an NPC then it’s game over and you’ll have to restart from the nearest save point.MultiplayerOnce you’ve beaten everything there is to do, invite a mate around, or jump online as there’s much fun to be had with others. Yes, Future Perfect has two-player co-operative, and yes it counts towards your overall completion of the game too – so you’re going to need a pretty keen friend if you want to beat the entire game. TimeSplitters has an innovative MapMaker mode, where you can of course create your own maps. Once creating a map, you can then take it online and pawn it off or trade it with others for their maps. You can then compete with players online with maps that you have specifically designed yourself! Some day, all FPS games should have a simplistic map design mode, but for now, if you’re looking for an FPS where you can create your own fun, and fully customize the game mode that you want to play online, then look no further than TimeSplitters: Future Perfect.GraphicsTimeSplitters: Future Perfect isn’t the best looking game on the market, but it does offer a smooth framerate and great environments ranging from haunted houses to vast landscapes, and underground labs similar to the fields from The Matrix movies. There’s even a whole underground city at one stage, where you’ll find snipers situated all over the place. There’s no denying that Cortez looks undeniably similar to Vin Diesel, but one can only assume that this will happen a lot, as his look seems to be the way of the future superhero. No fancy hairstyle, no logo to symbolize his powers, just good old bold strength from the heart of the United States. The enemies range from normal villains to zombies, ghosts, and of course TimeSplitters themselves. You’ll be amazed at the diversity of enemies that you come up against throughout the game, and there are also plenty of non-playable characters not only to meet and greet, but also to unlock throughout the story mode.SoundTimeSplitters: Future Perfect is full of explosions and guns blazing all over the place. If you’ve got surround sound, expect some very loud noises from all corners of the room as TimeSplitters Future Perfect puts you in some massive war situations with guys coming from everywhere. Future Perfect has some of the best voice acting and lip syncing in any game we’ve ever seen before, and is well worth a look. It’s better than Resident Evil 4 and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, so it’s well worth mentioning. Sometimes though, Free Radical has gone a bit over the top with the jokes they churn out. Some bits you’ll be rather tempted to just skip, especially if you’re not in the mood for toilet humour.OverallTimeSplitters: Future Perfect has its highs and its mediums, but no lows. It’s a great game and well worth the purchase, especially if you’re a TimeSplitters fan. It’s the perfect sequel to complete a trilogy, and the story mode will keep you excited right to the end. The challenge mode games are just as intense as anything else, and are well recommended to trying out if you’re looking for some good quality fun. On top of all that, Future Perfect is a 4-player game, and an 8-player game on Xbox Live, which means its lifespan is more than enough to keep you entertained through to the next generation of Xbox.Thumbs Up The gameplay combat is some of the best we’ve seen this year. So many modes, loads of hours of gameplay. Online play to die for! A perfect addition to a series quickly becoming very famous.Thumbs Down The story mode can be beaten in seven hours the first time – but then again, so could Halo 2. Some of the jokes are a bit monotonous. full size >>
TimeSplitters Future Perfect review:
In Future Perfect, you don the spiffy boots of a Spacetime marine named Cortez and spoil the fun of the maniacal Jacob Crow. He is hatching a diabolical plot to do what any sane person with limitless power would: go nuts and destroy everything. Your job is to go back in time and destroy the time crystals before he can take over eternity. Easy.
TimeSplitters Future Perfect review:
Xbox players can also upload the map directly to the server so other players can download their creation--which Free Radical has done superbly. This is, by far, the most rewarding aspect of the game. Seeing the creativity of other gamers come to life is a complete joy. Future Perfect is worth the price for the mapmaker and map trading alone.
TimeSplitters Future Perfect review:
Hello. This is Tom. And this is Brambles. Tom likes him some online gaming. Mmm-mmm. PS2 Online, Xbox Live, er, GameCube... with an elaborate system of pulleys and mirrors - he's there. He likes the chatter, the social element, the fun of killing people who really exist; all that lark.
TimeSplitters Future Perfect review:
+ Beautiful graphics, with a series of memorable characters and a number of odd foes to defeat.+ The sound seems pretty right on, with good music and voice acting that adds to the humorous style of the game.+ Controls are pitch perfect, offering great FPS thrills.+ Multiplayer options galore, both offline and with Xbox Live.
TimeSplitters Future Perfect review: