TimeSplitters 2
TimeSplitters 2by Eidos Interactive
Platform: Xbox
ESRB Rating: Teen
ASIN: B00006C28W
Check price @ amazon.com
Features:
• Time-traveling action adventure
• Single player and co-operative story modes
• Environments include the roaring 20s, Aztec temples, and Soviet military installations
• Customizable Map Maker feature
• 1-4 players
Amazon.com Product Description: Members of the evil race of TimeSplitters are traveling back in time through human history, authoring events that will lead to the enslavement of mankind. Controlling a motley crew of renegade characters, you must hunt down the TimeSplitters across a variety of environments, such as the gangster-filled 1920s, the lush jungles of Aztec temples, Soviet military installations of the cold war, and futuristic robot factories in space.
The game delivers an involved single-player and a cooperative story mode, with a complex narrative, multiple objective-based episodes, and animated cutscenes. The game engine has been extensively upgraded to accommodate bigger environments and special graphic effects. The Mapmaker has been enhanced, opening up even more potential for the advanced gamer looking for customizable game scenarios.
Amazon.co.uk: Want to play a first-person shooter on your console? Tired of there being no proper GoldenEye sequel? Wishing that you could play the part of a Barbary ape in a wild west shootout? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then TimeSplitters 2 is the game for you. When Rare made GoldenEye for the N64 in 1997 they created the best first-person shoot-'em-up the world had ever seen at the time and, arguably, to this day. Unfortunately, though, many of the geniuses behind the game left Rare shortly after to set up their own company, Free Radical. Their first game was the rather rushed (in time for the PS2’s launch) TimeSplitters, but now they’ve had time to perfect the sequel, and just from the two preview levels so far seen it’s already looking like the best thing ever.
One of the main problems with TimeSplitters was its awful single-player mode, but this has been totally revamped for the sequel with an entirely new time zone and set of weapons for each level. As well as a proper story, and a wicked sense of humor, there’s also a lot more strategy for solo players this time around, including an amusing homage to GoldenEye’s Arkangelsk Dam level. But the real reason for TimeSplitters 2’s greatness is the multiplayer mode. This is GoldenEye to the nth degree, with superbly designed levels, mountains of weapons, and all sorts of tricks and gimmicks, such as remote-control gun turrets and invisibility pills. If the finished product is even half as entertaining as the demo then this could easily be one of the games of the year. --David Jenkins
From the Manufacturer: One of Eidos' Top 3 titles this Fall/Holiday season. With its dynamic fusion of epic single-player storyline, lightning smooth graphics, diverse time period environments, and furious multiplayer action, TimeSplitters 2 is solidly positioned to be one the Top 5 "Must-Haves" on all three consoles this Fall season. The Most Acclaimed Game of 2002. From the co-creators of GoldenEye, TimeSplitters 2 sets a new standard for the action/shooter category and elevates the genre back into casual gamer mindshare with instant mass-market appeal.
Customer Reviews:
Don't believe the hype, November 11, 2002
Reviewer: Nicholas from Ohio
I have to say I was pretty disappointed in the game. Every level seemed about the same as the last. I rented it (thank God I was smart enough not to BUY it) thinking that it would get me through the 5 days of downtime I had. Unfortunately, I beat the ENTIRE game in one night. I haven't played the multiplayer levels, so there may be some hope yet.
The best FPS game next to halo, November 9, 2002
Reviewer: John G Kuley from Cincinnati, Oh United States
This game has all the elements of halo with many twists. First it has a cartoonish type graphics that makes it look pretty funny like squids and monkeys. Next it has all of the best modes of multiplayer besides DM and CTB (capture the bag) but also has modes like assault and gladiater. The game also has brand new incentive to play the game. It makes you work for levels modes and over 90 characters that look very funny. Then it has the Goldeneye element to Single player. The voice on the game is annoyingly Russian and the game is pure Goldeneye like the health and awards. Overall, this game is the best game out for Xbox next to Halo.
OK on single player, great on multiplayer, November 8, 2002
Reviewer: Lisa from Massachusetts
TimeSplitters was a popular game when it came out. It took the normal shooter game and added in changes in environment - you moved through time to persue your enemies. TimeSplitters 2 expands this with better graphics, sound, and multiplay features.
The plot isn't much to get enthusiastic about. An evil enemy race is trying to wipe out humanity, and they have a time portal. They run back through time with crystals and you have to go back into each time period to track down the crystal and do other miscellaneous tasks while you're there.
The graphics are indeed nice, from flaming torches to dreary sewers and polished marble floors. But when you compare them to the likes of Halo or Kingdom Hearts, they're a bit old looking. There aren't shadows. The backgrounds aren't very dynamic. You shoot walls and get tiny holes, unlike the deformable terrain of other current games. The textures seem flat and a bit repetitive.
They did make an attempt to have the sounds match the eras, with lovely chanting during Notre Dame and twanging during the Western era. Even so, you don't feel 'immersed' in the game. Characters don't make noise when they walk. There isn't really any ambient noise.
The weapon choices are fun and time-appropriate. In Chicago of 1932, you've got Tommy Guns. In Notre Dame you're playing with shotguns. So there's always new variety as you go from level to level.
The missions aren't very challenging compared to other games that are out. They are extremely linear and there's rarely any brainpower involved. There's side missions like "blow up file cabinets along the way" or "shoot out whiskey barrels". There's usually a rationale given but it's pretty flimsy.
There are other 'mini-games' that you can play. Do things like fight off the living dead, smash the glass and so on. Try to get the best times to get high rankings.
Where the game really shines is multiplayer. There are HUNDREDS of characters to choose from in multiplay, and tons of ways to play that you unlock as you go. There are the standards like deathmatch as well as more interesting variations. The game is savvy about game hook-ups and LANs to open the game up to as many players as possible for your system.
In addition, TimeSplitters 2 comes with a MAP EDITOR. This is something rarely seen in a console game!! You can choose from a beginner or advanced mode and design your own maps, and then have your friends play through it! Customize the tile set, bot placements, choose weapons, music, you name it. You can create your own full maps and play a new game every day!
A great game if you're into multiplayer or map creation, and a fun shooter if you're not too particular about graphics or sounds.
Time Stinkers 2, November 7, 2002
Reviewer: striver from Brooklyn, NY USA
Let's get this show on the road. A lot of people love Halo including myself because the game is more than just a game, it's a mindblowing experience of in your face combat. Let me just say that Time Stinkers 2 isn't even close to being close to what Halo is. I bought this game because I bought into the overated overhyped reviews it recieved by the various publications and simply writing this to save my fellow gamers their hard earned money.
The game started out reasonable okay, but it got worse and worse as the game progressed. The story line...well let me just say that there is none, it's pathetic which makes the entire game seem and feel like mindless killing. You can't save your progress until you complete the entire board and unluck the next one, and the boards are pretty long. You can't even save your progress once you reach a check point like in Halo. So I found myself playing and replaying a level over and over again hour after frustrating hour. You can change the difficulty to easy mode but what fun is that you don't even get to do all the objectives as you would under normal and hard modes so that limits the gameplay. And I am not a weak gamer either I have completed Halo under normal and the legendary modes and enjoyed every mintue of it even if it took me a number of etempts to reach a check point. In this game you have to activate the targeting aim first, and the targeting aims always comes back to the middle of the screen so you find yourself continuesly adjusting it as you play, I found this to be daunting. Do yourselves a favor and before shelling out [money] for this game rent it first and judge it for yourself and if you like it your like it, but I think it way over rated.
Big disappointment, November 7, 2002
Reviewer: A gamer from Colorado
Graphics are super weak, to compare them to Halo is simply blasphemous. Worst of all is the actual gameplay - the enemy AI is pretty cheeseball, there's no jump button, a severe lack of powerups (which is irritating when you get to the last 2 minutes of a level with about 1% health, take one bullet and croak) and although you can fully customize the controller, you can't customize things like the sensitivity of your crosshairs/aim, and the default setting is soooo loose and fast that it is practically impossible to hit your target with anything less than 10 rounds, let alone try and hit your target in a tense gunfight. I just love the way that when you die, the game sends you back to a check point that is about 20 minutes of gameplay back, so you have to redo about a million things just to get to the point where you originally died. I didn't even finish this game, it was sooo darn frustrating. I don't know why all the industry/magazine reviews went nuts for this game, maybe they were bribed, because the actual game deserves about 2% of the actual attention that it has received. This game is closer to the james bond 007 game that came out on xbox several months ago than it is to Halo, and if you consider that Halo is a "10" and that james bond game was about a "2", then you should get a good idea of the quality of this game. Too bad really: good concept but poor execution.
nostalgia improved, November 3, 2002
Reviewer: pat and niki shields from Ann Arbor, MI
how many of us remember playing bond for the first time...on that ol' n64? ...gives a lot of us warm and fuzzy feelings plugging the mean, nasty, couldn't possibly have a family that loves them nazis full of all the punishment we saw fit. a whole revolution spawned off of that game, and all the clones came in...and two games from the developers: perfect dark and time splitters.
enter time splitters 2. see, perfect dark was better than the first time splitters...it had a cool story, and the multiplayer edged out ahead, so for ts2, the developers had to make some improvements.
did they succeed? i'll start with the bad first.
the story is a nonsensical journey into confusion. you have no idea who your character is at that moment, let alone why you are where you are. when you choose your mission, the camera operator takes a dive into a portal and you're whisked away to what is, in a sense, a mini movie. you take on a role, whether it be a cyber punk from neo-tokyo, a cowboy in the wild west, a robot...and many others, and play lead until you find a time crystal which furthers your confusion. it's very much like quantum leap, but if you give in to the fun had at doing this, you'll find the huge variety of the stages.
with all that said, the good...
all games do not have to have a major motion picture story...the idea is to have fun, and should you have friends, invite them over and fun you shall have! the multiplayer is phenomenal! it keeps stats on all players, and the options will keep you coming back to improve them. there are more than 120 characters for the choosing, and going through all the tasks to unlock them is a game in itself...and each character has his/her own individual stats. some are crazy...some are right on target...it's fun experimenting with them all, and the different and varied modes to unlock will have you doing just that. you will find all the options from the bond/pd/ts games, and a hugely intricate mapmaker that allows you to make your own story stage, or use it as a fragfest funhouse. the replayability is where ts2 shines.
graphics are awesome, and all the effects and animation will further plaster the smile on your face.
music and sound are amazing...music gets a hats off for all of the work setting moods. the wild west has the whistling guitar sounds you'd expect, the notre dame cathedral has a gregorian chant goin' on...very well done. and the sounds effects are inspired to say the least. the robots sound like the guys that stole r2d2's oil money, and monkeys taunt with gleeful chimp sounds...and of course the guns scream and hollar, and there are a lot of em'
playability can depend on the system. while i play it on the xbox, i've heard that the ps2 controls very well and the gc can take a little getting used to, but not too shabby. that said, the xbox version handles like a dream. you can set it up anyway you want, so if you want a halo style, it's very easy to do. the play engine is very reminiscent of bond/pd/ts, full of animations and awesome collision detection, and the interactivity of the environments is amazing! depending on the accuracy of your weapon, targeting is dead on too...if you're pushing daisies, it's your own fault.
so, if you've read this far, you at least have an interest...try it out! it has more options for this genre than you'll find. and with the only drawback being that you can't play it online (just play unreal or halflife, etc. for that), you won't believe how much fun you can have with this...unless you've played the bond/pd/ts games before. and if you have, well...get ready for some nostalgia...improved.
...-a-tron, November 1, 2002
Reviewer: doomstain from Kirtland AFB, NM United States
The aiming is ... in this game, and the lack of a jump button really [stinks]. There are a lot of extras which make replay pretty special..i.e..Deathmatch, amount of characters, and arenas. Story mode is really horrible though..the level design is uninspired... and the AI is worthless. I just think I've played a bit to much Halo, a man's game with skull cracking pistol-whipping, grenade chucking fury. If you buy a FPS get unreal..it's dope..TS2 is kinda [weak]..and I cry everytime I realize the box lied to me..with all those promises of greatness.
Pretty good fps, October 31, 2002
Reviewer: LP 41 from Indianapolis IN
Timesplitters 2 is a prettygood fps with plenty of throwbacks to goldeneye. There is a much improved single player and of course excellant multiplayer. The missions are varied and there is a large selections of guns. The multiplayer is still better than the single player as with Ts 1. Although timesplitters 2 is a great fps it is not on the same ground as Halo. But is stil a great game and worth it to check out
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