sci-fi

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.

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 mind blowing experience of in your face combat. Let me just say that TimeStinkers 2 isn't even close to being close to what Halo is. I bought this game because I bought into the over rated over hyped reviews it recieved by the various publications and simply writing this to save 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 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.

I rented this game from blockbuster. It is bad. It is so hard because you never feel like you are holding the gun and it is too hard. I can't get past the first level because I have no idea what to do. There is one objective I can't do. MAKE SURE YOU DON'T GET FOOLED BY THE "First Halo, Now This" I own Halo and have finished it on easy, normal, heroic, and legendary. (Thank You) And it is a much better game than this.