TimeSplitters 2
Review of TimeSplitters 2
Once upon a time, console owners looked across enviously at their fellow PC gamers due to the enormous library of FPS (1st Person Shoot-em-ups) that was readily available. The arrival of the more powerful PS2 began to immediately readdress this mighty imbalance and over the last couple of years quality shooters have appeared thick and fast. In fact one of the better PS2 launch titles has just unveiled a sequel by the title of TimeSplitters 2.
This time around our pair of time travelling 25th century heroes must leap back through the portal in chase of that malevolent alien race, the TimeSplitters, who have fled to another dimension with nine power supplying crystals.
Graphically TimeSplitter 2 looks far sharper than the original game, although this time around the characters take on even more of a cartoony guise. I suppose this is a totally acceptable move, since we do live in a time where gory movies and violent video games are regularly blamed for juvenile crime. I guess when a cartoon character mows his way through a wave of enemies using a heavy machine gun everything is okay, because Bugs Bunny and his animated friends have been doing this for decades. Go figure..!
Each of the nine levels takes place in an accurate setting that does a pretty good job of representing the desired period in time. These range from the snowbound barracks of modern day Siberia, way back to a time when the West was really Wild, onto a gangster ridden Chicago in the nineteen thirties, before heading off into the robotic future of the 25th Century. The level in time that particularly impressed me was 1895 Notre Dame. Not for the accurate depth of detail (although the Victorian setting does look remarkable)… just that I really enjoyed pumping rockets through the huge stained glass windows in the abbey. Overall this leads to a visual treat that never once left me with that ‘just another level’ feeling.
For those who failed to pick up the original TimeSplitters you get a whole bundle of game styles to enjoy. How about 21 challenges at 3 different difficulty levels involving crazy rules such as tossing bricks through windows against the clock and seeing how long you can stay alive by decapitating waves of zombies using your bare FIST! There are some wicked new additions to Challenge mode for those who maybe got bored of the last lot, such as shooting cardboard pop-up cutouts in the Wild West and chasing monkeys for bananas… Crazy! There are a multitude of Arcade modes including various deathmatches, capture the bag and the wonderful shrinking mode, where rather than kill off opponents you simply reduce their size until they are minute (the ever shrinking target works great as a handicap system against the better players). Three Arcade Leagues provide a mighty challenge, while most modes can be played co-operatively or against up to 16 players networked via link cables or multitaps.
Once again the 9 levels of Story Mode must be conquered on all three-difficulty levels to unveil most of the multiplayer bonus modes and crazy playable characters. A further bonus involves hitting the triangle button while using the map scanner in Story mode to access 3 further retro sub-games such as the highly addictive Anaconda and the ever-frustrating Astrolander. To top everything off there is now an advanced mode to the map-making facility.
OUR PLEDGE: We promise that we have fully played 'TimeSplitters 2' before writing this review. The scores given above are our honest opinion and were not influenced in any way by the manufacturer or distributor of the game.
This review was written by Martin © Absolute PlayStation
Click here to view our 9 TimeSplitters 2 in-game screenshot slideshow
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