Buy It, It's Class! (Time Splitters 2 (PS2))

Member Name: ps2update

Product:	Time Splitters 2 (PS2)
Date:	17/01/03 (160 review reads)
Rating:

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Way back 2 years ago when the PS2 was first released among the despairing average launch games were two who stood head and shoulders above the rest. While games like Tekken Tag Tournament proved simply to be eye candy that played like their predecessors on the original console two showed a significant step forward into the future. These two games combined brilliant next-gen graphics, addictive playability and an insane speed of play. Ok so games before these two had been quick, arcade Ridge Racer to name one, but these games displayed what was possible with the new technology. They were the games to show off to your mates. These two games were the benchmark that all the other would be rated against. These two games were SSX and TimeSplitters. SSX has recently been given another outing, SSX Tricky, and now the long awaited TimeSplitters is upon us. Nearly two years since the original first reached PS2 owners we're about to experience it all again. The break neck speed, addictive challenges and comedy element have all returned to deny you of sleep again.

TimeSplitters 2 has been developed by the same group of people who developed the first game so successfully. Free Radical Design hadn't officially released a game before the original but that doesn't mean they don't have any past experience. Hell no. FRD of course consist of many of the same people who developed the timeless classic Goldeneye for the N64. Whilst die hard Goldeneye fans argue that the game has never been bettered despite the new technology giving rise to games like Halo, Perfect Dark and countless PS2 and PC efforts others point to these games as Goldeneye beaters. It seems now that every other weeks releases features a Goldeneye beater but few deliver what they promise (Turok Evolution anyone?). Free Radical Design is back and this team they really mean business.

Graphics

The graphics of Timesplitters 2 are simply outstanding and one of the main selling point
s of the game. Ok so the games graphics are never really a be all and end all of the game but you will be looking at them for hours on end so it pays for them to be at least good to look at it. And that they are. The textures in the environments, characters and the weapons are absolutely sublime. Metal looks shiny and cold, brick looks rough and tough and water looks suitably, well, watery. Some of the levels such as the jungle level are colourful and vibrant whereas others are industrial and dingy. There is a great range in the settings of the levels. Even the Notre Dame level has a very cold and lonely feel to it, which no one can doubt, is a very hard feeling to get into a game of any sort. Characters look good and free moving ducking and diving in and out of cover with all their limbs in place. There are none of the "good ol'" miss placed limbs from other shooters here. However the game does still lack blood. Admittedly it probably wouldn't fir very well with the target audience of some of the characters but it is a glaring omission. In omitting blood Free Radical have also kept the rating of the game and thus made the game more accessible to more people. Can't blame them really.
18/20

Gameplay

I must say that the overall gameplay throughout all the areas of the game is brilliant. Ultimately not much has changed from the original game which is not a great disappointment. There are little tweaks here and there with the weapons and the like but overall not much the same. The controls are still absolutely brilliant (and so far unbeaten on the console). The health bar has been replaced in favour of a more Goldeneye approach with two semi circles that appear only when the player is taking damage - one representing health and the other armour.

In story mode the levels are extremely varied. There are stealth levels and levels where going in all guns blazing is nearly encouraged. However in nearly all the levels it
9;s the player's choice which course of action they take in order to complete the levels goals. The single player game comes into it's own in TS2 with the development saying after the original that they wanted the sequel to have more single player enjoyment. They have succeeded in this making the single player game thoroughly enjoyable but it does still only serve as a taster for what is coming with the joy that is arcade mode.

Arcade mode is insane. Not doubts. The challenges, time trials and assorted other trinkets are so varied, hilarious and downright stupid that it is possible to lose hours playing away oblivious to all around you. The time trials range a great deal from the few that you'll be able to complete first time, stepping up to the ones that you'll only be a few seconds too slow on but then progressing to the ones that will have you up into the small hours trying to shave another second off your time. The "league" section makes up the main part of the arcade section and brings in a lot more stuff to play around with in multiplayer mode. There are three leagues (ranging from amateur to elite) each with levels to be completed to unlock more levels. It'll take days but it's so worth it to be able to experience the mayhem of multiplayer mode?

The multiplayer mode is absolutely jaw dropping. It's fast, furious and frantic. With TS2 it's possible to link consoles via i-Link and have a huge killing fest with up to 32 of your best mates. There is an amazing selection of modes to play, most of which left to discover for yourself, some of which are completely new and some borrowed from other shooters (such as Unreal Tournament on the PC). Even with 4 players the deathmatch works so well so imagine it with 32 players and you're getting close to gaming paradise. If the future of gaming is this sort of link up game then Sony can take all the time in world about getting an internet service out - nothing
beats having you all sat round in the "real" world. Outstanding.
25/25

Sound

The merciless blasting from your weapon, screams of pain from your victims, and that thud as they hit the cold, damp floor. Sound plays a major role in any game - maybe more so in first person shooters like this. It's extremely pleasing to see then that all is present and correct. The sound effects from the weapons are deafening, the screams of agony in the distance strangely chilling yet great to hear, and that sound of another corpse hitting the deck. The sound effects in the original game were breathtaking and the ones from the sequel are just as good. The player can even hear sniper bullets zipping past them. The character voices are also another highpoint with the game. The character select screen yet again comes up with little one liners upon selection with the various accents for different characters. Aliens and zombies have grunts and groans. The game menu music is suitably upbeat and changes in volume. It adds a bit of sound to the menus without trying to replace the players own music choice (through a stereo or whatever). If there can be a complaint about the sound it's that the music and character selection things can become a little repetitive sometimes. It's only really because you'll play the game so much and there is quite a range of different background music tracks and the like.
19/20


Lifespan

The game is very well balanced for both a beginner and the veterans of the first game. Players new to the series will be able to ease into action with the choice of 3 modes (and custom league) so hopefully with the 3 modes on the go the player won't get too stuck very quickly. Veterans of the game however will be able to go into the story or arcade games gun blazing and play for over an hour before even their first death. This is a really good system as it gently eases in beginners yet reminds experienced
players what the series is all about. The game offers an incredible amount of gameplay hours with arcade, story and challenge modes all needed to be completed. The Gran Turismo arcade style of awarding gold, silver and bronze awards for different levels of excellence brings about an extra few hours as players strive to get all gold to achieve 100% completion (and you will). The game will take the average player hours to get through and that's without the arcade games against bots and mates. The 16 (human) player deathmatches are absolutely insane and can easily eat up a whole evening. As the game is easy to pick up and play effectively the deathmatches tend to be well matched but inevitably in the end quality shines through.
24/25

Originality

As with the first game, TS2 features a great deal of the development teams somewhat quirky humour. This humour comes through in both the arcade and challenge modes and therefore is reflected in the characters used in these scenarios. A great example of this is a challenge mode level which features R108 - except it isn't. Having read the description of the level the player doesn't have much of a clue what is going on until the character select screen comes up and they are faced with a human with boxes over their limbs and main body. During the play research stage of this review playing through this game I laughed out loud repeatedly. Some of the humour admittedly is dependant on the player having played through the original game. The monkeys are again a welcome distraction and gave rise to the "animal cruelty" (number of monkeys killed in story mode) stat on the players profile. The actual game itself isn't really anything new - just the scenarios the game places the player in.
6/10

Overall

In short: Buy it. It's class.






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