TimeSplitters 2 Preview

We're happy to report that Eidos Interactive sent along a preview copy of their Xbox action title, TimeSplitters 2. The first game is probably best known to Playstation owners. The title needed more steam in the single-player, but it was immensely fun to play in multiplayer. Happily, Free Radical Design (the developer) greatly enhanced both single-player and multiplayer aspects. But, what else should you know about this sequel? Well, for starters, it includes time travel... Duh!

I was always keen on little schoolgirls.

Easy there Doc, what seems to be the problem?

In TimeSplitters 2, The Doc and Marty won't be going with you on this time-trip and you won't be flying the DeLorean either. This is a completely different story of course. In order to ensure the safety of mankind your task is to track down the wicked TimeSplitters and stop them from fulfilling their fiendish plot to crudely alter the future. The TimeSplitters have access to a special time portal device, thanks to which they are able to enter various periods of history and cause havoc, corruption, and disorder. The only way you can stop these heathens is to pursue them through this portal. However, the portal is a mysterious device and you can end up who-knows-where. Why are they doing it? I can't quite tell you that. But, I'll have to admit that no matter how worn-out it seems, the idea of time traveling is always a solid premise for a video game storyline.

Naturally, time traveling implies a variety of locations where players will have the difficult task of hunting down the TimeSplitters. The final game will allow you to visit an incredible range of sceneries; you'll be going to Siberia (1990), Chicago (1932), Atomsmasher (1962), Aztec Ruins (1932), Wild West (1890), Notrdame Paris (1867), Robot Factory (2315), Japan Tokyo (2019), and finally you will be able to Return to Planet X (2280). The locations we've seen show that the developers made several effective improvements in the level design, which gives ample opportunity for new tactical approaches in the missions. In other words, testing this demo we used some of these tactics and saw how well they perform in actuality. And all I can say is I was mighty impressed with the overall flow of gameplay. Nothing really managed to clog the game. The action just went on, each weapon we got to sample reacted pretty well, and the missions were challenging. The best thing about this game is that it features extremely graceful action that doesn't stop. Also, the story is not tedious and confusing. Quite the contrary, it just keeps going with the flow, which makes up for the faults in the previous game.

As for the weapons, you can be sure that the developers covered just about everything. Since you get to travel several centuries in the past, stuff like cross-bows, blowguns, and similar thingies will guarantee clean and original FPS fun. Oh and did I mention you'll get to try all sorts of cool futuristic weaponry, like laser pulse rifles? You also get to test the flamethrower (my personal favorite) - after a few hours of intense gameplay, we realized that this weapon soon became the preference of every ActionTrip staff member. Why you ask? Because we love torching each other. Call it a RtCW syndrome if you will.

According to the development team, a thoroughly upgraded version of the old TimeSplitters engine was used in the creation of this sequel. Utilizing this modified engine, the crew at Free Radical Design incorporated an impressive array of special effects. More importantly, the engine now has the capacity for a wider variety of huge outdoor levels where the action takes place. Actually, we think some of the in-game models might use a few additional polys (though I should add that some models -- *cough* schoolgirl and the busty babe, are FINE just the way they are). The polys in the background are also on the weak side and we're kinda hoping that these details will be optimized before the final game hits the stores. However, sometimes compromises are necessary in order to shift the focus to the more important things -- *cough* schoolgirl and the busty babe! On the plus side, the animation system was designed from scratch this time, which clearly made a lot of difference - the characters are more life-like and have now received an extended amount of hit-zones. This supplementary animation feature causes wounded enemies to fall down in various ways. And thanks to the excellent muzzle effects these animations are pretty cool to behold. Additionally, each weapon displays great-looking visual effects (explosions, empty bullet shells flying around, etc.).

The Summary

We weren't able to hear the sound effects and music in their full capacity. Although, the preview build did demonstrate some high-quality sound effects, indeed worthy of such hits as GoldenEye - experienced console gamers probably know that these developers have worked on the Playstation titles such as GoldenEye and Perfect Dark. Also, if you've played the previous TimeSplitters game, you should know that it had one of the coolest multiplayer modes. This was maintained in the sequel, although it would be nice if the crew at Free Radical Design decided to extend this fabulous multiplayer to the Xbox Live Service.