TimeShift Review

Technically, the game is pretty polished and works smoothly. When it comes to visuals, you'll find that TimeShift has up-to-date effects such as depth of field, impressive explosions and similar features, to make things a wee bit closer to next-gen standards. The first portion of the game features dense rain and a cool-looking murky ambiance. The major make-over obviously worked. Even so, the graphics and overall design qualities of TimeShift cannot compare to the likes of BioShock, CoD 4, Halo 3, Lost Planet or similar action games.

Life is one long, uphill struggle.

Oops, did I do that?

The single-player game can be completed quickly, after which you may want to give the game's multiplayer a visit. Controlling time adds a new layer to the gameplay. It's possible to slow, freeze or wind back time by tossing one of three different chrono grenades (players caught in the blast radius are affected by it). Aside from deathmatch, team deathmatch, CTF and one-on-one, you can enjoy the so-called Meltdown Madness and King of Time mode. In King of Time, players fight to control the time sphere - anybody holding the sphere is able to resist the effects of time, which means they can easily increase the number of kills. In Meltdown Madness you and your teammates have to stop the countdown of the opposing team's machine (again, you slow down the machines by lobbing chrono grenades at them). This kind of multiplayer partially increases the game's replayability.

The simple and obvious truth is that TimeShift doesn't make any leaps in design or gameplay. Almost every element, including some of the time-related features, was seen before (killing opponents in slow-mo feels remarkably similar to F.E.A.R.). Controlling time makes for a few handy tricks, but there isn't much to do beyond that.

With fair potential, all TimeShift has become is another generic FPS, with a mediocre setting, underwhelming gameplay and absolutely no story, let alone any character depth. Its features are barely enough to keep you occupied for a few hours until something better shows up.