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55 of 58 found the following review helpful:
 Great Game. But be careful....Oct 28, 2000
By Cainz
"cainz"
Timesplitters is one of two great first person shooter games available for the PS2 (the other one being Unreal Tournament). This game was made by a group of people who were part of the developement team that made the classic Golden Eye and Perfect Dark games for Nintendo 64. So if you loved that style of play, you'll enjoy Timesplitters. But, WARNING: the pace of Timesplitters is BLISTERING! Some prefer the slower speed of the old Bond Golden Eye game, and some liked the quicker pace of Perfect Dark, but Timesplitters is MUCH faster than both. I found that some of my friends got a little dizzy playing it because they prefer the slower frame rate of Goldeneye (which is too slow for most, including me). Also, the one player mode is cool, but it's not the high point of the game. It was clear that Timesplitters was meant to be a great multi-player game. So if you're just looking for a one player shooting game that plays a bit slower, you might think twice about this one. In addition, the controls might take a bit awkward at first if you're used to playing with an N64 controller, but since you can assign button functions any way you want, it won't take long before it feels second nature. As for the best feauture of this game: it allows you to create your own levels! So, if you like blistering paced Goldeneye/Perfect Dark style action for more than one player, Timesplitters is a great choice for your PS2. I'm happy with my purchase, althtough it's not quite up there with SSX and Madden (which are absolutely stunning games).
16 of 16 found the following review helpful:
Laser-paced run-and-gun action!Nov 01, 2000
By T. M. Harks
TimeSplitters is one of the titles I risked fifty bucks on to break in my PS2 and, in my opinion, it was worth the risk. The controls take getting used to, utilizing both analog sticks as well as almost all the buttons in order to move, reload, and fire your period-based assortment of weapons. The sounds and music are typical, I think, of many first-person shooters. However, both volume levels can be customized to meet your preferences. The graphics, in my mind, can easily compete with most PC games in the same genre. I have yet to find lag points or see breakup in spite of the ever-pressing high speed of the game. For example, in Challenge Mode (unlocked after defeating all the Story levels in Easy Mode), you can take on a mission aptly titled Behead the Undead. The object is to "remove" 50 heads from undead bodies in 2 minutes. In this sequence, surrounded by multiple enemies, there is no slowing, no lagging, no breakup - just high-speed, pull-your-hair-out, die and try again mayhem! In addition to all of this one-player madness, the game also sports multiplayer games (which I confess I've yet to try, but I'd be shocked to find them any lower in quality!) and a well-made level editor in which you can create your own levels after you tire of the many featured ones. Overall, I cannot begin to express how much fun I think this game is, and there is much more I've yet to test. I suspect the replay value of this game will be quite high for me. If you don't mind a little frustration, enjoy learning new things, and you love high-speed action intermingled with (can violence be funny?) occasional comedy (i.e. Behead the Undead), take the risk like I did. You won't be disappointed.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
My daughter and I play this for hoursDec 20, 2000
My daughter; who is 8, and I play this game for hours on end. She loves it and I (44 years old) enjoy it a lot as well. We play as a team and work our way through each of the different areas. Not only is it fun for both of us it helps to build team work. We find ourselves laughing and working together a lot. Finding a game that allows us to work together rather than to fight each other is very good change.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
modern day DoomDec 22, 2000
TimeSplitters, even the name is great, as my spare time has decreased substantially since buying this game. It isnt perfect, but gets damn close. As stated in other review, the graphics are good, if not outstanding; the sound is excellent, full stereo, plus great gun sounds; the gameplay is frantic, perfect for a console FPS. Why is this better than other FPS? well Goldeneye and Perfect Dark seem old technically now, Q3 Arena dosent run anywhere near as well on my iMac, and while Unreal Tournament is excellent on said iMac, the PS2 version is a little bland and drops in every arena compared to it's big brother. Oh and let's not forget the Dreamcasts attempt at Q3A, while adaquate in single play, the net stuff (at it's best) is about as crappy as I can handle on a PC. The thing that TimeSplitters does is allow you to have instant fun, especially with mates, for hours on end. Using the new PS2 multitap is recommended for multiplayer action - I tried my old boomerang PSX multitap, but it dosent detect more than one dual-shock plugged into it, also it stuffs data on the 8MB mem cards if they are plugged into the old grey ones... My only gripe is that there is no option for a USB keyboard and mouse. This game really let me know what I can hope for in the future - the rumours for TimeSplitters 2 are already being heard!
11 of 12 found the following review helpful:
Silky smooth FPShooter.Oct 31, 2000
By Joe Rama
"360"
Don't judge this game by the screenshots (with the dorky looking characters) or the jerky movies. Neither do justice to this game running on a PS2. This game looks ugly in stills, but plays beautifully and looks good too when in motion. I just returned Unreal Tournament since it was too choppy for my tastes (characters essentially teleported around the screen). I had little hope that TimeSplitters would do much better, but the frame rate and graphics are silky smooth.
The details are what make this game solid though. The music is good and suits the setting (Egypt, and Chinese gangland so far for my exploring). It's simple, reasonable, and adds to the atmosphere.
The graphics are simple but very well textured for atmosphere. Think "Time Crisis" but much smoother and more freedom to move around the setting. The smooth motion really adds to the feeling of 3D, and the simple graphics make for a very desirable FPShooter in my book (since it's relatively straighforward to discern threats even at distance). The lighting effects are simple and good with several colors. There's very little clutter; dead characters vanish after a brief stay and leave their weapon behind to grab. Also, the simple environmental interaction (broken glass according to where you shoot it, ditto for broken platest, etc.) is delightful.
The controls work great for me. Easy weapon switching using the direction buttons on left. The aiming is done with one analog mushroom control, including an excellent touch where the gun can be aimed without moving or rotating the character. This aiming feature makes getting head shots that much easier and special, and the game rewards the accuracy. Move with the other analog mushroom controller. The character can keep a stable eye on a scene while picking off targets within the scene without moving. Also, one can survey a scene while moving (using the two mushroom controls simultaneously).
Movement is limited compared to Quake/UT as there is no jumping. This restriction limits the speed of movement but not by much. So, this helps keep the graphics smooth even between characters moving full speed. Other than that, the looking around and moving around seem to work great.
The weapons and attacks have some surprisingly effective vibration effects in the controller as well. Granted, the vibration is very limited in strength, but I found myself surprised at how reminiscent the vibration was for what I imagined it would feel like to use particular weapons. The tight timing of the vibrations provide a great illusion of being there. These small details add to the sense of immersion.
The dreaded (according to the reviews) single player mode was great so far (first three easy challenges). I freed up the next set of levels. Simple challenges with plenty of stats for enjoyment. Three difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, and Hard. Easy is challenging now, but I suspect will be trivial after some time with the game. Hard has a lot more guards and more active ones too!
Overall, a totally pleasant surprise for me. I recommend the game highly. I'm not an FPShooter expert, but TimeSplitters far outclasses Unreal (PS2) for enjoyable smooth graphics and good game play.
For multiplayer, UT doesn't handle more than 4 characters per deathmatch. TS handles four players and some more robots after that. That sounds great to me to make up for limited access to online play (for the time being). With plenty of robots, the action is hot and heavy. I laughed while I cried at dying while trying to take another contender out. TS makes a lot of sense for console gaming, and the graphics make the game totally solid.
The map builder is a big bonus for replay value including modifying existing (sample only?) maps. It's simple but reasonably (at least) effective. I think this feature will require some time to evaluate as I only toyed with it.
Graphically, this game rocks. I haven't even played it multiplayer yet and think it's great. If you want smooth gameplay in a First Person Shooter, TimeSplitters is it. The graphics are clean and effective putting the emphasis on the game play. The controls are simple, strong, and responsive (so far). I recommend it.
Two thumbs up, and a totally pleasant surprise!
P.s., FYI, my four "keeper" PS2 games (though I only do multiplayer with few exceptions) are: EA's SSX, EA's Hockey, Tekken Tag Tournament, and now TimeSplitters. (EA's football is also good, but I just use a friend's copy.) If I were doing launch day again, I'd make these the games I bought first thing (though I'm very partial to multiplayer games, so look elsewhere for your single player game recommendations). Enjoy!
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based on 132 reviews
