|
The Plot:    The main mode of the game is "Story", which launches players into a battle across varied times and places (1920's Chicago, 1990's Russia, places in the future). The layouts are varied and enjoyably presented, while the various enemies are impressively aggressive in their search for you (although the game does offer easy, normal and hard difficultly levels). The levels also present different "objectives" along the way to offer additional motivation. The weapons available to you in each of the different levels are weapons from the time period, although those who venture into the "arcade" mode (to be discussed later) will find the ability to use any of the game's ridiculously rich selection of weapons. The only element that irritated me a bit with the "story" level is that the checkpoints (where you'll start again if you don't make it) seemed a bit too far apart. Honestly, the "Arcade" mode is the one that I keep coming back to more often than the main story mode. Here you'll find tons (literally - there's three different "leagues" with lots of missions each) of shorter missions that take place in several different (a mountain training camp, a robot factory, a scrapyard, a base in Mexico and others) arenas. Given the availability of weapons scattered about these areas, there's no worries about running out before the mission is over. Constant updates of your rank in the mission in comparison to all of the other players adds the all-important goal/point. If players tire of the missions, they can create "custom" ones, too: "Arcade Custom" mode allows gamers to tweak the options (amount of points to win, whether or not you start off with a weapon, which five weapons out of the many available are given for the mission, how long you want to play and more) for additional games, including "capture the bag", "elimination", "shrink", "thief" and many others. "Timesplitters 2", while offering exceptionally intense action, also doesn't always take itself seriously. One of the missions involved stopping - with brute force - a set of lawyers and consultants from taking over your training base. One of the options for the "arcade custom" mode is also to face off against "classic" characters, which include an Elvis impersonator and the Gingerbread Man. In addition - there's the monkeys. The developers at Free Radical must have thought, "We've got a game with everything but a monkey." One of the funniest moments in the game is to play in the arcade levels and see a little monkey run by with dual machine guns. "Challenge" mode opens up a new set of missions, including one where players must use a brick to break all the windows at a base within a certain amount of time. The game also includes "multiplayer" (2-4) options. There's even more to the game, though (believe it or not). Looking in options brings up the ability to watch a trailer for the upcoming Lara Croft game or cutscenes from TS2 as well as find out statistics. The statistics area is fascinating, offering the player information like: how long they've played, how many rounds they've fired (for example, I'd fired 30,000 in my first four hours of gameplay - it's that kinda game, especially in the "arcade custom" modes). "Mapmaker" offers players the chance to design their own map for one of the "arcade" modes. Although the "story" section is a little inconsistently entertaining (the story is rather mediocre), there's something for everyone here and the "arcade" and "mapmaker" modes will likely provide many with hours and hours of fast-paced entertainment. The XBOX version includes the same features as the PS2 version, but the load times on the XBOX version are considerably quicker. Rating: 9.4/10 The DVD Graphics: "Timesplitters 2" pushes forward with such fast and furious speed that it's remarkable that the game shows no slowdown or choppiness whatsoever. The character models are nicely detailed and occasionally quite funny up-close, but still not exceptional looking. Surroundings are well-rendered, as the levels all look pretty interesting and have occasional interactivity, whether it's in regards to the mission or not (aim for the bell in the Mexican area to get it to ring). All of the different guns and their firepower also look pretty neat, especially the one laser whose blast bounces off the walls until it reaches a target. Still, the most exceptional aspect of the graphics is the game's ability to move so fast so smoothly. The XBOX version provides graphics that are rather noticably improved. While the PS2 version provides enjoyable graphics, but a slightly soft appearance, the XBOX version runs equally as smooth, while also providing graphics that are more crisp and well-defined. Rating: 9.5/10 Sound: "Timesplitters 2" offers a pretty intense audio experience, even if the presentation is not in 5.1. The game itself offers a varied score that sounds rather Bond-ish at times (the developers worked on the "Goldeneye" game) and heavy metal-ish at others ("arcade custom" mode also allows the player to choose from the varied music). Story mode more clearly emphasizes the score, but there are occasional loud moments of action. The "arcade" and "arcade custom" modes, which are more an all-out assault, turn into a fury of sound effects. Gunfire, explosions and other sound effects are not only crisply rendered and loud, but are rather bassy and powerful, as well. Rating: 9.2/10 Gameplay: While I was originally disapointed in the XBOX's controls when I played the demo version of "Timesplitters 2" (as I was with PS2 demo version's controls), the controls on the final game are - as with the PS2's controls - tighter and easier to handle. Rating: 9.5/10 Rating Issues: "Timesplitters 2" is rated "T" (Teen). While the game does offer an intense assault, the violence is not particularly graphic and the sometimes silly tone keeps things light. Final Thoughts: "Timesplitters 2" doesn't quite reach the heights of "Halo" (It's story mode isn't as cinematic/immersive as "Halo"'s, nor is its story as involving), but it's certainly a close second, as the game's action is remarkably intense, its options amazing and its sense of humor occasionally is downright hilarious. The XBOX version has the edge over the PS2 version, with crisper graphics and quicker load times. |