TimeSplitters: Future Perfect

"Insert Timesplitters: Future Perfect Pun here."

The Timesplitters (TS) series if you don't know is a First Person Shooter game made by the people who back in the day brought us gems like Goldeneye and Perfect Dark for the N64, and most people will agree that those games are timeless classics. Fact.

The TS series has appealed to gamers who want a fast, fun, simple and more fluid style of play as opposed to ultra realism. The whole series has had a definite arcade feel to it and has succeeded in simply being extremely fun and easy to pick up.

onto the review

Game play 10/10
Single player
Now TS is geared more towards multiplayer, but has never left the solo play out in the rain. The story mode in this game is short and sweet, playing on normal difficulty will provide just enough challenge to keep you busy without frustrating you to the point of breaking the controller. It is mainly running around fighting bucket loads of bad guys and rarely deters from this path, yes there are a few simple puzzles and a few moments where stealth might be a better option, but generally it is a matter of blowing away the hoards of baddies, and advancing to the next level.

Linear?
The solo play is very linear which may put people off, there is not much to do off the beaten track, but because the action is thick and strong you will probably forget about this at times.

Want a Challenge?
After you've slugged you're way through the story mode the is a load of other stuff to do, this is where TS:FP scores its points. First off we have the challenge mode which is a bunch of mini missions which don't relate to the story and you usually have a scoring system (eg:75 points for each zombie monkey you decapitate) and the higher score you get the better trophy you get and you unlock better rewards (usually extra characters or cheats). And once you have beaten the challenge you will want to go back and try for the gold or even platinum trophy because they are so fun.

Along side the challenge mode we have the Arcade League, which is yet more challenges but they are all actually pre made arcade games which again reward you on point systems. All in all there is plenty to keep the solo player busy!

Multiplayer
This is where the game shines, get some friends round and blast away. There are several different ways to play, you have the standard split screen (up to 4 players) which is still great fun to play. You can system link with other xboxs slightly more hassle but infinitely more rewarding. And then the newest way to play......

Online
Now I can't go into to much detail here because as of yet I don't have the ability to go online. But I can tell you what I know. using Xbox 'live' you can now challenge people across the globe or just you're friend down the road, using this option you can make games for upto 16 players and share you're stats and view top score tables. Also one thing that will sweeten the deal is we can now share our own maps (made using the mapmaker, more on that later!) and story missions online, which with an active community will mean there is always something new to play!

Graphics and Sound 8/10
Graphics
The graphics in TS:FP are good, they have a style all of their own and while they are not as good as some others out there this style makes them harder to compare. To put it simply they do the job and then some. There are some nice effects, the weapons look good, reloading animations have been added and the character models are great.

Music and Sound
Again the music and SFX do the job, you won't be rushing off to get the soundtrack any time soon, but the music will keep you going during that 1000 frag deathmatch.

The sound effects are pretty good, guns sound like guns, bullets ricocheting are good, people screaming as you blow a hole in them, all these add to the affair. Can't complain!

Difficulty 9/10
Now the story mode is fairly easy, but the reason I am giving this a nine is the arcade challenges, some of them will drive you mad at how hard they are. They will challenge you!

Replay Value 9/10
Very good the challenges and the multi player modes are the key here, because the multi play is fully customisable you will have months of fun with this one. Then you can play with friends or online this will keep you going.

Mapmaker
As a very nice little bonus we have been given a proficient map maker, which as the name suggests lets you make maps how you want them, and even better you can make you're own story levels and challenges. It is fairly easy to use and you will be making levels by the bucket load once you get the hang of it. This really is a brilliant feature! kudos to Free Radical for this.

Overall 9/10
The game really is this good, if you liked any of the previous TS games get this, If you liked Goldeneye or Perfect Dark for the 64 get this, if you didn't, well get it anyway. You will not be disappointed.

Thanks for reading.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/29/05