First-Person
Shooter (FPS) fans are likely well aware that TimeSplitters is an extremely
fast-paced and well-balanced game, but do they realize that it’s now online?
With roughly 150 playable characters and an assortment of diverse breathtaking
stages, you and your friends can battle it out as long as you like wherever you
like. Future Perfect supports gameplay of up to eight players via broadband
(PS2), and in case you begin to tire of the game’s default map selection, simply
design your own using the Map Maker. Many gamers may complain that the new
installment in the TimeSplitters series offers little in comparison to games
such as Halo 2 and Doom 3 … don’t be fooled, nor consent to such a premature
verdict. Sit down, plug in a few controllers and try the game for yourself. Its
fast-paced gameplay offers a wide range of activities, extremely well-balanced
play mechanics, and boasts an entertaining and quite humorous story mode,
several mini-games, and an awesome Arcade mode to skirmish your friends.
Why is
everyone always on the lookout for a good FPS, if not for multiplayer? At the
root of all triple ‘A’ shooter games are top-notch multiplayer mechanics, and
Future Perfect lacks little in that department. The PS2 version has had a major
improvement since the series’ last installment and can now go online via
broadband, and can connect for up to eight players. And if there are only two of
you, no need to go on playing on a split screen. Who wants to play with their
field of view limited so drastically? The answer, no one does. Play head-to-head
and forget about your friends looking to see where you’re standing! If split
screen doesn’t bother you and you’re not afraid of the other player noticing
your superb sniping site, feel free to play on the same screen. Above all else,
have fun and remember to toss some playful banter into the mix when you’ve
decapitated your rival.
As we all
know, the current FPS market is brimming with Halo killers and Golden Eye
knockoffs. With so many (usually self proclaimed) great titles, why do we
continue to expand our library and go back to our old favorites? The
truth of the matter is that we like what works, and what works usually depends
on a variety of variables, including the player’s mood and involved friends.
TimeSplitters Future Perfect won’t likely be dubbed a Halo killer, though it is
a game that players will go to when they’re looking for a few hours or even
minutes of simple entertainment. Its fast-paced action, simple controls, and
distinctive style are all essential aspects of the niche TimeSplitters has so
successfully filled.
As for the
game’s Story Mode, Cortez is back and this time he’s got a few new friends.
Whether flying solo or with a friend, Future Perfect tells an entertaining story
that will have you playing for hours on end. The game can be beat in roughly
seven to eight hours, and is worth doing so. If you’re good, you may even unlock
a few hidden characters. Another note worth making is the game’s surprisingly
mature humor. “I would have invented gravity, pineapples, and donuts…” rants a
mad professor on his death bed. “You go first” demands the spunky red head as
she looks at the long ladder down. Quickly glancing up and down, Cortez responds
“OK”, as he notices the skirt she’s wearing. Can you argue? In my mind, Cortez
is a pretty smart man.
What’s most
surprising of all is the game’s extremely cool map-making utility. Shockingly in
depth for a console map maker, you can build just about whatever type of
scenario you like. Whether it’s using tile sets from the temple or race logic
from ‘Cat Driving,’ the design is up to you. This leads us into the map maker’s
next note of worth, after designing your own map, play it with a friend and if
they like it, save it onto their memory card to allow them a little fun.
By now
(meaning the third installment in the franchise), you shouldn’t be too surprised
to learn that Future Perfect’s graphics are fairly pleasing to the eye. The
game’s scenarios range from a disco center to Vietnam to a Siberian
outpost. Each of the game’s areas carry a mood and feel of their own, including
the story mode’s train scenario, which many gamers may recall from last year’s
E3. Even the game’s music and ambience assist in relating TimeSplitters’
extraordinary pace and various moods desired in the different scenarios. A
metallic sounding techno may lead you into one area while a completely different
sounding haunted music may lead you into another (Such as the Mansion of
Madness).
The short of
the matter is that TimeSplitters’ distinct pace, refined visuals, and sound play
mechanics have made for an outstanding series. And most fortunately, Future
Perfect is no exception. Now available with an online mode allowing for up to
eight players, you’ll likely find yourself playing for hours on end. Whether
it’s only one more round of ‘Behead the Undead’ or ‘Cat Driving,’ it
seems the designers at Free Radical have brought about one more reason to resign
our wrists to carpal tunnel syndrome. Thanks, Free Radical!
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Gameplay: 8.8
TimeSplitters
Future Perfect is a great game to pick up and play with your friends; not only
that, but it’s a great game to play alone. Taking perhaps a minute to become
accustom to the controls (as if they vary much from shooter-to-shooter), you and
your friends can be at each other’s throats almost instantly. And best of all,
you can check Player Progress for your handle to find out a variety of
fun facts about how often and in some cases how well you play. An extremely
fast-paced FPS, Future Perfect is the perfect (if I may say) break from Halo.
Graphics: 8.5
The environment
and its texturing is just about what one would expect from a game released on
all thee platforms. Its real visual selling point is its finely modeled
characters (all 150 of them!) and its larger-than-life character animation.
Whether it’s an exaggerated smile that pulls in the eyes or a humorous flailing
of the arms, just about all animations are top notch.
Sound: 8.3
Future Perfect
sports a wide assortment of musical and ambient clips. Mostly a metallic
techno, the game’s music is upbeat and fits well within the game’s design.
Difficulty: Medium
Not an easy game
by any means, though not a hard game. Of course there IS the option to change
the difficulty, but even then the game doesn’t do too much to lighten up nor
become mission impossible.
Concept: 8.0
Travel back in
time to stop an evil man from doing something bad. Likely not the first time
you’ve heard it, but at least it’s done well. Though it may be a little cliché,
there’s nothing worse than hearing a story about jumping through time told bad…
Multiplayer: 9.0
As with most
first-person shooters, multiplayer is what will make or break the game.
Fortunately enough, it didn’t break the game, and is actually quite enjoyable.
With several modes of play ranging from arcade modes, arena battles to story
modes and co-op play, you’ll be going off to find a friend. In fact, Future
Perfect is the first installment in the series to offer online support … though
it does seem to be a standard nowadays. If you have broadband, feel free to use
it, because it’s the only way you’ll be playing with more than four players.
Overall: 8.8
Simple and
intuitive controls make Future Perfect an excellent pickup and party game. Its
story mode may be rather short (somewhere in the range of seven to eight hours),
but its lighthearted tale, amiable character, option for co-op, and downright
amazing multiplayer make for a great deal of fun.
