TimeSplitters 2 Preview

By Rob Fahey Published 16 May, 2002

Preview - we've played it, and it's really, really good

Eighteen months ago, the launch of the PS2 in the UK was dogged by a lack of quality software. As the giant Japanese publishers singularly failed to provide compelling games for Sony's new wunderkind, it fell to a previously unheard-of developer in Nottingham to rescue the show with a clever and quirky first-person shooter which went by the name of TimeSplitters. With the sequel due for a public airing at E3 later this month, we take a sneaky look at the successor to the game that came from left of field to steal the PS2 launch crown.

Time To Kill

'TimeSplitters 2' Screenshot 05b

Three blokes who want shooting, I should think

The first-person shooter pedigree of developers Free Radical Design is a bit more impressive than TimeSplitters alone. The company may have been unheard of when TimeSplitters was released, but many of its core staff came from a little software company called Rare. You may have heard of them; they made some mildly successful first person shooters like GoldenEye and Perfect Dark…

The build of TimeSplitters 2 we played consisted of a single level of the PS2 version (the game will also appear on Xbox and GameCube), and the GoldenEye influence is clear to see. Described as the team's homage to the N64 classic, this level certainly seems outwardly familiar - set around a giant dam in a snowy landscape, you must infiltrate the compound below the dam using a combination of stealth and gratuitous violence. The gameplay is a far cry from the fast, arcadey action of the original TimeSplitters. Athough other levels in the game offer thrills and spills of the hardcore shoot 'em up variety, here the emphasis was on stealth, cunning, and being a dab hand with the fantastic sniper rifle.

Although the game is still stylised and it certainly retains the unique sense of humour and comic-book sensibilities laid down by the first title, the enemy models are significantly more detailed and the levels a lot better looking, with impressive draw distance and attention to detail. Weapons are nicely modelled and the game promises a huge variety of them; we particularly liked the sniper rifle, which is surprisingly controllable with the Dual Shock pad and highlights nicely the hugely varied range of animations afforded to your enemies.

We Live In Interesting Times

'TimeSplitters 2' Screenshot apr02b

A shot from the Xbox version - he looks a bit toasty

Although fans of all-out action are unlikely to be disappointed by TimeSplitters 2, there's no doubt that the game has gone out of its way to be significantly more cerebral than its predecessor. For a start, the intelligence of enemies in the game is quite impressive, and being spotted either by guards or by the security cameras isn't a good idea at all. Many areas of the huge level we saw needed careful thought before proceeding, in terms of taking out both automated defences and patrolling guards.

Another welcome addition is rolling mission objectives, which pop up as you discover new challenges on the level and allow you to keep track of what you're meant to be doing at any given time. An apparently simple mission objective may turn out to have layers of complexity as you run off to do other related missions before completing the main objective. Add to this the fact that the game is obviously capable of handling absolutely huge levels without load delays or any of that nonsense, and also boasts I-link multiplayer support, and you've got a riveting gaming experience in the making.

Variety is also something TimeSplitters 2 is unlikely to lack. From realistic Metal Gear Solid-esque sections such as the one we played through to battles against the undead and futuristic warfare, the game ambitiously promises to roll the content of three or four lesser titles into one superb package. It's a game which could well do for console first-person shooters what Grand Theft Auto 3 did for driving games.

Conclusion

It's a cliché, and it's silly, but I'm going to say it anyway - TimeSplitters 2 feels like the spiritual successor to GoldenEye, but with fantastic graphics, much more varied environments and enemies, and the promise of frantic action-packed segments as well as more cerebral stealth missions. With this game, Eidos has potentially the biggest console hit of the year on its hands. Reaction from the show floor at E3 will be an early indicator, but for our money, right now, TimeSplitters 2 is stacking up to be the FPS title to beat in console terms.

Picture of Rob.

About Rob Fahey

Rob Fahey is a former editor of GamesIndustry.biz who spent several years living in Japan and probably still has a mint condition Dreamcast Samba de Amigo set.

Read more articles from Rob by visiting the Rob Fahey archive page.

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Comments (35) Latest comment 8 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • binky #1 10 years ago

    sounds great. never did play the original tho....

    with this and Turok both due, I better hurry up and finish Halo on Legendary!!!

    any word on a co-op split screen as seen in Halo ??

  • Monkey #2 10 years ago

    looking forward to it already!!

    still got TS1 that still gets the odd play :)

  • BartonFink #3 10 years ago

    "game that came from left of field to steal the PS2 launch crown."
    Not much of a accolade that now is it..
    The first one was a little bit on the crap side. Hopefully this will be a bit better.

  • thebuzzard #4 10 years ago

    Id rather have the GC version for 4 player fun. I refuse to buy a Multitap to play 4 players games, even M$ had the sense to have 4 joypad ports.

  • Whizzo #5 10 years ago

    I recently bought it the original for 16 quid and it's certainly a fun game that doesn't take itself seriously, which after the usual po-faced PC FPS games, is quite refreshing.

  • otto #6 10 years ago

    w00t shinji!!

  • Jesus: Action Figure #7 10 years ago

    Version I played of TS2 felt incredibly like Goldeneye. Which is great news.

    And if it keeps the fantastic multiplayer aspects from GE and TS1, this should be a doozy ;o)

    Looking forward to it...

  • DarkSpirit #8 10 years ago

    got a demo from my PS mag and from what i have played its pretty cool(controls really suck, but i never played the 1st one)
    Im still looking for a 2 player(or more)game for my GC im gittin for my birthday.

  • Gestalt #9 10 years ago

    Here's a crazy idea - maybe he said that because he really, really liked it? :)

  • JaysonG #10 10 years ago

    Buying a multitap and Pro Evolution Soccer was the best thing I ever did!!

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #11 10 years ago

    "It really annoyed me that i couldn’t get an honest review of it anywhere"

    You're deluded.

  • Blerk #12 10 years ago

    I refuse to buy a multitap because I don't have any friends. :-)

  • Halo.Jones #13 10 years ago

    I'm surprised they didn't show you the network version.

    :)

  • Tricky #14 10 years ago

    Disagree with the bit about Halo being better than MoH - maybe on single player you're right but for multiplayer you can't beat the Objective missions on MoH.

    I have to say that I really don't like multiplayer FPS games on consoles though - you can always see where the other people are by looking at their part of the screen which takes a huge element of the skill out of it. Sure it's fun for a quick blast but it definitely can't replace a decent PC FPS multiplayer game on a broadband connection [okay, I'm spoilt with the broadband bit but then I do pay for it ;-)]

  • skalmanxl #15 10 years ago

    Halo! rules over any first person game on console and even HL and MoH on PC

    I think that poor (the guy who said that, forgot his last name, it should be "Taste".

  • Shinji #16 10 years ago

    "TS1 was a very over hyped pile of crap, i really don’t expect alot more from this."

    Nor did I. For what it's worth, I didn't actually like the original TimeSplitters that much - it was certainly the best of the PS2 launch titles, which was quite a surprise when it was stacked up against a Tekken game and a Ridge Racer game, but I still didn't think it was fantastic. Which is why it was so nice to discover that the second one looks set to be bloody brilliant.

    "Judging by the title "we've played it, and it's really, really good" it will be impossible to get an honest review of number 2."

    Oh really? For a start, it's a preview. I state pretty clearly just how much of the game I've seen. I fail to see how a positive preview prevents the review down the line from being honest?


    "I have to say that I really don't like multiplayer FPS games on consoles though"

    Nor do I, for the same reason you just said. However, this is allegedly going to support i-link play on the PS2, so as long as you have a few PS2s and TVs, that could be a right blast. Goldeneye-style multiplayer but with everyone on a different screen. How much would that rule?

  • Errol #17 10 years ago

    Game, set and match - Shinji.

  • ssuellid #18 10 years ago

    "I have to say that I really don't like multiplayer FPS games on consoles though"

    Halo is a lot of fun with 4 TVs 4 Consoles and 16 players all linked up. Sharing the TV with three others does not allow much same screen cheating as there are still another 12 players to worry about.


    I heard that GT3 had some wonderful linked console options anyone tried it?

    Anyone know if linking a chipped NTSC PS2 to a UK PS2 works?

  • Killerbee #19 10 years ago

    "so as long as you have a few PS2s and TVs"

    I reckon not many people do. Sure, you can get a mate to bring their PS2 and a telly round, but how often is that going to happen?

    I just hope they include a normal split-screen 2-player option. Preferably with some kind of cooperative play as well as the usual deathmatch stuff.

    I've never played TS1, but I loved N64 Goldeneye, so this one looks very interesting indeed...

  • ssuellid #20 10 years ago

    "Sure, you can get a mate to bring their PS2 and a telly round, but how often is that going to happen? ": -

    Surely its becoming more common to have more than 1 TV in the house in the first place? I have two in my living room so that one can be used for games and the other one for watching TV.

  • full effect #21 10 years ago

    It's bound to be good, it's got some of the original goldeneye development team working on it nuff said.

  • otto #22 10 years ago

    "I have two in my living room so that one can be used for games and the other one for watching TV."

    lol! What, at the same time?? I suppose in theory that's possible with headphones, but still...

    We have one pretty old TV in the house and persuading my missus that we need a new one is going to be such an uphill struggle that I don't think I'll even bother for a while...

  • ssuellid #23 10 years ago

    "What, at the same time?? " - yes, my woman normally watches hollyoaks or whatever listening with some headphones. Before I moved in with her I already had a TV in the living room, one in my bedroom and an old black + white portable. She had the same in her house so we are now a 6 TV household. We have a surplus of just about everything - kitchen stuff, bedding, stereos, video recorders etc.

    My workmates dad waited until his wife had gone to work and then went out an bought a new TV. He dumped his old one with my workmate and then told his wife that the old TV had broken and was beyond economic repair.

  • otto #24 10 years ago

    I've done that trick of dumping unwanted equipment on my dad too many times now for it to work again... :)

  • Alastair #25 10 years ago

    'What, at the same time?? " - yes, my woman normally watches hollyoaks or whatever listening with some headphones.'

    Spooky, have had the same 'TV in lounge' set up myself, and for the same reason! :o) Although it was me with the headphones. Bad Girls and Corrie were other reasons for me to do the 'phones.

  • otto #26 10 years ago

    Well, my solution when Eastenders comes on is to shut the door tightly and head upstairs to my PC.

  • ssuellid #27 10 years ago

    "Well, my solution when Eastenders" - make a trade she stops watching the soaps and you don't start watching porn, or disapeering upstairs to download it.

  • otto #28 10 years ago

    Uh, that would be a 'no'

  • Nobby #29 10 years ago

    Timesplitters MP with a multitap and custom map was one of the best experiences I've ever had on a console. The game had a few flaws, not a classic by any rate, but it was still a damn fine games. And I'll defend it till I die.

    By the way, any chance of getting an ignore feature for unregistered posters? The vast majority seem to be comprised of utter morons, sadly.

  • Gestalt #30 10 years ago

    "any chance of getting an ignore feature for unregistered posters"

    It's on the wishlist, but our tech guys are all busy at the moment.

  • Errol #31 10 years ago

    Busy downloading porn ?

  • LaundroMat #32 10 years ago

    [ssuelid] I heard that GT3 had some wonderful linked console options anyone tried it?
    You can link u to 6 consoles (iirc). It's a pity that if you link two ps2's, you only get two cars on the track (no cpu cars). There's a cool feature allowing you to link three consoles and three tv's, and then play solo on it: you get a whole surround view then.

  • Razz #33 10 years ago

    *burpp*

  • Errol #34 10 years ago

    eh ?

  • 205gti #35 8 years ago

    Currently in GAME stores at £4.99...