Formed from a breakaway group at Rare, the developers at Free Radicals are the folks who brought us N64’s killer title Goldeneye – which many still hold up as the ultimate in console based shooter. Their first effort, Timesplitters, came early in the life of the PlayStation 2 and did extremely well for a game with no pre-awareness and no license. Yes, this was mainly due to a games starved PS2 audience at the time – but the important thing for Free Radical is that their quality title got into people’s homes, minds and hearts.

Now that FPS fans have many titles vying for their console cash, will they remain loyal to Timesplitters in the crowded, license-driven months ahead? What of the Xbox and GameCube, where console owners may never have picked up the original? Can Timesplitters 2 cut it?

Too much tension is very bad for your skin, so I’ll cut to the chase. It rocks. It can cut it, and if it doesn’t fly off the shelves in droves it’ll be a crying shame.

Developer Free Radical appears to be out of its brilliant mind if this stunning First Person Shooter is anything to go by. The amount of insane characters and gameplay modes, as well as the generous helping of monkey-involvement means this is the sort of game that would keep Pat Sharp and the whole Fun House crew in ‘wackiness’ for a decade; where it not for the probability that if any of the characters from Timesplitters 2 met the mulleted one they’d bring us all a mild sense of relief and shoot him.

The plot is a glorious excuse for varied levels – some leech-faced creatures have nicked some crystals (what is it with videogame character and silicone-based thievery?) and rather than blunder around the Millennium Dome in a JCB with them only to get caught two minutes later, they opt for scattering them through time. If only my old man had have been that clever, I wouldn’t have had to go the Strangeway’s Christmas parties with ‘The Smasher’ Stebson’s kids throughout my childhood. Ah well. As one of two space soldier dudes, it’s your job to track them down across the time continuum.

All this cliché and buffoonery on the part of the aliens monster thangs means that this shooter isn’t reliant on one era or style – one moment it can be Wild West, the next we’re back in thirties Mobster-ville the night or so before Chicago died, then onto the future for some Perfect Dark style futurism – not forgetting some tongue in cheek Jason King, Department S-style moustachioed adventures. Who, you ask? A bit like Austin Powers, then. Bloody kids.

The style of each era, and of the whole game, is lovingly crafted with a laudably unique style, which avoids the grim photo-realism aspirations of most shooters. Even Medal of Honor, which famously omits the absence of blood from World War II, presents characters that, at a squint, could be real fellas. Timesplitters 2 has no blood, and a style that lends itself extremely well to the cartoony style which proliferates the game’s marketing campaign, but is actually something else… It’s more like Pixar’s work with characterisation than a simple cartoon style transferred to a game; over-emphasised chins, hooked noses, dodgy ‘taches etc., give a unique look to characters which are otherwise very realistically modelled. Nearest I can think is the style of the Old Marvel ‘Nam strip, which saw Asterix and Obelix style chunky characters face the horrors of fighting for Uncle Sam in an oddly jarring yet appealing way.

The graphics across each version are smooth, chunky. This may come as a shock to Halo fans on Xbox – though the Big M’s processing power tends to make even the grittiest of game look slightly over-smooth and cartoony anyway, in a good way – for this isn’t really a technical demo, it’s an exercise in great gameplay.

Here comes the sacrilege, I never really cared for Goldeneye that much. Note the use of the word ‘I’, as my editorial colleagues shrink away in horror and ban the use of the ‘we’ word. I found the whole thing a bit too floaty, chunky guns wobbling, sights swaying as Bond floated from level to level. A challenge which many responded extremely well too – and its legend, sales and standing in the games industry speaks for itself - but on a personal note I was hoping Timesplitters took Goldeneye’s gameplay and mixed in some of the more staid, steadier Medal of Honor controls and feel; wherein a sight stays where it’s put. To my delight this is the case in Timesplitters 2 – motion of the sights and weapons is much less exaggerated and somehow the feel of disembodiment is less.

Recovered from Goldeneye being criticised? Have a cup of tea, take a lie down and then let’s continue…

Generally controls in the game are so highly customised that with a bit of time fettling Timesplitters 2 will work just the way you want it to. Whether it’s inverted looking up and down or just which button does what, it’s your choice.

A tap of the right stick (on Xbox at least) toggles between the sights mode. Beware, your wrist and weapon moves all over the screen with a great degree of flexibility with sights visible; this makes circle strafing a challenge and is best left for special occasions. Navigating your way round a level in this manner could make you sea sick, as your gun swoops off to the left before the screen catches up and looks round after it. A combination of both, once you get your head ‘round it, is ideal though.

The first game was praised for its multiplayer, but criticised by many for its rushed single player mode – an unusual spin on the usual ‘bolted on’ afterthought multiplayer scenario that’s seen often enough in the games world. The single player here is a much more substantial challenge; beginning with a level (which you may have played in a demo) that’s clearly a Goldeneye pastiche and has simple, clear objectives to more involved affairs. There’ll be plenty of chances for hiding, stealthing, sniping – all with a glorious selection of weapons peculiar to the era.

The enemies aren’t too bright though – this is very a ‘Space Invaders’ style; shoot the oncoming enemies. You don’t expect the ships in Space Invaders to retreat or surrender, and you shouldn’t expect your foes to do so here either. Artificial Intelligence is set at ‘kill crush destroy’; and though you’ll find it more challenging on different levels, this isn’t Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell or Halo – it’s a blast-em-up filled with mainly non-speaking extras (well, they don't have chunks of script anyway) who are just there to get shot or try and shoot you. They’ll attempt to do so at varying levels of skill, but they won’t stop for a chat or to consider their actions. For many, this won’t represent a problem.

Variety, on the other hand, is far from Space Invader-esque. Even just the vanilla single player game offers lots to see and do, with new objectives and challenges being heaped upon you as you play. Secondary objectives, side missions – this is a game that wants to keep you busy.

Turn on multiplayer however, and it wants your life.

Almost infinitely customisable, with glorious weapons from flamethrowers to homing missiles and with networked PS2 and Xbox play for up to a ridiculous amount of players, the multiplayer of Timesplitters 2 is thankfully not the game’s only charm this time, but it does have oodles of panache. The Monkey Assist option, where the losing chump gets chimps with guns as back up, tells you all you need to know about this game’s sense of fun.

It’s time to phone up your mates who used to play Goldeneye with you every night, you know – the ones you haven’t spoken to since 1998. It’s time to gently let your boss or headmaster know that he or she is no longer required. Lock the door, put the children out for the night and settle down with Timesplitters 2. You won’t regret it.

CJRavey

+ : Has its own style, flair and panache.
+ : Single player and multiplayer are both well though out and brilliantly executed.
+ : Fab and groovy level design.

– : Uncomplicated AI – but it’s meant to be, we’d guess…
– : Amount of customisation could befuddle the elderly...
– : Nowt...