Written by Matt Partington on December 20, 2002

Full Review: There's truly nothing like getting bombarded by a hoard of rabid monkeys.

Throughout all of gaming history, there's been those certain titles that change the way we think about games and gaming in general. The ones that rip through every standard boundary we ever came to know, and make us reconsider what exactly is Уgreat.Ф From next-gen gaming, there's titles such as Goldeneye 007 the game that revolutionized console first-person shooters in practically every way possible. On PC there's the legendary Half-Life, a game that was light-years ahead of its time when it comes to integrating story with gameplayЦnever before had gamers experienced such a blatantly amazing product. Along the likes of these are others such as the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, which practically spawned an entirely new genre; Mario 64, the greatest outing of the long-lasting series; or even Grand Theft Auto 3, something that hasn't yet shown its impact on the gaming industry but we can safely assume that it will shortly.

Let's be honest, the list could go on forever. About every year we see one or two games break into the spotlight of every gamer's eye. Last year we saw ones like Grand Theft Auto 3, Metal Gear Solid 2, and Halo. So far it seems as if 2002 is somewhat up for grabs.

Within the first few months of release, Sony's PlayStation 2 console didn't quite see very many triple-A titles. In fact, we hardly saw none. Regardless, gamers did get a small taste of the PS2's capacity in ones such as Madden 2001, Red Faction, Onimusha: Warlords, SSX and Tekken Tag Tournament. But there's one that particularly stands out, whether you've played it or not, and that's Free Radical's first production ever: TimeSplitters.

Unfortunately probably not as many gamers played TimeSplitters that should have. So different from any console FPS ever seen, it was hard to believe that it was created by the same guys as Goldeneye now under a different company name. Why was TimeSplitters so different? It's probably more obvious than you think. Ever since Goldeneye 007, there's been a similar trend in all first-person shooters on console. It turned into a tactic-fest, seek-and-destroy gameplay where the smartest players win the gold. TimeSplitters... well... was about running around like a madman while fragging off foes by unloading entire clips in their face three feet away. We're talking all out insanity. No longer were deaths a big deal, it was all about the kills. Surprisingly, the best PS2 shooter was developed in merely six months due to Eidos Interactive rushing Free Radical for a release practically in correspondence with the PlayStation 2's. That is, the best until now.

With better resources (and much more time), Free Radical is at it again with TimeSplitters 2. Bigger, better, faster than the original, TimeSplitters 2 is more like a colossal upgrade than an entirely new game. You're not surprising anyone when you say that TimeSplitters was a mutliplayer-focused game. And just like its predecessor, TS2 is a largely mutliplayer-concentrated game as well. The first TS severely lacked in the Story mode though. So badly, that it hurt the game's value in the long run.

Making a solid Story mode was clearly a focus for Free Radical when creating this sequel, and dear God have they done well. Yet once again, TS2 isn't intended to be centered around its plot but rather it's multiplayer elements. Regardless, the Story mode in TS2 is good enough to satisfy even the most skeptical gamers. УTimeSplittersФ probably defines the game better than you realize. Even though the game never fully explains their reason, УTimeSplittersФ are people who are teleported through time portals in order to maintain justice. Each level is set up with a small background story, which illustrates why you're actually there. The main goal of all levels is to grab the Time Crystal at the end and jump back into the portal, but each level has its own wacky little events of which I won't reveal to prevent spoilers.

Sure it sounds simple, and it is, but the Story mode in TS2 is better than TS' in virtually every way. In the original TimeSplitters, playing Story mode merely meant going to some random point in history, killing zombies, grabbing a key and dashing for the exit. Now that there's all-around plot structure, TimeSplitters 2 feels like a much more complete game than the original. TS2 also features (like TS) a co-op Story mode where you and your buddy can shoot up enemies together. On the hardest difficulty settings this is extremely helpful and maybe even necessary.

Even though the story is technically not focused around anything, your warped into many different time periods and settings. Ranging from the Aztecs to Russia and Chicago, TimeSplitters 2 creates authentic environments with convincing characters and narrative. The cutscenes before each mission are also particularly good while creating character development.

Like we said before, the TimeSplitters franchise relies highly (might I emphasis highly) on its multiplayer gaming and more importantly Arcade mode. These two things fit hand-in-hand, since most all of the mutliplayer experience takes place in Arcade mode. If you've played the original, there is going to be an immediate thing about Arcade mode that's changed and you'll surely notice. Instead of merely creating custom games for Arcade, it's now split up into two categoriesЦArcade League and Arcade Custom. Arcade League is obviously the new arrival. Now not only can you create your own clashes, but TS2 will generate Arcade matches for you where you must complete a certain objective usually under a time limit.

Through Arcade League, TS2 will introduce many new tournament games. Reoccurring ones are the classic Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, BagTag, Team BagTag and a few others. Of course there are new ones such as Survivor and Vampire. Just like TimeSplitters, TS2 let's you choose many different options for your battle. Most importantly is selecting your enemies and weapons. You can either pick a preset or customize your own group. One thing that disappointed me about TS2 is that no longer can you choose the difficulty of your enemies (1 through 5 stars) but rather the game has it pre-distinguished. The game also let's you choose time limit, kill limit, score method and so forth.

Last but not least is Challenge mode. If you're getting tired of the game, or just want something new, Challenge mode is always by your side. It provides quick, cunning objectives that usually consist of killing monkeys, breaking windows or something else on the much lighter side of things. It might not be the most amusing part of the game, but it sure does pay off in unlockables.

Which brings us to characters. Wow, just wow. The original TimeSplitters was a game that was so diverse in characters that there was simply someone for everyone. Free Radical has really topped themselves here. The character selection has seemed to at least double, and practically each one has their own personality and uniqueness. Like I mentioned before, enemies and allies' combat ability in the original was only dignified through stars, which you altered. Even though I liked that aspect of the game, TS2 is different as in each persona is ranked by agility, accuracy and stamina. Some are quick on their feet like the Monkey but severely lack stamina and accuracy. Others like Sergeant Cortez have great accuracy and stamina but are quite cumbersome on their feet. This adds an entirely new aspect to the gameplay and now you must consider what character is best against a certain type of weapon and what character might be the worst.

The arsenal in TS2 seems all but changed from TS. Some have been added, some have been removed and some have got a faceliftЦbut it doesn't seem all too different at all. Really as long as the gun effectively blows my enemy's head off, I'll use it. (Shotguns are my favorite though.)

TimeSplitters was a huge hit graphically for the PlayStation 2 being so early in the life cycle. Looking back on it, we do realize the character models were a bit blocky and such but who cares anyways. Now we have TimeSplitters 2 which looks absolutely fantastic by any platform's standard. No longer do the backgrounds look better than the models but they are equally great. What both games have successfully strived in is textures. You'll be hard-pressed to find much better texture mapping on the PS2. Everything has dimension and feels real, even though it might be farfetched.

One thing I noticed about the cutscenes is that they feature some of the most brilliant facial expression animation ever seen in a videogame before. Probably, if not surely, the best ever. Not only that, but the animation in general is just superb.

TS2 does not dissatisfy when it comes to environments. TS2, like TimeSplitters, has individual maps for both Story and Arcade mode. The level design is quite simply wonderful. They all provide different experiences, and certain ones prove better for various guns or enemies. The architecture from all the different periods is just as regal.

And we mustn't forget one of the most essential parts of the gameЦthe unlockables. The unlockables in TS2 is as vast as the ocean, ranging from levels to characters to Arcade modes and even cheats (such as paintball mode and big heads). Why is this so essential to the gameplay? Because it's what truly what makes you want to keep playing (besides the pure fun of it of course). If you don't realize the massive proportion of how much there truly is to unlock, I'll tell you that I suspect it'd take well over 40 hours just to earn it all.

On top of that, modes such as Story, Arcade League and Challenge will test even the most hardcore gamer's skills. Each is split up into three difficulties, and maybe even branch off two or three more times into different sets. I'm telling you, breaking 30 windows in 18 seconds ain't easy.

I'm not truly sure how important it is to ramble on about sound, but I'll say that TS2 has some of the best sound effects around. The music, even though mostly the same as the original, has a genuine feel to it and undoubtedly sticks out among the crowd.

On a lighter note, I read an interview conducted on the development team of TimeSplitters 2. They were asked the question, УWhat's with the monkeys?Ф In reply, they say УUm, we inadvertently created a monkey character, and it took over the game.Ф Luckily it was for the better. In case you're wondering, monkeys play a semi-large (and extremely humorous) roll throughout the game as mayhem-makers. And they're really hard to kill.