Timesplitters

align=center colspan=2|TimeSplitters
align=center colspan=2|
style=width:80px|Developer: Free Radical Design
a href="/encyclopedia/Video-game-publisher" title="Video game publisher">Publisher: Eidos
elease date: September 2000
a href="/encyclopedia/Computer-and-video-game-genres" title="Computer and video game genres">Genre: First-person shooter
ame modes: Single player, multiplayer
a href="/encyclopedia/ESRB" title="ESRB">ESRB rating: Teen (T)
latform: PlayStation 2
edia: CD-ROM
TimeSplitters is a series of first person shooter video games, which have a storyline based on time travel. The games are published by Eidos and have been released on the Playstation 2, Xbox and GameCube formats. There are currently three games in the series, TimeSplitters, TimeSplitters 2, and (published by EA Games). The original game, TimeSplitters, was developed by the Nottingham based company Free Radical and published in 2000 by Eidos. Set over 100 years of past, present and future, TimeSplitters boasts probably the fastest gameplay yet seen in an FPS, demanding the player keep their wits about them at all times. The look of the game is unique in the genre, often substantially more Cartoon-like than many first person games, with often over the top character models and expressions, closer resembling games such as XIII or Serious Sam than contemporaries such as Half-Life or Red Faction. This emphasis on often Comic Book-style character design, many of which represent instantly recognisable parodies of established pop-culture stereotypes (the aristocratic English explorer, the suave secret agent etc) combined with an often surreal and self-mocking style of humour, over poe-faced realism has been known to put off some gamers, though most find it adds to the game's charm.

Story

Story mode is a series of 9 short yet frantic missions, based upon the retrieval of a key object and it's successful return, typically back to the maps starting point. Enemy AI is simple, yet determined, and there's rarely room for error, certainly on harder settings. Enemies can appear literally out of nowhere and there are no checkpoints to allow breathing space. The difficulty curve in TimeSplitters is steep, in the harder settings, the enemies become more numerous, better armed, and the maps themselves can change to make things more difficult. There are always two playable characters on each mission to choose between in Story Mode, one male, one female. Cooperative Play is also available, though enemy numbers and weapon/health placements remain the same as in Single Player Mode. The Story mode is also where most of the games unlockables are found. Completing a mission will often be rewarded with a new character or characters in the Arcade game. Other rewards include new cheats and new Arcade maps. Completing a mission in a set time limit will also garner a reward. Weaponry available to the player is determined primarily by the time setting of the mission, Tommy Guns and Mausers, through Uzis to rayguns can all be found throughout the game. The Story Mode missions are:
  • Egyptian Tomb-1935.
  • Chinese Resturant-1970.
  • Cyberden-2005.
  • Village-1950.
  • Chemical Plant-1985.
  • Planet X-2020.
  • Mansion-1965.
  • Docks-2000.
  • Spaceways-2035.

Arcade

The game's multi-player Arcade mode when fully unlocked, boasts a selection of 6 game types, 18 maps, over 60 characters and all story mode weapons, coupled with almost complete customisation of individual match settings, and finished with a quality mapmaker. The individual game types are:
  • Deathmatch: Be the first to reach the kill limit. Teamplay and an optional time limit can be set in which case, the leader at the close is declared winner.
  • BagTag: Hold the bag for as long as possible within the time limit. Teamplay can be set.
  • Capture the Bag: Capture the enemy team's bag and return it to your base to score. The player must defend their own bag as they lose points for it's capture. Also, a player cannot score while the bag is out of their base, but they only need touch it when out of enemy hands to return it. A time limit can be set.
  • Knockout. Bag's spawn onto the map (usually in the same basic area) and the player must take then to their team's base to score. A time limit can be set.
  • Escort: Only available on some maps. Escort an NPC to a pre-set base while defending him or her from respawning enemies.
  • Last Stand: Only available on some maps. Hold of increasing waves of enemies for as long as possible, points are awarded for both efficient kills and completion of phases.
The Arcade maps available are:
  • Tomb
  • Graveyard
  • Chinese
  • Site
  • Cyberden
  • Streets
  • Village
  • Castle
  • Chemical Plant
  • Bank
  • Planet X
  • Spaceship
  • Mansion
  • Mall
  • Docks
  • Compound
  • Spaceways
  • Warzone
As can be seen, half of the Arcade Mode maps are lifted directly from the Story Mode, albeit 'opened up' (or in the case of the Spaceways and Tomb maps, closed-off) for Arcade usage, the remainder are those maps specially constructed for Arcade Mode play. The characters available as playable or bots, are made up mostly of Story mode heroes and villains and are many and varied. Everything from Robots, Cyborgs and Zombies to Gangsters, Aliens and even the odd Furry are selectable.

Challenge

A series of 9 sets of 3 single player challenges, often based around a pre-set Arcade match. Rewards are given for successful completion.

External links

 

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