The Dizzle
Banned
Its like evrybodys forgoton about this game. The multiplayers brilliant so is the single player here is a preview for the game:
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect Hands-On
Remember all those science fiction time-travel movies that said that you should try to never come in contact with yourself during your travels through time, lest the world be ripped apart by paradox? Well, throw all that nonsense out the window. TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is coming with online play, a cohesive story mode, the arcade mode that fans of the series know and love, and a little gameplay hook called "meet yourself gameplay" that will allow you to help yourself to victory.
As one of the series that can lay at least partial claim to the legacy started by GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64, TimeSplitters has always been a very multiplayer-focused game. While the team is still hard at work on tons of exciting multiplayer enhancements, this time around the single-player is getting some attention, too. TimeSplitters: Future Perfect will be the first game to feature a real, story-driven single-player game. The 11 single-player missions take you, as a dude named Cortez, through a lot of different eras as you chase the TimeSplitters aliens in an attempt to thwart their evil plot. With all of this time-skipping going on you're bound to run into yourself sooner or later, and that's the gist of what Free Radical is calling "meet yourself gameplay." In one sequence, you'll be pinned down and hiding from a vicious helicopter attack only to watch a daring rescue attempt perpetrated by…yourself? Yes, your future self busts out with some firepower and knocks the chopper out of the sky. Then, of course, not long after you're set free, you'll get the opportunity to be on the other side of that equation and knock out that chopper yourself. The other example we were told about involved going back in time to unlock doors for yourself and other clock-skipping shenanigans.
The game will also feature the arcade mode found in the previous games, with all of the options and medals that you'd expect to see in such a mode. Online play is the huge new addition to the TimeSplitters series. The game will support the PS2 network adapter as well as Xbox Live, and both games will be playable by up to 16 players in a variety of modes. The game on display was basically a version of Unreal Tournament's assault mode, with one team trying to breach a prison to assassinate a prisoner while the other team attempted to defend various positions. You start to get closer and closer to the action as you move forward on the attacking side. In all, the game will ship with 10 multiplayer maps and others modes, like king of the hill and deathmatch.
The mapmaker from previous games will get a nice boost in the form of a redesign to make it easier to use and to make it more powerful. In addition, the current plan is to allow maps to be uploaded and shared online, which is exactly what the mapmaker feature needs to remain relevant as the series moves online.
The game's weapons will be styled after the period you're currently in, so you'll move from standard pistols and rifles up to laser weapons and other futuristic gear. You'll also have access to an antigravity gun that can be used to move small objects, like health pickups, around at will.
TimeSplitters 3 is already looking good. The graphics are sharp and the game runs at a nice frame rate on both the PS2 and the Xbox. The game is currently scheduled to be released in March 2005.
Here is the multiplayer preview:
The TimeSplitters games have always had a reputation for adding solid and diverse multiplayer action to a strong single-player game, and from what we saw of the newest installment in the series today at an EA press event, TimeSplitters 3: Future Perfect will follow suit, and then some. We got to take part in a rollicking multiplayer match via an Xbox system link that seemed to provide everything you'd want out of a good console first-person shooter.
The game mode on offer today was akin to the standard capture-the-flag game type, although we were attempting to secure a bag from the enemy base rather than a flag. The map we played on was set in a rocky area with several caves acting as choke points between the two bases, and there were some objects to interact with, such as player-manned turrets, scattered around to provide extra aid in the battle. We saw a pretty standard assortment of weapons on this map--a Soviet machine gun, a 12-gauge shotgun, grenades, and even a flare gun--which complemented the default submachine gun pretty nicely.
There were a number of power-ups scattered around the map as well, such as an armored pickup for extra protection and a really annoying invisibility bonus that the opposing team kept using to sneak by us into our base or kill us while we were unaware of their presence. All in all, it seemed like the multiplayer gameplay was pretty standard, as you might expect, but it was certainly implemented well, especially since the game is still more than half a year from release.
TimeSplitters 3 is looking good at this point, as its visual style has been crafted very much in the style of the previous games and other titles by Free Radical. That is to say, everything is generally of a realistic design but with a slightly cartoonlike edge, including the character designs, the weapons, and so on. The map we saw was set around dusk and everything had a nice orange glow to provide a little atmosphere. The invisibility effect, surprisingly, showcased a good graphical touch as well. Of course, while the enemy was invisible, there was nothing for us to see--until he ran through a cloud of smoke, which made his outline become visible momentarily so we could draw a bead on him and take him out.
From what we played today, it looks like TimeSplitters 3's multiplayer component will provide just what fans of the series have come to expect. This competitive mode will join a story-driven, single-player campaign that revisits some characters from past TimeSplitters games and is chock-full of scripted events and action sequences that move the story along. TimeSplitters 3: Future Perfect's development seems to be continuing apace, and the game is slated to hit stores in January of next year. Look for more before then.
This is another single player preview
At a recent press event, we were able to try out both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of TimeSplitters: Future Perfect. A different single-player level was available on each of the consoles--a jaunt through a fast-moving train on the PS2 and the infiltration of a Scottish castle circa 1924 on the Xbox.
In the PS2 level, we started out at the rear of a large, fast-moving train. Our objective was basically to make our way to the front armed only with a pistol. There were plenty of enemies attempting to hinder our progress, of course, but it wasn't long before we got our hands on a machine gun that did almost as good a job of tearing up the train's interior as it did our intended targets. All of the windows in the train could be smashed, and all of the doors could be opened. When we saw a large pile of barrels stacked up close to an enemy manning a machine gun turret in one of the carriages, we were pleased to discover that shooting one of them caused them all to topple over and crush him (and then they exploded moments afterward, just to make sure).
Further on in the train, after some brief stays on the roof and exploring passenger cars, we found our progress impeded by a maze of crates and boxes that couldn't be destroyed using either of the weapons at our disposal. And, to make matters worse, there was an enemy helicopter hovering overhead that seemed intent on bringing our hands-on time with the game to an abrupt end. Fortunately, the chopper pilot wasn't a terribly good shot, and as we moved around the carriage to avoid the gunfire, he inadvertently destroyed all of the boxes that were blocking our way. Without wishing to spoil anything, we were unable to destroy the chopper ourselves at this point, but a future version of our character that we'd spotted alongside us earlier proved to be most helpful.
The Xbox mission on display was actually very different from the train level. We were required to infiltrate a Scottish castle alongside an elderly gentleman. We were initially armed only with a silenced pistol, but, after killing a number of enemies outside the castle, we gained access to both a machine gun and the requisite sniper rifle. In a first for the TimeSplitters series, we also took control of a vehicle at one point--a truck with a machine gun mounted on the back. Initially we chose to drive the vehicle ourselves, but eventually we gave up the driver's seat to our companion so that we could man the gun.
Once we got inside the castle walls (after picking off a few enemies on the ramparts with the sniper rifle) we blew a door open using some explosives, used a crane to rip an automated gun turret off its mountings so that we could pass it safely, and killed a bunch of enemies who, like those that came before them, weren't terribly intelligent. It's worth noting that the versions of TimeSplitters: Future Perfect on display were only 35 percent complete, so hopefully the developers will use the time between now and release to make the enemies more challenging.
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is currently scheduled for release on all current-generation consoles early next year. We look forward to bringing you more information on the game as soon as it becomes available.
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect Hands-On
Remember all those science fiction time-travel movies that said that you should try to never come in contact with yourself during your travels through time, lest the world be ripped apart by paradox? Well, throw all that nonsense out the window. TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is coming with online play, a cohesive story mode, the arcade mode that fans of the series know and love, and a little gameplay hook called "meet yourself gameplay" that will allow you to help yourself to victory.
As one of the series that can lay at least partial claim to the legacy started by GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64, TimeSplitters has always been a very multiplayer-focused game. While the team is still hard at work on tons of exciting multiplayer enhancements, this time around the single-player is getting some attention, too. TimeSplitters: Future Perfect will be the first game to feature a real, story-driven single-player game. The 11 single-player missions take you, as a dude named Cortez, through a lot of different eras as you chase the TimeSplitters aliens in an attempt to thwart their evil plot. With all of this time-skipping going on you're bound to run into yourself sooner or later, and that's the gist of what Free Radical is calling "meet yourself gameplay." In one sequence, you'll be pinned down and hiding from a vicious helicopter attack only to watch a daring rescue attempt perpetrated by…yourself? Yes, your future self busts out with some firepower and knocks the chopper out of the sky. Then, of course, not long after you're set free, you'll get the opportunity to be on the other side of that equation and knock out that chopper yourself. The other example we were told about involved going back in time to unlock doors for yourself and other clock-skipping shenanigans.
The game will also feature the arcade mode found in the previous games, with all of the options and medals that you'd expect to see in such a mode. Online play is the huge new addition to the TimeSplitters series. The game will support the PS2 network adapter as well as Xbox Live, and both games will be playable by up to 16 players in a variety of modes. The game on display was basically a version of Unreal Tournament's assault mode, with one team trying to breach a prison to assassinate a prisoner while the other team attempted to defend various positions. You start to get closer and closer to the action as you move forward on the attacking side. In all, the game will ship with 10 multiplayer maps and others modes, like king of the hill and deathmatch.
The mapmaker from previous games will get a nice boost in the form of a redesign to make it easier to use and to make it more powerful. In addition, the current plan is to allow maps to be uploaded and shared online, which is exactly what the mapmaker feature needs to remain relevant as the series moves online.
The game's weapons will be styled after the period you're currently in, so you'll move from standard pistols and rifles up to laser weapons and other futuristic gear. You'll also have access to an antigravity gun that can be used to move small objects, like health pickups, around at will.
TimeSplitters 3 is already looking good. The graphics are sharp and the game runs at a nice frame rate on both the PS2 and the Xbox. The game is currently scheduled to be released in March 2005.
Here is the multiplayer preview:
The TimeSplitters games have always had a reputation for adding solid and diverse multiplayer action to a strong single-player game, and from what we saw of the newest installment in the series today at an EA press event, TimeSplitters 3: Future Perfect will follow suit, and then some. We got to take part in a rollicking multiplayer match via an Xbox system link that seemed to provide everything you'd want out of a good console first-person shooter.
The game mode on offer today was akin to the standard capture-the-flag game type, although we were attempting to secure a bag from the enemy base rather than a flag. The map we played on was set in a rocky area with several caves acting as choke points between the two bases, and there were some objects to interact with, such as player-manned turrets, scattered around to provide extra aid in the battle. We saw a pretty standard assortment of weapons on this map--a Soviet machine gun, a 12-gauge shotgun, grenades, and even a flare gun--which complemented the default submachine gun pretty nicely.
There were a number of power-ups scattered around the map as well, such as an armored pickup for extra protection and a really annoying invisibility bonus that the opposing team kept using to sneak by us into our base or kill us while we were unaware of their presence. All in all, it seemed like the multiplayer gameplay was pretty standard, as you might expect, but it was certainly implemented well, especially since the game is still more than half a year from release.
TimeSplitters 3 is looking good at this point, as its visual style has been crafted very much in the style of the previous games and other titles by Free Radical. That is to say, everything is generally of a realistic design but with a slightly cartoonlike edge, including the character designs, the weapons, and so on. The map we saw was set around dusk and everything had a nice orange glow to provide a little atmosphere. The invisibility effect, surprisingly, showcased a good graphical touch as well. Of course, while the enemy was invisible, there was nothing for us to see--until he ran through a cloud of smoke, which made his outline become visible momentarily so we could draw a bead on him and take him out.
From what we played today, it looks like TimeSplitters 3's multiplayer component will provide just what fans of the series have come to expect. This competitive mode will join a story-driven, single-player campaign that revisits some characters from past TimeSplitters games and is chock-full of scripted events and action sequences that move the story along. TimeSplitters 3: Future Perfect's development seems to be continuing apace, and the game is slated to hit stores in January of next year. Look for more before then.
This is another single player preview
At a recent press event, we were able to try out both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of TimeSplitters: Future Perfect. A different single-player level was available on each of the consoles--a jaunt through a fast-moving train on the PS2 and the infiltration of a Scottish castle circa 1924 on the Xbox.
In the PS2 level, we started out at the rear of a large, fast-moving train. Our objective was basically to make our way to the front armed only with a pistol. There were plenty of enemies attempting to hinder our progress, of course, but it wasn't long before we got our hands on a machine gun that did almost as good a job of tearing up the train's interior as it did our intended targets. All of the windows in the train could be smashed, and all of the doors could be opened. When we saw a large pile of barrels stacked up close to an enemy manning a machine gun turret in one of the carriages, we were pleased to discover that shooting one of them caused them all to topple over and crush him (and then they exploded moments afterward, just to make sure).
Further on in the train, after some brief stays on the roof and exploring passenger cars, we found our progress impeded by a maze of crates and boxes that couldn't be destroyed using either of the weapons at our disposal. And, to make matters worse, there was an enemy helicopter hovering overhead that seemed intent on bringing our hands-on time with the game to an abrupt end. Fortunately, the chopper pilot wasn't a terribly good shot, and as we moved around the carriage to avoid the gunfire, he inadvertently destroyed all of the boxes that were blocking our way. Without wishing to spoil anything, we were unable to destroy the chopper ourselves at this point, but a future version of our character that we'd spotted alongside us earlier proved to be most helpful.
The Xbox mission on display was actually very different from the train level. We were required to infiltrate a Scottish castle alongside an elderly gentleman. We were initially armed only with a silenced pistol, but, after killing a number of enemies outside the castle, we gained access to both a machine gun and the requisite sniper rifle. In a first for the TimeSplitters series, we also took control of a vehicle at one point--a truck with a machine gun mounted on the back. Initially we chose to drive the vehicle ourselves, but eventually we gave up the driver's seat to our companion so that we could man the gun.
Once we got inside the castle walls (after picking off a few enemies on the ramparts with the sniper rifle) we blew a door open using some explosives, used a crane to rip an automated gun turret off its mountings so that we could pass it safely, and killed a bunch of enemies who, like those that came before them, weren't terribly intelligent. It's worth noting that the versions of TimeSplitters: Future Perfect on display were only 35 percent complete, so hopefully the developers will use the time between now and release to make the enemies more challenging.
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is currently scheduled for release on all current-generation consoles early next year. We look forward to bringing you more information on the game as soon as it becomes available.
