Timesplitters: Future Perfect Gamecube Review

Free Radical Design, the developers being Timesplitters decided they wanted to make there next game picture perfect. Timesplitters One which was a great game in it's own still lacked some of the features in a shoot em up game, so Free Radical Design wanted to up the tempo in the next one. Just think of Unreal Tournament style game play with a Goldeneye feel to it. The action is faster than a normal shoot em up, which adds to the excitement, and while shoot em up games have improved a lot over the years, Timesplitters Future Perfect really reminds us a lot of the old one, with upgraded everything.

Some improvements Timesplitters Future Perfect offer is it's very similar style to Goldeneye of course, but also the ability to use online function for the Xbox and PS2. Gamecube won't use online capability, but expect the controls to be much more easier for the Gamecube. We are also going to see Vehicle and NPC-Cooperative play for all consoles too, which is a huge improvement from the first one.

While the first game's single player was very easy, this one is no different. Shoot em ups seem to have a hard time appealing to single player gamers, and focusing on multi player too much, so you can expect when you pick this game up for the story to be short, and the single player to be just as easy if not easier than the first one. This is what differs it from Goldeneye, because Rare developed every part of that game to perfection, and the single player was very hard even on it's easy difficulty. While the single player might be a little disappointing, Free Radical Design definitely improves on there multi player and it sort of takes the place of there single player mode.

Game play in Timesplitters Future Perfect is as followed... 13 single player missions, as Cortez, the series hero and his quest to find the time crystals in this games main plot. While action might be high, the levels are short and the objectives are easy enough for a five year old to figure out. While we've said the single player is a disappointment, the game play is almost perfect. Delivering better frame rates than 60 FPS, this game won't lag up one bit, even in a crowded multi player game, unless you have a huge explosion or the game is severely populated with action, than it might lag up a little bit. The Artificial Intelligence System is also very nice, while the NPC characters have a great mind of there own, protecting themselves from shots, and shooting back, they also do many other things, like help you out when you most need it, etc. Another great thing Free Radical Design did to improve this game was add 150 characters to there database, so playing as a different character won't be the same, even if you play as the same player again, just because the change makes it such a difference when playing against other players.

Free Radical Design always has improved on there multi player part of the game, so there is no doubt in mind that this game won't feature probably the best multi player gaming a FPS can offer. Like I said before, playing with 150 different characters is a great improvement from the first one, and allows a different situation each time you play with your friends. Now... Of course you have to unlock these characters, but this just adds to the fun of the game overall. Different multi player modes include Deathmatch and Capture the Flag with a load of others, along with smaller games like Virus, Shrink and a bunch of others. Xbox and PS2 owners will have the luxury of playing Timesplitters Future Perfect online, while the Gamecube will stick to it's offline gaming. While this might come to a disappointment for Nintendo lovers, this doesn't mean this game is bad for Nintendo. Nintendo improves on there controls and it really makes a difference when playing an intense game via multi player with controllers.

Graphics and sound are also no problem in Free Radicals new game. The first one had spectacular graphics along with a great sound-base, so they really could only improve on there backbone of there first one. Like I said before, this game runs at a speed faster than 60 FPS which is so crisp and clean that you won't even know you're in a game. It literally moves just as good as we do in real life. Although some people said they had trouble when there were four or more people playing at a time when a big explosion occurs and the game lags substantially, but I didn't really have that problem via the Gamecube version. While any game will lag a little bit with a full gaming room and explosions happening everywhere, don't expect to see it too much on the Gamecube version. Every console supports a wide screen and progressive scan mode, so it only makes the game look even more gorgeous. Every system uses Dolby Digital Sound for Future Perfect so expect to hear crisp, clean sound from every part of your speakers.

Overall I really liked the game play part of Timesplitters Future Perfect, and it really makes you feel like you're playing Goldeneye. After all we all might need this type of game play and feel, as the next Goldeneye game might disappoint some people. I give this game a 9 out of 10.