Timesplitters has been one of my favorite series on this generation of consoles for a long time. I mean, what FPS fanatic wouldn't love a new Goldeneye with flashier graphics?
Free Radical (comprised of many members of Rare in their golden years) kept the ball rolling after Goldeneye and Perfect Dark by keeping the core gameplay and improving upon other things, as well as expanding the types of weapons, characters, and locations. This was always what I loved the most about the Timesplitters series; it was Goldeneye unhindered by a license, so Free Radical could stick whatever they wanted into gameplay that has been solid for nearly a decade. Without the Bond storylines and characters to draw off of, they were left to their own devices, which was a mixed bag. Timesplitters 2 had a wealth of characters to unlock and choose from, each with unique stats (if you chose to have that option on). But the story mode was seriously lacking, and existed only as an excuse to have locales ranging from an alien planet to 1950s Chicago. Simply speaking, the story got the job done, and little else. Future Perfect promised to improve on the story mode considerably, without compromising the already stellar multiplayer gameplay and options. So, the question is did Free Radical accomplish this and bring their story mode up to par, or screw up on both fronts? Read on, my friends, read on.
If you've played any of the previous Timesplitters games, the first thing you'll notice when playing Future Perfect is Free Radical took a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to multiplayer. All the game modes, settings, levels, and a healthy chunk of characters are available to you right off the bat. Even the interface is similar to Timesplitters 2's. If you've played TS2 as much as I have, you might find this to be a little underwhelming, hoping for some kind of improvements to the multiplayer matches that would blow your mind. There really isn't. There are a few new things like vehicles (which I'll get into later), but nothing has changed drastically in multiplayer matches. Luckily, TS2's multiplayer was so fun and so solid, this really can't be labeled as a disappointment. So for those of you checking out reviews of Future Perfect to see if Free Radical completely botched the multiplayer, rest easy: it still rocks. However, because so little has changed, it might get old faster than it did in TS2.
So what's new in Future Perfect? First off, the controls have been modified; you can now do a melee attack regardless of what weapon you're using, which is great for close-quarters combat or when you want to embarrass a buddy who's a terrible shot. Grenades also have their own button mapped now, so you can lob them at will and continue firing without missing a beat. Just like TS2, there's plenty of pre-mapped control schemes to choose from and if by some chance you don't like any of them, you can customize your own control set. This is good, but unfortunately you cannot save the settings unless you've mapped an action to every button. While this doesn't affect me, someone who felt at home with the default controls right off the bat, I've heard some people gripe about this and it's worth mentioning since there's a 1% chance you won't be comfortable with the game's controls.
Vehicles are quickly becoming a staple of the genre, and considering how many people hold TS to be the definitive FPS of this generation, it was only a matter of time before Free Radical threw them into the game. Unfortunately, this is exactly what they did; throw them in. Control of vehicles is unrefined: they are too easy to over-steer, it's a small task to shoot the person driving them, and most of the maps didn't seem to be designed with vehicles in mind. What it boils down to in multiplayer is that vehicles are neither fun to drive nor especially beneficial, aside from crossing large distances slightly faster than if you ran. Also, the vehicles can't really handle any kind of incline, so if you hop into one to make an escape and try to book it over a hill, chances are high that you'll putter up the hill and stop just before reaching the top, with your opponent firing bullets into you the whole time. On top of that, there's only one vehicle in the game and its appearance simply changes depending on the map.
Speaking of maps, the multiplayer maps are pretty huge- to a fault. I'm talking about the kind of huge where you'll respawn on one side of it and by the time you make it to the other side (or simply find your way there in some cases) all your opponents there will have killed each other and respawned on the opposite side. This is what I would consider to be not a lot of fun. It's not all bad when you consider the design of them; the Zeppelin level is a huge map with tons of pathways (you can even make your way up and battle on top of the thing), and the other maps are similarly impressive. But the tendency to get lost in a map drags the fun factor down, especially if you're playing with friends who haven't played nearly as much as you have and will be equally if not even more lost. I wish I didn't have to hate on Future Perfect for providing huge, complex, interesting maps. However, that is just the way the cookie crumbles and Free Radical went a little overboard in design and made them just a little too big. In an online match with 16 players, maybe this wouldn't be such a problem. But we all know the GC version isn't online and the most people you'll be up against is 3 and up to 8 bots. And bots just aren't as fun to kill. Mapmaker makes a return as well, although there isn't much to say about it. It's largely unchanged from TS2, and while there are a few improvements, you're still restricted to creating indoor environments and missions.
The ridiculous amount of characters available to play as and unlock has returned as well, and this is an area I won't be complaining about. Tons of classic characters remain, some have gotten updates or spin-offs (no Elijah Jones?!), and the new characters are all great, particularly the silly ones like Deerhaunter and Ninja Monkey. The best part about Timesplitters is still the sense of humor it carries with it, never taking itself or the genre too seriously. Considering these are the guys who made what so many people continue to consider to be the best FPS ever, it's great that they aren't overbearingly serious about what they're doing, and parodies of famous movie and videogame characters run rampant through the game, especially in Story Mode.
And let's talk about Story Mode for a bit, hm? Free Radical promised to up the ante considerably with the game's storyline, and I'm happy to say they succeeded in spades. While it's naturally not a serious storyline, its execution is very well done. Cinemas give you breaks in between levels that will definitely make you crack a smile, if not burst out laughing from a particular parody or allusion. The main character, Cortez, is no longer just a simple Vin Disel rip off. He's a Vin Disel rip off who is more of a loveable oaf than time-traveling badass. Future Perfect's greatest moments lie in its story mode and Cortez's exploits. His constant attempts to use his lame catch phrase (It's time to split!) and the supporting characters' reactions to it, his careless use of time travel to give support to either his future or past self, Harry Tipper dressing as a woman to gain entrance to a secret base, and all the bits of random humor that range from in your face to surprisingly subtle (listen to one of the guards try to convince another to be his “special friend” before you burst into a room) make the story mode memorable and fun. While Future Perfect is indeed overflowing with personality, it's not just this that makes the game's story mode so enjoyable. Every mission is different enough to keep the pace of the game going and no level can be mistaken for another. While there are a few cliché missions (one involves you working your way up through a train), Future Perfect's more unique aspects keep them fresh and interesting. In fact, I'd say my only gripe with the story mode is the way the game practically holds you hand through the missions, telling you exactly where to go and what to do. While this isn't a terrible thing, there's never any question on what to do, so there's a lack of exploration and thought involved. Regardless, the story mode is vastly improved over TS2's and is a ton of fun.
As usual, the game's story mode isn't the only place to turn to for single player fun. The Arcade League and Challenges are back, as well. By completing these special one-player missions, you'll begin unlocking cheats and characters to use in the multiplayer modes. Just like TS2, these missions all have different parameters for success, whether it's to complete an Assault mission or just survive for a certain amount of time. The Arcade mode remains to be a great way to get a taste of everything Future Perfect has to offer, as the missions take you through all of the multiplayer modes and settings, and combinations of them, and of course remain a nightmare for completists who have to get Gold on every single mission and get a 100% completion on the game (which is no small feat). To help you keep track of everything you've done in the game, there's a Player Progress option which will tell you everything from how many miles you ran to the number of bullets used, play time, your favorite weapons and characters, awards earned, how many times you've been a monkey and even an Insomnia tracker which keeps tabs on how often you stay up in the middle of the night playing the game, although that particular number can sometimes be enlightening or depressing. It’s always a fun little feature. Now, with all that gameplay nonsense out of the way, we can get into the more banal aspects of the review.
AI is very important in a FPS. Good AI brings you one step closer to losing yourself in the game and forgetting that it's a bunch of bots you're killing instead of actual friends playing. The AI in Future Perfect feels like it's been slightly improved; there are a few points where the character accompanying you will pull a bonehead move or get stuck in a corner, but these are rare occurrences. Enemy and multiplayer bot AI feels a little sharper, and on the highest difficultly setting in multiplayer, I felt that the bots (aside from killing me with their perfect aim) tricked me into following them into a certain area or lead me astray. Whether or not this is true is hard to tell exactly, but the enemies usually don't just stand in place and take hits while firing at you, which is a big plus.
Future Perfect's graphics are substantially updated from TS2. While character models look about the same, closer inspection will reveal they've gotten quite an overhaul. Animations are more fluid and detailed, particularly facial expressions that are easier to notice and appreciate since there are now lengthy and interesting cinemas to watch. Environments are greatly improved as well. Levels are large and there are plenty of very nice graphical touches like the blur effect while on top of a train or an alien mothership exploding in the distance. Many of the outdoor environments have eye-catching scripted events as well, which do well to immerse you in a level. This isn't to say the graphics are perfect; there are some clipping issues that pop up here and there and a couple of muddy textures in places. While this isn't Halo 2, the graphics are overall very clean and colorful and look great.
I was impressed with the music and sounds of Future Perfect. While the music is not in the style of an epic like Lord of the Rings, it is well-written and fits or sets the mood of each mission. Sound effects are your standard fare and the guns, explosions, vehicles, and other environmental noises fit perfectly into the Timesplitters world. What really struck me, though, was the voice acting. All the voices are done very well and sound natural; this is a great complement to the game's script; the numerous funny moments would fall flat if the voice actors weren't able to pull them off. Luckily, they do and even the game's corniest moments are well executed.
Overall, Future Perfect doesn't break any new ground, and the few things it pulls from other big-name FPS aren't as well done as the games it takes from, but their inclusion is appreciated and could've been done a lot worse. Keep this in mind when considering a purchase. It is indeed more Timesplitters, and for every lackluster feature or addition, there's a great one to counter it. It's not a bad game, it's just nothing new or mind-blowing. It is, most certainly, still a truckload of fun. It's hard to say whether or not Future Perfect is better or worse than TS2, since they both have things going for it the other doesn't. So let's just leave it at the fact that the game isn't a disappointment. By going into Future Perfect with the right expectations, you'll enjoy it that much more.
