The expectations for the newest entry in the Timesplitters series were high and considering the reputation Free Radical has developed from previous games in the series, the expectations are founded. Each Timesplitters title has pushed itself above (if not beyond) the other and Future Perfect maintains the tradition. While not a revolutionary step forward, the game manages to produce a generally satisfying single player mode mixed with the fast, frantic and fun action of its option filled multiplayer modes. Free Radical is made up of some former Rare employees so the game’s references and similarities to Goldeneye are both intentional and obvious. The game doesn’t always make much sense, but the one thing that does is that you will be enjoying yourself for the ride. 

You play as Cortez, a tough time traveling commando that spends most of his time battling the mysterious Timesplitters, who just happen to be menacing, ugly beings that have the ability to cloak at will. While the premise manages to be just as confusing as it is fun, you rarely understand what the point of the point of the whole timesplitter invasion is or why traveling through the ages is so vital to stopping them other than you having to find crystals. Don’t worry though; luckily the characters are funny and quite likeable. You never become particularly attached to any of them, but they do manage to make you smile. So let’s put the premise down on the table. You play Cortez, you travel through time, hunt down baddies, try and stop the timesplitters and you end up either succeeding or failing. How is that?



If you have sat down and played any first person shooter before, then TimeSplitters will feel right at home to you. It controls very well with the Xbox controller, but be aware the controls are much more swift and floaty than most action games. You can’t jump, you don’t get any fancy moves and you pretty much just aim and shoot. This is why the weapon selection is lucky to have been so diverse. Because you will be traveling through different time periods, the styles of weapons you can tinker with vary greatly. You will have your automatics, explosives and of course the futuristic sci-fi guns and each one has its own feel and purpose. Timesplitters nailed and perfected the dual wielding weapon option long before Halo did and it’s definitely a required style for succeeding the in online multiplayer realm.  

The single player mode steps above Timeplitters 2 in that its much more story driven and objective based. When you enter a mission you will be given a general objective that you need to complete but they end up changing more times than you count within the same mission. The objectives can range from rescuing prisoners, to escorting or of course to blow up a big tank that wants to run you over. Sometimes the objectives make little sense or they feel tacked on, but overall it’s a much more solid experience than before. The store mode won’t last you too long but it gives you enough experience to try your might out on the multiplayer. Aside from the objectives though, the action simply involves mowing (or driving with the newly added vehicles) down countless droves of enemies and in the end, that’s not such a bad thing. 



There are a ton of multiplayer options to choose from and it is one of the most customizable first person shooters on the market for both online play and for split screen. In the arcade mode, you are given tons of options ranging from one shot kills down to the exact weapon setup you want. You can even customize the types of bots and each one’s individual difficulty. The modes range from Capture The Bag (self explanatory Capture the Flag rip-off) to Assualt. Aside from the typical Deathmatch and capture game types, Assault and Virus ended up being the most enjoyable. In Assault, your team is given an objective within a map and the other team must try and stop you from attaining it. In Virus, one player starts out with a virus and must come in contact with the other players. The last person remaining who has not been infected wins. The matches are filled with tension and create some of the best party moments. Mutiplayer is the meat of the game and provides the best thrills. If you don’t have any friends on Live or nearby then you can always play with the bots that are pretty competent, but can become overly typical over time.

Xbox Live plays just the same as the normal arcade mode except of course with servers. The maps can hold up to 16 players and you can join in games that are already in session. The downside to all these options is the potential for lag. While not crippling, when a server is full the game can become a bit laggy and cause for some unfair situations. The feature that will keep players online for months to come is the ability to take your maps from the included map maker (which is once again feature filled and fun to use) and place them on Xbox Live for other players to use and download. Best of all, they can be used in online servers. So if you think you have a work of art, it would be best to upload it so everyone can check it out and even rate it for you. 

Visually, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is a treat for the eyes. It has wonderful texture detail, expressive character models and it even has improved lighting. Lets be perfectly honest though, its nothing groundbreaking. There are plenty of games that do this better, but Timesplitters has a style of its own and with the current batch of technology, it doesn’t seem ready to make a complete change. In terms of its audio presentation, Future Perfect is no slouch. Its voice acting is generally good, with only a few missteps. The humor in the game requires a flexible cast and they do a good job. The music is also pretty good, but some of the soundtrack is too self involved with generic techno. You can’t complain at all about the sound effects though, it all sounds like Goldeneye and Perfect Dark with even more of the memorable weapon sounds that keep people shooting. 

Future Perfect isn’t in any way realistic and it doesn’t do much of anything to push the shooter genre in a new direction but it delivers on its promise of giving players non-stop action with the ability to experience it online and off. It’s an entertaining romp through the ages that will provide hours and hours of fun for the casual and hardcore shooter fan. As long as you aren’t expecting revolutionary gameplay, you will have a lot of fun with this.