Elysian Shadows

I rented this game on the basis that the second one rocked, and I wasn't dissapointed. Everything, and I mean everything, was improved upon. If you've ever played any installment in the Timesplitters series and liked it, don't read this review. Get up and go get this game now. As for the rest of you, I'm going to attempt to review this masterpiece of gaming.

Story: First thing first, I'm a big fan of plot. Whether it's games, movies, and in some cases books, this is what I'm looking for from the get go. However, that is not the case for this game. While it's a decent story for an action game, it's still just that. Decent. It doesn't take itself very seriously, but that's a good thing, because this game is quite funny. There's some great dialogue between Cortez and the numerous minor characters throughout the game (ie. Harry Tipper, a secret agent hippie), but if you are looking for an epic tale of heroism and friendship, look elsewhere. The plot is pretty straightforward: When monsters called Timesplitters threaten to take over the earth, Sergeant Cortez is the earth's last hope. By traveling through time, he hopes to destroy the problem at its source, the enigmatic Dr. Crow (well, enigmatic until you actually meet him - he's more like your grandfather than an evil genius...or maybe an evil genius portraying you grandfather? Whatever). What you'd expect from this type of game. Not deep or philosophical, but sufficient.

Score : 6/10

Gameplay: Where TS:FP really shines. Gunfights, vehicle driving (everything from jeeps to mechanical cats to giant robots), computer hacking, and stealth areas. While none of it is exactly innovative, what's been done before is perfected here.
Weapons are varied and all fun to use. My favorites include the Harpoon gun, Time Disruptor grenades (throw one to slow down enemies in a 15 ft. radius), and the disruptor gun (don't know what it's called) that fires what seems to be sound waves. Besides those, Cortez also uses the Temporal Uplink, a gadget on his left arm that can be used to pull levers from a distance and even hurl objects at the enemy.
Multiplayer is a blast. First, you choose from 14 (yes, 14) modes of play, including Deathmatch, Bagtag, Vampire (kill others to allow you to live longer), and more. Next you choose from one of the beautifully designed maps, such as Vietnam, a jungle environment with air strikes aplenty, or Zeppelin, which takes place on top of, you guessed it, a blimp.
Finally, you can customize the weapons and bots (up to 10) and choose from over 150 characters (some only available after unlocking them), and you're ready to go. One of the best multiplayer games this year.

Score: 10/10

Graphics: The last thing I look for in a game is graphics, but it's always good if it looks nice. And Future Perfect looks very nice. The characters are round and play-dohey, but in a good way. You veteran Splitters know what I mean. Level design is incredible, and never did one room look the same as another. That's pretty much all I have to say about graphics. Some of the best on PS2.

Score: 9/10

Sound Effects: Have you ever played a game with bad sound effects? Didn't think so.

Score: Doesn't matter

Music: I've played too many shooters with lame, generic music, but this stuff is topnotch. Techno, rock, classical, everything an action game should have. Some pieces are reminiscint of the old Rare classics, especially Goldeneye, which is no surprise considering that Graeme Norgate penned both games. (If you want more of his stuff, check out the sleeper hit Second Sight).

Score: 10/10

Overall: What else can I say? Whether you are a Timesplitters fan or just a shooter fan, you won't be dissapointed.

Note: Some may cry out in horror after finding that it took them 5-6 hours to complete Future Perfect, but it feels so much longer, and when you're done, you've got mountains of "Challenges" to beat to unlock secret characters and cheats, along with Multiplayer and Multiplayer "Leagues", a mode in which you're given a scenario and have to compete against AI bots to win awards.

Overall Score: 9.5/10

Now that, my friend, was a hell of a review. Not only have you inspired me to go rent it (like tonight or tomorrow), but you've also inspired me to review my favorite games while I'm at it.

Maybe this forum was a good idea.

Everybody, observe Mr. Dibnah's post. That's NICE.

Wutai, I believe the man deserves to be a game reviewer.

I'd like to begin by thanking you for giving a respectable review. Nice job.

Next, I'd like to say that I've never played a Timesplitters game, and I now plan to. You actually made it sound fun.

Third: You'd be surprised how annoying some sounds are on some games. In many, it doesn't really matter. But seriously, I've seen some good games soiled by gay sound affects.

Not only did he take the initiative to make the first full review, but also he did it right. Yes, Wutai, he deserves to be a reviewer.

Thanks, you guys. That was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but it was fun. I was hoping I'd persuade the readers to play it, so I guess I did my job. I look forward to writing more reviews.

One thing I forgot to mention about the gameplay is wormholes. When Cortez finds one, the player is able to play as the future Cortez to help out the past. One good example: On the Train level, Cortez meets his future self and the player helps the future Cortez destroy a helicopter by giving him cover fire as he blasts it with a bazooka. Later in the level, Cortez stumbles upon a wormhole, and when he goes through he aids his past self, this time with the bazooka. Pretty neat, huh?



I rented Future Perfect for 5 days. I played for about 12 hours and guess what percentage of the game I've beaten? 26.8%. Pretty good for a game these days.

I'm gonna get Future Perfect nowz!

Freddibnah, by the power that no longer exists in me for some reason, I appoint you an official reviewer!