TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is the third TS game overall and the second to appear on Xbox. The series has always been known for its sense of humor and straightforward FPS action, but Future Perfect polishes some of the rough edges to produce a game that is head and shoulders above the first two games. It looks better, controls better, plays better, and is packed full of features and modes including Xbox Live multiplayer. It doesn’t reinvent the FPS wheel, but it doesn’t really have to.
Gameplay
The core gameplay of Future Perfect is solid nuts and bolts first-person-shooter fare. One complaint people had with previous TimeSplitters games is that the controls were a little loose and the targeting was a bit too forgiving. Those issues have been fixed in Future Perfect and the experience is much tighter and smoother and better than it was before. It isn’t as smooth as Halo, but it is a dramatic improvement over past TS games and it more than holds its own compared to most other FPS on Xbox. Something that does hurt Future Perfect a little bit is the fact that you can’t jump. Notable more for its absence than how useful it really would be, it just seems strange that you are stuck to the ground here when every other FPS lets you jump around like an idiot whenever you please. Jumping aside, Future Perfect handles like a dream and does a solid job with everything else a FPS should do.
The hook of Future Perfect is that it is fast and fun FPS action that you don’t really have to think about too much. I like to be able to fire up a game and just blast away at wave after wave of enemies and Future Perfect does that and a whole lot more.
Story Mode
Another area where Future Perfect is a big improvement over its predecessors is in the single-player story mode. The first TimeSplitters didn’t even have a story mode and TS2’s story mode was a loose collection of so-so levels barely held together by a weak storyline and duct tape. Future Perfect, on the other hand, presents a very capable and satisfying story mode. You star as time traveling soldier Cortez as he chases an evil madman across space and time to try and recover special crystals. There are several levels covering a number of different time periods and they are all of fairly consistent quality. Each level has its own theme and its own feel so it gives the game a lot of variety. There are also a handful of drivable vehicles scattered throughout the levels and you have at least one AI companion in each level which help keep the experience interesting. The real star of the story mode in Future Perfect, though, is that the levels are all extremely well designed and genuinely fun to play through and explore. The pacing of the game is also well done and enemies are constantly being thrown at you which is a whole lot of fun. You can also play through the story with a friend in co-op mode which is a huge plus.
Great Sense of Humor
Something that I absolutely love in TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is the huge number of references to movies and other video games. The single player levels are all based on other games and they all work tremendously well. There is a Resident Evil-esque mansion, a Perfect Dark inspired building infiltration complete with female superspy, and a train level a’la GoldenEye among many others. From the weapons to the dialogue to the files you can find on computers – pretty much everything was borrowed from other sources and the whole experience is made more fun and interesting because of it.
Another aspect of Future Perfect that is very appealing is that it is a genuinely funny game from start to finish. The game pokes fun at itself and everything else at every opportunity which keeps the game lighthearted and fun. When a game features modes such as cat driving and monkey curling, you know that you are definitely in for a good time.
Other Single Player Modes
In addition to the single player campaign, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect features a lot of other modes to play around in. Challenge mode gives you objectives such as beheading as many zombies as possible, driving a robotic cat, smashing windows, and tossing boxes through hoops to score “baskets”. Arcade mode allows you to set up custom matches on whatever map you want with any options in any game mode against whatever bots you want. There is also an arcade league where you compete against bots in matches with specific rule sets. There are 150 characters in the game that you unlock by beating story missions as well as the challenges and arcade leagues. You also open up new match types, cheats, and weapons by beating the single player modes.
If the included maps don’t quite cut the mustard, you can even make your own in the mapmaker mode. You can build multiplayer and story mode maps and the sheer number of pieces and options available is absolutely awesome. Basically, if you can dream it, you can do it. The only downsides are that you only have a limited amount of memory to build your map with and there are only a handful of different themes to use which determine the look of your map.
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