TimeSplitters (series)
Encyclopedia
TimeSplitters is a series of first-person shooter
video games created by Free Radical Design
. The games are often compared to Rare's shooters GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark
since Free Radical Design was founded by a group of ex-Rare employees who developed these games. As the title suggests, each game features a time travel
ling element which enables players to battle in a diverse number of locations set over the span of several centuries.
The look of the series is substantially more stylized than most modern first person shooters with character models and expressions emphasizing more cartoon
-like qualities and comic book
-inspired design. Many of the characters represent instantly recognizable parodies of established pop culture stereotypes (such as the aristocratic English explorer or the suave secret agent). Many aspects of the series also focus on often surreal and self-deprecating humor. The main antagonist in each of the games are the TimeSplitters, a race of aliens who wreak havoc on humanity throughout time as well as their supposed creator Jacob Crow.
On June 14, 2011, VideoGamer.com informed that a high-ranked source inside Crytek
confirmed that the company is currently working on a new game of the TimeSplitters
franchise to be released on next-generation platforms, including a new console by Microsoft to be announced in 2012. There was no confirmation if the game is actually TimeSplitters 4, or if it will also be ported to the upcoming Wii U or an eventual PlayStation 4. The game is supposed to utilize CryEngine 3 and DirectX 11 technology.
. The first game in the series only allowed multiplayer arcade maps to be created. The second game allowed the player to make single-player story levels with objectives. The third game included the ability to have maps take place outdoors unlike the previous games that only allowed indoor maps to be created.
featured in each game that can be played with either one or two players. In the first TimeSplitters, this is based upon the retrieval of a key object and its successful return. TimeSplitters 2 and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect had additional objectives and more complex levels.
and Capture the Flag
-type games, as well as other more unique modes such as Flame Tag where one player is put on fire and must tag another player to pass the flame onto them.
TimeSplitters 2 introduced Arcade League which are single player challenges, similar to Challenge mode, but arcade league challenges can be recreated in Arcade Mode. There are three leagues of increasing difficulty, and all challenges must be completed to at least a bronze level before access to the next league is granted. Rewards, such as extra characters for Arcade Mode, are given for successful completion.
armour as well as a past logo being a spoof of the Gears of War
logo with a monkey head replacing the skull omen.
.
with average review scores of 84.54%, 91.67% and 86.17% respectively.
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
video games created by Free Radical Design
Free Radical Design
Crytek UK, formerly known as Free Radical Design, is a video game developer based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, probably best known for Second Sight and the TimeSplitters series. After going into financial administration, it was announced on February 4 2009 that the studio had been acquired by...
. The games are often compared to Rare's shooters GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark
Perfect Dark
Perfect Dark is a first-person shooter video game developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It is considered the spiritual successor to Rare's earlier first-person shooter GoldenEye 007, with which it shares many gameplay features...
since Free Radical Design was founded by a group of ex-Rare employees who developed these games. As the title suggests, each game features a time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
ling element which enables players to battle in a diverse number of locations set over the span of several centuries.
The look of the series is substantially more stylized than most modern first person shooters with character models and expressions emphasizing more cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
-like qualities and comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
-inspired design. Many of the characters represent instantly recognizable parodies of established pop culture stereotypes (such as the aristocratic English explorer or the suave secret agent). Many aspects of the series also focus on often surreal and self-deprecating humor. The main antagonist in each of the games are the TimeSplitters, a race of aliens who wreak havoc on humanity throughout time as well as their supposed creator Jacob Crow.
Games
- TimeSplittersTimeSplittersTimeSplitters is a series of first-person shooter video games created by Free Radical Design. The games are often compared to Rare's shooters GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark since Free Radical Design was founded by a group of ex-Rare employees who developed these games...
(2000): The first game in the series released as an exclusive launch title for the PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. The game features levels taking place in different time periods between the years 1935 and 2035.
- TimeSplitters 2TimeSplitters 2TimeSplitters 2 is a first-person shooter video game available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube game consoles. The game was published by Eidos and developed by Free Radical Design. The game was first released in October 2002 in North America and Europe, and later in Japan...
(2002): Unlike its predecessor, this game was also released for the XboxXboxThe Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and Nintendo GameCubeNintendo GameCubeThe , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
in addition to the PlayStation 2. It expanded heavily on the first TimeSplitters and featured a story that contains characters that would later be used in this game's sequel.
- TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (2005): The third title in the series was notably published by EA Games as opposed to Eidos InteractiveEidos InteractiveEidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
that published the previous two games. This game's story has a bigger role in the game than the previous two installments. It is also considered significantly easier than its predecessors. This game had online capabilities for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 versions of the game, but the feature was omitted from the GameCube versions.
- TimeSplitters 4TimeSplitters 4TimeSplitters 4 is the proposed fourth installment of the TimeSplitters series, to be developed by Crytek UK, formerly known as Free Radical Design, the developers responsible for the first three installments in the series.-Development:...
(TBA): This game was in development for almost a year but since Free Radical was bought out by Crytek after going into administration, little information has been released since. On August 17 2009, the project had officially been declared as on hold. In an interview, Crytek UK claimed that they would continue the project once there is a high industry demand for such a game.
On June 14, 2011, VideoGamer.com informed that a high-ranked source inside Crytek
Crytek
Crytek is a German video game company founded in 1999 by three Turkish brothers: Cevat, Avni and Faruk Yerli. Crytek's main headquarters are in Frankfurt, Germany, with five other studios in Kiev, Budapest, Nottingham, Sofia and Seoul. The company is best known for developing the game Far Cry and...
confirmed that the company is currently working on a new game of the TimeSplitters
TimeSplitters
TimeSplitters is a series of first-person shooter video games created by Free Radical Design. The games are often compared to Rare's shooters GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark since Free Radical Design was founded by a group of ex-Rare employees who developed these games...
franchise to be released on next-generation platforms, including a new console by Microsoft to be announced in 2012. There was no confirmation if the game is actually TimeSplitters 4, or if it will also be ported to the upcoming Wii U or an eventual PlayStation 4. The game is supposed to utilize CryEngine 3 and DirectX 11 technology.
MapMaker
The series is notable for the inclusion of the MapMaker, a simple grid-based level editorLevel editor
A level editor is a software tool used to design levels, maps, campaigns, etc and virtual worlds for a video game. In some cases the creator of a video game releases an official level editor for a game, but other times the community of fans step in to fill the void...
. The first game in the series only allowed multiplayer arcade maps to be created. The second game allowed the player to make single-player story levels with objectives. The third game included the ability to have maps take place outdoors unlike the previous games that only allowed indoor maps to be created.
Story mode
Story mode consists of a series of missionsMilitary operation
Military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state's favor. Operations may be of combat or non-combat types, and are referred to by a code name for the purpose...
featured in each game that can be played with either one or two players. In the first TimeSplitters, this is based upon the retrieval of a key object and its successful return. TimeSplitters 2 and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect had additional objectives and more complex levels.
Arcade mode
Arcade mode is the multiplayer aspect of the TimeSplitters series. The games are notable for having numerous multiplayer modes including the traditional DeathmatchDeathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
and Capture the Flag
Capture the flag
Capture the Flag is a traditional outdoor sport generally played by children, where two teams each have a flag and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base," and bring it safely back to their own base...
-type games, as well as other more unique modes such as Flame Tag where one player is put on fire and must tag another player to pass the flame onto them.
TimeSplitters 2 introduced Arcade League which are single player challenges, similar to Challenge mode, but arcade league challenges can be recreated in Arcade Mode. There are three leagues of increasing difficulty, and all challenges must be completed to at least a bronze level before access to the next league is granted. Rewards, such as extra characters for Arcade Mode, are given for successful completion.
Challenge mode
Challenge mode, available in all games of the series, consists of sets of single player challenges. The challenges range from collecting bananas as a monkey to shooting cardboard cutouts. In TimeSplitters 2 and Future Perfect challenges are unique and cannot be recreated through Arcade Mode, but in TimeSplitters many of the challenges are based around a pre-set Arcade match. Rewards, such as extra characters for Arcade Mode, are given for successful completion.Time crystals
The time crystals are the nine green crystals used by the TimeSplitters to travel through time. In TimeSplitters 2, one of the objectives in each level revolved around collecting one of the time crystals. In Future Perfect the time crystals were brought to Earth to power a time machine created by the humans and the central objective of the game is to destroy them.Monkeys
Monkeys have been featured in TimeSplitters 2 and TimeSplitters 3. In the second game, monkeys could be seen in the story level called Aztec Ruins and there was a multiplayer mode called "Monkey Assistant" where the player in last place was aided by monkeys. The third game featured several variations of the monkey character including a monkey guised as a ninja, a robotic monkey, as well as a zombie monkey all as playable characters. A monkey also made an appearance in the story mode of the game as a humorous addition. The fourth game has a teaser of a monkey in Master Chief'sMaster Chief (Halo)
Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 is a fictional character and protagonist of the Halo fictional universe, created by Bungie. Master Chief is a player character in the trilogy of science fiction first-person shooter video games Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo 3 and will appear in the...
armour as well as a past logo being a spoof of the Gears of War
Gears of War
Gears of War is a military science fiction third-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios...
logo with a monkey head replacing the skull omen.
Appearances in other media
TimeSplitters 2 is seen being played in the movie Shaun of the DeadShaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead is a 2004 British zombie comedy directed by Edgar Wright, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and written by Pegg and Wright. Pegg plays Shaun, a man attempting to get some kind of focus in his life as he deals with his girlfriend, his mother and stepfather...
.
Reception
The 3 released games in the series have been generally well-received, ranking as the 1st, 4th and 6th best first-person shooters on PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
with average review scores of 84.54%, 91.67% and 86.17% respectively.
External links
- CrytekUK (Free Radical Design) - Home Site.