Summary
There were an abundance offirst-person shooters released in the late 90sand early 2000s, both for the PC and the home consoles of the time, but it could be argued that none reached the creative heights of theTimeSplittersseries. The franchise was developed by Free Radical Design, a UK-based game studio headed up by David Doak, who had previously worked on such titles asGoldenEye 007andPerfect Dark.
These games were packed with creative ideas and designs, featuring comedic cartoon visuals,arcade multiplayer modes, and split-screen play that many fans of the series will remember. While everyTimeSplittersfan has a favorite, many consider these games to have gotten increasingly better over time.
The originalTimeSplittersgame,released all the way back in 2000, was a rough-around-the-edges shooter that hadn’t quite defined itself yet. However, even in its early form, itwas a fun linear adventure with a lot to offer. The time-jumping story mode, abundance of fun weaponry, and comedic character designs madeTimeSplittersa one-of-a-kind FPS with an arcade tone and feel.
TimeSplittersstory mode is relatively short, though it can take a while to beat depending on the player’s skill level due to the at-times brutal difficulty. However, the game’s replay value comes from its multiplayer mode, which features a great deal of customization, even with enemy bots. If players have a friend to play with, it is still a fun and nostalgic FPS experience worth having, but it’s arguably nowhere near as well-crafted as the following two entries in the innovativeTimeSplittersseries.
AlthoughTimeSplitterswas a fun and creative FPS for its time,TimeSplitters 2was where the series really found its footing.This ambitious sequel, like the first game, featured an extensive multiplayer mode alongside its linear story. However, the story mode ofTimeSplitters 2was a much more polished experience in almost every way, expanding and iterating on the creative character designs and comedic tone of the first game.
Similarly to the first game,TimeSplitters 2’sstory is a time-traveling adventure that takes players to all manner of time periods. This story structure allowsTimeSplitters 2to stretch its creative wings and really flex the creativity of its art style and tone. After finishing the story,TimeSplitters 2offers ridiculouslyin-depth multiplayer; much like the originalTimeSplitters, if players have a friend to play split-screen with, these arcade multiplayer modes are still a joy to play.
Arguably one of the best sequels of all time,TimeSplitters: Future Perfectwas the third game in the iconic series. Miraculously, the third installment managed to retain all the charm of the previous franchise entries while expanding and innovating on what made the first twoTimeSplittersgames so special in the first place. Unlike the first two games,TimeSplitters: Future Perfect’sstory mode features a solid narrative that’s told over the course of several missions, rather than each mission being a fairly isolated encounter.
Future Perfect’sstory is sure to be riddled with plot holes if players look close enough, butFuture Perfectis more concerned with being entertaining than offering a narrative masterpiece. The game’s story also finds plenty of excuses to bring back fan-favorite characters from the first two games. Despite how much time has passed since the game’s release, even accounting for nostalgia,Future Perfect’sart-style has managed to age fairly well. Animations are smooth, and the character designs are inventive, although the texture work is clearly showing its age now that the game is nearly twenty years old at the time of writing.
Will There Be A TimeSplitters 4?
Although fans have hoped for years that the developers at Free Radical Design would get a chance to developTimeSplitters 4, it’s looking less and less likely that it will ever come to pass. Free Radical has been put through the wringer more than once, and unfortunately, it eventually became a victim of the recent Embracer Group layoffs. As a result, the only glimpse fans ofTimeSplittershave into what Free Radical may have once had planned is the canceled PS3 demo from 2008, which resurfaced in 2024.
