Thread: The Timesplitters series-Time to split!

So Timesplitters was brought up in another thread and it reminded me how much I miss those games so I figured I'd get a thread up where we can talk about the franchise. The first game I remember was one of the first games I got when the PS2 came out. I remember playing the campaign mode and loving it even though it was super simple (Get a case and then backtrack all the way to the beginning of the level) but I still enjoyed it. I got a lot of mileage out of the callenge modes, specifically where you had to survive against an army of gun toting ducks.

The sequel was where things really picked up. The campaign was miles better, the gunplay felt better and the feedback you got from it was more satisfying and it, IMO, has the best music in the series. It was leaps and bounds better than the first game. The only criticism I had about it was the stealth section in the Neo-Tokyo level is complete bullshit but beyond that I enjoyed it immensely.

The third one...I liked. I didn't like it as much as the second, mainly because the puzzel sections were more frustrating. Despite that, I still think it was a solid entry to the franchise with a more story focused campaign that had a lot of humor and the same solid gunplay that the 2nd game had.

I'm sad that we never got a fourth one. Apparently publishers thought the game Free Radical pitched would've had too many features (Because God forbid that we gave gamers a lot of bang for their buck) and as a result it never saw the light of day...then again, the rights were recently picked up by THQ Nordic so perhaps there is still hope. Maybe we'll even get remasters of the first 3 games. Only time will tell at this point.

Ironically, that thread actually got me to boot these guys up again the other day too. Been playing through TS2, and having a blast, but I can't seem to find an emulator that will work with TSFP (and I don't have a physical copy anymore), so my nostalgia trip ends there. Definitely play TS2 on Dolphin emulator if you have no other way, it is pretty much perfect and looks fantastic in HD.

The whole series is awesome. Even though TS1 was pretty bare bones, I still thought it was cool as fuck -- IMO the best multiplayer maps in the series. TS2 was a vast improvement in almost every way though, and TSFP built on the format even futher. Even though I'd say TSFP is my overall favorite, it's a hard choice between 2 and 3 because TS2 had cooler story levels and a funkier vibe that I really meshed with. What held back TS1/2 for me though, even though it might sound like a stupid nitpick, was the lack of hands holding guns. Seeing your weapon just float in midair and swivel around without any hands holding it was always something that irked me. TSFP fixed this issue, so that was a big plus for me. I also think TSFP had the most unique weapons, and the story levels were so interactive; being able to do stuff like log on to computers and check a character's emails was something I found super cool.

It might interest you to know, by sheer coincidence, a week or two ago THQ actually said that Steve Ellis (one of the guys who worked at Free Radical) is currently heading a new Timesplitters project with his own team and they are in the planning/pre-production phase as of right now, just trying to figure out how to handle the future of the series. Not a 100% complete confirmation of a new game, but to know that they've actually assembled a production team and are actively talking about a new entry... that's the best news we've heard on the series since TS4 was canned years ago. Law of attraction; maybe our little discussion helped spur the universe to get the series moving again

On a side note, if you didn't already know, Timesplitters was made by the same guys who made Goldeneye and Perfect Dark. Perfect Dark, in particular, is an absolutely killer game, in many ways better and more impressive than any of the TS titles and very much alike. Give it a try if you haven't already.

Let's keep the convo going: what's your favorite map / character / weapon out of any of the three games?

Why my good man, that bit of knowledge is one of the reasons why I gravitated towards Timesplitters in the first place! Goldeneye 007 is one of my all time favorite games so I was interested to hear that the development team consisted of a good number of Goldeneye alumni. You can really feel the influence in the siberia level in TS2. The no hands thing never bothered me since I just saw that as a fun throwback to the Goldeneye days. I will say that TS: FP had the most polished gunplay in the series and if it weren't for those annoying puzzels, it'd be my favorite of the series. But yeah, a lot of the emails and things you could interact with was great. I loved that little jab at Doom 3 when you were in the lab section under the mansion sections.

I heard about Steve Ellis forming a team too. I'm with ya that I'm hoping that this means we'll be getting a new installment. My prediction is they'll probably do a remastered rerelease of the old games to test the interest in a new one and if it drums up enough interest, then we could be seeing a new game. Hell, even if we just get a rerelease, I'd be happy.

As for favorite weapon...hmm, tough to say. I'm kind of fond of the Soviet rifle from TS2



I always like the combination of fully automatic firepower and the grenade launcher comes in handy. I also have a soft spot for the SMG from Future Perfect if only because it resembles the real world MP5K, a gun that I'm fond of.



I can't think of a favorite map but Harry Tipper is the best character and any other answer is objectively wrong ;p

You know your stuff brother, much respect. Just curious, did you by chance ever visit the timesplittersportal.com forums back in the day? The site is down now but I used to go on there a lot, wondering if you were ever on there and we met in a previous digital incarnation.

I think I'd actually prefer an HD re-release of the originals (or even just TS2) over a new game, at least to begin with. Whenever a dead series gets revived, I'm always afraid they're going to fuck it all up with a new game (i.e. Perfect Dark Zero). The fact David Doak is no longer on the project gives me cause for concern, but hopefully there are more people from Free Radical than just Ellis on the project and it will maintain the same spirit despite Doak's absence.

On a slightly unrelated note about that Siberia level from TS2... man, that to me is the epitome of great game design. I've probably beaten it 100 times and it never gets stale. All the various ways you can approach just that first tiny base, let alone the entire level, is amazing. One thing I noticed for the first time when playing it again the other day was how the central elevator can actually be used to quickly return to the bottom floor near the original base, allowing you to complete the file cabinets / radar objectives if you forgot or didn't want to do it when you first passed through. That kind of interconnectivity is something that is sorely missing in modern shooters.

The TS2 soviet and SMG are both excellent choices. Double soviets will mow down just about anything. My favorite weapon is a hard call, there are so many good ones to choose from. As dumb and vanilla as it might sound, I think my overall favorite weapon is probably the TS2 silenced pistol though. Something about the look, the sound, the way it just slices through enemies (especially with a good headshot), it's just so satisfying to use. The TS1 sci-fi autorifle and laser guns are also awesome too.

I agree with you on Harry Tipper, he's kind of the face of the series really. Mr. Giggles and Stumpy give him a run for his money in terms of sheer hilarity though -- nothing quite beats sticking 20 remote mines to Stumpy and ending his poor little life at the hands of a flamethrower, to highly explosive effect.

I played Timesplitters 2 once at a friend's house and that was my only experience. The only thing I remember about it is that it had a level editor.

Originally Posted by Zemekis

I played Timesplitters 2 once at a friend's house and that was my only experience. The only thing I remember about it is that it had a level editor.

Do yourself a favor and give it a serious go, it's legitimately one of the best games ever made and absolute must for any shooter fan. If I start going too in-depth I'm going to write an essay because I love this series so much, but to give you an idea of it: the story mode is a series of self-contained missions which take place over 10 different time periods / locations ranging from a James Bond-esque cold war Siberia to a futuristic alien planet, each with its own unique weapons, enemies and objectives. It's incredibly diverse but somehow remains cohesive despite constantly changing up aesthetics and gameplay. There's also a multiplayer mode with a bunch of different weapons, maps and 125 different playable characters that you can also set up as AI bots to play against. The characters run the gamut from your typical soldiers or robots to bizarre stuff like... uh, this:



Then there are several dozen challenges which see you doing things like taking the role of an Italian strong man fending off a horde of flaming zombies, or fighting monkeys with lasers. Top it off with dozens of unlockable goodies, various cheats, co-op mode... yeah, there's more than a little bit to do in this game, and it's all fucking awesome. I mean seriously, is there another game where you can have the Hunchback of Notre Dame engaging in fisticuffs with Elvis while a midget clown lines up a heat-seeking rocket to end the duo's strife? No, no there isn't.

Jokes aside: seriously, play this game dude. Download Dolphin emu, load up your completely legally-obtained rom and enjoy shooting freaks in HD.

I didn't know Pennywise made an appearance in Timesplitters! But yeah, Zem, give the game a whirl. It's some of the most fun you'll have a console FPS. Like StarDood said, it has a crap ton a variety so there's no end to the amount of content that each of the games offers. There's always something to do.

And there was something else I forgot to bring up in my last post...the music! Holy hell, it has some of the best video game music of all time. It has such a variety of styles and tones and I was curious which ones were your favorite? It's tough for me to choose one track but a lot of my favorites come from Timeplitters 2. Specifically, Ice Station



and Return to Planet X



The other games had some great tracks too but those take the cake for me.

Originally Posted by Starwind55

And there was something else I forgot to bring up in my last post...the music! Holy hell, it has some of the best video game music of all time. It has such a variety of styles and tones and I was curious which ones were your favorite?

Yes, I should have mentioned that as well, the music is totally fucking killer. Graeme Norgate is unbelievably talented.

I would definitely list Return to Planet X as a top pick. The sense of epicness and urgency that it adds to the level is just awesome.

As for my personal favorite? Man, that's a hard one. I might have to be a simpleton and say Neo-Tokyo. Probably what most people would pick, but I can't think of any track from any game that fits the vibe of a level more accurately than that. The instrumentation is just off the wall in general. One day I'm going to take a trip to Japan, load up that tune on a pair of headphones, sit on the balcony of an expensive hotel and light up a bogey as I toke and watch wisps of smoke dance with neon lights and rain drops.

On a side note, isn't it weird to think that Neo-Tokyo takes place in 2019, and here we are in 2019? In only a few short months, we'll be living in a year that, at the time of TS2's release in 2002, seemed like a futuristic period far in the distance. Man, how time flies. Kind of funny how prophetic the Free Radical guys were, though. Take one look at Ghost's character model and tell me they didn't have the retarded hair styles of our era pegged to a T.


I've always been fond of the track for Streets, too. Really does sound like exploring a barren, snowy street at night time.