Timeshift
Score: 78% ESRB: Mature Publisher: Sierra Developer: Media: DVD/1 Players: 1; 2 - 16 (Online) Genre: First Person Shooter/ Online
Graphics & Sound: TimeShift's path to release has been an interesting one; perhaps more interesting than the game itself. Slated for release last year, a demo was released and pulled after a lukewarm reception. Down, but not out, Sabre Interactive gave the game an overhaul. Stories like this usually end in disappointment, but the nearly year-long delay seems to have done the game some good, resulting in a solid shooter with an interesting, if a bit flawed, time manipulation element. Visuals were one of the reasons for TimeShift's delay, and it looks like it paid off. While it doesn't rank among the system's best and brightest, it isn't exactly a hi-res Xbox game either. Enemy designs combine a futuristic style with something you might expect from WWII. There are also a decent number of special effects, ranging from breaking boxes to shattering glass to an excellent rain effect. In fact, several elements in the game's environment can be destroyed, so cover doesn't last very long. Sound isn't overly memorable, though it does its part well. Taking a cue from Valve's Half-Life series, TimeShift doesn't tell you the story as much as it simply shows it to you. You are told very little in the beginning; instead you have to listen to audio cues around you and figure out what happened. The voicework is pretty good as is the soundtrack, which manages to stay out of the way throughout most of your adventure.
Gameplay: The story begins with the theft of a device capable of controlling time. Before his escape through time, the thief destroys the lab. Rather than die in the ensuing explosion, you decide to take your chances with S.S.A.M., a suit that can also manipulate time. You are immediately pulled into the 1940's, where WWII should be in full swing. Instead, you are greeted with something that looks more like the future from Terminator. Whoever took the first suit has messed with time and used his knowledge to take over the world (don't they always). As is usually the case with time travel, the story is incredibly confusing at the start; there are several blanks left to be filled in and no one really knows what is going on. The more you play, the clearer things get. This isn't to say that it makes a whole lot of sense then, but as far as these types of stories go it works - especially since it leaves you just enough room to imply what is going on rather than have everything explained. What isn't as confusing is the gameplay, which is pretty standard when it comes to first-person shooters. What isn't standard are the time controls, which have just as big a role in the game as gunplay. As the game progresses, you'll use these skills in different ways. The first, and most entertaining, use is the ability to stop time and steal weapons from enemy's hands. At this point, you can either shoot them with their own weapons or watch their reaction when they realize they are unarmed. Eventually you'll learn to reverse time, which comes into play when solving puzzles. Online is one of TimeShift's better features. I would even go so far as to call it the game's best feature. Rather than giving you full scale control of time, you instead use time grenades to mess with other players. Once activated, time grenades create a sphere of influence that manipulates time for whoever is stuck inside. This opens up some really cool strategic options, such as throwing a reverse grenade and having a rocket returned to sender. Traditional multiplayer stand-bys like Capture the Flag are included and joined by modes like Meltdown Madness, which involves using time powers to speed up and slow down reactors. There's also a King of the Hill variant where the "it" person has control of time powers.
Difficulty: TimeShift is one of those odd games that manage to be incredibly hard, yet really easy all at the same time. Enemy A.I. is very aggressive and enemies seem to pop out of every nook and cranny in each level. At the same time, weapons are overly powerful, which isn't too bad a thing since enemies are also great damage sponges. Still, some weapons are way too powerful and completely throw out any type of strategy. It is not about using the best weapon for the situation, but using your most powerful one until you're out of ammo. In the end, it is the time manipulation powers that really push things in your favor. You can't reverse time to prevent your death, but your suit's A.I. will do everything but play the game for you; it selects the appropriate power and will show you the solution to puzzles. You can override the power the A.I. selects, but there's never a reason to deviate from its selection. It isn't exactly an, "I win" button, but it is pretty close.
Game Mechanics: Time control isn't a new feature when it comes to games, but at the same time, it has never really been used to its fullest potential. TimeShift takes a few steps in the right direction, though the mechanic isn't used as well as it could be. Puzzles are extremely linear, simple and the solution is obvious, which is a real disappointment since there is a lot of potential for some insane puzzles using the time mechanic and physics engine. I guess I was expecting something more along the lines of Blinx. As poorly received and flawed as the game was, there were some really cool time-based puzzles. Instead you are limited to mainly reversing scripted events. At best, TimeShift is a solid shooter, though it is more about potential than fulfillment. There are a lot of really cool things going on that aren't realized to their fullest, which when coupled with some of the game's nagging problems hurt the overall experience. Still, if you are looking for something a little different, it is worth a shot.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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