At a glance...

Reviewer	Platform	Publisher	Developer	Players
Ross Gilder	Xbox 360	Sierra Interactive	Saber Interactive	1-16 (System Link, Xbox Live)
Requirements				Buy from Amazon.co.uk
4MB HDD/MU space to save, Xbox Live Gold subscription for online play				Click here to buy TimeShift.

TimeShift review

So, TimeShift, eh? Well, this review is a bit overdue; I've had Matt on at me for a while on this one... In any case, here it is; a bit on the short side this review, but then this is one of those average games with average controls and an average story. So there's not really much to say; nothing good, nothing bad. Just average.

TimeShift, as the name implies, is about someone who has the ability to shift and alter time to succeed in their mission. Well that's all I really managed to get out of it, but Matt tells me that the story is about scientists who are researching into time-altering technology when a bomb is set off in the lab. It was set off by the director of the project, Krone, who has taken the "alpha suit" and travelled into the past to make him the rules of an alternate timeline. The fellow scientist you play as dons the improved "beta suit" and tries to use it to change the situation, but is flung into Krone's parallel universe where there's a rebellion occurring. He picks up a gun and enters generic first person shooter territory from here on in as he joins the resistance. There are some bosses, rail segments and such an easy final boss, before finishing up about where you started, with an event that has been clearly set up for a sequel.

The game plays similarly to every other first person shooter you've ever played, so there's no need to explain more on that. The controls are fine, they do what they are meant to, there's no awkward moments and everyone's happy. This is a great first thing to check in my books, because if the controls don't feel right, then, well, you're probably making a stupid mini-game collection, when you should be making amazing strategy games (I'm looking at you, Frontier). What you will find new with the controls is the time-shifting abilities, which are mapped to RB on the 360 pad. This ability will serve as a second life to you all the way through the game. Luckily, they tend to work well, except for reverse, which seems to make the game lag considerably. Other than this, though, you're given time-pause and time-slow as your other functions, and both of these actually work rather well with no noticeable glitches.

Except one. Which I'm sure is just programmer stupidity rather than anything else. Time-pause, which is probably the most useful one in the game, allows you to pass through certain hazards, such as fire or electricity, or walk on water, as well as other cool tricks. What it doesn't let you do, though, is pass through a laser beam. Surely if the laser beam is paused, then technically there is no energy transfer, and thus there cannot be any damage taken from the laser. Don't you agree? Well, it seems the developers at Saber decided "Let's make these corridors, with tons of moving lasers, Mission Impossible-style, and then make it so that you have to use time-stop to get through and also if you touch the lasers you die". You will encounter the hall of lasers a few times, sometimes with added security guards and automatic gun turrets as well. Genius, just genius.

There are some other "really clever things" that the game does as well. When you get a substantial way through the game, you finally reach levels with vehicles. While they may help you get from A to B rather quickly, the game does the grand job of warning you of incoming obstacles in exactly the same way that it does when you're on foot; i.e. about 20 steps before. Of course, when you're on a vehicle, by the time it's finished telling you what that hazard is, you're either already past it or you've been destroyed by it. In some cases the checkpoints are surprisingly far back compared to where you actually were when you died, leaving you frustrated.

However, the game does have some nice features, such as being able to steal weapons from paused enemies, and some pleasant, but simple, puzzles. But all in all, this is a game that's OK; it's not the next Far Cry or Portal, but it's not the Jericho either (which I refuse to play beyond the first awful level). It's adequate, and if you find yourself in need of some sci-fi shooters in the near future, and don't want to replay Half-Life or Halo, then pick this up.

Ratings

Graphics	The graphics in the game are nice with some extensive uses of normal bump mapping, as can be seen by shooting a rocket at a 15cm thick wall to find a 2 ft deep crater. It may be flawed but there's some clever graphical work in there.	8/10
Gameplay	A bit above average, and not broken by any means.	7/10
Value	I'd say it's worth around £25, so might be worth the money if you can find it cheaper than full price.	6/10
Lifespan	Won't take too long to do the single player. Multiplayer has some interesting ideas, but the average shooter comes through too much. Besides, all your friends are playing CoD4 or Halo 3 instead.	6/10
Audio	What seems like real-time sound manipulation during time stop, reverse and slow down is reasonably clear. The other effects are quite good too.	8/10
Overall	There's not much to say that's good, but there's not much to say that's bad either. Therefore while 7 is a bit high, with Thrillville at a 5, 6 just feels a bit too low. I'd give it 6.5 if I could, so a "high 6" will have to do.	6/10

Click here to buy TimeShift from Amazon.co.uk.

Copyright Information

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License, except where otherwise noted.

Some screen captures on the site were made with HyperSnap-DX by Hyperionics.

Smileys taken from Crack's Smilies.