Ever since games like Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, gamers have been waiting patiently for another killer first person shooter to emerge. 007: Agent Under Fire was a huge disappointment for FPS fans, but not Free Radical has decided to bring their sequel to Nintendo's next generation console. Timesplitters 1 was considered a very good game in all respects, but it was still missing the little something that made Goldeneye and Perfect Dark amazing. This time around, Free Radical has reworked their FPS formula, and have created a gem of a game that critics are hailing as the next Goldeneye.

Graphics:

Free Radical has done a very nice job in this department, and I suspect everyone will be quite happy with the graphics. Immense 3-d environments sprawl out before you, with beautiful architecture and vegetation to dazzle your eyes. Each level sports its own unique graphical style; Chicago with its moody, dark streets, and Neo Tokyo with its very Blade Runner feel. The graphics aren't perfect, and are not quite as good as Halo, but some graphical elements were most likely taken out to make sure the game runs fast. In one player mode, the frame rate never drops below the 60 fps mark, which means lighting fast gun fights. Even in multiplayer, with 4 players and 10 bots, the game almost always stays at 60 fps. This is amazing, and makes for a very fun multiplayer experience. Little hiccups in the graphics are seen through out the game, such as some blurry textures, but all in all, the graphics easily suffice what this game needs to get across, and most gamers should be very happy with the job Free Radical has done.

The music and sound effects in TS2 are very nicely done. Each and everyone soundtrack fit nicely with the level they accompany, creating very moody environments. The music in Neo Tokyo will enhance the very Blade Runner feel of the level, and the other tracks fit nicely with their respective environments. The sound effects consist of the usual gunshots, and loud, deep explosions, and they sound fine. All other sound effects also sound just as good.

Here is where a FPS needs to shine to make it amazing, and TS2 shines above the rest. Those waiting for gameplay as memorable as Goldeneye and Perfect Dark can find it here. As most would expect, there is of course a Story Mode that takes you through the happenings in the game. Although the story isn't very compelling, nor will it win any awards, it is good enough, and it keeps the players playing. The levels are mixes of just kill everyone, to a few sneakier levels, and most will be happy with the amount and difficulty of goals in each level. As in most FPS games, the story mode comes in three settings; Easy, Normal, and Hard. Easy have the easiest goals, and the easiest enemies, but as you choose harder difficulties, more goals and enemies are added, and I have to say that when it says Hard, it means Hard. It is no simple task, and finishing the story mode completely should keep players going at it for some time. From playing the story mode, on normal and hard, you will unlock things to use in you multiplayer bouts, and there is A LOT to unlock.

Story mode is not the only way to unlock the plethora of characters, levels, modes, and weapons though, there is also the challenges and arcade to do. The Challenge mode tests and hones your skills in many different challenges. It tells you the challenge and then tells you what you need to do to get a bronze, silver, or gold medal. You unlock characters, etc. from completing the challenges, but that is no simple task. The Arcade League is another way to unlock some nifty things. It comes in three difficulties: Amateur, Honorary, and Expert. You start off with only amateur unlocked, and must get at least a bronze medal in all of the challenges it pits you against to unlock the others. Now, you might think Challenge and Arcade League are the same, but they are not. Arcade League is basically like multiplayer with bots. You may have to play a deathmatch, or a capture the bag, and Arcade League is where you unlock the different modes for multiplayer.

On to what most players will probably spend the most time doing: the Multiplayer mode. Under the Arcade Custom setting, players can play with up to 3 friends and up to 10 bots. Arcade custom also comes in three difficulties: Chilled, Normal, and Frantic. Then, you pick one of the 16 modes, and one of 16 levels. Most modes and levels will not be unlocked from the beginning, and you will need to go play some Challenges or Arcade Leagues to get them. You can then choose what weapons you want in the level, and the bots you want. Bots come in difficulties as well, and it is shown by how many stars they have. One star being the lowest, 5 being the highest, and finally you can choose from one of 126 characters to play as. These you must also unlock through your exploits in Story, Challenge, and Arcade League modes. Finally, after all this choosing, you can begin you killing, and it will go fast. This game is much faster paced that Goldeneye or PD, and it makes for some very fun times. It runs at a smooth 60 fps for almost the entire time, with some hiccups here and there, but overall it looks and feels great. Not much else can be said about the multiplayer, save for it is extremely fun and entertaining.Now, for those who don't like the multiplayer levels, make one of your own. Yep, you can make your own levels with this game in the nifty Map Maker feature. You basically choose the tile set (the architectural style) and pick which tiles you want and place them on the grid. You can build multiple floors, and pick from 30 tiles of varying size and shape. Then, you can change the lighting in the tiles and place the guns, starting points and other things for multiplayer games. Also, you can create you own personal Story levels, with enemy spawning points and game logic. Game logic is basically triggers that…trigger something to happen. The only down point of the Map Maker is amount of tiles, guns, etc. you can place, but all in all it is pretty fun to make your own levels.

There is not much to say here, mostly because the controls in this game are completely customizable, so if you don't like the default controls, change them. You can change everything to make them suit your need. So, the controls in this game are excellent.

This game is great. It is the game all you FPS fans have been waiting for, it is a whole new level in FPS gaming and I think everyone should get it. It is better than both Goldeneye and Perfect Dark, and even better than Halo. With the astounding amount of things to unlock, the amazing multiplayer, and the Map Maker this game will keep you coming back. There is almost nothing bad to say about this game except for the fact that there really isn't anything new and amazing in TS2, but if the formula works, why change it? Also, the story is pretty lame, but who cares when it is still fun.