Review: TimeShift Demo
As I reported on a couple of days ago, Atari released the single-player demo for their upcoming game TimeShift. I picked it up from FilePlanet and got it installed late last night, so I took the time this morning to play through it.
The first thing I really noticed was the graphics. After playing games like Doom 3, F.E.A.R., FarCry, and even Half-Life 2, the graphics seen in TimeShift (or rather, its demo) are pretty lack-luster. It had its moments, but in general I felt that the graphics were awfully pixelated, the fire effects were only slightly better than those in Unreal Tournament 2004, and the player models weren't nearly as detailed as I would have hoped. This normally is of little concern to me, as I feel that gameplay is what truly defines a gaming experience (and trust me, I'm getting to the good stuff). I'm just slightly concerned about how TimeShift is shaping up, graphically speaking, when its supposed to be released for the Xbox 360 as well as the Xbox and PC.
Once starting up the level featured in the demo, I had very little concern for the graphics; you start off within several yards of two enemy agents, and they see you. You don't really get enough time to check out your weapons before-hand, nor do you have much time to think about using your time-shifting options. Equiped with my "knuckle duster" (a pistol with a spiked handguard for a brutal melee attack), I immediately lept into action and perforated the chests and heads of my new-found foes. Then, with my immediate area secure, I set about checking out my 3 weapons and my 3 timeshift options. Once I figured out that I wanted to sport my machine gun for whatever I might face next, I started trying to find my way out of the demolished subway station I was in (my boss was on the horn, yelling at me to get a move on and get to my next obstacle). As I approached a burning pile of debris, my HUD prompted me to use my ability to stop time to walk through fire without getting burned. Although I accidentally hit my "reverse time" function, I managed to walk through the blaze unscathed.
From there, I managed to climb up some rubble to the city sidewalk above. I found myself along a fence, which ran the perimeter of the "Imperial Building" which I was expected to infiltrate. I crouched down and snuck up on the front gate, which was armed with 3 or 4 automated machine gun turrets. My HUD prompted me to "use [my] timeshift powers" to bypass the turrets. Vague, but still pretty simple. Anyone with any imagination at all can figure out how to slip past security like that when you can manipulate the fabric of time itself.
I moved on, and found that I had to get through an energy barrier to infiltrate the front courtyard. Using my timeshift options, I froze time and stole the firearm right out of the hands of the guard posted there, and killed him before time could resume. Poor sap. As I inspected the guard house there, my HUD prompted me again, this time telling me to flip the switch that would disable the barrier. I did, and wasn't surprised to see that the shield quickly re-activated. Hmm... can I give myself more time? Of course! I flipped the switch again, and quickly froze time. I was able to walk right through before the barrier closed again.
From there, I simply had to make a quick run across the courtyard and make my way into the underground garage for the building. I decided to slow time so that the manned machine gun turrets couldn't keep up with my progress, and I simply bolted as quickly as I could across the yard and down the ramp to the garage. Figuring in the slowed time, I had to have been running at 2-3 times as fast as your typical freeway speed.
See? See how much I focused on what I experienced in the game? I seriously couldn't tell you how much detail was put into the agents I so ruthlessly (and instantaneously) killed, partly because of how each timeshift ability distorts the player's view of the environment around him. I didn't even focus on that very much, sadly, as I was having far too much time playing with security guards as if they were a video in my VCR; I'd watch them walk by, then "rewind" them and watch it again, trying to find my best option for sneaking past them undetected (I typically ended up just blowing everyone away for good measure). It was particularly nice to rewind time if I got caught, as I could just "undo" the guards' awareness of my presense, and find a better place to hide in the process.
The hype for the game offers sweet promises of aerial, indoor, outdoor, and urban environments, vehicles you can drive, turrets you can man, and of course, time you can shift. If the previews are to be believed, you can even expect a 16-player multiplayer mode, which will include some sort of timeshift weapons (or something). The demo only really demonstrated the timeshifting aspect, but what I saw I liked. Sadly, it was an incredibly short level, and the only level in the demo.
Based on my short-lived experience with the TimeShift demo, I'll have to give this game a rating of about 70%. The graphics really need to improve before it hits the Xbox360 or PC, the levels need to be much longer, but I think that Saber Interactive and Atari have really hit upon something big with this new spin on the first-person shooter. The demo left a lot to be desired if this game is going to reach its full potential, but I still have high hopes for TimeShift, as it brings something extra to the bloated FPS genre. I'll most likely re-review this game based on its retail release, and I expect that it will get a much higher rating at that time.
The first thing I really noticed was the graphics. After playing games like Doom 3, F.E.A.R., FarCry, and even Half-Life 2, the graphics seen in TimeShift (or rather, its demo) are pretty lack-luster. It had its moments, but in general I felt that the graphics were awfully pixelated, the fire effects were only slightly better than those in Unreal Tournament 2004, and the player models weren't nearly as detailed as I would have hoped. This normally is of little concern to me, as I feel that gameplay is what truly defines a gaming experience (and trust me, I'm getting to the good stuff). I'm just slightly concerned about how TimeShift is shaping up, graphically speaking, when its supposed to be released for the Xbox 360 as well as the Xbox and PC.
Once starting up the level featured in the demo, I had very little concern for the graphics; you start off within several yards of two enemy agents, and they see you. You don't really get enough time to check out your weapons before-hand, nor do you have much time to think about using your time-shifting options. Equiped with my "knuckle duster" (a pistol with a spiked handguard for a brutal melee attack), I immediately lept into action and perforated the chests and heads of my new-found foes. Then, with my immediate area secure, I set about checking out my 3 weapons and my 3 timeshift options. Once I figured out that I wanted to sport my machine gun for whatever I might face next, I started trying to find my way out of the demolished subway station I was in (my boss was on the horn, yelling at me to get a move on and get to my next obstacle). As I approached a burning pile of debris, my HUD prompted me to use my ability to stop time to walk through fire without getting burned. Although I accidentally hit my "reverse time" function, I managed to walk through the blaze unscathed.
From there, I managed to climb up some rubble to the city sidewalk above. I found myself along a fence, which ran the perimeter of the "Imperial Building" which I was expected to infiltrate. I crouched down and snuck up on the front gate, which was armed with 3 or 4 automated machine gun turrets. My HUD prompted me to "use [my] timeshift powers" to bypass the turrets. Vague, but still pretty simple. Anyone with any imagination at all can figure out how to slip past security like that when you can manipulate the fabric of time itself.
I moved on, and found that I had to get through an energy barrier to infiltrate the front courtyard. Using my timeshift options, I froze time and stole the firearm right out of the hands of the guard posted there, and killed him before time could resume. Poor sap. As I inspected the guard house there, my HUD prompted me again, this time telling me to flip the switch that would disable the barrier. I did, and wasn't surprised to see that the shield quickly re-activated. Hmm... can I give myself more time? Of course! I flipped the switch again, and quickly froze time. I was able to walk right through before the barrier closed again.
From there, I simply had to make a quick run across the courtyard and make my way into the underground garage for the building. I decided to slow time so that the manned machine gun turrets couldn't keep up with my progress, and I simply bolted as quickly as I could across the yard and down the ramp to the garage. Figuring in the slowed time, I had to have been running at 2-3 times as fast as your typical freeway speed.
See? See how much I focused on what I experienced in the game? I seriously couldn't tell you how much detail was put into the agents I so ruthlessly (and instantaneously) killed, partly because of how each timeshift ability distorts the player's view of the environment around him. I didn't even focus on that very much, sadly, as I was having far too much time playing with security guards as if they were a video in my VCR; I'd watch them walk by, then "rewind" them and watch it again, trying to find my best option for sneaking past them undetected (I typically ended up just blowing everyone away for good measure). It was particularly nice to rewind time if I got caught, as I could just "undo" the guards' awareness of my presense, and find a better place to hide in the process.
The hype for the game offers sweet promises of aerial, indoor, outdoor, and urban environments, vehicles you can drive, turrets you can man, and of course, time you can shift. If the previews are to be believed, you can even expect a 16-player multiplayer mode, which will include some sort of timeshift weapons (or something). The demo only really demonstrated the timeshifting aspect, but what I saw I liked. Sadly, it was an incredibly short level, and the only level in the demo.
Based on my short-lived experience with the TimeShift demo, I'll have to give this game a rating of about 70%. The graphics really need to improve before it hits the Xbox360 or PC, the levels need to be much longer, but I think that Saber Interactive and Atari have really hit upon something big with this new spin on the first-person shooter. The demo left a lot to be desired if this game is going to reach its full potential, but I still have high hopes for TimeShift, as it brings something extra to the bloated FPS genre. I'll most likely re-review this game based on its retail release, and I expect that it will get a much higher rating at that time.
posted by IcarusFountain at
2:15 PM
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