Judging by the standard response I receive upon bringing up the subject of its sequel, Time Splitters 2, something went horribly wrong with the original. Invariably, the answer I seem to get when inquiring about others’ experiences with 2, they reply with something like “No thanks. I played the first, that was plenty.”

Either the second coming is an entirely different experience, or I’m the only one enjoying myself. 2 is the standard first-person shooter console fare, subject to all of the pitfalls you’d expect a member of the genre to have. However, the cartoony characters, varied settings and concepts, multitudes of play modes and more-than-adequate artillery deliver an oft-forgotten element: personality. It won’t convert devoted keyboard-and-mousers, for sure. It’s simply the most entertaining console shooter since Goldeneye.

Time Splitters are a nefarious alien race, hell-bent on screwing something up, no matter what the age. They’ve penetrated multiple time periods with intentions of tampering with the ‘then’ in order to change the ‘now’. Your travels in stopping them will take you not only across the globe, but across history as well. Your first efforts will be dismantling the forces in control of a Russian dam in 1990. The next, however will be a trip back to Prohibition-era Chicago. Later, you’ll come across missions at Notre Dame of 1895, the Wild West, A futuristic “NeoTokyo”, as well as some others from both historic and future locales.

As a quick side note, many elements of your adventure will be reflected in the theme of the stage you’re currently traversing. The weapons you’ll come across in the ‘30’s Chicago level will include vintage equipment, such as the classic Tommy gun. At the same time, the ‘90’s Russia trip will host more modern, military-type artillery, such as rapid-fire guns, mines, and the like. Even objectives may reflect the time period; back in Chicago, one of the required goals is to empty all of the existing whiskey barrels of their alcoholic contents.

I hate to write off the single-player adventure as nothing more than an afterthought, but in comparison to the deep multiplayer modes and customabilities¹, it’s quite light. The objective-driven individual levels Rare used in its own N64 shooters is the formula used, but to a greater magnitude. You’ll begin with a full plate of four or five goals to complete, but as you progress you’ll run into little hitches in the operation (power shortages and the like) that you’ll have to deal with, tacking an additional set of chores to your list.

Aside from the story mode are other one-man indulgences that try to simulate a multiplayer experience by throwing you into deathmatch-like situations with computer-controlled “bots”. They usually require you to execute X amount of enemies in Y amount of time.

However, there are still other mini-games, with more unique objectives. Breaking every window in a particular level in a certain amount of time, for example, is an interesting twist in concentration from the senseless bloodbaths to senseless window smashing. Another is a “survival” type game where you’re confined to a small amount of space, and waves of undead zombies stumble towards you. Your goal? Stay alive. Cleanly decapitate them by any means necessary, and earn points for not getting eaten.

There’s a purpose behind it all, too. If you score high enough in the mini-games, you earn extra characters and modes for multiplayer events. By the time you’ve finished, there will be over a hundred playable characters in the two-to-four-man contests, each with his or her own statistical rankings in three categories: accuracy, agility, and stamina. You can also unlock new levels to host your multiplayer face-offs.

And that information only backs the point that the bulk of this package is multiplayer action. Even the single-player novelty modes result in rewards for use in the multi-man mode. There’s a bunch of ways to play, although a few are simply half-evolved variations of the standard deathmatch. Team-based deathmatch, Capture the Bag, and Assault head-up my favorites list. CTB is standard flag-stealing fun with a dumber name. Assault is a game where you and your teammates push forward on the offensive, trying to overtake the enemy base. There’s a lot more to wade through, too, however, and one mode or another is sure to please anyone. Flame Tag is an adventure in itself!

Detailed records are kept for each player’s profile, compiling statistics from all of the modes of play. Items such as number of kills, shots fired, accuracy, and the number of times one has played as the monkey character² (!) are all accounted for. There are also quite a few post-match awards to collect, as there were in Goldeneye. These, too, are recorded into the player’s profile.

The variety in weaponry is exceptional. Luger pistols, crossbows, submachine guns, flamethrowers, shotguns, sniper rifles, and grenade and rocket launchers are all present, as expected. Accompanying that now-default cast are laser and plasma rifles, and the Sci-Fi Handgun (rebounding energy blasts that ricochet about the corridors), which represent the “futuristic” portions of the adventure. Straight from Goldeneye are the proximity, timed, and remote mines, as well, and you may even run across some dynamite in the Wild West.

The environments are all very detailed, and demonstrate the polished look that the Xbox is capable of from a technological standpoint. There is a surprising consistency in the quality of the levels, considering the vastly different looks that each has, based on the time period it represents. The switch from Siberia’s zombie containment center to the mean streets of Chicago’s mobsters is a seamless one, if that sounds believable. Thankfully, the music tracks that hum along with each stage also match the settings admirably well. Quiet, sparse, stealthy notes slink by in the dam level, while a loud, silly piano tune bops out during the Chicago exploration. Much like the stages themselves, some of the music you’ll enjoy, some you’ll care less for.

Want to shake up the system? Utilize the Map Maker, and create your own stages for multiplayer or single player fun! Use the different themed tiles, and insert items like keycards and enemy respawning zones. You’re not going to churn out continent-sized bases to rip apart, but this is certainly an entertaining bonus, should the creative urge strike you.

Some irritating minor glitches will show themselves from time to time. You cannot scroll downwards on the awards list after a match, so if you received more than two, everything after the second will be cut off. This, however, is nullified by the fact that each unique award you earn is kept on record in the player profile. From time to time, the music will skip on the character selection screen. Nothing major. And finally, the game will freeze occasionally during a loading sequence while in the Map Maker mode. Things like this are moderately annoying, but thankfully, they are not issues during actual gameplay.

Perhaps the largest problem is going to be growing accustomed to the controller as methods of movement and aim rather than the now-standard keyboard and mouse setup. The aiming with left control stick is more sensitive than unresponsive, so getting a feel for just the right “touch” when lining up a shot is going to need to come before consistent success does. If you’re willing to adjust, then there shouldn’t be much of a problem. If you refuse to accept any non-mouse/keyboard shooter, then 2 is not going to change your mind.

Time Splitters 2 is a colorful, animated, and at-times comical entry into the first-person shooter library. It borrows many elements from Rare’s titles on the Nintendo 64, but is far different in personality. If Goldeneye interested you for reasons more than the Bond license, then 2 should be in your collection. A unique one-player mode is overshadowed by an extensive, deep multiplayer mode of play. Both are quite enjoyable, and the Map Maker is just an added bonus. Besides a few nitpicky squabbles, this is a memorable, fun shooter that is by no means revolutionary – it simply fits the mold with style.