TimeSplitters is a sort of off-brand in the shooter industry. Even though its antics with time travel have a substantial effect on the story, that aspect doesn't manage to carve it a niche because, apart from contributing a diverse array of environments, the time travel aspect has no real effect on gameplay. The story incorporates the idea but the gameplay side leaves alone completely. As such, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect really does nothing to make it stand out against the crowd. It has lots of guns, lots of levels, lots of modes, and lots of characters. It's consummate, just not special.
The single-player experience of TimeSplitters is not going to move many copies of the game. The story, while funny and interesting in spots, is unbearably cheesy and weak in others; this is not due in any small way to the time travel concept. The arcade mode is interesting for a while, but getting gold trophies in every modes and permutation the game throws at you is only as desirable as you believe these types of achievement to be. Some of the modes are fun; many of them feel like grinding.
Multiplayer combat is the primary focus of this game and while it doesn't do much to differentiate itself, TimeSplitters does not slip up either. As mentioned, the variety in the maps, the guns, and the characters gives everyone something to like. The options menu also gives players a vast array of settings for fine-tuning matches or making them more interesting. This game must be played split screen, at least in the GameCube version, so a large television is necessary for four-player matchups, but each window has enough definition not to hinder gameplay. TimeSplitters' pacing is slower than Unreal Tournament but the game plays much like it otherwise; cover is seldom an option, instead emphasizing on running around. Several of the maps are large enough for sniper combat, but the way characters jostle about when they move makes landing headshots tough. With instant respawn and the vast array of weapons, the fighting is constant and direct.
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect could have been much more than it is, but it is a solid game the way it was delivered. It offers more customization in the multiplayer than most and the killing is satisfying, but its lack of eccentricity keeps it from being identified as great. As it stands, it is a good game, no more.
