The Critics are right, but it is a fun Shooter...

User Rating: 6.5 | TimeShift (2007) PC
I've played through about half of the game so far and I have to say that I am extremely disappointed. The time-shifting is obviously the BEST aspect of the game. Being able to slow everything to a crawl or stop time all together, take out 4-5 guys, and keep going if very cool. However, I find myself emptying 3/4 of a clip of the machine gun at a time taking down one guy; and that's from the beginning, not even later. The hit detection from 50ft (scale) and beyond is ridiculous. My only comfort weapon at this time is the shotgun; which I use the "time-shift" to get up close and personal and take 'em out with a single shot. My disappointment in the game mainly has to do with it being a pure shooter with no real storyline. Yeah, you can follow cut-scenes etc, but as far as the game itself goes: It simply has no depth.

The graphics are great, and the sounds are awesome. You feel very much "in" each battle with your resistance buddies. The weapons are pretty cool (so far) but as I said before, be prepared to reload... a LOT. The explosive weapons (grenades, arrows, etc.) are very effective, but are in short supply sometimes. You find yourself waiting for your suit to recharge in between short 2-3 man battles, and hoping they don't charge you while you're vulnerable.

The AI seems to be alright. They take cover and use "group" tactics at times, so they're not mindless by any means. However, they can be difficult to take down if you're more than 50ft (scale) away and you usually resort to time-shifting to take 'em out at close range; which may be the point.

The levels (so far) seem linear. Point A - Point B - Point C, kill, don't die. I've only come across a couple of little "puzzles" where you use your suit to slow or stop time in order to get from point to point; and they're pretty obvious. A couple of times, I wondered why my resistance buddies went in one direction while the game forced me to go another alone. Shouldn't I be fighting the good fight WITH them even though I'm completely out of place?

The game seems fun/playable so far, but with little replay value. I think they'll probably concentrate on the Multiplayer aspect more than the single player. That seems to be the way PC FPS's are going these days. Even with the 1.01 patch, the game has a lot of flaws in its execution; however it is a fun shooter, and the ability to control time itself makes the game worth it.