Metareview: TimeShift (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Oct 31st 2007 at 10:45AM }
- Game Informer (78/100): "The arsenal used to dispatch these smart soldiers has some definite standouts. While the standard rifle is handicapped due to its much-too-large reticle, most players will gravitate towards two particular guns. ... While exploring your time-altering gifts will keep your attention for several levels, halfway through the game you'll start to feel déjà vu as you move through the clichéd warehouses and engineering plants. To make matters worse, the simplistic environmental puzzles feel recycled from past titles. TimeShift also isn't above the occasional laggy sequence or game freeze."
- GamePro (75/100): "Maybe if the game had actually met its original development schedule, its gameplay mechanics could have come across as innovative, but at this point in time, TimeShift comes across as derivative and a little tired. That doesn't mean the game isn't good. It definitely has its moments, especially once the time bending powers become unlocked. There's something definitely satisfying about freezing time, chucking a grenade into a pack of soldiers and watching as the hilarity ensues. But as I was playing the game, I just couldn't shake the feeling that I had done it all before."
- GameTap (60/100): "Several times you have to use time manipulation just to make platforms move around because whoever built these magical blocks of metal apparently forgot to make them logically functional. Seriously, who would build an elevator that moves so quickly that the only way you can make it from the switch that turns it on to the elevator itself is to break the flow of the space-time continuum? ... Oh yeah, and fire? Forget about it. If you don't pause time while traveling down a conveyer belt with fire spewing from both sides, you're toast. I don't necessarily hate the fact that you have to use time control to get by these obstacles, but I do dislike the fact that a good number of these obstacles are old first-person shooter standbys that have been given a thin coat of paint by the time-shifting mechanics. "
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Psaakyrn @ Oct 31st 2007 10:53AM
Bah, imho the best time-travel related game is still Chrono Trigger. There's everything from ancient civilizations, leaving someone to pick them up far later after they do some boring time-consuming stuff, chests which works differently depending on when you open them, getting someone to repair a building so that it's usable in the future, dinosaurs, aliens, and even the "travel back in time to save the someone from certain doom".
DangerMouse @ Oct 31st 2007 10:59AM
I believe Daikatana holds the spot as the best time traveling game ever.
Jerk Face @ Oct 31st 2007 11:04AM
Chrono Trigger makes me hot.
GRANTED @ Oct 31st 2007 11:14AM
lol @danger
deaftly @ Oct 31st 2007 11:15AM
hands up for everyone that hates people that use real pics of them as their avatar
Psaakyrn @ Oct 31st 2007 11:17AM
How would you know that's the real face? For all you know the person might be a 14 yr old female posing as a basement nerd.
F. Rocker or Fernando R.? @ Oct 31st 2007 11:17AM
Well, Granted has his real pic, so he can't up his hand.
xSpartanF13x @ Oct 31st 2007 11:24AM
Psaakyrn
That is Jerkfaces real face, hes changed it b4
same jerk same face.
jk Jerkface
GRANTED @ Oct 31st 2007 11:25AM
lol good one.
Sean @ Oct 31st 2007 12:11PM
Looks like you have all forgotten about Mario is Missing. Now that is the best time travelling game ever.
gonk @ Oct 31st 2007 12:24PM
was that similar to carmen sandiego in time?
Sean @ Oct 31st 2007 12:25PM
Yes. Yes it was.
hvnlysoldr @ Oct 31st 2007 1:19PM
Mario is Missing is Luigi's geography game. Mario in Time is the time-traveling game.
Sean @ Oct 31st 2007 3:22PM
Oh damnit, hvnlysldr is right.
Jeff @ Oct 31st 2007 10:58AM
Did anyone really ever have high expectations from this game?
Something about it just turned me off right away. I like the idea, but had the feeling they weren't pulling it off right. Then I played the demo: it was gross.
DangerMouse @ Oct 31st 2007 1:25PM
Nope. You can tell when a trailer's attempt is to jazz up a shitty game.
xSpartanF13x @ Oct 31st 2007 11:00AM
Bummer, wasnt on my radar anyway since the demo was garbage. The chopper in the bottom left hand corner looks kinda like a Hornet from Haloz 3.
F. Rocker or Fernando R.? @ Oct 31st 2007 11:08AM
It need more Samus on that helmet.
hvnlysoldr @ Oct 31st 2007 1:21PM
Definitely needs more Samus
xSpartanF13x @ Oct 31st 2007 11:19AM
So does this mean there will be a sequal??
(fingers crossed) pause pause NOT!
mcatrage @ Oct 31st 2007 11:19AM
Man this game really should have been delayed. If this waited till January it would probably do well.
NATO_Duke @ Oct 31st 2007 11:23AM
It was delayed, and as one review said - that may be why it seems so played out at this point. Delays hurt it and put it into a season that had too many more advanced and interesting titles. Even in January there will be better stuff around to hold players attention.
GRANTED @ Oct 31st 2007 11:29AM
thank god this game isn't a ps3 exclusive. otherwise, all we would be hearing is "power of teh cell lol" and "delaystation! im so clever".
samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Oct 31st 2007 11:37AM
PS3rd!
I'm SO so clever.
megaStryke @ Oct 31st 2007 11:50AM
Would that be pronounced "pee ess threed" or "pee ess third"?
arrrgh @ Oct 31st 2007 12:27PM
wait DELAYstation? I GET IT NOW!!! :);)
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Oct 31st 2007 11:43AM
So it's an average game? So I guess it'll be good for a rental.
Sean @ Oct 31st 2007 11:49AM
These scores are not surprising.
t_m @ Oct 31st 2007 11:49AM
It always looked kinda generic. From the sound of it they should probably have released it a year or so ago when it would have been more impressive.
Seriously though, it must be pretty much impossible to break into the FPS genre these days. There are so many huge-budget AAA titles in that genre that its almost impossible to measure up.
Was Requiem: Avenging Angel the first FPS with time control powers? Back in the day...
PS/ Chrono Trigger rocked. Bring it to DS!!!
PPS/ Giants had area effect time changing spells... that game rocked on so many levels.
gonk @ Oct 31st 2007 11:52AM
the demo was decent, but not great (and certainly did feel like timescript)
too bad the time control powers in this are more of a gimmick to get past puzzles, rather than just fun ways to be better, like in crysis
wasn't it the multiplayer that delayed this game a year too?
NATO_Duke @ Oct 31st 2007 12:18PM
No, it was making it for the PS3 that did it.
Oh, I kid, see how I did that....met those hopes of a PS3 attack.
Jonathan @ Oct 31st 2007 3:34PM
No it wasn't mulitplayer, it was delayed a year when the publisher wanted the game to become more polished and change art direction. They ended up creating a whole new game in the end, though.
CaptainAmericaX @ Oct 31st 2007 12:33PM
It was a great concept but ultimately I don't think they exeuted it well.
I couldn't care less that it was on the ps3. I was still planning on getting the game all the way back in May when the Elite first came out.
However as time went on it began to look more generic and overall just boring to me.
maylon @ Oct 31st 2007 12:38PM
At what point do developers realize they are putting in 18 hour days to make a mediocre game?
Will @ Oct 31st 2007 12:44PM
I'm quite disappointed that none of these reviews appear to tackle the game's multiplayer aspect, which is the only thing about the game I'm interested in. You should read/listen to some of the interviews that the programmers have given; the multi REALLY sounds impressive. The way they're handling time manipulation in an MP environment is not just refreshing, but it sounds like it could be the Portal of MP gaming.
To those unaware, instead of just slowing/stopping time, or whatever, you have time grenades that cause the effect in a small sphere... if you can't imagine the awesome permutations of that, read more about it.
Will @ Oct 31st 2007 12:45PM
I should also mention that I'm in no way affiliated wit the makers of this game or anything. I am, however, really excited to rent it, at least (and uy it if I like the MP as much as I hope to). I just hopw other people end up playing the multi too. :P
hvnlysoldr @ Oct 31st 2007 1:20PM
Most definitely needs more Samus.
hvnlysoldr @ Oct 31st 2007 1:20PM
Weird reply system.
karimbus @ Oct 31st 2007 9:12PM
This Sliwinski must be a polak that hates Russians. How else can you explain the fact that he picks the negative parts of the review and copies them. The guy is a moron. I better he has no idea what game dev is all about. I work at a Gamestop and all I can say is that we sold out of the game in 2 hours. People love it, its just getting overshadowed by other games....