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It's not easy being a stylish, slightly goofy shooter in a Halo world. But that hasn't stopped Free Radical, the developer of the TimeSplitters franchise, from further refining and tweaking the formula that's kept players coming back for multiple installments. The publishing reigns have passed from Eidos to EA, but Future Perfect is packed with the same trigger-happy, silly fun as its predecessors. But without a mature, cinematic storyline, can it possibly be worth a look? Fortunately, answering unnecessary questions is our forte.

Time-Travel Primer

In an attempt to cut down on cases of mental disassociate disorder amongst TimeSplitters players; Free Radical has reduced the story mode's playable characters to one. Instead of hopping from body to body, Quantum Leap style, players are now cast as Cortez, a smart-aleck warrior who looks a lot like Riddick's cousin. An obvious send-up of action heroes, he even sports a catchphrase 'Time to split!" which is routinely ridiculed by other characters in the game. Otherwise, the story mode is much the same. It throws diverse weapons and locations at players by way of the time-traveling plot. The idea is to follow a trial of time crystals back to the source, which will allow…oh, never mind. Just enjoy the ride and shoot everything, Okay?

Granted, some of the weapons are pretty great. A level set somewhere after World War I features a sort of submachine gun with a barrel designed to accept powerful rockets. There are, of course, plenty of pistols, grenades and shotguns, but the time-traveling plot gives Free Radical leeway to create endless variants on the classic first-person shooter arsenal, and the results range from incredibly good to simply absurd. Cortex also has a gizmo attached to his left hand that both generates a holographic map and replicates the gravity gun from Half-Life 2. It's not quite as cool or responsive, but there's nothing wrong with using the device to fling an explosive barrel into a group of enemies.

Parody Line

The solo game may not be the lengthiest mode in shooters today, but it is presented with flair, which can be more attractive than oodles of filler levels. The graphics feature more or less the same blocky/animated look that characterizes the series, but there's plenty of extra oomph in explosions and environmental effects, and the voice acting delivers a script that's quite entertaining, once the action gets rolling.

More important is the complete disregard for seriousness and Future Perfect is as happy playing with lobotomized monkey zombies as war veterans and groovy James Bond parodies. Many solo levels feature AI characters which pair up with the player, providing some extra story structure and dialogue. Cortex will only spend scant time protecting these associates, but they happily provide extra firepower and occasionally an objective which goes beyond the simple 'shoot everything' mandate. A few drivable vehicles spice things up further.

Mod Multiplayer

But the main attraction here, as in the past, isn't the story mode. Instead, it's the multiplayer challenge and arcade modes. These are obviously playable online, but can also be enjoyed solo, thanks to some reasonably intelligent bots. One of the series' best accomplishments has been to deliver PC-style modding and customization on a console, and that's all part of the non-story modes. Arcade challenges are pretty straightforward deathmatch offerings, with both free for all and team games. With shrink rays, invisibility, and monkey assistants, the arcade mode is fun and full of the same goofy humor that defines the series.

Challenge is another thing altogether. Each selection is built around a constrained space in which players must typically defend themselves against a ridiculous range of attacks. How about decapitating zombies, armed only with the gravity gun knockoff and some boxes? What if you could throw a box to take a zombie's head off, then immediately engage the gravity again to snatch the freshly loosened head from the air before repurposing it as a weapon? That's par for the course in challenge mode. Each task has a rather insane level of ultimate difficulty, and offers trophies based on your ratings, all of which are immediately uploaded to online leader boards.

Is the Future Perfect?

As cool as the challenges are, many of the game variants have been seen before in TimeSplitters 2 and countless other console shooters. Couple that with the relatively short, derivative single-player mode, and you have enough ammunition to level the battlefield. But with 150 playable characters to unlock, there's plenty of incentive to soldier on. The achievement, though, is that it usually doesn't feel like you're soldiering on at all. Future Perfect also lacks some of the technological prowess of other shooters, but its personality and extras keep its head above water.