TimeSplitters : Future Perfect

TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is a 2005 first-person shooter developed by Free Radical Design and published by EA Games for PlayStation 2. It is the third and final entry in the original TimeSplitters trilogy, following TimeSplitters and TimeSplitters 2. The PS2 release combines a deliberately comic science-fiction campaign with fast console shooting, local multiplayer, cooperative play and a substantial set of custom-game tools. Its story continues the series' recurring conflict with the TimeSplitters, a hostile species whose existence is tied to time-travel technology and the fate of humanity.

Players control Sergeant Cortez, a space marine from the 25th century. After the events of TimeSplitters 2, Cortez is sent through different eras to trace disturbances caused by time travel and prevent the creation of the TimeSplitters. The campaign moves between wildly different settings, including a 1920s Scottish island, 1960s espionage, a haunted American mansion in 1994, a futuristic laboratory and a machine-dominated future. The changing periods give individual missions their own enemies, weapons, visual style and cinematic parody.

The central action is viewed from the first person. Cortez uses firearms, explosives and period-specific equipment while fighting soldiers, zombies, robots and TimeSplitters, with objectives that go beyond simply reaching an exit. The game mixes shooting encounters with switches, keys, defenses and set-piece sequences, and the plot's time-travel premise occasionally lets Cortez work alongside characters or versions of himself from another point in the timeline. Full voice acting, cutscenes and broad humor make the campaign more explicitly story-driven than the series' earliest installment.

Future Perfect supports story mode for a solo player or for two players cooperatively. A partner can join the campaign and share the same goals, making the varied missions suitable for couch co-op as well as single-player play. The PlayStation 2 edition also originally offered online multiplayer, though that official service is no longer active. Its local options remain a major part of the game, with split-screen matches designed around the quick rounds, unusual combatants and weapon combinations associated with the series.

Arcade mode provides customizable matches across free-for-all and team-based rule sets. Players can select maps, characters, weapons, bots and match conditions, then unlock additional content through play. Challenge and Arcade League events turn the game's systems into short, structured tests with objectives and medal awards. Progress through those modes opens more characters, weapons and locations for use elsewhere, rewarding repeated play beyond the story campaign.

The roster and equipment emphasize variety rather than military realism. Different eras support choices such as traditional firearms, science-fiction weapons and comic gadgets, while the game's characters range from human allies and villains to creatures and genre caricatures. This approach gives multiplayer a playful identity: the same controls and shooting fundamentals can be used in an ancient setting, a horror scenario or a future war. The game also carries forward the series' habit of referencing and spoofing familiar action, horror and science-fiction ideas.

Mapmaker lets players build their own multiplayer arenas from modular tiles and themed scenery. Users can place character starts, weapons, health and armor, objective items, turrets and bot sets, alter lighting and choose weapon configurations. A beginner mode makes basic construction more approachable, while advanced tools permit more elaborate layouts within the available space. Mapmaker also accommodates custom story-style material, extending the game beyond its shipped missions and arcade maps.

Free Radical Design had been founded by former Rare staff, and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect reflects the studio's experience with console first-person shooters while pursuing its own energetic, irreverent tone. The game was announced in 2004 and developed by a team of roughly 40 people before its 2005 release. Contemporary reviews were generally favorable, with critics noting the breadth of its multiplayer features, customization and campaign presentation. For PS2 owners, it remains a feature-rich shooter built around time-travel spectacle, cooperative action and the freedom to create or customize matches.