Atari announces TimeShift

While many gamers, particularly those older than 30, wish they could turn back the clock, few ever expected they could actually do so. However, temporal distortions are at the very core of Atari's upcoming shooter, innovatively titled TimeShift. Today, the publisher announced it will ship the game for the PC and Xbox this fall. No rating information was made available.

In TimeShift, players will have the the ability to stop, slow down, and even reverse time. They will use this ability to freeze opponents and solve complex puzzles, which will be a recurring feature in the game's 30 combat missions. Its story is being written by a "renowned Hollywood writer and director," whom Atari did not identify, and it will "incorporate a fantastic vision of our world existing within an alternate timeline."

"TimeShift will challenge players to use their minds, along with their weapons, to battle enemies and solve complex gameplay puzzles," said Wim Stocks, Atari's executive vice president of sales and marketing, "TimeShift will change the fundamental way gamers think about first-person shooters by using the fourth dimension: time itself.”

TimeShift is being developed by Saber Interactive and will use the company's proprietary Saber3D game engine, which features "groundbreaking graphics technology," "high-detailed textures and characters," and "futuristic physics technology," revealed Atari. The game had been going under the name Chronos and was, according to a brief description on the official Saber Web site, being developed for the PlayStation 2 at one time. Atari reps did not respond to inquiries regarding the status of a PlayStation 2 TimeShift.

For more on TimeShift, read GameSpot's exclusive first look at the upcoming shooter, which includes a video interview with producer Kyle Peschel.