TimeShift beta sign-ups under way

The PC version of Atari's temporally challenging first-person shooter TimeShift is nearing completion, as evidenced by today's news that the publisher has opened registration for a multiplayer beta-testing period to begin later this month. Gamers interested in the beta can check out the minimum system requirements and put their names in the hat at the test's temporary Web site.

Set in the near future(s), TimeShift puts players in the quantum suit of Colonel Michael Swift, who's been tapped by the American government to test a time machine. Swift is sent back to 1911 on a test voyage, but when he returns he finds that the world has dramatically changed. As a result, he must take up arms against an oppressive regime to set things right again. Swift is aided in his mission by the usual assortment of shotguns, small arms, and flamethrowers, as well as by the quantum suit, which lets him slow down, pause, and rewind time.

Developed by Saber Interactive, TimeShift is slated for a spring release on the Xbox 360 as well as the PC. An Xbox edition will follow in the summer.