TimeShift Updated Impressions - Better Graphics, Better AI, Better Gameplay

We recently had a chance to reacquaint ourselves with TimeShift, the sci-fi shooter from Saber Interactive and Atari. As you may recall from reading our previous coverage, the game takes place in an alternate reality in which time travel is possible, but is a jealously guarded secret. Your character is a test pilot from the faraway year of 2007 who tries on an experimental high-tech suit that lets you manipulate the flow of time (but makes you immune to those effects). You take the suit for a dry run by jumping back to the year 1911, then immediately jump back to your time to find out that the entire world is different. It seems that an evil and ambitious scientist known only as "Krone" has somehow gotten ahold of the same technology, and has rebuilt the future in his image. You're stuck in the alternate-future version of 2007 in which Krone rules the planet with an iron fist--and your high-tech suit is the only hope that scattered rebel groups have of defeating him.

The PC and Xbox versions of the game will offer more than 30 single-player levels, plus at least one drivable vehicle, in the form of an armored trike that seems extremely fast and should also have fairly forgiving, arcade-style physics and handling. The PC version in particular looks even better than ever, since the most recent version we've seen has been equipped with shader model 3.0 graphics, high-dynamic range lighting, and enhanced particle effects that didn't seem to slow the game down one bit, even for dust clouds kicked up by automatic gunfire or for huge, fiery explosions. We had a chance to see a revised version of one of the earlier levels we'd seen previously, now with better graphics and a cleaner interface. For instance, the game now uses a recharging three-part meter to keep track of the power in your suit--the least costly power to use is slowing time, followed by stopping time, while the most costly power is rewinding time. Even the visual effects for the special powers themselves have been revamped; slowing time causes the world to take on a blurry, blue look; while stopping time turns the game to a faded black-and-white; and rewinding time causes the entire world to take on a very appropriate faded, sepia-tone look.

This and other levels we saw had even better physics and artificial intelligence on display. To begin with, the level started us off in a burned-out subway station leading to an aboveground city at night. We rounded a corner and ran past two guards behind a steel gate; we were able to dispatch the guards easily, though they called for reinforcements in the form of a tank crewed by more soldiers. At this point, we were able to get more creative, slowing time to shoot the gun out of an enemy soldier's hand and blasting the supports out of lampposts, then pausing time to leap out of the way before they fell and crushed enemy soldiers. The version of the game we saw had new injury and death animations, so soldiers shot in the leg buckled and dropped to one knee. However, once time returned to normal, they got up and ran for cover, or in some cases, ran to the top of the tank to try to commandeer the turret against us. Enemy soldiers will actually call out your position, so between their chatter and the numerous brief, action-movie-like conversations that you'll have with major characters in the game, TimeShift will offer about 9,000 lines of spoken dialogue.

We then had a chance to see the Xbox 360 version of the game in action, and at this point in time, we can give it the highest praise that any game coming out for both the 360 and the PC can receive: The two versions look almost identical. Almost nothing seems to have been lost in the 360 version of the game, from the highly detailed wall textures in the dimly lit subway to the modeled physics that cause barrels and other debris to be launched sky-high by huge explosions (which, incidentally, take little to nothing away from the game's brisk frame rate). The 360 version of the game seems to handle just as well as the PC version, even given the game's unusual sci-fi weapons, such as the laser-guided rocket launcher (which can be fired, and whose shots can be guided with a laser pointer, using your controller) and the orbit grenades, which, when thrown, turn into tiny flying satellites that pelt enemies with laser blasts. We were extremely impressed with how good the 360 version looked, since it has apparently been in development for only about two months. Saber and Atari must definitely be reaping the rewards of the Xbox 360's and PC's similar programming architecture.

Unfortunately, the game's multiplayer details are still under wraps, though we're told that multiplayer will incorporate the time-based powers of the single-player game in some way. While specifics on the number of players supported haven't been nailed down, the Atari team is confident that the Xbox 360 version will be able to support just as many participants in multiplayer as the PC version, just with Xbox Live support. This intriguing and great-looking shooter is scheduled for release early next year; stay tuned to GameSpot for more details.