TimeShift
TimeShift | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Saber Interactive |
Publisher(s) | Vivendi Games (Sierra) |
Engine | Saber3D Engine, Havok 4.5 for the physics |
Platform(s) | Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 |
Release | Xbox 360 & Microsoft Windows October 30, 2007 PlayStation 3 November 19 2007 |
Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
TimeShift is a sci-fi, first-person shooter from Vivendi Games for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It was developed by Saber Interactive, the same developers behind the game Will Rock, using a new proprietary 3D engine and Havok.[2] A few pieces of Will Rock carry over to TimeShift, from the way gibs are shown, through some of the unique weapon designs, up to the beta suit's AI system (S.S.A.M., resembling Serious Sam, a favourite of Saber since Will Rock, which carried many similarities). On August 31 2007 a demo of Timeshift was released on Xbox Live Marketplace. Following this, a PS3 demo was released onto the Playstation Store on November 1 2007. The game was released on Xbox 360 and PC on October 30, 2007 in the United States; November 1, 2007 in Australia; and November 2, 2007 in Europe.
Story
Never play this game, it's dumb.
Gameplay
The unique feature of TimeShift is that the player is able to control time: stopping, rewinding, or slowing it down more or less at will, similar to the Prince of Persia series. Unlike in the Prince of Persia game, the player is not affected by their time manipulations. This allows a player to stop time in order to dodge an incoming projectile or steal an enemy's weapon. Specific time-related puzzles also require these abilities. The main difference between the two games is death: while the player can reverse their own death in the Prince of Persia series, the same is not true here. The player's ablities also affect the color of their environment in such that slowing time produces a blueshift, rewinding it produces a red shift, and stopping time creates a white filter 'haze'.
Delay
The game was originally going to be published by Atari, but publishing rights switched to Sierra on April 20 2006. On August 31 2006, TimeShift was delayed for a second time.
Because the game had been delayed several times and was not mentioned very much in gaming news, the press thought that the project had been abandoned. However, on April 10 2007, Vivendi Games announced that they were giving TimeShift a complete overhaul and were fixing many bugs.[3] The most striking difference is the change in visual style, after claims that the original look "couldn't compete in the post Unreal Engine 3 world" and that the original steampunk style "didn't resonate with people."[4]
One of a number of changes is that Michael Swift, the game's original protagonist, will not be appearing in the game. After the retooling of the game, Saber introduced "the suit" as the time control device, making the protagonist anonymous. Saber said that this change was to let the player imagine that "you are the protagonist".
Initially, TimeShift was announced for the PC and Xbox 360, but at the 2007 SCEA Gamer's Day, it was announced that the game will also be appearing on the PlayStation 3.[5]
Demo
A single-player demo of the revamped game for the PC was released on October 11, 2007. The demo contains one level and four weapons from the full game. An Xbox 360 demo was also released on Xbox Live. A demo for the PlayStation 3 was released on November 1, 2007.
On November 9, 2007, IGN announced a multiplayer demo scheduled to be released on November 14, 2007 on Xbox Live Marketplace. It has been released. The multiplayer demo for PlayStation 3 was released on December 6, 2007. Both of these demos and the single player were combined at that time. Thus the demo runs in both single and multiplayer.
Reception
Reviewer | Score |
---|---|
Daily Star | 8.8/10[6] |
GamePro | 3.75/5.0 |
GameSpot | 6.5/10 |
GameTrailers | 8.2/10[7] |
Game Informer | 7.7/10 |
IGN | 7.6/10 |
IGN AU | 8.5/10[8] |
Team Xbox | 7.9/10 |
X-Play | 2/5 |
Interviews
John JCal Callaham of FiringSquad interviewed Matthew Karch (CEO at Saber Interactive) on November 21, 2007.[9]
References
- ^ (German) "schnittberichte.com - Timeshift". schnittberichte.com. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- ^ "Havok - Titles". havok.com. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ Miller, Greg (2007-04-10). "IGN: TimeShift Preview, TimeShift Eyes-on". IGN AU. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
- ^ Shea, Cam (2007-05-25). "IGN: TimeShift Reborn: Competing in the Post-Unreal Engine 3 World". IGN. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
- ^ Haynes, Jeff (2007-05-17). "IGN: TimeShift Preview, TimeShift First Look". IGN. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
- ^ Vale, Paul (2007-11-04). "IT'S TIME FOR FUN". Daily Star. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
- ^ "Gametrailers.com - TimeShift - Review". GameTrailers.com. 2007-11-01. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
- ^ Shea, Cam (2007-10-24). "IGN: TimeShift AU Review". IGN AU. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
- ^ Callaham, John JCal (2007-11-21). "Timeshift Post Mortem Interview". FiringSquad. Retrieved 2007-11-26.