TimeSplitters: Future Perfect earned widespread critical acclaim when it launched in 2005 and is generally considered one of the better FPS games of its generation. And thanks to things like the Xbox backward compatibility program, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is readily available to play on modern consoles. And while TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is not a horror game, those looking for something horror-themed to play this Halloween may still want to give it a look.
There are many non-horror games with great horror levels, and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is one of them. Players have to progress through TimeSplitters: Future Perfect's campaign to level 5 to reach the Mansion of Madness level, but once they do, they will be treated to a genuinely high-quality horror experience that includes jump scares, parodies of classic horror games and movies, and much more.
The gist of this stage is that TimeSplitters: Future Perfect protagonist Sergeant Cortez finds himself in a haunted mansion built on top of a secret underground lab where scientists have been conducting all kinds of bizarre experiments. If that sounds familiar, it's because it's literally the setup for the original Resident Evil game. And like the original Resident Evil, the mansion in TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is filled with zombies.
Cortez is able to outfit himself with a baseball bat, flamethrower, shotgun, and other weapons to help fight against the zombies, but they aren't the only threats he has to deal with in this horror-themed stage. Players also find themselves going toe to toe with a fire-starting ghost, floating heads, and an Evil Dead 2-inspired monstrosity called The Deerhaunter. On top of all that, there are large man-eating worms in the yard, too.
The horror callbacks and genuine vibe of this level makes it a great one to revisit for gamers looking for something different to play this Halloween season besides pure horror games. It's also a reminder why fans have been wanting to see the TimeSplitters franchise come back so badly. The games have a unique sense of humor that's hard to find most modern games, and the premise lends itself well to a lot of level variety, allowing Future Perfect to have this horror themed level along with one set in the far future "robot wars" and have it all make sense within its own timeline.
There is a new TimeSplitters game in development, but it remains to be seen how long fans will have to wait for more info on it. For now, they can revisit TimeSplitters 2 and Future Perfect on modern Xbox consoles through the backward compatibility program.
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is available now for GameCube, PS2, and Xbox.