Free Radical Design sequel that lays down the TS formula, with mad local multiplayer and a multi-era campaign. Far more polish than the first entry and more generous modes. A notch below Future Perfect but already a great arcade FPS of the generation.
Cortez battles TimeSplitters through varied eras in this second Free Radical GameCube TimeSplitters. Published by Activision, released in Europe in October 2002. FPS with levels in varied historical eras, offbeat humour and Story and multiplayer modes.
TimeSplitters 2 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
TimeSplitters 2 makes variety its visual stance: each level dives into a sharply styled era, from the 1853 Wild West to 1930s Chicago, a Siberian base to a futuristic space station. Free Radical pairs every setting with a roster of zany characters. A chameleon art direction, jubilant and full of humor.
Graeme Norgate matches his music to each era with delightful cheek: surf-rock for the Wild West, smoky jazz for Chicago, electronic pads for the future, all threaded with nervous rhythms and catchy melodies. The soundtrack rides the frantic pace of the firefights. An energetic, clever accompaniment, a cult favorite among arcade-FPS fans.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Travelling through the eras blasting everything that moves, in an FPS of snappy tempo and resolutely zany tone: the instinctive handling and sustained rhythm win you over. The teeming multiplayer mode stays a treat among friends. The engine shows its age, but the raw efficiency of the gunplay and the inventiveness of the arenas have lost none of their zip.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
A blend of frantic shooting and offbeat humour, this FPS piles on eras, eccentric weapons and improbable enemies. But it's the wildly customisable multiplayer that makes it an institution: four-player matches where chaos and laughter never let up. Direct, generous and fiercely replayable, a classic of friendly mayhem.
TimeSplitters 2 PAL is the European edition of the Free Radical Design FPS, regarded by the community as the peak of the sub-series for its local multiplayer mode and varied level design. Its collector value comes from the cult status of this installment and from the relatively modest Eidos PAL print run.
Better with friends
A benchmark for multiplayer shooting on the console, both cooperative in its two-player campaign and competitive in its frenzied arenas for up to four. You chain missions in unison and unhinged matches loaded with options, bots and offbeat modes. That dual face widens the fun: now you band together, now you trash-talk, and the level editor endlessly renews the urge to come back.
Is TimeSplitters 2 still worth playing in 2026?
The second entry of the Free Radical Design saga, TimeSplitters 2 stunned with the incredible richness of its content featuring more than a hundred characters, a campaign travelling through eras and an exemplary multiplayer. The handling inherits directly from GoldenEye 007 and stays very effective even today. Often cited among the best console FPS, the title keeps a vitality and humour that make it an excellent companion for evenings with friends on the Nintendo console even today truly.
