Since its release in 2005, fans have been clamoring for a sequel to the fantastic first-person shooter TimeSplitters: Future Perfect. Now, with the release of Crysis 2 just around the corner, the eyes of developer Crytek have begun looking forward to future projects. In doing so, they've had a little look behind them, and remembered the wacky, time-hopping series we know and love.
In a recent interview with CVG, Crytek Studios' CEO Cevat Yerli revealed that the company is discussing a revival of the mind-bending, monkey-infested series:
"Yeah, we have been discussing it, but nothing has been confirmed yet, so let's see after Crysis 2."
It might not be much, but it's promising news. As you can see throughout this news article, the concept art for TimeSplitters 4 was something altogether unique, and certainly a departure from the current shooter cliché of Bald Space Marines with Big Guns (BSMwBG) fighting Evil Aliens Intent on Taking Over the Earth (EAIoTOtE).
You may remember that TimeSplitters developer Free Radical was shut down in late 2008, soon after the mediocre Haze didn't perform to expectations. All news of a fourth entry to the series went quiet, bar the occasional disgruntled employee leaking concept art online.
It was a silence that saddened fans of the series, myself included. A Frankenstein's-Monster-esque Monkey (or 'Frankenchimp', as the internet has taken to calling him)? A strangely-seductive nun with a chainsaw? The apparent epitome of the TimeSplitters series that can be seen in 'Sir Chimpalot?' Why on Earth did the project have to die? Would it ever come back?
Unfortunately, two years later and we're still no closer to a real answer. Since Free Radical became Crytek UK, news has been quiet on the TimeSplitters 4 front -- which, to be fair to the 70-person-strong developer, is unsurprising. By focusing all their efforts on the Crysis 2 multiplayer experience (of which a demo is available now) the team has had little time to think about making a worthy sequel to the TimeSplitters franchise. But, the news that Crytek is considering reviving the series is one that fills me with hope, even if there are a few questions that need answering.
If the series does return, will it retain the same ideas and wackiness that saw the series become a multiplayer mainstay in the early 2000s? Will it be able to compete against the upcoming Duke Nukem Forever, in terms of gun-feel and comedic hilarity? Will we see the same chainsaw-wielding-nun, or will she be replaced with a BSMwBG? I certainly hope it's the former.
But how about you, readers? Are you excited by the possibility of TimeSplitters 4? Do you have any ideas as to where the series could go next? Let us know in the comments below.