There are general guidelines for distribution, and strategies to abide by. Vivendi Universal must have lost their 'Dummies guide-to' as their latest outing, Timeshift, was deployed into the public domain at one of the most competitive periods of the year, and even gaming history. Timeshift released in the short weeks before games like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Mass Effect and Assassin's Creed. Not to mention it was released hot on the heels of the epic shooters of this year, Bioshock and Halo 3. Suffice to say, Timeshift wasn't going to receive any favors from a public that has grown accustom to greatness as a standard.

That being said, there isn't a hell of a lot wrong with Timeshift, and in a few cases, it even seems amazing. However, there are flawed fundamentals beneath the surface that make what could have been a sleeper gem this year into yet another poorly produced game with wasted potential by the barrel load.

Having written an impressions piece on Timeshift prior to it's release, I thought I had the concept of the story within my grasp; sadly, I was mistaken. I found one of the most disheartening things about the game was it's inability to effectively play out it's story in even a generic fashion. From what I observed, unless you had prior knowledge of Timeshift, you'd play this game not having the slightest clue what is happening before your eyes. It is apparent you're chasing an old bald dude through the slips of time, though for what reasons and whom else is involved is another matter entirely.

My vague knowledge of Timeshift gives me an advantage; you're a protagonist who goes unnamed throughout the campaign (though it's rumoured your name is Michael Swift, which originally was scrapped, but may have come back, who knows?). Dr. Krone, your typical evil scientist, has stolen a suit capable of time manipulation, the Alpha Suit, and has escaped to another time period entirely to commit his monstrosities. You, being the big hero, go right after him, landing in a post-apocalyptic history where Dr. Krone is at the helm as an evil dictator. You must fight your way through his 'kronies' (there's a joke that returns from the impressions article), known as the Magistrate, along with scattered sentry machines that are just too few in numbers. All of the aforementioned aside, I had no idea what was going on in Timeshift. It's one of those cases of a decent story told badly.

In facing facts, Timeshift hasn't really changed since the demo was released on the Marketplace. Therefore, saying it right now, it doesn't butt horns with the big dogs. It's not as good as Bioshock, it's not as good as Halo 3 and it's not as good as Call of Duty 4. However, what it does do is, in a sense, takes us back to the basics. One praise I can shine down onto this game is that it's generic. That's silly to say, of course, but in a weird way, generic is kind of refreshing in a year where we've had blockbuster titles that push every boundary of gameplay. Timeshift offers minimalistic shooter fun, and it couples it with a gimmick; which I'll add has been executed rather well. Of course, the pitfall of offering a game that's just ugly, gritty run and gun fun, is that there's nothing innovative. Nothing new. For the most part, however, I did enjoy Timeshift's campaign mode, which does offer more than today's 'shooter standard', clocking in at around eight to ten hours. It wasn't until about two thirds in when monotony reared its ugly head. And without spoiling anything, let me just say the last fifteen minutes of the campaign are fifteen minutes I want back.

The gunplay, as previously mentioned, is minimalistic, simple and it doesn't push the envelope in any regards. Fans of old standard run and gun games, such as Duke Nukem 3D or Doom, will really enjoy what this game has to offer. Timeshift offers a semi-decent array of weaponry you're able to offload onto the Magistrate; from the standard assault rifle to the biting shotgun. From the incendiary crossbow to the every day frag grenade. One of my personal favourites was the crossbow, which is very resemblant of the Torque Bow featured in Gears of War, as if you are successful in lodging a projectile bolt into your sorry nemesis, you'll be treated with a spectacular display of 'licious gibs. In the campaign, you'll encounter a quad-bike, which is your mode of transport (when you're not in the gunnery seat of the zeppelin -- which is totally bad ass!). The handling on the quad, however, comes off very controlling and awkward, thus making pretty much the entire chapter where you're driving it, a total nightmare.

The gimmick in Timeshift is that you, as the protagonist, have the ability to control time, whether it be rewinding, slowing it down or pausing altogether. Yeah, you're pretty much a violent version of Blinx. This gift you have isn't only used during the dire strains of combat, however, as Timeshift also offers a multitude of puzzles, scattered throughout the campaign. I'll be honest, there were a couple of times when I was legitimately stumped, only to find out the solution was so very simple; so I'm not sure I'd chalk it up to clever puzzle-engineering. To keep the game vaguely challenging, your abilities are limited to however much juice you have in reserve (as measured in your HUD). This, in a way, is great as you can't pause and walk your way through some of the games toughest challenges, for example, some epic scale sentry fights. Though, in contrary to the pro, there's the con in that the powers may be too limited, as pausing only gives you just enough time for your shields to regenerate. How convenient.

The surprise package for Timeshift rested in its multiplayer component. On offer is all of the standard games, from deathmatch to capture the flag plus a few unique ones created to abuse the gameplay on offer in the game. All of this is played in a high-intensity battle between up to sixteen people, on one of fourteen maps that shipped with the game. Unlike F.E.A.R. which also offered time-shifting abilities in the form of slow-mo, there isn't a designated player who can alter time online, instead players have 'time grenades' that trap players inside them and can either pause them, slow them, and some bubbles even rewind (good for sending rockets back at whoever shot them!). It's a shame no-one really gave Timeshift a chance, as available games were far and few between, and unless they were Australian games, the lag was nearly unbearable.

While it did undergo a facelift (anymore and it'd have a beard), the game still fails to 'wow' gamers, as it's still backseat to games over a year old, for example Gears of War. There were two real moments where I really found a soft spot for the Timeshift visuals, however, and they were as follows: firstly, the rain when you use pause looks fantastic, and while it's simple, it does make a huge difference. And secondly, during the campaign there's a point where you're ascending towards a base on your quad-bike, and as you peer out over the horizon, you'll see Krone's battletank (much similar to a Scarab in Halo) occupying most of the skyspace. It was one time when I was in awe. The audio, on the other hand, is nothing remarkable. With C-grade voice-acting and a forgettable soundtrack, you won't find yourself scurrying for the soundtrack any time soon.