Metascore
71 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 30
  2. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. An excellent example of how a talented crew can break with the tired trend of modern urban combat in the Middle East and still produce an intense and memorable FPS experience. This is "worth playing," indeed.
  2. The time-stopping fun is handled really well, too. It's especially fun to see individual raindrops freeze as you slow time down and run about disarming a whole group of enemies. In general, the game is as interesting to look at as it is to play.
  3. TimeShift offers FPS fans an often fun but sometimes unchallenging romp through a dystopic alternate past. The time powers are integrated well and make for some entertaining and sometimes funny gaming experiences.
  4. A big, dumb shooter that will no doubt become a guilty pleasure for plenty of FPS fans who don't hve the rig to play "Crysis." [Christmas 2007, p.64]
  5. After two hours of playing time, the thin story becomes obvious. A bit more depth would have helped regarding long-term motivation, but it's still a very good first-person shooter.
  6. TimeShift is a bag of old tricks that won't surprise the audience but will entertain them. It's also an encouraging example to game developers (or anyone else for that matter) struggling with a delayed, seemingly hopeless project.
  7. 80
    I just wish it had been a little less polished and a little more ambitious, focusing more on the story and developing additional abilities for the player to gain as the action progresses. It'll never be game of the year, but it's a solid experience no FPS fan should overlook.
  8. This game really deserves a better single-player campaign but sadly is only given a mediocre makeover from last year's version. The single saving factor of this game is being able to shoot and blow things up with complete control over time. It is just plain fun.
  9. While it may not approach the craftsmanship or innovation of a "Half-Life 2," TimeShift introduces enough interesting elements to its derivative gameplay to make this game worth a look.
  10. It's yesterday's testosterone nonsense clad in today's slickness, and savvy about the nature of fun. [Christmas 2007, p.84]
  11. There's no doubt TimeShift is a master of the brand of shootery that cartwheels enemies high, high in the air; but without character, humour or a sustained tone throught the game it never leaps into your affections as much as it should. [Jan 2008, p.66]
  12. The greatest shame is that developer Saber Interactive wasn't bold or ambitious enough to really capitalise on the one or two good ideas they actually had, and that's ultimately the difference between a game that is just good and a game that is great.
  13. 76
    A great deal of work was done to bring the look and feel of TimeShift up to date, though an equal amount of time should have been spent on the design and presentation.
  14. Had it been released in mid-summer at a lower price, TimeShift would have done very well. Do not misunderstand me; it's a decent game, which unfortunately does not have too strong points, especially when compared to the likes of Crysis, Gears of War, Call of Duty 4 or Unreal Tournament 3.
  15. TimeShift doesn't do a lot of innovative things, but it's still fun.
  16. TimeShift isn't a perfect game, but it certainly offers up some unusual first-person fragfest fun.
  17. If it had been released in 2004, TimeShift probably would've been the bee's knees. In 2007, though, it's merely a one-hit wonder in a sea of timeless gaming anthems.
  18. With a convoluted plot that's difficult to follow and no motivation to achieve objectives apart from "because the random guy told me to," TimeShift doesn't leave a very strong impression.
  19. It's a decent game that feels ultimately out of its league. [Dec 2007, p.62]
  20. TimeShift is perfectly adequate for killing a few hours, as a rental perhaps, it never elevates itself from merely okay, and if you only buy one shooter for the holidays you can do much better than this.
  21. As far as cool new shooter innovations go, playing with time ranks up their with portal guns. It just hasn't quite reached its full potential. [Jan 2008, p.78]
  22. Timeshift starts off with a bang, with impressive visuals and God-like powers at your fingertips. The bang, however, fails to last throughout the game, and you'll constantly find it harder and harder to keep going.
  23. The time manipulation gimmick makes TimeShift an enjoyable if forgettable experience.
  24. An interesting time-shifting mechanic and fun-to-shoot weapons can't make up for the rest of TimeShift's run-of-the-mill first-person shooter gameplay.
  25. Far from being a bad game, it turns out as a slightly above average FPS, with a weak storyline, and mostly unbalanced overall.
  26. With fair potential, all TimeShift has become is another generic FPS, with a mediocre setting, underwhelming gameplay and absolutely no story, let alone any character depth. Its features are barely enough to keep you occupied for a few hours until something better shows up.
  27. It was a nice idea, no doubt about it. It just wasn't presented in a way that it deserved. PC shooters have done some amazing things, but Timeshift, ironically, seems like a bit of a step backwards. [Jan 2008, p.51]
  28. Half-Life 2 has a better story, F.E.A.R. has better combat (complete with bullet time) and Gears of War looks better.
  29. 50
    A little Crysis here, a little Half-Life 2 there, TimeShift's patchwork construction definitely shows. What you wind up with is a standard shooter where you blast away until things go sideways, and then it's time to mash the "easy" button.
  30. Hopscotching its way from borrowed concept to borrowed concept, TimeShift is substantially less than the sum of its all-too-obvious parts.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 40 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 16
  2. Negative: 1 out of 16
  1. A game with no new story or powers but one with style.The single player is cool exciting fun and has some new additions like reversing time for you to get somewhere.The graphics are good the gameplay fun many weapons to chose from.Many locations good ai and some puzzles to resolve.Ok Full Review »
  2. A genuine underdog with a lot to recommend it, TimeShift challenges your reflexes, intelligence, and tactics, and often all at once. A variety of enemies with different abilities and tactics, and a hands-off predator-style gameplay that makes no bones about how to play it. To describe it one word: 'Fun.' The story is obtuse and hard to get into, even if there's nothing new about the writing, and I'd love to have seen a some more uses for the time-reversal ability. Where this game falls short for me is that the time abilities don't always mesh well with the gunplay. Using them in the vehicle sections and bypassing traps and hazards is where the game really shines, and the game could have used more of them or a more physical combat system akin to Mirror's Edge or Assassin's creed... A game which uses giant zeppelins and crimson-skies inspired planes, was just begging for a swashbuckling fight on board a giant air craft. But these are wishes for a different game. As it stands, TimeShift was worth it, and something I would play again and again simply because it is of a kind which comes around only so often. Enough potential in it's current form but begging for so much more. Full Review »
  3. I paid budget price for TimeShift so I'm even less likely to gripe than I would if I'd paid £20+ on it but I found the game really enjoyable, a little slow to start but once you make your way out of the city things really get interesting. On the surface, yes it's an above average FPS with a gimmick but the gimmick on this one is the stuff that lesser (and some greater) games dream of. Full Review »