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TimeShift
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An average shooter that could have been great.

Starting off with underwhelming origins, Timeshift fell off the grid for a short time and suddenly this year made its second debut. Those skeptical from the original game had their interest turned to the newer, sleeker version that wasn’t buggy and miserable. The current and finished build is in no way poorly made, though the concept of using time as a weapon is somewhat lost.

Timeshift is one of the first games to have the ability to shoot or take an enemy's weapon out of their hands. A handy tool.

Timeshift, as the name states, has everything to do with time, though not so much with time-based puzzles. There are three time controls: time slow, time stop and time reverse. It’s obvious what each is meant to do, though rightfully so the physics of time shifting matter. There are occasions, for instance, when time reverse is impossible because it would cause a time paradox, though honestly there is no explanation of how or why that would happen.

Each of the three time controls has its own special time to use. Time slow is best for taking on multiple enemies at once, and is more often then not the only way to take on the enemy. It also enhances movement by making you move at a normal pace while everything else trudges on slowly.

Time stop stops everything except for you and the air, meaning that you can take guns out of people’s hands, use their faces to hold your Christmas ornaments (aka clutch grenades), or just walk behind them and watch them be confused. Each method has its benefits. Stopping time also happens to be the only way to take out certain enemies and get past fire and electrified water, obstacles that make excessive appearances.

Friendly NPC's tend to be useless, always requiring you to step in and save their sorry asses.

Lastly there is time reverse, which rewinds everything save for the player. It tends to be the most useless of the three but also can be the most beneficial in a firefight, though actually finding the chance to use it is rare. It’s most proficient use is to rid of clutch grenades who’ve recently attached to you or for taking back some serious mistake you’ve made.

The use of time controls are generally limited by the lack of control given. A prime example of excellent control was during one of the gameplay walkthroughs, where the developer playing shot over a barrel from a high vantage point, then used time reverse while standing on top of it to reach the higher ledge.

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