Reviewed: February 21, 2005
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Microsoft Games
Developer
Artoon
Released: November 16, 2004
Genre: Platform
Players: 4
ESRB: Everyone
7
8
7
9
8.4
Supported Features:
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space is the obvious sequel to last year’s time-manipulating platformer, Blinx. While the original game was met with mixed reviews by both gamers and critics, Artoon apparently saw enough interest to warrant another visit with our favorite felines.
This time the game ditches a lot of the platforming aspects of the original and moves into the action-combat genre, so much in fact that there is a four-player versus and cooperative campaign mode that rivals most other multiplayer games. It was certainly more entertaining than GoldenEye: Rogue Agent.
For those of you that didn’t get to enjoy the original Blinx you play the part of a Time Sweeper, basically a furry little cat that patrols time, this time in search for the missing shards of the Big Crystal. Your foe, the swine-like Tom Tom Gang is also searching for these shards not knowing their true power or potential.
The sequel explores new territory by allowing you to play both the Time Sweepers and the Tom Tom Gang in alternating missions. The missions are admittedly hilarious if not a bit silly, but they do manage to give you just enough narrative to keep you going through the modest single-player campaign.
This time around you won’t be playing Blinx. Instead you get to create your own custom character using a surprisingly complex character creation engine that lets you pick even the smallest of details right down to your fur and eye color. Creating a unique character isn’t nearly as important for the single-player game as it is for when you begin to explore the vast multiplayer arena.
Playing as the Time Sweepers grants you the expected abilities of manipulating time, pause, rewind, fast-forward, and these abilities are now not only used to solve time-related puzzles but also allow you a significant advantage in combat, much like a “bullet-time” feature. Figuring out which time ability to use is seldom hard, so the game become a bit predictable and even repetitive near the final levels.
You can choose from two skill levels with easy being almost too easy and normal being just about right. The levels are medium size and rather linear in their design, so it’s hard to get lost or figure out what to do next. The platforming genre shines through the action with more collectibles than you can count, many of which are hidden extremely well.
The Tom Tom Gang, on the other hand, have mastered space manipulation giving the player a whole new set of abilities that aren’t nearly as fun or intuitive to use as time manipulation. With diverse quantum concepts like warp tunnels, void traps, space bubbles, and hypercloaks, it’s not always obvious or even logical when to use a certain “power”. Even so, being able to play as another faction, an evil one at that is a great concept that broadens the gameplay and the appeal of Blinx 2.
The main game is admittedly short, clocking in at 10-12 hours for the average gamer, but the multiplayer aspect has been thoroughly fleshed out for this sequel, considering there is no Live support. There is a wonderful co-op mode that allows you to tackle the main game in two ways, either in normal play or as a Specialist. The four-player split-screen modes are just as fun and you can enjoy solo or team play with plenty of mini-games making the most of time and space manipulation.
Blinx 2 is a real showcase title for your Xbox, especially for the platform genre. Just about every trick in the Xbox library is pulled out to create fantastic lighting, shiny reflective surfaces, excellent water effects, and some of the best fur and high-res textures I’ve seen for quite some time. Hopefully this is a taste of what’s in store for us in the upcoming Conker game.
The character models are hilarious and I’m not just talking about the cats decked out in high-tech gear and pigs dressed like pirates. The supporting cast of crazy characters is just as inspired, perhaps not as original as something from Oddworld but really close.
The levels are moderate in size and feature simplistic architecture with stunning high-res textures that make them pop off the screen in all their colorful cartoon brilliance. This presentation value of Blinx 2 is just a short step away from a feature film or at least a spin-off series on Cartoon Network.
Blinx 2 supports progressive scan for razor sharp images with no slowdown in the single-player game and only minimal drops in framerate during intense four-player action when there is a lot of explosions and action going on in the various windows.
The voice acting is delightful and maintains the same humorous aspect as the graphics and character design. The cats have this noble “savior of the universe” attitude and tone about them and even the bad guys have an appealing nature about them. There is a lot of subtle humor tossed into the mix like the laughter, at your expense, when you fail a test.
Sound effects are original and cartoon-like and the Dolby Digital mix is put to excellent use to surround you in 3D sound that mirrors the environments. There is a lot of subtle goodness in the overall sound design.
The music is just as unique as the entire game design mixing odd Japanese flavored jazz with a calliope of cheerful tunes that make it sound like the circus rolled into town. I was waiting for the clowns to invade the game. At first the music got on my nerves but by the end of the game it really got stuck in my head.
Expect about a dozen hours of quality gaming for the solo player but that is only a small taste of the goodness waiting for you in the multiplayer games. The cooperative games are great fun and the diverse challenges between normal and specialist will make you want to play it with a friend at least twice. Then you have the energized multiplayer games for up to four players in split-screen, giving Blinx 2 some serious longevity.
Blinx 2 is odd, quirky, and totally original, even though it aspires to join the ranks of Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank in game design. There are a lot of opposing style of play that surprisingly work very well together to give you an eclectic gameplay experience.
During my few weeks with Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space I couldn’t help but feel this was what the original game wanted to be. The original gameplay has been polished to near-perfection and the added elements of combat, stealth, and action, combined with traditional platform puzzles and collectibles certainly make this one of the best of the few platform titles actually available for the Xbox.