Prepare to battle through history as the evil TimeSplitters get ready to rise again. TimeSplitters 2 is the sequel to the hugely successful and critically acclaimed TimeSplitters, which was released to coincide with the US and European launches of PlayStation 2. The game is being developed by Free Radical Design of Nottingham, England, and is set for release in September. The power of the TimeSplitters, an evil race dwelling outside of time and space, has grown and the fate of mankind is in the balance. Space marines called in to fight against these evil creatures are being outnumbered and outfought as they battle through the futuristic space station that the TimeSplitters have set up as their base. The space marines finally stumble across a TimePortal powered by nine rare crystal shards, which enables the TimeSplitters to travel through time and affect the course of history. The only way to stop the TimeSplitters evil reign continuing is to follow them into the TimePortal and recover the nine crystals before they are lost forever. The marines take a leap into the unknown, without any idea as to which time period they will end up in and without any idea as to what the future - or past - will hold. TimeSplitters 2 will improve on the original in every conceivable way. The game offers a more involving single player and co-operative story mode, featuring a complex narrative with multiple objective-based episodes and superbly animated cut-scenes. The game engine has been extensively upgraded to accommodate bigger, better backgrounds and special graphical effects while still providing the distinctive smooth fast paced action of the original. A completely rewritten animation system incorporating inverse kinematics brings even more lifelike movement and dynamism to a new collection of 'loveable rogue' characters. TimeSplitters 2 will retain the unique MapMaker in an enhanced form, which opens up even more potential for user customised game scenarios. The multiplayer mayhem of the original will be back but TimeSplitters 2 further extends the possibilities with iLink support allowing up to 8 consoles to be linked together (PlayStation 2 only)