Thrasher Presents: Thrasher's Top Ten Video Games, Part Nine

Take a look at my top ten so far:

WCW/NWO Revenge (N64)
Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis)
THPS 2 (PS1)
Thrasher Presents: Skate and Destroy (PS1)
Everything or Nothing (PS2)
Freedom Fighters (PS2)
Crazy Taxi (PS2)
NHLPA '93 (SNES)

TimeSplitters 2 (PS2)

The first TimeSplitters was something of a revelation to me. I had never seen a first-person shooter move as fast and as fluidly as that one. Not only that, but the number of computer-controlled bots you could use to fill out your deathmatches was something else. As Chicken Man smartly pointed out when he inducted TimeSplitters 2 into his own pantheon of great games, modern shooters seem to forget about the offline experience, and for me that most obviously manifests itself in the almost universal lack of bots to practice against. Everything has moved online, which sadly leaves us offline players by the wayside. Once you beat the single-player campaign, it's time to put that game back on the shelf. TS2 wouldn't dream of doing that. TS2 took everything that TS1 did and made it bigger, better, and prettier. Not only is the pitch-perfect multiplayer back and in rare form (these are some of the best maps in the series, I'd wager), but the single-player is just as satisfying, both in the main Story mode and in the numerous Arcade challenges and leagues. This is also a phenomenal co-op game. Further still, the Map Maker feature is deep and intuitive. There are very few games that have a shelf life as long as TS2. I don't just pop this game in once in a while for a nostalgic good time; I play it for hours still, trying to get the last of those platinum brass rings and working out the kinks in my new maps. No wonder we gave it the awards for Best Multiplayer and Best PS2 Game. TS2 is not only endless, but almost peerless.