Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space

Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space
Developer(s)	Artoon
Publisher(s)	Microsoft Game Studios
Director(s)	Naoto Oshima Takuya Matsumoto
Producer(s)	Yoji Ishii
Artist(s)	Masamichi Harada Noriko Omizo
Writer(s)	Soshi Kawasaki
Composer(s)	Tomonori Sawada Keiichi Sugiyama
Engine	Blinx: The Time Sweeper
Platform(s)	Xbox
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer

Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space (released in Japan as Blinx 2: Battle of Time and Space) is a 3D third-person platform game developed by Artoon and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released for the Xbox on November 18, 2004.

Its predecessor, Blinx: The Time Sweeper, was released for the Xbox in 2002.

With the July 12, 2007 backwards compatibility update for the Xbox 360, Blinx 2 can now also be played on the Xbox 360.

Characters

In Blinx 2 the player controls either a Time Sweeper (an anthropomorphic cat) or a Tom Tom (a pig) on their mission to prevent the end of the world by finding the 8 fragments of the all-powerful Big Crystal. The Time Sweepers include: Picaro, an uncaring sweeper; Blinx, the saviour of a whole universe; and Catherine, Blinx's shop owner in the original Blinx.

The Time Sweepers monitor time so they can sweep up rubbish on the ground to fire as ammo. This is known as Space-time Scramble (objects from alternative dimensions will materialize nearby). Their enemies are Time Monsters, glitches in time with minds of their own, and the Tom-Tom Gang, an evil gang of anthropomorphic pigs that steal time. They also must face the segments of the Big Crystal when they mutate into Serious Time Glitches. These monsters have absorbed a crystal's energy and have gone rogue. In Blinx 2, there are various missions the player must complete in order to find a segment of the Big Crystal. As many of the Time Monsters respawn when needed, the 'Time Sweep' mission of the original Blinx is no longer applicable.

The Tom Toms are time bandits who use guns, turrets, tanks, and other traps (e.g. a decoy which morphs into a Tom Tom to lure Time Sweepers away). Their enemies include the Time Sweepers and the K9-1000 dogs.

Plot

Some Tom Tom pigs accidentally destroy the legendary Big Crystal upon discovering it. As a result, the Time Sweepers and the Tom-Toms then fight past many time glitch monsters and with each other. Upon completing levels when playing as the Time Sweepers, a short cinematic plays of the mysterious Time Angel, who want her crystal repaired. At the end of the game, the player becomes included with a team which must go to a mysterious part of an alternate universe to defeat the Time Dragon, a mission from which they cannot return. The team are easily defeated by the Dragon until a squad of Tom Toms arrive. The leader of the Tom-Toms will look the same as the one the player had customized while playing as the Tom Toms. He gives the player a special weapon which enabled the player to hurt the dragon. Once the Time Dragon is defeated, it dissolves. The screen then fades to brightness, at which point the Angel thanks the Time Splitters and the Tom-Toms for their efforts. What happens to the team afterwards is unknown.

Players can completely customize the looks of their two characters with an extremely deep character creation system. During the game's production, many viewed this as a revolutionary new standard in character creation. However, the game's limited advertising following its release caused it to go widely unnoticed.

Space Controls and Tom Tom Gadgets

In addition to playing as the Time Sweepers you also to get to play as the Tom Tom gang, utilizing their own Space controls and gadgets.

Space Controls

Black Hole - Sucks the target up and drains their health.

Quantum Cloak - Creates multiple space holes that Tom Toms pop out of to grab nearby Sweepers.

Hypercloak - Makes the user invisible and more difficult to be detected by Guard Sweepers. However, this also slows the user down, and if the user moves too fast, Sweepers will still be able to detect them.

Space Bubble - Creates a space bubble that only the user can escape from.

Void Trap - Creates a space hole that transports the target to a different dimension.

Subspace Drive - Allows the user to drive into a space hole underground and move about without being detected. However, the user has a limited amount of time in subspace due to a lack of oxygen.

Warp Tunnel - Allows the user to create a space hole at a distant location and warps them to it through another space hole. This control is useful when moving heavy bags around places with obstacles that cannot be passed when carrying a bag.

Tom Tom Gadgets

Decoy - A toy decoy that transforms into the user and walks about to distract Sweepers.

Banana - When thrown at Sweepers it causes them to fall and knock themselves out.

Time Grenade - Does exactly the same as the PAUSE time control. Stops time for everything in the world for a short period of time. This has no effect on regular Sweepers.

Time Control Neutralizer

The Time Control Neutralizer is a device that allows users trapped from time controls of another to be released from the time control and move about freely. Typically, time controls are used against the user either during a Tom Tom vs Sweepers battle, a time sphere powered time monster, or when the user gets trapped in a Time Sphere.

To use the Time Control Neutralizer, the user must jiggle the left control stick until they are freed.

Originally, only Time Sweepers had this device in the game (although it's never mentioned but still used), though later the Tom Toms gain this ability from stealing a Time Control Neutralizer from the Ruins of Time.

Difficulty

The most common complaint any reviewer addressed in reviews for the first game was the difficulty. However, despite all criticisms made for this game and compared to the first, the sequel is much fairer when it comes to difficulty. The controls are also improved, the playable characters move faster, and they each have a life bar so the Retry time crystals now act as only lives, instead of both lives and health. The player can switch between the two at any time in the pause menu if they desire additional challenge.

External links

• Blinx 2 official website