by Jody - January 19, 2004

Arcade Shooters are one of the things that keep the video game industry at its max. Being both fun and exhilarating, it�s hard to find an arcade game that can compete with the likes of any game with a light gun. Off and on, we see several console games that come with the ability to use a GunCon as a controller � a fun deal indeed. But these never seem to work out in the way that we like to think. Now, with the return of the GunCon, we see something that we haven�t seen in awhile... and well, have never seen before � a successful GunCon shooter.

GunCon power!

The beautiful island of Astigo has been overtaken by terrorists. Just like real terrorists nowadays, these wield nuclear warheads. Given enough time, these terrorists can and will use them to destroy the states around them. This is where your two main heroes come in to stop them.

Just with about every other arcade shooter, the game plays exactly the same. The slightly only difference is the fact that you don�t have to shoot off the screen to reload � you just have to press the button to duck. That�s a big difference in Time Crisis and other arcade shooters. You�re always given the option of standing up and shooting or ducking. Even though this may seem like a pretty cheap and easy thing to do, it�s actually pretty hard. At times, I�ve found House of the Dead 2, a game where you can�t take cover at all, to be an easier beat than a game where you have the ability to take cover at free will. Back on topic though, the game still plays like any other arcade shooter. At random times when you kill someone that has a gun you want or you just find it in a crate or on the floor, you shoot it to pick it up. Some games switch weapons with a button, but Time Crisis relies on you shooting it at the bottom of the screen. I find it pretty cool that they do this, because you can simulate ducking, picking it up, and then raising to blast someone in the face with a shotgun.

Alicia is hot.

There is nothing too special about the graphics for this game. I don�t really want to bash it, because they look better than it�s predecessor�s, but these in reality, suck. I don�t really know if this game is considered 2-D or 3-D� because you don�t have free movement. I guess for an arcade shooter though, it�s not that bad. The FMVs play great! I enjoy seeing the hero dive slowly away from an explosion� even though it has been overplayed a lot.

Bang Bang, you're dead.

Eh, you can never really notice this unless you�re actually trying to. The gun blasts sound nothing like they do in real life, but I don�t think Namco intended it to be this way. The voice sync is pretty damn amazing though. When you see people talk in an FMV sequence, it�s hard to notice that they are just an animated character. Come on Alicia! Date me!

Better than paying money for each round.

As I�ve slightly mentioned earlier, this game is pretty damn hard. Even on the easiest difficulty, it took me awhile to beat this game� and it�s only three episodes long! I admire this though, as it only took me an hour to beat Time Crisis 2. I�m not sure if it�s the fact that this is a home port where you don�t have to pay that it�s so hard, or if it�s just a hard game in general. That would really suck having to spend that much money in arcades to actually beat the game though. It only cost me about $3.00 to beat Time Crisis 2... And I have no idea how much it would for this. Of course, I�ve never played Time Crisis 2 for console either... so that could have been a lot harder than it�s arcade version.

Make sure you have a GunCon either way.

All in all, if you enjoy arcade shooters and get annoyed by spending too much money on them, this would be a good purchase. It also has a really nice cooperative and adversative multiplayer system that acts as replay value for the game. If you rent this game, you�re probably going to have a hard time playing it with just a controller� unless Blockbuster rents out GunCons (or if you own one). I don�t recommend playing this game without one though� but with it, it�s a pretty good buy. Despite it being to short, its difficulty makes up as it is a good game to play!