Everyone remembers Time Crisis from the hay-days of arcades. Grabbing a gun with a buddy and firing away at the screen taking down enemies, throwing in massive amounts of quarters to continue and run through the game. With Time Crisis 4, Namco tried to replicate that feeling, but came up a bit short. Here is a breakdown of some of the facets of Time Crisis 4 for the PS3:
Presentation and Graphics: Time Crisis 4 doesn’t have the best graphics out there. At best, they look like cut-scenes from last generation titles. Environments are plain and not very detailed. The same goes for characters and enemies. For a PS3 title, I expected a bit more. The graphics haven’t evolved much from it’s younger arcade cousins. 2.5 of 5
Sound and Music: Not too much to write home about in the sound department either. Sound effects for each gun type are decent, but nothing earth shattering. Character voice overs are okay. Like the graphics, the sound isn’t much better than the previous arcade versions of Time Crisis. 3 of 5
Gameplay: There are two main modes of gameplay in Time Crisis 4: Arcade Mode and Mission Mode. The first is the standard fare you expect from a Time Crisis game. You run through five stages, shooting your heart out all the way through. The controls with the included GunCon3 work very well, and the aiming is very precise. Mission Mode takes this to a bit of a higher level by integrating some FPS-type levels. It’s always good to expand the gameplay, but the controls in these FPS stages are cumbersome. In addition to aiming with the GunCon, you have to use the left analog stick on the gun to move and the right analog stick on the gun to control the camera. If you only needed one analog stick to move and you controlled the camera and aiming by moving the gun, it would work well. But by adding a third layer into the mix complicates things in a way that can frustrate many people. Two player versions of both modes are available, however you will have to use a standard SIXAXIS controller for the second player and Namco does not currently offer a standalone GunCon3 for purchase. 3 of 5
Lasting Appeal: There really isn’t much depth to the game. The biggest problem is in arcade mode where you get 3 lives and no continues. In the arcade, you could just pump a few more quarters into the machine and keep going. With the PS3 version of the title, this just isn’t available. The fact that you can’t buy a standalone GunCon3 doesn’t help the lasting appeal either. If you could grab two guns and go to town with a friend, it would really boost the score here. But playing with a controller just isn’t the same. 2.5 of 5
Final Word: If you’re a huge fan of Time Crisis or light-gun games, you should think about picking this one up. If you aren’t bothered by only have 3 lives in Arcade mode that is. If you’re just a casual fan of light-gun games, I’d say you might want to pass on this one.
Overall: 3 of 5
3 Comments
Write a Comment»They should have an option for “unlimited credits” where you can beat the whole game and use continues like you would use in the arcade, that would make the game MUCH better.
I’m disappointed that they could mess up on something like that. I guess its to increase the replay value, trying to get through a game that hard with 3 lives…
I’m also disappointed that they don’t have a gun. My friend had Time Crisis 3 and he had a guncon controller with his which made it awesome.
@Fragloser - they do have a GunCon3. It comes bundled with the game. But you can’t buy a second gun without buying another copy of the game
I’ve always liked the Time Crisis games. I played TC4 at Dave n Busters a few months ago, so I will be picking this one up. My brother’s getting it too, so we’ll have 2 guns.