ACTION!!! - A [Time Crisis] Retrospective

Grimthwacker

BEST. INTRO. EVER.
So begins the first game in Namco's long-running Time Crisis series of arcade and console lightgun shooters. Being a huge fan of the franchise, and rail shooters in general, I've been meaning to give this a good looking over to see how it in many ways revolutionized a stagnating genre, giving arcade goers a fresh new experience and leaving an impact on game design that can still be seen today. Namco's still busy with the series - a new entry, Time Crisis: Razing Storm, is in the works for the PS3 which is being tailor-made for the new Move controller. However, let's begin at the beginning and see how the series has evolved into what it is today. . .

Time Crisis (Arcades, 1995; PS1, 1997)

Spoiler:

The game that started it all, and Namco's answer to Sega's Virtua Cop series, and other lightgun arcade games being released at the time. As you could see from the awesome(ly cheesy) cinematic trailer, the story involves VSSE Special Agent Richard Miller, THE ONE MAN ARMY!!!!, doing his one man army thing to rescue damsel in destress Rachael Macpherson, daughter of the Sercian president, from the clutches of bad guys trying to take over the country. Time Crisis is notorious for its action blockbuster style presentation, and this just marks the standard by which all other games in the series would follow.

While most lightgun games have been traditional Hogan's Alleys, firing ranges where targets pop up at regular intervals, Time Crisis embraces its action movie style with a more dynamic style.
Like so.
Every action sequence (kicked off by the announcer yelling "ACTION!!!" sees you running into some kind of cover before the enemies start raining bullets on you. Using the foot pedal on the arcade cabinet, you'll pop out of cover to return fire; releasing the pedal makes you duck down and reload. This sets the general pace of the game: the idea is to take down the enemies as quickly as possible, exposing yourself to fire just long enough to get your shots off before taking refuge. You can actually survive quite a few hits from small arms fire before losing one of your life markers, but getting hit by guys in red, as well as by explosions, melee attacks, and the occasional environmental hazard (complete with flashing "DANGER!" markers as they approach) will instantly knock one point off; only by taking cover can you avoid them. Of course, you can't just take your sweet time - the game's called TIME Crisis, after all. You're given a set amount of time to clear each segment; failure to do so results in an instant game over regardless of how much life you have left, but shooting the occasional fleeting orange suited guy will buy you a few pecious seconds to continue your rampage.

Time Crisis was a huge hit; the idea of using cover in an action shooter game was something new and unique at the time, and pretty much every modern shooter nowadays uses some kind of cover mechanic. Honestly, I think Namco was ahead of the curve all along: anyone remember the PS2 game "kill.switch", which was centered around heavy use of cover for survival in a third-person shooter? Namco made that. Suck it, Cliffy B.

Since Namco was one of the driving forces behind the PlayStation's initial success with its greatly enhanced arcade ports, including Tekken, Soul Blade, and of course RIIIIIDGE RACERRRRR!!!!!, bringing Time Crisis to the system was a no-brainer, but how did they get facilitate the use of the cover mechanic without a foot pedal? Enter the Guncon, bundled in with each copy of Time Crisis. This particular light gun featured A and B buttons on the sides of the barrel, allowing for the cover mechanic; just push either one to pop out and release to return. Simple, but effective. The home port also featured a new "Special Mode", an original story mode that has Richard going up against an arms dealer named Kantaris and her syndicate in her hotel headquarters. This mode features branching paths that the player gets put on due to their actions, or lack thereof, during certain sequences: take too long clearing out a bunch of enemies or a boss, and you'll be put on another track due to circumstances beyond your control. Only by doing a near-perfect job and following Kantaris all the way to her escape helicopter can you take her down for good; otherwise you'll just see her get away and the mission will be a failure. Time Crisis also got a direct PS1 exclusive sequel, "Project Titan", in 2001, in which Richard is framed for a crime and the VSSE, sensing something screwy at work, gives him a three-day limit to investigate and clear his name before they take official action. The whole thing winds up being a Kantaris plot to get him out of the way, of course. Gameplay was the same as the original, with the added ability to shift between pieces of cover at certain points for more strategic assaults.

Time Crisis II (Arcades, 1998; PS2, 2001)

Spoiler:

Here we go again.
Awww, yeah! Here's where things get real fun. TCII was the first game in the series to feature 2-player co-op by using 2 linked cabinets, one for each player. This was notable because it allowed each player to be put in a different position during each sequence, enabling new strategies and tactics between players and the ability to cover each other's backs from enemy attacks. The story isn't really that memorable, as our two Not-Richard-Millers try to take down a corporation planning a series of orbital missile strikes, but everything else from the original was greatly improved. The inevitable PS2 port was a thing of beauty, though: not only did it come with the brand spankin' new Guncon 2, which added a third "button" on the magazine area as well a directional pad, it also included a challenge mode that put you through a series of increasingly tougher and varied scenarios with time, ammo, or accuracy limits. I became addicted to this mode; so much so that I actually wore out the trigger on one of my Guncons, but it was okay since Namco packed them in with a bunch of other ports, like Point Blank 2, Vampire Night, and, of course, the upcoming Time Crisis 3. Unfortunately the only way to play in 2-player mode was to either have two extremely tiny splitscreens on one console or linking two PS2s together and playing on two TVs.

Time Crisis 3 (Arcades & PS2, 2003)

Spoiler:

ONE MORE TIME!!!
TC3 expanded on its predecessors by introducing the new multi-weapon system: in addition to your trusty unlimited-ammo pistol, you could switch between a submachine gun, shotgun, and grenade launcher, all with limited ammo that you can resupply by shooting yellow suited dudes, by pulling the trigger while in cover. Choosing the best weapon for the job made things much easier: multiple targets could be dispatched easily with the SMG, the shotgun was extremely useful for bunched up guys in close quarters, and the grenade launcher was perfect against heavy armor. Once again the story was summer popcorn flick throwaway, as our surprisingly metrosexual VSSE agents help a hot blonde freedom fighter in her struggle against an encroaching regime, blah blah blah. More shooty, less talky please. The PS2 port actually added a new mode featuring the aforementioned hot blonde Alicia, who regularly engaged in sequences where she uses a sniper rifle for some Silent Scope-lite action.

Time Crisis 4 (Arcade, 2006; PS3, 2007)

Spoiler:

Now this is getting ridiculous.
I won't even comment on how crazy the plot is. All you need to know about this one is that it was business as usual, but with bug enemies this time around! TC4 featured every gameplay mechanic in the series, including Project Titan's cover swap feature, done by pointing outside the screen to either side and pulling the trigger. The PS2 port went in some interesting new directions though, including an honest-to-goodness first person shooter mode made possible with the new Guncon 3 packed in, which had twin analog sticks and a bunch more buttons. I've never actually seen this mythical creature, so I can't comment on that other than saying it must've been a real pain to use. The whole package is supposed to be a part of Razing Storm, so the Move controllers should better facilitate this kind of mode.

Crisis Zone (Arcade, 1999; PS2, 2004)

Spoiler:

MOAR DAKKA!!!
A spin-off of the Time Crisis series, Crisis Zone makes some huge adjustments in the basic gameplay: as A member of a SWAT style police unit, you're given a submachine gun and riot shield as your equipment; even the arcade gun was based off of an SMG, for that authentic "spray-and-pray" experience. Enemies were a lot tougher to take down, with health bars giving you an indication of how much lead needed to be applied to the offenders, while your shield could withstand everything short of a nuclear explosion. That's right, you don't need no steeenkin' cover, you have your own!!! Another major difference is the ability to choose the order of stages you play through, Mega Man style, although there was no real benefit to doing the stages out of order. The PS2 port was pretty much a "better late than never" deal, adding an extra mission to the story and not much else. Still, CZ was an enjoyable take on the TC formula, if only for the massive amounts of environmental damage you could cause with your weapon.

So yeah, to say I'm a bit of a fan of the series is an understatement. The only thing I don't get is why Namco hasn't released some kind of Time Crisis arcade compilation for the Wii, seeing as how titles like the Resident Evil Chronicles and House of the Dead: Overkill have been extremely popular among lightgun enthusiasts. Razing Storm looks like a nice package, but given how expensive all the Move stuff is going to be I can't imagine many people getting too excited over it.

TL,DR: Time Crisis. It's awesome. Discuss.

ACTION!!!

Cantido

Don't show me this! I'll go out an buy a GunCon impulsively. I loved 1 and 2, and played the living daylights of the original on PSX with a GunCon. It's was my first PSX game.

I 1ccd Time Crisis 2 and Crisis Zone in the arcades. Nothing beats that big, heavy, recoiling arcade GunCon.

Time Crisis 4's heros are simply fabulous and I hate them for it. Fucking fairies.

Synthesis

Given how much I love guncon games, it's kind of surprising I never bought any on home console. Maybe because I never had a television large enough to do them justice, until now.

TrippyJing

Rachel MacPherson, when she says "Don't come!", sounds suspiciously like Ashley Graham.

I remember where was a cheat in the PS1 version of the original game where you shoot at the hole in the R of the title screen.

And oh yeah, Kantaris. I remember I was all o_O when the instruction booklet said that they didn't even know her real gender.

Pureauthor

Gotta love Wild Dog. Dude just keeps blowing himself up.

Grimthwacker

Pureauthor wrote: »

Gotta love Wild Dog. Dude just keeps blowing himself up.

And yet he keeps coming back for more. Do you think he has some sort of masochistic tendency? Getting filled with holes just once would put most people off of repeating the experience.

Cantido

Do the modern GunCons have that oh-so-delicious recoil?

Probably not. The thing would need it's own electric cord.

Grimthwacker

Cantido wrote: »

Do the modern GunCons have that oh-so-delicious recoil?

Probably not. The thing would need it's own electric cord.

Nah, that's an arcade-only thing. The regular Guncons are just simple lightguns, albeit the GC3 is supposed to be this twisted monster of a controller with analog sticks and button out the wazoo. I love the arcade guns with the working slides; just racking one back in between sequences made me feel pretty badass.

Antihippy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVtSaIjwVlY

Surprised that you didn't mention this awesome trailer.

Quite possibly the only game that would get me to buy the move.

Nocren

Sorry to bust in, but TC4 is a PS3 release.
And playing through 3 on release in one sitting at the arcade with a friend was awesome.

BlueDestiny

I think I still have my old guncon1 and Time Crisis somewhere. That was good times, even though I had to cheat for infinite continues.

TrippyJing

Deadstorm Pirates looks like all those late 90s arcade lightgun shooters I used to play.

I really miss the one where you fight sea monsters.

Grimthwacker

Nocren wrote: »

Sorry to bust in, but TC4 is a PS3 release.
And playing through 3 on release in one sitting at the arcade with a friend was awesome.

Whoops! Consider that mistake fixed. As far as actual arcade lightgun models go, though, I have to say that one of the coolest was used in Konami's Crypt Killer, a monster-blasting game that was laughably low-budget but had an awesome pump-action shotgun that you worked to reload. To this day I can't help but laugh uncontrollably at . . .. . . this.

Antihippy

The house of the dead 3 had a pump action shotgun too.

It was pretty boss.

Sorenson

BlueDestiny wrote: »

I think I still have my old guncon1 and Time Crisis somewhere.

You and me both, man, those were some fuuuuun afternoons. I used to be a real whiz back in the day and eventually managed to hit this weird zen state whenever I played, and I think I even managed to pull off a no-hit run or two, if not a crapton of one-credit runs. Didn't care much for Project Whatsit, though.

emnmnme

Grimthwacker wrote: »

Nocren wrote: »

Sorry to bust in, but TC4 is a PS3 release.
And playing through 3 on release in one sitting at the arcade with a friend was awesome.

Whoops! Consider that mistake fixed. As far as actual arcade lightgun models go, though, I have to say that one of the coolest was used in Konami's Crypt Killer, a monster-blasting game that was laughably low-budget but had an awesome pump-action shotgun that you worked to reload. To this day I can't help but laugh uncontrollably at . . . . . this.

That floating, talking head is the stuff of nightmares.

I also remember an arcade shooter called Carnevil that used the pump shotgun controller. I was hypnotized by the FMV opening back when I was a wee lad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kCuVDgoxVw

TrippyJing

Oh, there was also this cabinet I saw once that was a real interesting twist of lightgun shooters...the gun were hoses, and you were a firefighter. You fought fires. I only played it once, though.

Another once I really loved was the Jurassic Park: Lost World shooters, particularly the ones that sat you down inside the cabinet itself, with curtains blocking out the light.

Gorilla Salad

If I was ever going to buy an Arcade Cabinet, it would have to be a Time Crisis 2 one. Those guns felt so badass. I've got two guncon's and all 3 ps2 Time Crisis games. I just wish the split screen wasn't so tiny.

Grimthwacker

I sadly missed out on HoTD 3 in the arcades, but I remember that MadCatz made a specially-tailored gun for the XBox port with the pump action; it paled in comparison to the one Konami packed in with its Silent Scope Collection, which actually consisted of the core gun for other lightgun games (of which there weren't many on that system) and attachments to make it an actual sniper rifle, complete with "scope" that switched the screen to the scope view when you looked down it. The Lost World game was pretty boss, and I remember that Sega also did the sit-down curtained cabinet for Confidential Mission, its spy-themed Virtua Cop.

What I'll always love about Time Crisis was that main theme from the original. You know the one - that addictive, high-tempo one that got you all pumped up?
You know, THIS one.

Dartboy

Grimthwacker wrote: »

Cantido wrote: »

Do the modern GunCons have that oh-so-delicious recoil?

Probably not. The thing would need it's own electric cord.

Nah, that's an arcade-only thing. The regular Guncons are just simple lightguns, albeit the GC3 is supposed to be this twisted monster of a controller with analog sticks and button out the wazoo. I love the arcade guns with the working slides; just racking one back in between sequences made me feel pretty badass.

I actually have a Guncon made by Pelecan that does include the motorized slide, and yeah it has it's own AC adapter. It's too bad those PS1 lightguns don't work on more modern TVs, or I'd fire that shit back up.

I never played the more recent games though. Did they ever address Wild Dog's magical immortality?

Bartholamue

I wish Gamslop didn't throw away the boxes for Time Crisis 4. It's almost impossible to find a complete copy nowadays.

elliotw2

Actually, the Time Crisis 4 FPS mode wasn't terribly controlling, it's just that it has worse level design than the cheapest of budget FPS's. It actually controlled a lot like a Wii FPS, with a little more precision.

On neat Lightgun arcade games, I found one that was like a 3 player House of the dead, except that each player got a different gun. Player 1 got a standard pistol, player 2 got another kind of pistol, and player 3 got a shotgun. From what I could tell with the fucked up lenses, it played pretty well, and the gun idea worked somewhat well. No idea on how well it played with 3 people huddled around it.

edit: Found out what it's called, Evil Night

Johnny Chopsocky

These games ate so many of my quarters back in the day. When it first came out, the final boss battle in TC1 was one of my favorite gaming moments of all time (the John Woo-styled fight with Wild Dog). TC2, 3 and CZ took many of my dollars as well, but I never had time to get into TC4.

Carnevil was one of my favorites as well. Creepy funny gorey shooter with lots of splatter and body-horror.

urahonky

Antihippy wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVtSaIjwVlY

Surprised that you didn't mention this awesome trailer.

Quite possibly the only game that would get me to buy the move.

Wow. Good trailer but holy shit those move controllers look ridiculous.

Scosglen

I have time crisis 3 for PS2 and I am greatly saddened by the fact that the GunCon2 does not work with LCD screens. My shiny orange pistols will never again shoot baddies.

TrippyJing

LCD has ruined lightgun games foreva!

Scosglen

All the modern domestic lightguns use infrared fields like the Wiimote right? That technology is such garbage for arcade shooters.

TrippyJing

Because it more or less requires a cursor onscreen for feedback. I liked aiming the old-fashioned way.

elliotw2

TrippyJing wrote: »

Because it more or less requires a cursor onscreen for feedback. I liked aiming the old-fashioned way.

You can do that, but after you get it set up, you can not move an inch, else it goes crazy. Nothing is going to beat my Guncon 2 or Stunner for accuracy though.

HyperAquaBlast

I almost bought a 28in CRT last year just to have a TV to play TC2&3.

But then I would have wanted a bigger tv and fuck that. 30in and up is just unwieldy for a small home tho have much less for men to carry to the home.

Bacon-BuTTy

Oh, man.

I played Time Crisis so much on my PS1.

So much.

Watching that video brought back so many great memories.

There he is

Get 'im!

Fiiiiiiiiiiiire.

The music at the end when you completed a level....

Time Crisis was a work of art.