Time Crisis 4

Time Crisis 4

The lightgun genre has enjoyed something of a renaissance on Nintendo’s Wii recently, the system’s point-and-shoot Wiimote controller lending itself naturally to this frenetic game style. However, the other consoles have been forgotten when it comes to this once loved breed of gaming. Namco’s Time Crisis 4 is the first title to step into the breach, bringing with it a brand new luminous orange G-Con controller complete with twin sensors that sit on your TV to bring the arcade shooter experience to your living room.

Indeed, the meat of the game comes directly from the (slightly aging) arcade cabinet itself. The premise is suitably larger than life as one or two players choose to play as either Giorgio Bruno or Evan Bernard, members of the V.S.S.E., a global taskforce sent to stop a terrorist organization from securing a deadly biological weapon known as Terror Bites. This background story translates into a set number of sci-fi themed levels in which your character moves along a set path from fixed point to fixed point. Your job is to aim at the screen with your lightgun and take down enemy targets in a kind of 21st Century Duck Hunt.

In game you can switch between various weapons including a handgun, machine gun, shotgun and grenade launcher. Relying on a single weapon will ensure you quickly run out of ammunition so picking the right tool for the job is of paramount importance. Shooting enemies dressed in yellow restocks your supplies but, as these soldiers are usually protected by groups of other grunts who will shoot at you, charge at you and throw things at you, actually getting your sights on them can be tricky.

Rather than employing off-screen reloading, Time Crisis 4 uses a cover system that allows you to duck behind objects for safety while also issuing an automatic reload command. Success in the game comes from balancing attacks with taking cover and replenishing clips. Some sections of the game will have you mainly ducking down, peeking your head above a shield to take aim at, for example, an overhead helicopter for but a fraction of a second. To add to your woes oftentimes other team members and friendly characters will stumble across your line of fire so simply clenching your eyes shut and hammering the trigger button won’t work if you want to save the world.

Each section of the game is timed and you’ll need to clear enemies within that time limit or risk losing a life. The main arcade mode is tough but short, so once you’ve built up enough continues you should be able to make it through without too much hassle, leaving only repeat plays at tougher difficulties to entice you back. ‘Complete Mission’ mode adds extra oomph to the package, allowing you to play through some extra levels as a different character with freedom to control your movements through the environment directly.

Shooting gallery-style minigames and vignette ‘Crisis Missions’ further bolster the package to create a game of significant substance and breadth, but not necessarily much depth. That the GunCon is wired and the LED sensors occasionally inaccurate is a shame but for fans of this neglected avenue of gaming, it’s a compelling ride while it lasts.

3 out of 5