Time Crisis: Crisis Zone

Written by Matt Swider  on July 19, 2004

Hands-On Preview: Better than the full original title, Time Crisis: Crisis Zone: Zone Combat: Combat Time: Time Crisis: CrisisЕ

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Grab a GunCon2 and take aim. Namco hasn't finished porting its line of Time Crisis light-gun games onto the home console and that's good news for arcade enthusiasts that haven't finished shoving quarters into Time Crisis: Crisis Zone machines. Crisis Zone is set to hit PS2 one year after Time Crisis 3 came to the system. Even though this is the opposite of what occurred in the arcades, Crisis Zone doesn't seem like the older of the two PS2 ports. In fact, it carries additional challenges, packs more intense gunplay and looks better than previous Time Crisis games on the system. Still, improvements aside, the core of Crisis Zone remains unchanged with tons of terrorists to shoot as well as duck-and-cover gameplay to prevent from being shot.

Unlike other Time Crisis titles in which players act as a one of two secret agents from the VSSE, Crisis Zone revolves around members of a SWAT team located in England. This is where terrorists have taken over a recently opened urban complex containing department stores, a hotel, a park and an office building. All of these environments are extremely interactive and cause objects to break with almost every stray bullet that doesn't hit an enemy. While there have been interactive elements in previous Time Crisis titles, Crisis Zone sets the standard. Glass always seems to be breaking into small shards, paper debris flies everywhere and store products like fine china are prime targets next to terrorists. All of this allows the game to look as impressive as its arcade original and gives the gameplay a feeling of non-stop, chaotic action.

The highly-armed militia here is known as the U.R.D.A. and is headed by guys with names like Derrick Lynch and Tiger. The mission of players is to liberate the complex and eliminate members of the U.R.D.A. through the same tactics as previous Time Crisis games. So although the setup has changed, the storyline remains barebones in terms of substance and it means the voice acting will probably be quite cheesy again as well. However, it's a light-gun game and there's no other way to have it.

The one difference that comes with being a member of the SWAT team is that the duck and cover staple of the Time Crisis series is more accurately called shield and shoot. This is because Crisis Zone incorporates a SWAT shield instead of randomly using boxes and building sides for protection. The shield doesn't seem like anything more than a cosmetic change, but it does put players in the middle of the action as incoming enemy fire rains down on them. This really gives the shield a good rattling during fierce shootouts and there's even a thin glass panel to peer out of while that happens. Certain enemies also possess shields, but they clearly fill with bullet holes faster and fall to the ground quicker, causing the terrorists to regret opting for the cheaper shield material in the end.

The shootouts with the terrorists hold up better than their shields and are definitely more intense in Crisis Zone. But, there's always an arsenal of weapons and enough ammunition to beat back any attack. Players can initially toggle between a machine gun, a shotgun and the standard handgun and eventually unlock special weapons later in the game. The handgun, of course, comes with unlimited rounds while the machine gun and shotgun are good for only a brief number of bullets. This makes it important to ensure that the superior guns are still full when enemy bosses like Tiger or a tank on a rampage take center screen.

In addition to unlocking new weapons, Crisis Zone comes through with other extras that its arcade counterpart doesn't offer. This includes the always appealing double-gun mode as well as challenging crisis missions. Although other Time Crisis games offered double-gun gameplay, Namco really seem to be selling the idea this time as the ultimate way to take down enemies John Woo style. Just be sure not to hog the pair of GunCon2 light-guns when a friend is over since there's still a planned two-player option in which a some one else can take shots alongside of you.