Not too long ago, I managed to get my hands on the latest installment of the Time Crisis series which is the 4th one for the Play Station 3. It cost me $89 and it comes with an orange Guncon 3 which I thought it would look better if it was black. It would be a lie to state that I am a big fan of the Time Crisis series as I hardly remember the names of the characters from the 1st installment until the 4th one but at the same time it would also be a lie if I said that I didn't really find anything fun about the game seeing that I have completed every one of the series except for the latest one. Developed by Namco, the Time Crisis series has always been rated greatly by most video game magazines; however, apparently the latest installment seems to have an opposite ratings of its predecessor. Game Spot concluded that Time Crisis 4 was just a "mediocre" gun shooting game with its final ratings of 5.5 out of 10. Game Trailers rated the game 6.4 out of 10 which was slightly better than Game Spot yet it still implies that the game isn't worth the purchase. Seeing that the latest series crashed and burn in terms of its ratings, I decided to investigate the causes of the game's downfall which prompted me to buy a copy and try it out for myself. The Time Crisis series has been in the market(initially, it started off in the arcade market)for more than 10 years. It isn't any surprise to discover that almost 95% of video arcades worldwide have at least a Time Crisis machine given the fact that it has the unique pedal action system for ducking enemy fire that accompanies the exciting gun shooting action. The game's unique pedal action system eventually stole the spot light of other arcade gun shooting titles like the House Of the Dead and the Virtua Cop series. If you were to ask any gun shooter fan, they'll list the Time Crisis series as one of their favorites. So what forced Time Crisis 4 into the dirt? The answer: gaming bias. Throughout my game play of the gun action game, there was nothing much that I dislike about the game and in fact, I find it to be the best Time Crisis installment so far.
Time Crisis 4 tells the story of a joint operation between the European Union's V.S.S.E. ( not sure what the acronyms stands for but it is made clear in the series that this organization deals with covert operations) and the United States Internal Surveillance Group (I.S.G.) to prevent the European terrorist organization known as the Western Organization Liberation Front (W.O.L.F.) from using a stolen top secret military weapon which was developed by the Americans. As the I.S.G. has learned that the top secret military weapon was about to fall in the hands of the W.O.L.F., Captain William Rush is immediately assigned to California to investigate the incident alone. As the captain digs deeper into his investigation, he finds himself face to face with unexpected enemy forces, terrorist plots and the shocking truth regarding the top secret military weapon. At the same time, the V.S.S.E. immediately dispatches two agents, Giorgio Bruno and Evan Bernard to California after receiving intelligence report regarding W.O.L.F's intention to employ the top secret weapon that could spell the devastation of the European Union's interest. Upon their arrival at the California International Airport, the agents were unexpectedly welcomed by a well equipped military force who wants them dead. The story plot of the game which features unexpected terrorist plots, international relations, government cover ups and need-to-know-basis together with twisted discoveries provides a great story premise for the game; Time Crisis 4 prevails in term of its story.
Like all of its predecessor, Time Crisis 4 never fails to offer a unique game play. It still maintains its unique shoot and duck for cover game play. Seeing that the game is built for home version, the Guncon 3 is equipped with buttons for the duck and cover functionality instead of a leg pedal. Like Time Crisis 3, the latest Time Crisis installment allows player to select a variety of weapons like pistol, shotgun, machine gun and grenade launcher by pulling the trigger repeatedly behind cover; given the choice of weapon selection only makes the series fresher and better. The Battle Screen game play which appears during specific time of the mission is another characteristic worth mentioning. Although it isn't a new game play in the Time Crisis series as it made its 1st appearance 9 years ago in Time Crisis: Project Titan (but not the later series) nevertheless, it is a good return for the latest installment which makes the game better. In the Battle Screen game play, the player are obligated to shift their gun left or right outside the screen to change the player's view in order to eliminate enemies attacking from multiple directions. The single player game mode (which is different from the arcade game mode), allows players to put themselves in the position of Captain Rush who is investigating the W.O.L.F's plot. Unlike the arcade version of just shooting and ducking, the single player mode revolves around First Person Shooting (F.P.S). Using the Guncon's analog sticks to move and view around as well as aiming and firing with the gun, Time Crisis 4 instills a whole new meaning of F.P.S. Apart from the arcade and single player mode, the game offers extra mini games that provide a feedback regarding your marksmanship and even provide an opportunity to compete with a friend. The mini games aren't really that interesting to be played alone as they only revolve around shooting target plates. However, if you have a friend to play with, it will be more enjoyable. With interesting and unique game play, Time Crisis 4 deserves two thumbs up.
Seeing that the game is build for the Play Station 3, it would be obvious that Time Crisis 4 features great graphics. Although it doesn't apply the photo realistic graphics like the one in Call of Duty 4, on the other hand, the graphics quality similar to the cut scenes from Final Fantasy 10 and 12 is very impressive for an arcade shooting game. The environments are highly detailed and the game's lighting and textures are simply great. If a curious person would like to know the exact capability and quality of a 3rd generation console's graphic, Time Crisis 4 would be an ideal example just like Call Of Duty 4.
The only flaws about Time Crisis 4 is its voice acting and its exaggeration. The dialog lines are usually short and they hardly use any military jargons given the fact that this game revolves around the army; at times the dialog can be awkward and humorous to laugh at. The game is full of exaggeration as well; although it is understandable that the contents of a game are not 100% accurate and realistic, nevertheless most video games these days are made to be as realistic as possible. The developers of the game seems to ignore this trend by throwing in impossible and exaggerating scenes like the heroes jumping off a crashing helicopter at a couple of thousand feet without parachutes and surviving the jump. The character's design of Giorgio Bruno and Evan Bernard are simply ridiculous; the heroes are dressed very casually (more like the apparels for clubbing) instead of being dressed tactically or militarily given the fact that they are on a special mission. Although the game has flaws like these, on the other hand they are forgivable and they hardly pose any scratch on the game's rating.
Throughout my game play of the gun action game, there was nothing much that I dislike about the game and in fact I find it to be the best Time Crisis installment so far. According to me, Time Crisis 4 should be awarded 8 out of 10 mostly for its game play and graphics.Apparently there are rumors stating that Namco is already working on the 5th installment of the game. Hopefully, the all time favorite hero Richard Miller (1st Time Crisis protagonist)will return. More importantly, I hope that the developers will produce original and better game play.
The Play Station 3 copy of Time Crisis 4. It comes with an orange Guncon
This is how the Guncon 3 looks like. The color spoils the look nevertheless the gun functions well.
This definitely look better than the orange one. If only I know where to get it...
Welcome to the California, my V.S.S.E. friends. Now die!
At this shooting distance, you wouldn't miss. The ideal weapon for this situation would be the shot gun. The spread shot will take two target down at one shot.
They just keep coming...
If bullets won't kill those pesky V.S.S.E. agents, cockroaches will
Shoot them before they hack you up...Kinda reminds me of House of The Dead...only that a commando is with the axe instead of a zombie.
The fight isn't restricted to urban environments but also caves. Notice on the bottom right side that time is running out. With 58 milliseconds left, the poor player will lose a life...unless he slows time down...which is not possible 
The 1st person shooter action offered in the single player mode.
I take pleasure in guttin' you boy...
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