History VideoGame / TimeCrisis

* ''[[VideoGame/TimeCrisis1995 Time Crisis]]'' - Released for the arcades in 1995, the game puts you in the shoes of Richard Miller known as the "One Man Army" infiltrating a castle to rescue a [[HostageMacGuffin president's kidnapped daughter]] from terrorists. It was ported one year later onto the Sony Platform/PlayStation, bundled with Namco's signature {{Light Gun|Game}} peripheral "[=GunCon=]" and featured an original campaign which had Richard infiltrating a hotel that is a front for an arms factory that sells weapons to terrorists.

%% EDITOR'S NOTE: Tropes specifically for Razing Storm should be put into its own page.

** Also starting with ''2'', enemy shots meant to hit the player will be shown in red, with ''Crisis Zone'' also giving the player an audible warning before the shot is fired.

* DoNotRunWithAGun: Justified; the game revolves around having something to hide behind or to block with at all times, so rarely is your character moving during an attack phase unless they can do so while still being able to avoid enemy fire. If you are moving at a high speed, it's due to being on an armored vehicle of some sort, such as Alicia's ATV in ''3'' or one of two helicopters in ''4''. ''Crisis Zone'' uses a riot shield so there are more sequences where you're moving and firing at once.

** The [=PS2=] version of ''Time Crisis: Crisis Zone'' also has this feature, although you are required to complete 55% of the game (that includes the extra modes) to unlock it.

* ExcusePlot: The plots are there mainly to give the player an excuse to shoot stuff. The first focused on a pro-monarchist terrorist group, the second was about a CorruptCorporateExecutive trying to TakeOverTheWorld via a nuclear KillSat which is disguised as a part of a network of peaceful communication satellites, the third was an invasion of a peaceful Mediterranean country by its neighbour whose government is TheDictatorship, the fourth was about anti-US insurgents, and the fifth is about finding a traitor within the VSSE. None of these have any real bearing on the gameplay.

** Furthermore, the STF (Special Task Force) and player character Claude [=McGarren=] in ''Crisis Zone''

** Rather than a handgun, ''Crisis Zone'' gives you a submachine gun (a customized Steyr TMP) with a 40-round magazine and limitless ammo reserves. Go to town.

** ''Crisis Zone'' on special mode rewards you further by giving you access to a special weapon for a limited time, as well as a new area to test that weapon out in.

** ''Crisis Zone'': Updated graphics and feature a new campaign, Grassmarket District, that continues the story.

[[folder:''Crisis Zone'']]
* AbsurdlyLongStairway: After defeating [[BigBad Derrick Lynch]], the S.T.F. can't take the elevator back up to the surface because it broke, so they have to take ''five kilometres'' of emergency stairs. During the credit roll, at least one soldier can be seen having to sit on the stairs to catch his breath.
* ArmorIsUseless: [[AvertedTrope Averted.]] The more durable basic enemies are visibly more heavily armoured, and you can actually see sections ablate and fly off as they take sustained fire; also, the ballistic shields some of the enemy troops carry can withstand a number of shots.
* BigBad: Derrick Lynch in the main campaign and Jared Hunter in the Grassmarket District campaign.
* BlindIdiotTranslation: The arcade release called the hero Croad [=McGalain=] and one of the bosses Eddy. The Platform/PlayStation2 version fixed them into Claude [=McGarren=] and Edge, respectively.
* BossOnlyLevel: The final stage in the original story as well as the Grassmarket District story in ''Crisis Zone'' is a final battle against Derrick Lynch and Jared Hunter, respectively.
* DavidVsGoliath: Claude vs. Tiger.
* DieHardOnAnX: Much closer to its namesake. It's ''Die Hard in an Urban Complex and City'', though you are aided by your troops.
* DisneyVillainDeath: Derrick is knocked through a window of the room you were fighting in and explodes.
* DualBoss: Edge and Tiger fight you together in the office section of the main campaign.
* EliteMook: The foot soldiers in the FinalBoss fight have some of the highest killing shot rates in the game. There is one notable segment where six blue soldiers pop out and fire killing shots ''immediately'' as if they're really red soldiers in disguise.
* GaidenGame: To the main ''Time Crisis'' games. It features a separate plot with different characters, a machine gun as your main weapon rather than an alternate or "certain sections only" weapon, and a riot shield that allows you to TakeCover even while on the move. Also until ''4'', ''Crisis Zone'' takes place in TheThemeParkVersion of real-life locations as opposed to {{Fictional Countr|y}}ies with {{Fantasy Counterpart Culture}}s.
* GenericDoomsdayVillain: In ''Crisis Zone'', Lynch wants to destroy London just to show [[ForTheEvulz how evil he is]].
* HellishCopter: Multiple helicopters assault you in Garland Park, culminating in a boss fight against a large jet-black copter with missiles, bombs, and support from two [[EliteMook elite versions]] of the {{Mook}} copters.
* ItsUpToYou: Downplayed. It's explicitly shown that [[PlayerCharacter Claude]] is accompanied by an S.T.F. detachment, who are still in considerable numbers by the end of the game, and those allies appear in some section transitions, thus averting the OneManArmy trope shown in the main games. But they and their gunfire never appear during active gameplay and the game only progresses when you defeat enemies.
* {{Jetpack}}: The U.R.D.A.'s air division consists of soldiers equipped with body armour and jetpacks and you fight them in the Grassland District campaign. Likewise, Hunter is also wearing one when you fight him at the top of the hotel.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Claude's all-protecting riot shield, which is why he, unlike the VSSE agents, can move around more freely and still take cover at any time.
* MacrossMissileMassacre: The attack helicopter in Garland Park engages in this in the last part of the battle against it.
* RedShirt: You see several of your fellow soldiers bite it over the course of the game, most notably during the boss fight in Garland Park.
* SoundCodedForYourConvenience: Killing shots/Crisis Sightings now come with a warning beep in addition to a red reticule. Unfortunately, killing shots are faster here than in any other game in the series, meaning by the time you respond to the beep you've probably taken damage already.
* SubsystemDamage: The fighting vehicle that attacks Drycreek Plaza sports a whopping ''fourteen'' weapons systems that you must destroy: Its main gun, a top-mounted autocannon, two turret-mounted missile launchers, six side-mounted machine guns, two retractable missile bays on the rear, and lastly two more autocannons in its internal bay that are only deployed as a last resort. Fortunately, all of these can be destroyed by a submachine gun.
* WesternTerrorists: The U.R.D.A. from ''Crisis Zone''.
[[/folder]]

** Furthermore, the STF (Special Task Force) and player character Claude [=McGarren=] in ''Crisis Zone'', and SCAR members Alpha 1 and Alpha 2 in ''Razing Storm''.

* ''VideoGame/CrisisZone'' - Released for the arcades in 1999 as a single-player only cabinet, the game put the player in control of a Task Force sent to stop a terrorist organization that have taken control of a massive commercial district and fighting to reclaim it. It is basically ''Time Crisis'' except players use a machine gun and a ballistic shield as cover. It is the first game to allow players the choice between three levels to play in any order. Fans consider it a GaidenGame to the series, thanks to the loose connections between the main instalments, although neither the [=VSSE=] nor Wild Dog appear. Oddly enough, the game was RemadeForTheExport in 2004 for the [=PlayStation=] 2, available only in Europe and North America, retitled as ''Time Crisis: Crisis Zone'' in the latter, while [[NoExportForYou there has been no console release in Japan]]. As with the first three entries, a new campaign that acts as a continuation of the main story, having the Task Force raid a new district to finish off the remnants of the terrorist group.

[[folder:''Razing Storm'']]
* Was so insane, it got it's [[VideoGame/RazingStorm own page.]]
[[/folder]]

* ArtifactTitle: Part of why the first game is called '''''Time''' Crisis'' is that 1. you're ranked on how fast you beat each area and stage as well as the game, 2. the timer is an actual threat--take too long and it will bring you to a GameOver before the enemies can deplete all of your lives. However, subsequent games greatly loosen the time-based elements, not only giving players a large amount of time per area, but also resetting it upon moving to another area or taking a hit and also reducing the penalty for a time-out from a game over to simply a life loss; the timer's just there in later games to end games if the player idles or leaves the machine, and many other light-gun games like ''VideoGame/{{Police 911}}'' and ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcers 3'', and even Namco's own swords-battle game ''VideoGame/FlashOfTheBlade'' have also adapted time limits. Also, from ''Time Crisis II'' onwards, you're ranked on [[ScoringPoints points]]--while you can get bonuses for finishing areas quickly, you can also earn points from chaining enemy hits and maintaining an accuracy streak, so you're encouraged to play stylishly rather than quickly.

* ArtifactTitle: Part of why the first game is called '''''Time''' Crisis'' is that 1. you're ranked on how fast you beat each area and stage as well as the game, 2. the timer is an actual threat--take too long and it will bring you to a GameOver before the enemies can deplete all of your lives. However, subsequent games greatly loosen the time-based elements, not only giving players a large amount of time per area, but also resetting it upon moving to another area or taking a hit and also reducing the penalty for a time-out from a game over to simply a life loss; the timer's just there in later games to end games if the player idles or leaves the machine, and many other light-gun games like ''VideoGame/{{Police 911}}'' and ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcers 3'', and even Namco's own swords-battle game ''Mazan: Flash of the Blade'' (a ''VideoGame/NinjaAssault'' GaidenGame) have also adapted time limits. Also, from ''Time Crisis II'' onwards, you're ranked on [[ScoringPoints points]]--while you can get bonuses for finishing areas quickly, you can also earn points from chaining enemy hits and maintaining an accuracy streak, so you're encouraged to play stylishly rather than quickly.

* ''Time Crisis'' - Released for the arcades in 1995, the game puts you in the shoes of Richard Miller known as the "One Man Army" infiltrating a castle to rescue a [[HostageMacGuffin president's kidnapped daughter]] from terrorists. It was ported one year later onto the Sony Platform/PlayStation, bundled with Namco's signature {{Light Gun|Game}} peripheral "[=GunCon=]" and featured an original campaign which had Richard infiltrating a hotel that is a front for an arms factory that sells weapons to terrorists.

* ''Time Crisis II'' - Appearing in arcades in 1997, this game sees two new protagonists, Keith Martin and Robert Baxter, keep [[EvilInc Neodyne Industries]] from launching a nuclear satellite into space with the aim to TakeOverTheWorld. This instalment is where [[CoOpMultiplayer the game began setting up two cabinets hooked together for two-player co-operative play]]. [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo Both players go through the levels at slightly different vantage points on the action and sections with more pronounced differences (one player on the ground, the another on a railing above).]] As an added bonus, a red reticule used by a {{Mook|s}} is visualized as a direct hit to players, allowing them to know exactly when they should let go of the pedal to dodge (which ''wasn't'' present in the first, another reason why the original was so strict). A remake with enhanced graphics and audio was released in 2001 for the Sony Platform/PlayStation2, compatible with "[=GunCon=] 2". While there is no original campaign, the game does feature a shooting gallery and mission modes.

* ''Time Crisis 3'' - For this release in 2002 in arcades, once more putting you into the shoes of two new agents, Alan Dunaway and Wesley Lambert, who raid a recently occupied country to prevent the enemy army from using missiles to target resistance bases and targeting other countries. Players have the ability to use extra weapons in the form of a machine gun, shotgun and grenade launcher, which were more powerful than the default handgun, but had limited ammunition. To refill them, players had to shoot a specific yellow {{Mook}}. This game would also be ported onto the [=PlayStation 2=] a year later, featuring an original campaign that has the player play as Alicia, the female resistance member who helps the two agents during the main story from her point of view from it.

* ''Time Crisis 4'' - Released in 2006 for arcades, the story once again features two new agents, Giorgio Bruno and Evan Bernard, investigating a RenegadeSplinterFaction of the US military that uses [[BioweaponBeast insect-based biological weapons]] and wishes to [[NukeEm nuke the U.S.]] The game forces players to take part in "Multi-Screen Scenarios", where near-endless {{Mook}}s come and attack from different directions (until either the players meet a win condition like running out a clock, defeating all enemies, or escape a trap in a limited amount of time; or fail usually by allowing the barrier defending them get destroyed). The game was ported onto the Sony Platform/PlayStation3 with the rather awkward "[=GunCon=] 3" bundled a year later. In the original [=PS3=] release, a new campaign was added focusing on Captain Rush, the U.S soldier who aids the two agents during the main game, and his exploits during the story where he wasn't with him. Unlike the last original modes, most of the original levels were treated more as standard First Person Shooters where you move with the controller on the [=GunCon=] and shoot with the gun.

* ''Time Crisis 5'' - Released for international release in March 2015 for arcades, the story sees new agents, Luke O'Neil and Marc Godart, under the mentorship of Robert Baxter from the second game, trying to track down a traitor in the VSSE and contending against the hired mercenaries after the information that was stolen from the organization. This instalment takes cues from the dual-pedal system used by ''VideoGame/TooSpicy'' (Though technically showcased early in Platform/PlayStation only game, ''Project Titan''), allowing players to attack, displace their current position and flank enemies from different directions. Essentially, it is the inverse of the Multi-Screen Scenarios by giving players the ability to instantly change their viewpoint without losing their aim. Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment later released a ''True Mastermind Edition'', which continues the game's storyline with an additional three stages for a total of six.

* ''Crisis Zone'' - Released for the arcades in 1999 as a single-player only cabinet, the game put the player in control of a Task Force sent to stop a terrorist organization that have taken control of a massive commercial district and fighting to reclaim it. It is basically ''Time Crisis'' except players use a machine gun and a ballistic shield as cover. It is the first game to allow players the choice between three levels to play in any order. Fans consider it a GaidenGame to the series, thanks to the loose connections between the main instalments, although neither the [=VSSE=] nor Wild Dog appear. Oddly enough, the game was RemadeForTheExport in 2004 for the [=PlayStation=] 2, available only in Europe and North America, retitled as ''Time Crisis: Crisis Zone'' in the latter, while [[NoExportForYou there has been no console release in Japan]]. As with the first three entries, a new campaign that acts as a continuation of the main story, having the Task Force raid a new district to finish off the remnants of the terrorist group.

* ''Project Titan'' - A 2001 [=PlayStation=]-exclusive GaidenGame/semi-sequel that follows the protagonist of the original who seeks to clear his name after he was implicated in the murder of the president of a fictional country. This game actually showcases the "Multi-Screen Scenario" [[OlderThanYouThink first before the fourth instalment used it]].

* ''Cobra: The Arcade'' - A 2005 spin-off of ''Manga/SpaceAdventureCobra'' that [[DolledUpInstallment uses the same basic gameplay]] of the ''Time Crisis'' series. Features a proprietary card system that allows the player to keep track of records and earn unlocks.

* ''Time Crisis Strike'' - Released in 2009 for the Apple UsefulNotes/{{iOS|Games}}, it is an alternate take on the arcade version of ''Time Crisis 3''. It was pulled from the App Store and thus is no longer available for download.

* ''Time Crisis 2nd Strike'' - A sequel to ''Time Crisis Strike'', this 2010 game for [=iOS=] is an alternate version of ''Time Crisis 4''. It was pulled from the App Store and thus is no longer available for download.

* AbsurdlyLongStairway: After defeating [[BigBad Derrick Lynch]], the S.T.F. can't take the elevator back up to the surface because it broke, so they have to take ''five kilometres'' of emergency stairs.

** However, the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 version of ''Time Crisis II'' has a Dual Gun mode, which is a single-player mode where you can wield two guns.

** Rather than a handgun, ''Crisis Zone'' gives you a submachine gun (a [[CoolGuns customized Steyr TMP]]) with a 40-round magazine and limitless ammo reserves. Go to town.

* NintendoHard: The first mostly, where you can't tell what shot's going to hurt (aside from enemies), bullets that "graze" you as you go into cover can still count as lethal,[[note]]From ''Time Crisis II'' onward, if you are not EXACTLY in shooting position, you cannot be hit, allowing for really quick "dodges" where red bullets would clip the camera but not result in loss of life; doing the same thing in the first one will result in life and time loss.[[/note]] the timer constantly goes down no matter what's going on, the timer only increases (by a variable amount) when you clear out an action point or [[GuideDangIt hit certain enemies]] (and even then, only up to 60 seconds), and you lose ''all'' your lives if the timer runs out. Though later games tone down the FakeDifficulty, they're still designed to make the player use continues unless they're really, really good.

* NintendoHard: The Rescue Mission mode. Alicia doesn't get the same continue system as the main arcade game, instead having to start a mission segment over if she fails, and [[HostageSpiritLink loses health if she accidentally hits civilians]] on top of having to level up her extra weapons from almost-useless to powerful. For a game that would already be a bit of a quarter muncher in terms of the arcade difficulty, combined with levels that are just plain harder here, this ''really'' steps up the challenge.

* BlindIdiotTranslation: The arcade release called the hero Croad [=McGalain=] and one of the bosses Eddy. The UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 version fixed them into Claude [=McGarren=] and Edge, respectively.

* CoolGuns: The customized Steyr [=TMPs=] that the S.T.F. are equipped with, and the FAMAS clones that the regular U.D.R.A. troops carry.

'''''-- AREA CLEARED --'''''

* ''Time Crisis II'' - Appearing in arcades in 1997, this game sees two new protagonists, Keith Martin and Robert Baxter, keep [[EvilInc Neodyne Industries]] from launching a nuclear satellite into space with the aim to TakeOverTheWorld. This instalment is where [[CoOpMultiplayer the game began setting up two cabinets hooked together for two-player co-operative play]]. [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo Both players go through the levels at slightly different vantage points on the action and sections with more pronounced differences (one player on the ground, the another on a railing above).]] As an added bonus, a red reticule used by a {{Mook|s}} is visualized as a direct hit to players, allowing them to know exactly when they should let go of the pedal to dodge (which ''wasn't'' present in the first, another reason why the original was so strict). A remake with enhanced graphics and audio was released in 2001 for the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, compatible with "[=GunCon=] 2". While there is no original campaign, the game does feature a shooting gallery and mission modes.

* ''Time Crisis 4'' - Released in 2006 for arcades, the story once again features two new agents, Giorgio Bruno and Evan Bernard, investigating a RenegadeSplinterFaction of the US military that uses [[BioweaponBeast insect-based biological weapons]] and wishes to [[NukeEm nuke the U.S.]] The game forces players to take part in "Multi-Screen Scenarios", where near-endless {{Mook}}s come and attack from different directions (until either the players meet a win condition like running out a clock, defeating all enemies, or escape a trap in a limited amount of time; or fail usually by allowing the barrier defending them get destroyed). The game was ported onto the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 with the rather awkward "[=GunCon=] 3" bundled a year later. In the original [=PS3=] release, a new campaign was added focusing on Captain Rush, the U.S soldier who aids the two agents during the main game, and his exploits during the story where he wasn't with him. Unlike the last original modes, most of the original levels were treated more as standard First Person Shooters where you move with the controller on the [=GunCon=] and shoot with the gun.

* ''Time Crisis 5'' - Released for international release in March 2015 for arcades, the story sees new agents, Luke O'Neil and Marc Godart, under the mentorship of Robert Baxter from the second game, trying to track down a traitor in the VSSE and contending against the hired mercenaries after the information that was stolen from the organization. This instalment takes cues from the dual-pedal system used by ''VideoGame/TooSpicy'' (Though technically showcased early in UsefulNotes/PlayStation only game, ''Project Titan''), allowing players to attack, displace their current position and flank enemies from different directions. Essentially, it is the inverse of the Multi-Screen Scenarios by giving players the ability to instantly change their viewpoint without losing their aim. Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment later released a ''True Mastermind Edition'', which continues the game's storyline with an additional three stages for a total of six.

* ''Time Crisis'' - Released for the arcades in 1995, the game puts you in the shoes of Richard Miller known as the "One Man Army" infiltrating a castle to rescue a [[HostageMacGuffin president's kidnapped daughter]] from terrorists. It was ported one year later onto the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation, bundled with Namco's signature {{Light Gun|Game}} peripheral "[=GunCon=]" and featured an original campaign which had Richard infiltrating a hotel that is a front for an arms factory that sells weapons to terrorists.

** In the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 version of ''Time Crisis II'', you can unlock an infinite ammo pistol, meaning ''you never have to reload!''

* {{Bishonen}}: Every protagonist in ''2'',''3'', and ''5'' Evan Bernard in ''4'', plus Wild Fang.

* MsFanservice: Uncommon for the most part, but two in particular.
** [[EvilIsSexy Kantaris]] in ''1'' and ''Project Titan''.
** [[ActionGirl Alicia Winston]] in ''Time Crisis 3''. The [=PS2=] start screen is even her with a BoobsAndButtPose.