Time Crisis

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This thread is about the Time Crisis series by Namco Bandai.

Time Crisis is one of the more unique arcade rail shooter games in existence. The series' gameplay is about shooting all enemies on set screens like most rail shooters, but it includes a pedal system that allows the shooter to hide from enemies' shots. They also have to hide to reload the gun. Hiding too long will hurt you, though.

The series started in 1995 and continues today, with 5 main games and several spinoffs such as Crisis Zone. The major constant in the main series is the pedal/ducking mechanism, a group called VSSE, and a villain named Wild Dog.

Anyone have any thoughts?

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edited 3rd Dec '17 10:56:59 PM by jameygamer

It sucks that Time Crisis 5 never really saw a proper release stateside, aside from the few arcades that decided to purchase the cabinets. In fact the first time I ever saw and learned of the game's existence was back in 2015 while wandering around one of the bigger arcades in Odaiba, Tokyo. Heck, the spoken dialogue was even in English; makes you wonder just what made Namco-Bandai decide against advertising the game more heavily in the Western markets.

I love this series. I used to hit the arcade just for this for years.

Crisis Zone was my favorite. With the replica MP 5 with the feedback? Many a quarter was spent on it.

There’s a Time Crisis 5 machine in the Dave and Busters in Manhattan (the last bastion of chain arcades) but I’m stunned they never made a proper Gun Con for PS 4 and ported it. Would it need Move tech? Could you only do it as a VR game? Tell me.

It's definitely not an engine issue - Time Crisis 5 runs on Unreal 4, and there's nothing ultra-intensive on the GPU to the point that a PS 4 can't run it. And the only gimmick that might cause trouble is how you now have to face multiple directions when shooting and taking cover, but the previous games solved that problem too.

I guess Namco-Bandai just didn't see enough profit in marketing it's release in the U.S., or to create a console version. And that's despite an English voice-over and translation existing in the original Japanese release.

3 Was my JAM

Ah yes. I remember this game. I wasted a lot of coins playing and losing at this game at the arcade, which led me to buy the PS version to save money.

I remember playing 2 at an arcade and then getting the home console port later. 2 was quite challenging in the arcade.

I adore the foot pedal system. Makes the game a lot more fair to people.

Really? I found the others to be harder than Time Crisis 2; in fact I'd say TC 2 and 4 were the easiest of the series.

I'd nominate the very first TC as the hardest, but not for good reasons. In addition to the unforgiving timer, which started to give you less and less time to clear areas near the end of the 2nd act and beyond, there were at least three enemies in the game that if allowed to get into position, you would never be able to hit them due to their bodies being outside of the screen's "hitbox". The worst of these guys appeared right at the end of the 1st act, just before fighting the ninja claw guys: it was blue enemy wielding a shield who would run to the far corner of the screen near a drawbridge. You HAD to kill that guy before he got into position, or you'd be futilely shooting in their direction until the timer ran out, and since no "screen clearer" weapons existed in the first game, you had to quit and start all over.

Another one of these annoying guys appeared halfway through the third act, manning an AT cannon. He was far away enough that trying to aim at his head was tricky enough to waste 30 seconds or more of your time, which by that point was absolutely precious.

I could never beat the first Time Crisis because of a Helicopter near the end of the game. It's been forever since I've played it, but I swear there was literally not enough time to kill it, unless maybe you just let yourself take hits or something.

Loved 2 and 3 though. Always fun games to go to.

Like watching playthoughs of 2 and 3 online. Arcade classics they are. Really like the fights on the train in that game.

edited 12th Dec '17 10:50:41 PM by jameygamer

No word on whether or not 5 will be ported to home consoles. That one had a bit of a gut punch in it.

THERE WAS A FIFTH GAME! I haven't even finished playing the fourth installment. Hell I still own the third on ps2 complete with light gun.

I know the stories are Cliché Storm(s), but still I wondered by this one thing.

Did Alicia...hug the 2 people she barely knows (the VSSE agents) at the end of 3?

I wanna know the reason why.

They did kinda liberate her country and avert WW3

WW3 may be a stretch... the situation was more Palestine vs Israel.

wanna see more of her...but age may deteoriate both her appearance and skills.