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Basically the Arcade...at Home

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 22 / 26
Date: November 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Duck Hunt to Lethal Enforcers to Time Crisis 4...to be honest, not much has changed. TC4 includes a Van Damme made for TV movie plot of a special forces team trying to take down an organization with secret bio-weapons...good enough justification for a game that includes nothing but you shooting at bad guys and insects and dodging their bullets.
Down to the nitty-gritty: the feel of the game. Replacing the arcade pedal, which allowed you to dodge and go into firing mode, is a B1 button, located just above your thumb on the shooting hand. To dodge and reload, you have to lift your shooting hand thumb (righties) and press down just behind the hammer. Easy enough, but you'll find your hand getting a bit sore from extended play. You have two analog-toggle controllers where the hammer is and in the section that juts out abruptly from the side of the gun. The first-person free movement is nothing special for experienced gamers, and is a moderate learning curve for beginners.
Accuracy: the game's setup includes two sensors that you manually hang from above the monitor; they're about an inch square and have a non-intrusive rubber-weight system to hold them into place. You'll spend a significant amount of time calibrating the gun to get just the right feel; it's a bit shaky to start, and for a 42" monitor, you have to stand at least about five feet away from the screen. But that's what the mini-games are for.
The mini games are, by far, the funnest part so far. If you've ever played the Point Blank arcade series, you'll enjoy approximately 15 shoot-the-moving-target type games in this section. You can play alternating competitively and also with a second GunCon. Simple fun, which, in essense, sums up the entire game.
The release of more thinker-oriented, patience required games such as Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Mass Effect, etc., will definitely be a load for gamers...TC4 provides that well-needed break. The free movement merely adds a non-revolutionary variation to the arcade game. It's a true-to-the arcade translation for the home; what you get at Dave And Buster's is what you get at home, plus the mini-games.

Too much for too much

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 45 / 64
Date: November 24, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The Time Crisis series has been an Arcade and Playstation hit for years. With the evolution of the Guncon we now have a PS3 version. Now some of you may be wondering is an $80+ game worth the price. For me it's a resounding no. Of course on the outside this game has quite a bit of potential. Two versions of the game and even some mini games to keep you busy. It sounds like quite the deal but sadly isn't.

Setting up this game is not easy either. When you open the large box you get the new Gun Con 3 with an 8 foot usb cord. The game also comes with two infared devices that go above the t.v. These also connect via usb. For those of you who have a 40 gig PS3 you have just used both your usb ports. Setting up for calibration is not very easy and seems to be rather inaccurate.

The biggest shining light for this game comes from the exciting arcade edition of Time Crisis which still looks good on the PS3. The arcade edition is a lot of fun and feels exactly like the arcade game with all the action. Point down and the gun reloads. Simple controls for an overall good game. This was my first experience with this game and it was really quite an enjoyment.

The major downfall of this game was the PS3 edition of Time Crisis that was made especially for the PS3. Unfortunately where this game lacks is in it's complexity. What really hurts is the several functioning buttons on the Guncon 3. When I say several buttons I mean as many as a normal PS3 controller. I couldn't make up my mind whether I was playing a first person shooter or a gun game. From the beginning you not only go thru the normal shooting but the movement. Trying to get the calibration to work correctly was not very easy. I noticed several times that my shooting was off because of this. I was beginning to feel this would be done much better on the Wii. Having to worry about moving your character in every direction and shooting several enemies is no easy task. I played long enough to realize I didn't want to have to deal with remember the functions of a half dozen buttons.

I have played several Time Crisis games and this one fails on being too complex. Nothing felt natural about having to use a gun to move my character. In all this game had a lot of potential but tried to go way to far. If anything they would have made a simpler game for people who just want to shoot. I would not advise this to anyone unless they are a die hard Time Crisis fan and even then it would be ill advised.

Bringing the Arcade Home

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: November 30, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Time Crisis 4 can be a blast; a lot like having one of the arcade machines in your house. No wireless and lack of 2nd controller combined with the $90 price point was a disappointment.

Overall Time Crisis 4 delivers on exactly what it advertises to deliver: An arcade experience in your house. The addition of the FPS mode helps make the game about double the time in length with some interesting game dynamics (if you have ever wanted to play a normal FPS with a light gun, this gives you a taste of that).

When you review a game like this, you can only compare it to other games like itself, because that is what it's competing with. So right now likely the closest match to Time Crisis 4 is Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles for the Wii. Given that, I think Time Crisis 4 delivers a really fun, arcade-like experience that pulls off a lot of things really well.

That's not to say the game is perfect. There are some omissions that I felt were a bit lazy, namely online support (online co-op would have been a big hit with me). This single omission really kept this game from being a star higher (4/5) for me, but thankfully doesn't detract from it still being a fun single-player experience.

(Full Review at The "Break it Down" Blog)

very fun. very accurate.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: December 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

i just recieved time crisis and my accuracy is fine. if you run through the 5 point calibration correctly it should be pin point accurate. in fact i was able to snipe people really far away with a pistol. also to comment on the problem of it being to complicated. for me it felt good. of course it took a few minutes to get adjusted to it but i like the controls. as for the price issue. this is only 20 more dollars than a regular ps3 game. so you are basically paying 20 dollars for the gun.they are planning to release more games for the gun so this is a good deal. i recomend this game to anyone. i give huge credit to the creators of this gun as it operates very well for shooting and moving at the same time. and the controls are simple after a little practice. i have ordered the wii zapper and can only pray it functions as well as the guncon.

great arcade game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Great arcade game !

I just want to point out that even if it state 50 inch max TV on the box, you can easly go up to 70 inches Tv/Projectors and still stay very accurate.

Finally! A light gun game.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Light gun games are at the top of my game list. The only problem is that I have to revert to my older systems to play them or visit the arcades because they haven't been represented on the latest systems until now. This is the one and only light gun game for the PS3 (thus far). Thanks to Bandai/Namco for bringing this game to a home system. Game play is what you'd expect from the TC series but there are enough changes to make if a bit fresher. I like the game very much because I like the genre.

I only hope other software manufacturers will support the Guncon with their older, newer and new light gun games. VR has two fine games in the arcades titled "Paradise Lost," and "Alien Extinction." I hope to see those as well as Sega's roster of lg games and shooters such as Midway's "Carnevil," also.

Old school fun which has become hard to find

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: December 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have a complex job, that is very challenging. What I want in a video game is the simplicity that my life otherwise lacks, and this game provides it.

I don't want extremely deep learning curves and "open exploration", that is what real life is for! (I mean, heck, there're a real city right outside my door that features a huge map for me to explore at leisure, and litterally millions of NPC characters that are real people with whom I can have actual conversations.) For me a game should be tight and full of tense adrenaline, structured, fast, simple, fun.

Works very well with my 92 inch front projector - I just had to tilt the sensors down a little.

I even very, very much like the fps sections reviewers have been complaining about - it feels like you're really there, shooting at dangerous people, much more than other fps titles which do not include "real" gunplay.

The Guncon 3 is very comfortable, and very easy to get used to.

Extremely addictive, extremely fun, and, with the fps sections, very, very long, although individual sessions can be a few minutes each (between save points) which also suits me well as I do not have a lot of free time in large chunks.

I put it on very hard difficulty, and I figure it will take me 6 months to get through it.

One of my favorite games ever, along with Motorstorm and Ridge Racer, which also provide simple, arcade fun.

I sure wish they would re-release the old Time Crisis games on the Playstation Store to be compatible with the Guncon 3 - I would buy them all right now.

Good game but too expensive for it's price

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I've been waiting for the next installment of Time Crisis 4 to hit the PS3 for a few months now and sad to say I'm a little disappointed. There are both positive and negative things I can say about this game. I will start with the good news. The calibration in this game is pretty accurate and the response is fast. The sensor works a lot better than the Wii's sensor bar so it beats the Wii Zapper. The mini games are pretty short and fun. You can play two players and hit the targets as they appear -similar to Duck Hunt. Compete to get the most amount of targets. The FPS (first person shooter) mode is something entirely different for the Time Crisis franchise and I'm happy to say they did a good job on it. You get to move around and shoot just like any FPS game. In addition to your new set of movements, you also get to use different weapons (i.e. shotguns, machine guns, knives, etc). Your health bar can also revive itself you you're idle long enough. I am glad they added this new feature to the game it makes the game a lot better. Decent FPS but don't expect it to be anything like Resistance: Fall Of Man or Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Now the bad, one thing I didn't like about this game was the # of continues they offered. 3 continues for each player. Unlike the arcade...if you need to continue you can simply insert coins and continue playing until you're done or out of coins, not the case here. If you've used up your 3 continues for arcade mode it's game over for you. Also, rumor has it that Namco will NOT be selling separate Guncons. You will have to buy a second game with a Guncon or play with a friend who purchased this game. Now to the price. In my opinion I don't think it's worth $59.99 but if you're a big fan of this series you probably won't want to miss out on this one. If you are planning on buying this game get it through Amazon as they are selling it for $59.99 compared to retail stores which are going for $79.99 and up. Realistically, you can't compare it to the arcade version, as the whole experience and environment is different. However, I will say it is a good alternative at home if you don't want to shell out change down at the arcade.

Arcade at its best

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is the most accurate arcade game you can find. It is very fun and easy to use. Great replay value. Compare to ghost squad or Resident Evil it is far more fun. Wiimote is nothing more than mouse, you have to track it on screen to get head shots. Once you calibrate the gun it is pin point accurate. Nothing comes close.

I didnt pay the full price, got it on a amazon one day only sale. It is a all around great family fun game.

Target practice was never so much fun...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 17 / 17
Date: December 19, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Time Crisis has never been known for its deep gameplay and complex strategies, but it's still a darn fun series and TC4 is the best one so far.

Time Crisis is basically a target game built around a lightgun, which was/is its major draw at the arcades. The name comes from the limited amount of time you're given to complete each stage; usually you feel like you're running behind the clock.

Sure, you're shooting "people," but there's no blood, dead bodies, exploding body parts, or other gratuitous violence found in many other FPSes. Honestly, I'm thankful for this.

Graphically it looks great, as can be expected of most PS3 games.

The classic arcade version runs "on rails"--your character is moved from position to position by the game, all you do is point, shoot, and RELOAD! (The announcer always screams "reload" for some reason.) TC4 adds the ability to look left and right in some scenes, a gun flashlight, and some interesting new opponents, but otherwise is pretty much the same formula as the earlier games--make it through each chapter without getting shot too many times and fight the boss at the end.

TC4 includes an FPS mode where you can move around using the Guncon's builtin joystick, but I found this frustrating and not nearly as fun as the classic arcade version.

TC4's Guncon is based on the "LED marker" technology used by the Wii and several other new controllers. Older Guncons used a video-sensing lightgun, but that method doesn't work with LCD/LED/plasma/projection TVs. The new design works with any TV, but I've found it is harder to calibrate and it really doesn't feel as accurate as the previous Guncons.

(Note that the new Guncon can't be used with previous TC versions, and old Guncons will not work with TC4.)

Time Crisis can be played with a gamepad, but it's a pain and I don't recommend it--moving the targeting cursor around the screen with a joystick is slow and awkward. The game's sole basis is really the Guncon; believe me, I've tried playing it without (as the old Guncons didn't work with my rear-projection TV....)

Should you buy TC4? For fans of the series it's an easy purchase, especially at the new low prices. If you're unfamiliar with the series, keep in mind there isn't much depth to it as there's no real strategy involved--it's just shoot, shoot, shoot. But for mindless fun and excitement it's hard to beat.

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