Time Crisis 4

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Time Crisis 4
Image:TimeCrisis4Logo-1-.jpg
Developer(s) Nex Entertainment
Publisher(s) Namco
Distributor(s) Bandai Namco Games
Designer(s) Hajime Nakatani (producer),
Takashi Satsukawa (director)
Platform(s) Arcade, PlayStation 3
Release date Arcade

June 20, 2006
PlayStation 3
NA November 20, 2007
EUR April 18, 2008[1]
AUS April 24, 2008[2]

Genre(s) Rail shooter (Arcade, Playstation 3),
First Person Shooter (Playstation 3)
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Input methods Light gun
Cabinet 29" Standard twin 4:3,
52" Deluxe twin 4:3
Arcade system Namco System Super 256
Display Raster, horizontal orientation

Time Crisis 4 is the fourth installment in Namco's Time Crisis series. As with its predecessors, the game introduces new features to the gameplay engine alongside a new story and roster of characters. It was initially released for arcade circulation in 2006 and was ported to the PlayStation 3 in 2007.

Contents

[edit] Background

Time Crisis 4 was first shown at E3 2006 prior to its recent final revision arcade release.

One major change is the addition of the multi-screen/multi-hiding system, introduced in Time Crisis: Project Titan. Unlike Project Titan, which players went on the offensive, players are placed on the defensive. In Project Titan, players had to hide and shoot arrows to switch screens. Screen switching has been refined to allow the player to merely point the gun outside the screen to move around.

Time Crisis 4 also utilizes a new light gun control with infrared emitters. Prior to this, all Namco light gun games used gun controllers that relied on cathode ray timing. Because Namco's light guns with cathode ray timing utilized memory chip-to-lens pointing, the arcade cabinet designers had to ensure that the infrared-emitting light gun controllers would provide the same accuracy as their cathode ray timing-based gun provided in the past. This delayed the game's release given past accuracy issues with IR light guns.

The player can choose to customize gun calibration and/or turn the blowback on or off with a pre-game code explained in the cabinet. Time Crisis 4, like its predecessors, is available either in a 29" standard twin cabinet or a 52" deluxe twin.

Time Crisis 4 also includes the multiple weapon system introduced in Time Crisis 3, with the pistol, shotgun, machine gun, and grenade.[3]

The game also features a voice navigation system that guides players through different situations. Given the voice navigation system, the game can be voiced either in Japanese or English. Prior to Time Crisis 4, the game was voiced exclusively in English.

[edit] PlayStation 3 release

The game was released for the Sony Playstation 3 exclusively bundled with the GunCon 3 peripheral.[4] The release dates are as follows:

The Playstation 3 edition features 480p (4:3) and 720p (16:9 widescreen) support and a specially-programmed first-person shooter mode, which players engage combat similar to a typical FPS game, but with manual gun pointing, aiming and firing in addition to arcade mode.[5] Players play as Captain William Rush for 5 levels and as VSSE agents Giorgio Bruno or Evan Bernard for 10 levels through the game's "complete mission", with footage not seen in arcades. [6][7]

[edit] Plot

A strictly confidential weapon developed by the US military is about to be smuggled by a European terrorist organization called the Western Order Liberation Front or W.O.L.F.

Hearing about this situation, the U.S. Army's Internal Surveillance Unit instructs Captain William Rush to head to Central California to investigate the smuggling deal between hostiles. At the self-same instant, the European Union orders Giorgio Bruno and Evan Bernard (two agents from the VSSE International Intelligence Agency) to do the same.

Rush managed to dispose the suspects at Pier 5 (the enemy's hideout) but Giorgio and Evan experienced circumstances beyond their control upon arriving at a Californian airport as a horde of suspects and insect-like weapons (called "Terror Bite") attacked the VSSE without warning. Securing Pier 5 with ease but agitated about learning that the enemy was expecting the VSSE's involvement, Rush hurried to San Francisco to rescue the VSSE agents.

As Rush extracts Giorgio and Evan from the airport, he gives the agents more specific information about the incident. After a helicopter chase and a gunfight in the streets with the suspects, Giorgio, Rush, and Evan discover U.S. Army dog tags on the arms dealers' corpses, and realize that the smuggling deal is an act of treason.

Rush attempts to report the act of treason to his superiors when Beth informs about the enemies from the traitor's party about an unexpected occupation at an anonymous dam with low capacity. After escaping what is deduced as a distraction made by the traitor's party, he's briefed that the distraction was to ensure that the traitor's party was given an advantage in the unlawful retrieval of the biological weapons as Wyoming. With only Giorgio and Evan as support, Rush eventually finds out that the dam distraction was to ensure that the traitors obtained the biological weapons before Rush and company did.

Eventually, it is revealed that the party responsible for the arms black market was actually one of America's top-secret bio-weapons operation elites, identified as the U.S. Bioweapon Special Operations Unit (known as The Hamlin Battalion, a unit suspected to have turned against the U.S.) instead of "W.O.L.F." as originally thought.

The enemy's distraction worked well for the battalion. Beth informs the trio that Buckley Air Force Base near Aurora, Colorado has been hijacked by this mutinous unit, prompting the trio to make a rush trip to the battered AFB. As Giorgio and Evan attack the Hamlin Battalion through the air, Rush leads the National Guard to attack by ground. Nearing the end of the trio's joint pursuit against the Hamlin Battalion's outdoor defense, a couple of Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs) begin to depart for unknown reasons.

Shortly after the UCAVs leave, the situation started to get worse for the forces of good. Wild Dog attacks the VSSE agents without warning by attempting to slam the agents' helicopter into a control tower while Rush and the National Guard neutralizes the Hamlin ground remnants. Releasing Dog's life-threatening grip on the helicopter, Dog escapes prompting Giorgio and Evan to enter the base before Rush. At the same time the fight between the VSSE and Wild Dog ensued inside the silo, Rush enters the silo where he must eventually confront Wild Fang. In spite of an object-lifting tractor beam, elaborate traps, devil stomps, and powerful roundhouse kicks, Giorgio, Evan, and Rush eventually best both Wild Dog and Wild Fang even when separated. Wild Dog detonates himself knocking Giorgio and Evan to an impending doom prompting Rush and the National Guard to provide cover to ensure that the VSSE confront prime suspect Gregory Barrows and to ultimately stop the UCAVs from achieving Barrows' dream of a government overthrow.

The forces of good, in spite of time shortages, gunned down Barrows and prevented the UCAVs from achieving its destructive coup.

Players must play the PlayStation 3 version of the game to uncover the entire plot given the "Top Secret Plan" premise of the game.[8]

[edit] Terror Bites

The Terror Bites are biological weapons researched, created, invented, and compiled by the Hamlin Battalion. These creatures serve as the game's central plot. Players eventually learn about these creatures in addition to the Hamlin Battalion's wanton discontent against their own country through the game's complete mission. In the game, there are four types of Terror Bites: dung beetle type, bee type, mite type, and mantis type.

Because the weapons are radio-powered, all members of this mutinous unit, as well as Wild Dog and Wild Fang, wear devices that emit signals so that the Terror Bites do not attack them. Specific members of the Battalion use devices that actually control the actions of the Terror Bites.

[edit] Reception

Matt Miller of Game Informer gave the game a score of 4.25 out of 10,[9] citing a poor first-person mode, "ludicrous plot", and poor shooting mechanic.[10]

GameSpot gave this game a 5.5 out of 10[3] whilst IGN gave it a 8.0 out of 10.[11] Gamepro rated Time Crisis 4 a score of 4 out of 5, saying the games plays just like the arcade, but replayability is an issue.[12]

One of the main key areas was the Guncon 3 included with the game. Both Game Informer and GameSpot said that the controller was appropriate for right-handers only. [10][3] Miller in particular said that the analog sticks felt "chintzy and hard to use" while Ryan Davis of GameSpot thought that the complex design seemed to contradict the pick-up-and-play mentality of the light gun genre.[3]

While connectivity may not be a key area to experts, connectivity is another problem. This controller connects with a wire even though the Playstation 3 uses wireless and bluetooth technology due to the controller relying on image sensors for gun calibration. Many people have said the new gun could have been made wireless giving the user more freedom and flexibility.

Another key area is that the Guncon 3 cannot be purchased by itself in many areas, as players must either purchase another copy of Time Crisis 4 or deploy the PlayStation 3 Sixaxis controller although certain intel claims various game dealers can sell a non-U.S. Guncon 3 by itself.


[edit] References

  1. ^ Killzone 2 coming in September News // PS3 /// Eurogamer
  2. ^ Games Release Schedule
  3. ^ a b c d Davis, Ryan. "Time Crisis 4 for PlayStation 3 Review - PlayStation 3 Time Crisis 4 Review". November 21, 2007. GameSpot.
  4. ^ Antoine Morcos. "Time Crisis 4 sur PlayStation 3". Jeuxfrance.com. June 13, 2007.
  5. ^ Gametrailers.com - Time Crisis 4: Reviews, Trailers, and Interviews
  6. ^ Article Detail - PlayStation 3 News - QJ.NET
  7. ^ Time Crisis 4: Hands-On with FPS Mode - PlayStation 3 News at GameSpot
  8. ^ Article Detail - PlayStation 3 News - QJ.NET
  9. ^ Miller, "Time Crisis 4: It's A Crisis Alright," Game Informer 177 (January 2008): 90.
  10. ^ a b Miller, Matt. Time Crisis 4 Review (Magazine review). Game Informer. Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
  11. ^ Haynes, Jeff. Time Crisis 4 Review (Magazine review). IGN.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
  12. ^ Kim, Tae (10 October 2007). Time Crisis 4. GamePro. Retrieved on 2008-01-11.

[edit] External links