| Time Crisis II | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Designer(s) | Takashi Sano (Producer) |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, PlayStation 2 |
| Release date(s) | Arcade April 1998 PlayStation 2
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| Genre(s) | Rail shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | |
| Arcade system | Namco System 23 |
Time Crisis II is a light gun arcade game and the second installment in Namco's Time Crisis series, introducing co-operative multiplayer to the franchise. It was first released in arcades in April 1998, with an enhanced port released on the PlayStation 2 in October 2001, bundled with the G-Con 2 controller.
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Time Crisis II was released utilizing Namco's System 23 arcade board in 1998, and was ported to PlayStation 2 (with enhanced graphics and polygon textures) in 2001. The game utilizes the foot pedal system, just like Time Crisis, where players can shoot or hide from enemy fire. One modification to the hide and attack system was the "crisis flash" system which alerts the players whether or not the enemy's attack would cause a direct hit, a feature not present in its first predecessor, Time Crisis.
When a player presses down on the pedal, he or she comes out of hiding, allowing them to shoot the enemies. Releasing the pedal puts the player behind cover, allowing him to avoid critical bullets and reload their weapon, though they are unable to shoot whilst hiding. Certain sections of the game give players a machine gun with unlimited ammo.
If the player is hit by a critical bullet or an obstacle, he loses a life, and the game ends when the player loses all their lives. Players also lose a life if the time limit, which is replenished after each area is cleared, drops to zero (unlike the first game where running out of time resulted in a game over). Players can continue from the point their current position, as opposed to the PlayStation version of Time Crisis, which required players to restart from the beginning of a section.
This was the first Time Crisis game to introduce two-player cooperation by allowing two people to play simultaneously, allowing each player to cover the other (in single player, the computer controls the other character). The arcade version used connecting cabinets, allowing players to allow another player to join them, or to exclusively play alone. The PlayStation 2 version features split-screen or System Link functionality, which requires two televisions, console and copies of the game and an iLink cable to use. Points are deducted for shooting the other player, though neither player will lose lives as a result. The same system is utilized once again in Time Crisis 3 and Time Crisis 4.
Neodyne Industries, LTD, has successfully completed a network of 64 satellites called the "Starline Network". Starline is supposedly a communications system which NDI claims will unite the world. So far, they're about to launch a new satellite. Nevertheless, the covert agency V.S.S.E. discovers that Starline is actually part of a plan to launch a nuclear satellite into space - which is the new satellite.
Christy Ryan, the agent responsible for uncovering the corporation's hidden agenda, attempts to escape NDI captivity and report the details of the plot to V.S.S.E. HQ, but is captured by Jakov Kinisky and his bodyguards. V.S.S.E. sends agents Keith Martin and Robert Baxter to shut down the Starline Network and rescue Ryan.
The first stage begins with Christy calling the V.S.S.E from her secret apartment above a town square, shortly before Jakov bursts in and kidnaps her. Keith and Robert fight through Jakov's henchmen through a town square, leading up to a river boat chase where Jakov is killed. The agents discover that NDI plans to transport the satellite via train. The agents arrive at a train depot, but are too late to stop the satellite from leaving. Instead, the agents take an autopilot helicopter to NDI's base of operations on a rig in the ocean.
Inside the NDI headquarters, situated on an island, CEO Ernesto Diaz and the mercenary Wild Dog begin preparing the nuclear satellite for launch from a sea-based site when the V.S.S.E. agents arrive. The agents encounter fierce resistance, but are able to defeat Wild Dog (who detonates himself later) and rescue Christy, who escapes by raft. The agents face off one last time against Diaz and a decoy satellite, ending when the agents successfully kill Diaz. The debris from the decoy falls on the real satellite, causing it to explode on launch.
The PlayStation 2 version of the game featured enhanced graphics and additional cutscenes. It was packaged with the G-Con 2 lightgun peripheral, although it was also compatible with the G-Con 45 console. When completed enough times, the player could unlock alternative weapons, such as a machine gun or shotgun, and had the option of wielding two lightguns at a time (with combinations of both G-Con 2 and G-Con 45 possible). There is also a Crisis Mission mode, in which players have to complete various tasks, including a simulated gun fight against Richard Miller, the lead protagonist of the first Time Crisis. Extras also included a clay pigeon shooting mode (including a port of Namco's Shoot Away II light gun clay shooting arcade game), and a virtual port of the mechanical arcade game, Quick & Crash.
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