Crisis Zone
| Crisis Zone also known as (Time Crisis: Crisis Zone) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Designer(s) | Takashi Sano (Producer) |
| Series | Time Crisis |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, PlayStation 2 |
| Release date(s) | Arcade
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| Genre(s) | Rail shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer (PS2 Verson Only) |
| Cabinet | Upright Deluxe |
| Arcade system | Namco System 23 Evolution 2 |
| Display | Raster, standard resolution horizontal orientation |
Crisis Zone is a spin-off of the popular Time Crisis arcade shooters.
Plot
Garland Square recently opened on the outskirts of London, United Kingdom. This urban complex contains hotels, a shopping centre, a park, and a massive office complex. Unfortunately, the entire facility has been overrun by a powerful terrorist organization known as the U.R.D.A., headed by Derrick Lynch. The terrorists have made no demands, neither they have any motives. Facing an unknown threat, the government thus concludes that the U.R.D.A. must be stopped at all costs and Lynch must not be allowed to execute his hidden agenda, whatever it may be. With the aforementioned in mind, the S.T.F. (Special Tactical Force or Special Task Force) has been ordered to liberate Garland Square and suppress the U.R.D.A. Squad 1, the task force responsible for the liberation of Garland Square, is led by the player character, Claude McGarren (or Croad Macgalain, as he's known in the arcade version).
Although heavy resistance is imminent throughout the complex, Squad 1 secure the area, but fail to find Lynch. S.T.F. Headquarters than receives disturbing information about Lynch's goal of "over-working" an experimental atomic reactor 5 km below the complex. McGarren and Squad 1 engage in a tense time-sensitive conflict to nullify Lynch and to prevent the reactor from becoming unstable, ultimately saving the security of London.
Six months after the Garland Square incident, new U.R.D.A. mastermind Jared Hunter hijacks Grassmarket District and as an insurance policy, has Melissa Kessler (the S.T.F. Commander's daughter) in custody. Although Hunter's demands include but not limited to the release of his comrades in exchange for the complex's freedom, he is seeking revenge against the S.T.F. platoon (Squad 1) for ruining the organization's plan of attack at Garland Square.
McGarren and Squad 1 engage in a liberation coup de grace to rescue Melissa and bring forth the downfall of the U.R.D.A. The platoon first battle a droid called the A-0940, then Hunter provokes Squad 1 into a fight on top of Belforte Hotel's pool area with Squad 1 coming as the victor. As Hunter attempts to escape, McGarren engages him in an air-to-sea chase to crush Hunter and ultimately secure Grassmarket.
Background
In Crisis Zone, the player is part of the elite anti-terrorist trooper of the Special Tactical Force (S.T.F.), Claude McGarren. The game uses the same pedal system to reload and hide; however, the player uses a machine gun, a customized Steyr Mannlicher TMP with a sight laser and a capacity of 40 rounds. Players take cover behind a portable ballistic shield that is strapped to the character's left arm. Crisis Zone is the first Time Crisis game to date to allow the player to select between three levels to play in any order. Upon completion of all three of them, the player can then play the final level to beat the game.
Remake
A PlayStation 2 (PS2) remake of the game was released in 2004 in the UK and the US with smoother polygon textures, higher difficulty, and an additional mission taking place six months after the Crisis Zone Arcade mode. The PS2 port is compatible with GunCon II lightgun, and is available with an unusual two-player cooperative gameplay mode named "two-gun mode" by allowing two players to play simultaneously on a single-player mode without the use of split-screen, or weapon switching system (similar to Time Crisis 3, with some changes) allowing the player to switch between a fully automatic machine gun, a standard 8-round handgun and a 6-round shotgun, depending on settings. Unlike Time Crisis 3 and Time Crisis 4, where only the handgun has unlimited ammunition, all weapons now have unlimited ammunition in Crisis Zone. As with the PlayStation 2 version of Time Crisis II and Time Crisis 3, players can access the Crisis Mission exercise menu through prolonged gameplay. The US version of the PS2 remake is called Time Crisis: Crisis Zone.
External links
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