Namco is one of the companies that pioneered gaming and has yet to slip into obscurity much like Jay-Z is to hip-hop. While Namco isn’t retiring like the erstwhile king of bling, they’re still spitting out hits like back in the days and keeping it real with their long standing series’. Time Crisis redefined arcade shooters at a time when Sega seemingly had the racket locked down. Now, two sequels later, Time Crisis 3 arrives on the PS2 every bit as shallow and fun as it ever was.

Breakdown

Let’s just get one thing straight - the words “depth” and “Time Crisis 3" should not be used in the same sentence. Arcade at heart, Time Crisis’ biggest challenge porting over to a console has always been the complete lack of the kind of longevity people expect from a console game. This becomes apparent the first time you die and have to restart the game from the beginning going through the exact same scripted mission. This is much more tolerable standing in a room full of bleeping arcade machines during a walk through the mall than it is sitting on the sofa in the comfort of your own home. But TC3's biggest redeeming factor is how incredibly fun it is.

I would have liked Namco to use a more realistic storyline since the one they chose cheapens the feel of the game slightly. The Zagorian Army has invaded the territory of Astigos island in the Mediterranean and the game’s protagonists, Alan Dunaway and Wesley Lambert are sent in to yada, yada, yarn....... All you need to know is there is a lot of shooting going on. The story is advanced through a series of annoying cut scenes between bouts of leaden rain.

Great for perfectionists or groups passing around the light-gun, Namco’s shooter is just as addicting at home as it is at the arcade. The screen is instantly alive with enemies firing shots at you, choppers swooping around, high speed chases and freight trains plunging into ravines from severed bridges. The action that Namco squeezes into the fleeting moments of game play is phenomenal with the shoot and hide game play style they’ve innovated. The Time Crisis series has always found inventive situations to plunk players into and the third installment is no exception. Though the action loses the element of surprise the second time around getting a better score can always draw you in again.

The light-gun works perfectly and improving on the system of the past, now, your gun is reloaded automatically when you take cover. Shooting off-screen now changes weapons between the grenade launcher, shotgun, uzi and single-shot. The interface of the game’s menu is confusing enough that it might take a few tries before you realize how to advance without having to redo everything. Essentially, the only way to advance to later stages is to play the game from beginning to end without losing all of your continues - which is pretty annoying.

Beyond the constant rattling of gun-fire, sonically TC3 is laden with arcade-like tinny tunes and vocals that fit although do nothing to advance the audio of the genre. On stereo speakers the action comes at you from all directions relative to the screen and the many drastic events create a hectic soundtrack.

Quite possibly the epitome of the genre, Time Crisis 3 is a great 2003 production of a game type we’ve all loved since Duck Hunt on the N.E.S. As shallow as it may be, its still worth a purchase for shooter fans and will never fail to entertain visitors. Still, the genre is damn near due for some innovation and we all know Namco is the one to bring it about. (Fingers crossed).

Posted: December 1, 2003