Time Crisis 3 Review - DetroitOtaku Reviews
The original Time Crisis took the arcade world by storm when it came out in 1995. It revolutionized the light gun genre by adding in innovations not seen before, such as a cover system. Then two years later, a sequel in Time Crisis II came out, and it improved on the original game in so many ways. These games blew away the competition, even Sega's mighty Virtua Cop and House of the Dead series. Time Crisis was the gold standard of the light gun genre, and no other franchise could come within 1500 miles of matching it.
As the 6th generation of gaming came around, the series would evolve with the times and add in new features for it's third entry. This is a game that many fans consider to be their favorite, and many hail it as the last great entry in the series.
This is Time Crisis 3, which came out in the arcades in 2002, and was later ported to the PlayStation 2 a year later.
The Plot
Time Crisis 3 takes place in 2003, six years after the events of Time Crisis II. It takes place in the fictional Mediterranean country of Lukano, which is invaded by the special forces of the Zagorian Federation. Led by dictator Giorgio Zott, the Zagorians make deep advances into Lukano territory, and conquer 80% of the island of Astigos in a matter of weeks. Meanwhile, the surviving Lukano defenders form the Lukano Liberation Force (LLF) under Daniel Winston. Learning that Zagorian forces have set up a base in the abandoned Astigos State Observatory, Daniel and lieutenant Jake Hernandez lead a small force to infiltrate and destroy it. Once inside, they are captured by Zagorian troops.
A week later, Daniel's sister, Alicia Winston, undertakes a solo mission to infiltrate a Zagorian bunker. She downloads intelligence showing that the Zagorians have acquired tactical ballistic missiles, which they plan to use to eliminate the rest of the LLF and threaten neighboring nations. She transmits the info to the V.S.S.E. (Vital Situation, Swift Elimination International Intelligence Agency), who dispatches agents Alan Dunaway and Wesley Lambert to destroy the missiles and assassinate Zott. Upon arrival, Alan and Wesley launch an attack but are quickly cornered into a shipwreck by the Zagorian troops. Their leader, Zagorian Air Force Colonel Victor Zahn, attacks them in his gunship. Alicia rescues the agents, and together they kill Zahn. The three of them then travel to Astigos Town Center, where they are ambushed and separated. Alan and Wesley fight their way through town and the forest to reach a supply train headed to Zott's compound. Meanwhile, Alicia is confronted by Jake, who is revealed to be the traitor who sold out Daniel. After running Jake out of town, Alicia reunites with the agents.
Randy Garrett, Zott's lead assassin, leads the trio into an ambush, where he destroys the bridge, causing their train to fall into a river. They take out Garrett and his men, then head to the base, where they split up to take out the troops stationed there. The agents are then confronted by terrorist gunman Wild Dog, who is revealed to have faked his own death after the NeoDyne incident six years prior. Alongside him is his new partner, Wild Fang. The agents take out Fang, but Wild Dog once again fakes his own death via explosives to evade arrest.
Zott prepares to execute Daniel, but is stopped by Alicia who shoots his gun out of his hands with a sniper rifle. The agents chase Zott into his compound while Alicia rescues Daniel's men. They arm themselves just in time to save the agents from Zott's troops. Alicia then catches Jake trying to escape with a nuclear warhead, forcing him to detonate his cargo prematurely. Alicia then simultaneously destroys the detonator and kills Jake.
The agents confront Zott inside the main dome and kill him, but not before he starts the launch countdown for the missiles. The agents use rocket launchers to destroy the dome's roof, causing it to cave in and destroy the missiles. Alan, Wesley, Alicia, and Daniel all escape.
Demoralized by Zott's death, the LLF easily defeats the Zagorians and forces them out of Lukano for good.
The Gameplay
(PS2 version)
The gameplay of Time Crisis 3 is similar to the first two games. You aim the GunCon at the screen to take out enemies, and take cover using the foot pedal system, which also reloads your gun. Holding down the pedal keeps you in cover, while releasing it brings you back into the action. Your standard handgun carries 9 rounds per clip, and your health bar typically contains three lives (the standard setting at most arcades that have this game, though can be adjusted in the PS2 version).
Like it's predecessor, Time Crisis 3 also has simultaneous two-player co-op. When you're playing solo, the second player will be controlled via CPU. In the PS2 version, you can play as Alicia, as that version of the game has plot elements, features, and weapons that are not present in the original arcade version.
The PS2 version of the game came with it's own GunCons - the GunCon 2s, which can be plugged into the controller port and USB port on the console, unlike the GunCon 1s which required to also be plugged into the video cable.
(Arcade version)
Time Crisis 3 is the first game in the series that allows you to change weapons. You can switch between your standard handgun, a sub-machine gun that carries 200 rounds, a shotgun with 50 rounds, and a grenade launcher that carries 5 rounds. Ammo for the handgun is unlimited, but ammo for the other three weapons are not. You can only switch weapons while in cover mode by pressing the trigger button on the GunCon.
(PS2 version)
Ammo can be replenished for the other three guns by taking out these yellow soldiers who carry ammo. Note that the ammo that you gain from these soldiers is random. Sometimes it is for the machine gun, sometimes it is for the shotgun, and on rare occasions it can be for the grenade launcher. The more times you hit them, the more ammo you will get back.
New to Time Crisis 3 are enemies that require multiple hits to go down. These enemies are usually yellow in cover and are wearing heavy body armor, and they usually take about five or six shots with the handgun to take out. Another new feature is the bosses now have health bars as well, so you no longer have to guess how much health a boss has left.
Like in the first two games, you'll come across many different enemies besides the new ones previously mentioned, such as regular gunmen, enemies with heavy weaponry, ninjas with swords, and ninjas with claws, which give off no warning if their hits will do damage.
The Crisis Flash system has been refined from the previous game, as life-threatening shots are now brighter, making it easier for the player to release the pedal in time without taking damage.
The Characters
Alan Dunaway - age: early 20s - Alan is the first of the three main protagonists of Time Crisis 3 and one of two playable characters in the arcade version. He has been an agent of the V.S.S.E. for four years and is best friends with his partner, Wesley Lambert, who joined the agency at the same time as him.
Wesley Lambert - Age: early 20s - Wesley is the secondary protagonist of Time Crisis 3 and one of two playable characters in the arcade version. He has been an agent of the V.S.S.E. for four years and is best friends with his partner, Alan Dunaway, who joined the agency at the same time as him.
Alicia Winston - age: early 20s - Alicia is the third main protagonist of Time Crisis 3, and to date the only female protagonist in the series' history. She is the younger sister of Daniel Winston, the founder of the Lukano Liberation Force (LLF). She is also a member of the LLF, and is known to be the unit's best sniper. After her brother was captured, she reaches out to the V.S.S.E. and reveals that the Zagorians have ballistic missiles. The V.S.S.E. in return sends Alan and Wesley to team up with her, and together the three of them fight off the Zagorians. Alicia is only a playable character in the PS2 version of the game.
My Thoughts
Like Time Crisis II, I also discovered this game at the Dave & Busters off M-59 in Shelby Township when I was in high school, and just like with TCII, I was hooked the second I first played it. Like with TCII, I also played this game every time I went there. Which is why I was bummed when Dave & Busters started phasing out their older arcade machines, and this game was unfortunately no exception. These days, your best chances of finding a Time Crisis 3 cabinet is to go to an anime convention, find an independent arcade, or fork over a few thousand bucks to have one installed in your home. Or if you have a PS2, you can just pick up that version of the game along with the GunCon 2 controllers (it does not with with the original GunCon).
Granted, I didn't enjoy it as much as the second game, but this is still an excellent addition to the series. The gameplay is excellent, the difficulty is fairly balanced for a Time Crisis game, the graphics are also excellent, the cast of characters are also pretty good, and the game also has a decent soundtrack. The vast selection of weapons was also a welcome addition. The bosses present a fun, albeit frustrating challenge at times. The story is also good, though it didn't really hook me like the second game's story did.
Time Crisis 3 is a great game and one of the best light gun games ever made. It may not be as good as the second game, but it is absolutely worth playing regardless. If you know of an arcade in your area that still has a Time Crisis 3 cabinet, go play it. Or just pick up the PS2 version. Either way, you should play it.
8.5/10
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