Arcade Video game published 24 years ago:
Time Crisis (c) 1995 Namco.
Time Crisis is an on-the-rails lightgun game in which the player takes on the role of a lone mercenary who must rescue the President's daughter, Rachel, from the clutches of the evil 'Sherudo' and his terrorist gang. The game takes the player into and around Sherudo's clifftop, castle hideout.
The game utilises a cover system in which players can duck behind cover to avoid enemy fire and reload their weapons. In the arcade version, a foot pedal is used to toggle between ducking and attacking positions; in console conversions, a button command replicates the foot pedal's functions. The player loses a life if hit by a direct bullet or obstacle whilst not taking cover.
As the game's title suggests, time is one of the player's biggest enemies, as each area must be cleared within a strict time limit. A time extension is rewarded when an area is completed with additional time awarded for shooting certain enemies quickly. There are three stages, each consisting of three areas with a boss battle at the end of each stage.
The game offers two different modes of play:
STORY MODE: Players must defeat all of the enemies on each stage to proceed to the next, in their quest to rescue the president's daughter.
TIME ATTACK: Players select one of three stages - each representing a different level of difficulty - and must defeat all enemies within the allocated time. This mode has unlimited lives but the player is constantly fighting against a very tight time limit.
- TECHNICAL -
Namco Super System 22 hardware
Game ID : TS
Main CPU : Motorola 68EC020, (2x) TMS32025, M37710
Sound Chips : C352
Players : 1
Control : lightgun
Buttons : 2
- TRIVIA -
Even if titlescreen says 1995, Time Crisis was released in March 1996 in Japan.
Time Crisis introduced a new and innovative feature to the lightgun game in the form of a foot pedal, situated at the bottom of the cabinet. The player's on-screen counterpart will automatically hide behind whatever cover is available and the player must step on and hold down the foot pedal to break cover and shoot the enemies. Also, ducking behind cover (releasing the pedal) is the only way for the player to reload. This superb feature brought a new level of interaction to a genre that is, by necessity, very linear.
- TIPS AND TRICKS -
* Free Lives : hit the enemy 10 times in a row. When targets begin to get hit, a 'Life Icon' starts to become visible to the right of the time display. Continue to hit enemies, the Icon becomes clearer and clearer. You will receive one life for every 40 direct hits.
- SERIES -
1. Time Crisis (1995, ARC)
2. Time Crisis II (1998, ARC)
3. Crisis Zone (1999, ARC)
4. Time Crisis - Project Titan (2001, PSX)
5. Time Crisis 3 (2003, ARC)
6. Time Crisis 4 (2006, ARC)
- STAFF -
Supervisor : Takashi Sano
- PORTS -
* CONSOLES:
Sony PlayStation (1997)
Sony PlayStation 2 (2002) "Gunvari Collection + Time Crisis"
* OTHERS:
Mobile Phones (2006) "Time Crisis Mobile"
- CONTRIBUTE -
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