Publisher: Namco
Ages: mature only
Parental
Advisory:
Graphic killing
For violent arcade action that plays with a special gun accessory, Namco's Time Crisis 3 delivers the strongest Time Crisis game yet. Parents be warned, Time Crisis 3 is an ultra-violent game that features nothing but endless and graphic killing.
The setting is a Mediterranean coastal nation where troops have invaded the land and taken hostages, and players are sent in to neutralize the threatening forces with action, not diplomacy. The game relies on a Guncon2 controller, an impressive peripheral that looks like a gun, connects to the PlayStation 2 and lets players take aim and shoot at characters that appear on their TV screens. The title takes players down a set path where they do three things: shoot at enemy characters, reload their guns and duck to avoid fire.
A new weapon-switching system lets players swap between a machine gun, shotgun, and grenade launcher. It's a welcome variation that brings a bit of strategy to the action. The graphics are excellent and the game features amazing environmental hazards, for example, explosions that take bridges right out from under players and more.
The game is short, but intense, and comes with the original arcade game, a split-screen game mode, sniper combat, and a new playable character. The action is pure violence with no puzzle elements-it's simply shoot, shoot, shoot, or be killed.
Time Crisis 3 is the best game in the series and an involving game. While kids will want to play this one, there are far better games to consider. And grown-ups who are tired of playing prior versions and who haven't brought their light guns out in awhile may find enough here to rejuvenate their interest.
12/11/03 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
