Great
arcade games have been few and far between over the past few years, mostly thanks to their
slow, prolonged demise. Time Crisis was one of those few great games still out
there and was soon transported to home consoles. With the recent crack down on gun games,
it's unfortunate that the sequel might get limited distribution. Time Crisis 2
improves in almost all areas, but is still plagued by all the usual flaws associated with
gun games. The first noticeable change is the amazing feedback the gun gives. The force literally pushes your hand backwards, giving the actual feeling of a gun re-coiling. This adds to the immersion factor of playing on a big screen. The accuracy is uncanny and the innovative foot pedal which allows you to hide behind objects makes a return. This feature alone makes the player want to pump in even more cash as this adds to the realism, something sorely lacking in most gun games.
Bigger arcades may feature a dual screen version that makes for some great 2 player action. Smaller units are single screened but this does not hinder the game in any way. Going solo is fun, but with two players blasting away, the game becomes well worth the cash.
Graphically, the game holds up well but more powerful home consoles have since surpassed it. Up close, walls turn into a blocky mess and the characters look a little outdated. Otherwise, the environments do their job well and just about everything is destructible. The variety of the enemies is also a plus as this lowers the repetitiveness of the game.
The
sound system included in the cabinet is great which helps in bringing the game to a fever
pitch at tense moments. Players are able to hear conversations between their characters as
the battle ensues and the adrenalin pumping soundtrack increases the fun factor sky high.
Ambient sounds include enemy chatter and police sirens blazing during the rampage.
Namco has upped the enemy AI to new heights and has made the game more difficult than the first. Enemies make sure not to stand around in the open to long and find ingenious places to hide themselves before popping out and firing. Players can expect to pump quite a few dollars into this game before defeating the excruciatingly hard bosses.
With yet another hit on their hands, Namco has pushed themselves up to the level of arcade gods. While not much has changed since the first one, this is not a bad thing. A home conversion is imminent as the first one was ported quickly, and hopefully this one will be no exception. With a few extra features thrown in, this could be the one and only gun game to get.
