Save London in 'Time Crisis: Crisis Zone'
By Stephen Ryan
CNN Headline News
(CNN) -- Lock and load -- you're being called to duty in the latest chapter of the "Time Crisis" series. "Time Crisis: Crisis Zone" is on store shelves for the PlayStation 2 console.
This round, there's a new sheriff in town. You play the role of Claude McGarren, a counterterrorism officer with the elite Special Tactical Force. Your mission: To eradicate a terrorist group that has taken the daughter of the STF commander hostage in a retail/office complex in London. The terrorists have also hidden a secret nuclear reactor below the complex.
McGarren is armed with a variety of weapons. "Crisis Zone" comes with the Guncon2 peripheral light gun, so you have that as well. The Guncon2 really helps make the "Time Crisis" experience. Instead of just sitting on the couch pressing some buttons, it allows you to jump around, shooting at the television screen like in an arcade. And with two Guncon2's, you can link up with a friend to launch a posse or use both of them yourself to take down enemies John Woo-style.
You can pick up a second Guncon2 by grabbing a copy of another "Time Crisis" title, the most recent being "Time Crisis 3." In that chapter, you play the role of agents Alan Dunaway or Wesley Lambert, your choice. You're dispatched to a small country on the Mediterranean coast where rebel troops have taken a key member of the nation's liberation force hostage. Rescue him and stop the missile strike the rebels have planned.
There are several other new features to "Crisis Zone." For example, weapons have a more realistic effect on almost everything in the environment. If you see something, you can shoot at it, from plate glass windows to items on shelves.
Many hidden features for you to unlock have been woven into the game. There are special game settings, extra play modes and even different enemies, which adds an element of fun if you feel like replaying "Crisis Zone."
You can have up to three extra lives in the game. I found that they all count. Depending on the difficulty setting, you'll be in for a challenge. Even the easiest setting works you pretty hard.
In "Time Crisis: Crisis Zone" your mission is to eradicate a terrorist group that has taken the daughter of the STF commander hostage. | |
However, a lot of the game is centered on strategy. For example, the key to "Crisis Zone" is being able to duck and take cover. If you time your exposure and shots correctly, you'll make good headway against the enemy. But it is a race against the clock, so don't think you can take a cakewalk through the park.
The "Time Crisis" series has been around for a while, first debuting in arcades in 1995. That means even when you've saved London in this new "Crisis Zone", you can keep playing with "Time Crisis," "Time Crisis: Project Titan" and "Time Crisis 2."