Time Crisis 3

"Alicia Winston helps this game receive the "Mark Kim PS2 Game of 2003""

Right after I've managed to master Time Crisis 3, I promised myself that I would never go to a local Dave and Buster's to play Time Crisis 3 again unless otherwise necessary. There is a reason for this. It's because I purchased a PlayStation2, my copy of Time Crisis 3, and an 8MB Memory Card, and I'll tell you what I think about the PlayStation2 version of Time Crisis 3.

Graphics and Animation

Pretty much identical to the Arcade Version of the game, except that the PlayStation2, for some odd reason, has more ''meat'' than the System 246, allowing even more smoother animation in areas which there are too much action. Even though there may be slowdown in some instances (due to intense fighting between the two fictional Mediterranean Nations), the PlayStation2 version of the game corrects a lot of these slowdown problems from the Arcade Version of the game. The foreground and background objects are just as beautiful as with the arcade, but the cinematic scenes are somewhat ''beefed-up'' from its arcade counterpart because like I said, a modified Graphics Engine alongside with more Rambus RDRAM under the PlayStation2's hood somewhat corrects much of the Arcade Version's slowdown problems. Some of the cinematics, though, has to be seen to be believed, as I would highly recommend that you check out the cut scenes as much as you can to realize Hajime Nakatani's strength and a commitment to seek to improve the Console Versions from the Arcade Counterparts, ala the Tekken Series.

Sound and Music

Cinematic Scores, Death Screams, Enemies trying to call for Reinforcements, et cetera make up the ingredients of the Arcade Edition of Time Crisis 3. The PlayStation2 version, though, has some changes. First of all, the voice acting was re-done to show some emotion within the characters, I'm not gonna mention any changes, but if you watch the game long enough, you'll see that Lynn Harris got the most tune-ups from the arcade version so that she could show her angry side throughout the game, like her character thirsts for revenge or whatever you want to call it. IMO the voice actors were called back to the drawing board so that the emotions can be adjusted a bit, and though it might sound cheesy at first, the emotion factor within the voice effects are beefed up. The music was remixed to a certain extent in order to take advantage of the PlayStation2's slightly stronger Audio Processor inside.

Challenge and Difficulty

Everybody should know how to hide and counterattack by now!!! If not, then I'm disappointed at you because Time Crisis 3 uses the same ''Block and Counter'' system as with the past Time Crises, but if you shoot while you hide, you can switch in between weapons, all special weapons require ammo to fire (but don't worry, because you'll get ammo whenever you need it). The enemies can get very accurate depending on how high the settings can be. The game, depending on your style of play, can be up to 10-20 minutes longer than Time Crisis 2 (Time Crisis 2 was too short IMO). The Arcade Version is still there, but now, it's Alicia Winston's turn to play because when you play the game longer, you get to play as Alicia, and unlock all secrets as you get better in the game. You'll understand Alicia's cause a bit more when you improve game after game, but playing as Alicia isn't easy because now you have to do a little bit of sharpshooting here--and that's why you're supposed to have a GunCon2 ready for this one! There are 14 stages (There are 9 Areas in the Arcade Version) in Alicia's game and they are not cakewalks at all because first of all, I should stress out that the difficulty for Alicia's game is increased slightly from the arcade counterpart. Second of all, there's this new Sniper Mode that requires you to block, aim, and fire to get your way around. Last, some of the enemies can get overly cheap at times if you don't make effective use of the Block and Counter system, so the PlayStation2 version of the game can get really hard, depending on your style of play.

Finally, once you become really good in Time Crisis 3, you get to train with the VSSE Agency and get to know why the physical, mental, moral, analytical, and intellect standards are really strict, knowing that VSSE Agents are expected to live up to their names during missions like this one. Become a real VSSE Agent by training with them.

Play Control

The GunCon2 uses the same Lens Capture Technology that was found first in Namco's Blowback Light Gun at the arcade. Although there is no ''annoying'' Recoil Simulation, the lens-capture technology is still there. Point the gun at an area you want to slam the enemy at, and pull the trigger--the lens does the rest. Instead of relying on Infrared Sensors, the Lens Capture Technology ''looks'' at a section of the screen and refreshes itself when you point the muzzle elsewhere. You have to make full use the GunCon2 at this level because with Alicia using a high-powered Heckler and Koch Sniper Firearm, the controls on the GunCon2 need to be used in full strength if you want to finish the game to its fullest. You'll also need to make full use of the buttons because since there's no action pedal to help you, you need at least something to simulate the action pedal--A button doubles as your Action Pedal (Press the button to commence attack, release it to block hits, you should know that by now!!!).

Story

The game's story remains the same from the arcade version, but once you play and improve the Arcade Version, you get to play as Alicia, and the pieces of the Fictional Mediterranean Crisis comes together as you understand why this happened, why that happened, so forth. Much of the mysteries asked in the arcade version of Time Crisis 3 is answered when you earn the right to play as Alicia Winston. Play the game as both the VSSE and Alicia. IMO Namco made a smart move reserving Alicia for the PlayStation2 game not only for story reasons, but to force you to use the GunCon2 to its fullest extent. Once you become really good in the game, you're off to the VSSE Boot Camp for your training to become a VSSE Agent.

Conclusion

Not only does the PlayStation2 has more Rambus RAM, a stronger video and audio processor under the hood (to fix the majority of the slowdown problems from the arcade version), but I'm pretty sure that the untold stories that will be unlocked at your bedroom will be a high selling point--you can't play Alicia's mission at the arcades, you'll have to grab a PS2, a copy of Time Crisis 3, an 8MB Memory Card, and a GunCon2 (Very important) to fully understand the Time Crisis 3 story! Yet you're not done after you played with Alicia as you need to train with the VSSE to become a VSSE Agent yourself. Recipient of the Mark Kim PS2 Game of 2003. A PlayStation2 Platinum Choice by Mark Kim.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/28/03, Updated 01/20/04