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Preview: Time Crisis Razing Storm
Who knew the PlayStation Move controllers had such powerful rumble motors? Time Crisis returns to PS3, this time with support for Sony's new motion controller. (Although, you can still use a Guncon!) More so than previous Time Crisis games, Razing Storm is about causing as much destruction as possible. Instead of wielding a handgun, your characters are armed with machine guns -- giving the Move's rumble motors a thorough workout. The gameplay will be largely familiar to anyone that's played an on-rails shooter before. You duck to dodge and reload and, in typical Time Crisis fashion, a countdown appears around enemies that are getting ready to shoot. However, the flow of the gameplay has drastically changed, as the player is far more powerful than any previous Time Crisis protagonist. Equipped with a machine gun, you'll be able to tear through the environment, bursting through cover. It makes it quite easy to mow down the dozens of enemies that are rushing at you on the screen. "Are those zombies?," I asked a Namco Bandai representative. "No, those are terrorists," they responded. %Gallery-97751%
Namco Bandai: Guncon 3 NOT sold separately
How much do you like Time Crisis 4? Is it the kind of game you'd spend $180 on? Well, that's what Namco Bandai is asking from players that want to play the game with two players. The Guncon 3 peripheral does not come separately, and will not come separately from the game, effectively forcing fans to purchase two copies of the game. The Consumerist contacted Namco Bandai's live support and got this response: "I'm sorry, but the Guncon 3 is not sold separately. It is only sold bundled with Time Crisis 4 ... If you wish to play two players using two Guncon 3s then you will need another copy of Time Crisis 4."Strangely, Namco Bandai won't sell extra controllers directly either. "We do not sell replacement Guncon 3s. If the Guncon 4 [sic] is defective, then we can provide an RMA exchange where we'll inspect and repair or replace your Guncon 3."Much of the appeal of games like Time Crisis 4 comes from the ability to play with friends. Why is Namco Bandai making it so difficult (and expensive) for PS3 fans to make Time Crisis 4 a better game? "At least it's cheaper than the arcade version," must be thought going through their heads.[Thanks, Alkaiser!]
Time Crisis 4 producer says Guncon 3 'more accurate than Wii'
We're happy with on-rail shooters on the Wii. We enjoyed Resident Evil: Umbrella Chroncles, love to talk about Ghost Squad and we're definitely looking forward to House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return. We'd say the console is a pretty good place to look to for developers anxious to produce an on-rails shooter.Producer for Time Crisis 4, Teruaki Minami, thinks the new Guncon 3 is more advanced than the Wiimote, however. While we'll entertain his thoughts on how it's more advanced in the LED department (hint: it's got more of them), we're pretty confident that the Wiimote beats it on innovation and the fact that it is included with the system. But, we'll still allow him to state his case, as he claims "Guncon 3's LED markers are actually much more accurate. Much better than Nintendo Wii's controller. In the Wii, there are only two LED points, but for the Guncon 3 there are six LED points, so it is more accurate than the Wii." OK, it's more accurate, but is it totally necessary? Can the average consumer even tell the difference?
The creation of the Guncon 3, part two
Yeah, we left you on a sort of cliffhanger last time we talked about the creation of the new Guncon for Time Crisis 4, but as promised, we're back to follow up with the final steps of its creation. First and foremost (and important to this blogger on a personal level), we have been assured that the new Guncon 3 design works equally well for left-handed players, so fear not if you think the design favors one handedness over another. A second humorous point is the fact that outside of Japan, the Guncon 3 has a really cheesy (literally) bright orange color. Japan gets a cool black one. Why? Government regulations in the US and certain parts of Europe -- anything modeled after a gun needs to look significantly different than a real gun.It helps that the gun is accurate. The hardware side of the gun sounds impressive: "the lens of the gun was designed by a company that makes precision lenses used in cameras and scanners that can minimize distortion at the 90mm level. In the Guncon 3 itself, there are chips dedicated to computing the location of the sensors, which can detect their position within 1/60th of a second and transmit the data to the PS3. These chips also contain the functionality to detect movement and tilt" like a Sixaxis -- might be handy for reloading? Anyway, check out the post on the PlayStation Blog to see all the prototypes and the final result.
Multiple weapons appear in Time Crisis 4 trailer
It's about time we saw another trailer for Time Crisis 4, the baddest mother of all arcade shooters. Debatable, but we'll say it under the condition you guys offer your favorite arcade shooters in your comments. A personal favorite, for example, is Crypt Killer. It was rad. So is this trailer. Not only does it seem like you get a large array of weapon possibilities, but you get to control helicopters, have standard-looking missions a la previous Time Crisis games as well as the new fully controllable "FPS Stages". Lookin' good!
How the GunCon 3 came to be
Ever wondered what kind of work goes into creating those GunCon devices? The one you'll use for Time Crisis 4 is different from its predecessors, as it dictates all on-screen movement as well as aiming/shooting. This is something the franchise has wanted to do for a while, but with the GunCon 2 and older consoles, it just didn't seem feasible. As you can see from the picture, early renderings put an analog stick where the gun's hammer would be. It doesn't look that comfortable for moving around a level, honestly, but that's why it's an early rendering and not the final product. After a month, a prototype was created where two people could move around in a room and try to shoot one another. It only had algorithms for horizontal aiming, which obviously had vertical aiming to add later, but for the gun itself, testing it this way was necessary. We're left wondering about the final stages of the process, as it has yet to be written. It seems a lot of work was put into the GunCon 3, so much so that the game itself seems like an add-on, though it's the reason for the redesign.
Deal of the Day: Time Crisis 4 for $80
How can an $80 game ever be a deal? Well, when it includes the Guncon 3. Namco Bandai's upcoming Time Crisis 4 is a pricey purchase thanks to the bundled peripheral. However, it promises to be the most advanced light gun on the market. Hopefully, we'll see other games support the Guncon -- it would be a total waste to just make a single game for it. The PSN is a perfect place for Namco Bandai (or any other publisher) to release small new light gun games. (Of course, we hope Sega realizes how perfect it would be to bring Let's Go Jungle! to the system ... )Amazon.com is offering the game and gun peripheral for $80. Yes, it's a bit much, but it's probably the cheapest pre-order you'll find right now.[Via CAG]
Guncon 3 and Time Crisis 4: press that pedal down to see some screens
It's almost unfair how many quarters Time Crisis 2 sucked out of our pockets, but we're not going to talk about that classic. It's time to double that number and check out some screenshots of Time Crisis 4 as well as a few pictures of the featured Guncon 3. While the game may not be a graphical achievement, they never really were. But the fun factor made up for it in spades, clubs, diamonds and even hearts.So, you've seen the images of the game, but you're still wondering if the Guncon 3 will keep the red and blue plastic look we've all been able to recognize in arcades worldwide. Short answer? No. Long answer? No, but it looks pretty awesome. We've stuck a small image of it in the big image above so you can get the gist of it. It's metallic, looks a little beat up and used, but mostly screams "shoot me at your screen, please." We're excited for this game since the last time we had fun with a light gun style game was House of the Dead II for the Dreamcast. Any Time Crisis memories you'd care to share?
PS3 GunCon 3 controller boasts Wiimote-like abilities
It looks like those itching to find out exactly how the just-announced GunCon 3 controller for the PlayStation 3 would work need wonder no more, as Japan's Game Watch website appears to have scored the details, although they've since disappeared from the site. Wired's Game Life managed to preserve the key bits, however, which reveal that the controller functions much like a Wiimote, relying on a pair of markers placed on top of the TV that are detected by a camera in the muzzle of the gun. The gun also packs a full range of traditional controls, including six buttons and two analog sticks, although we doubt many will be ditching their SIXAXIS for it. While there's still no official word on a North American release, the gun and Time Crisis 4 will apparently be released in Japan sometime before the end of the year.[Via Joystiq]
PS3 Guncon relies on Wii-like pointer
With traditional light guns firing nothing but unhelpful blanks at our fancy LCD and plasma televisions, there was some question as to how the PlayStation 3's Guncon would function with the upcoming Time Crisis 4. An article on Japanese site Game Watch (which now appears to have been removed) provided the details, since documented and translated by Game|Life's Chris Kohler.Much like the Wiimote (as used by Sega's light gun game, Ghost Squad), the Guncon 3 relies on two markers placed on either side of the television. A sensor inside the gun's muzzle detects the markers and automagically figures out where it's being pointed. The controller also features six buttons and a second analog stick placed on an awkward "subgrip" that you're meant to hold with your left hand. The original article points out that while Japan gets a black gun, America and Europe will have to make do with a charming orange model, as seen above (in the company of the world's mangiest jacket)..
