Also Available On: N/A
Publisher: Sony
Age Rating: 16+

Light-gun games are great for playing when you want a no-brainer experience that is both fun and compelling.

Time Crisis 4 fits such a description, as you are transported on rails around a game where, at its most basic, you simply shoot everything and anything in your path.

The game is a direct port from the arcades and also comes bundled with the Guncon 3 light-gun controller that gives the game a real arcade feel. Packed with buttons, it’s both comfortable in the hands and very intuitive to use. Essentially the device looks like a gun, but with a cleverly moulded Dual-Shock attached to its side.

The Guncon 3 comes with two odd looking LED sensors that fit to the two corners of your TV screen. It appears a little complicated, and a wireless set-up would certainly have been preferred, but it’s a fairly painless procedure and the end results are more than worthwhile.

The storyline goes that players must prevent a top secret weapon from falling into the hands of international terrorists and you’re given an arsenal of weapons to do so, from shotguns to machine guns.

Four different modes of play are on offer, including a unique first-person shooter option where you go through the title using this very different perspective. It works really well and adds a welcome new element to the game, as you’re able to move freely around the levels rather than on rails, as well as using other moves such as crouching, jumping and sniping.

However, due to the number of buttons involved when playing in first-person shooter mode you may find yourself reverting back to the standard mode more often than not.

Playing Time Crisis 4 in standard mode is excellent fun. Each section is timed and your job is to eliminate all enemies before the time runs out. If you fail you lose a life, if you succeed you carry on.

Bonuses are gained for accurate shooting and clearing an area quickly, while an assortment of unlockable weapons and the ability to capture enemy machine gun mounts also adds to the fun.

A neat cover system featured in the game allows you to evade the onslaught of enemy fire, where you hold down a button to position yourself to fire shots back at the enemy, and when you need to reload or duck you simply let go of the button.

Visuals in Time Crisis 4 are all very well done and the game can be displayed in both standard definition and high definition, with the latter looking very neat.

Time Crisis 4 is a fun game for fans of the genre. It has masses of unlockable goodies as well as mini-games and the bundled Guncon 3 works superbly well, if a little cumbersome to set up.

The standard mode, being an arcade port, is a little on the short side, but the first-person shooter option makes a very welcome addition to the franchise and gives the whole package more depth. In all, this title comes highly recommended.