Time Crisis is a first-person on-rails light gun shooter video game series created by Namco in 1995. The games follow the actions of a fictional international intelligence agency that sends its top agents to stop dangerous threats from groups like criminals, terrorists, and hostile military forces. These threats often take place in made-up locations around the world. Unlike other light gun shooters of the time, Time Crisis included special game features, such as the ability to hide behind cover to avoid enemy attacks, reload weapons, and complete each level within a set time limit.

As the series grew, it added more gameplay elements, including two-player cooperative modes on arcade machines, the use of extra weapons, and challenges involving dangerous events. In addition to arcade machines, the games were also released for home consoles, starting with a version of the first game on PlayStation in 1995. These console versions included extra content, such as new levels and different difficulty settings.

The main Time Crisis games also inspired several spin-off titles. These games used similar mechanics, like cover and time limits, but had different combat scenarios and storylines involving various organizations and settings.

Overview

The setting of each Time Crisis game focuses on a serious threat to one country. Some games involve threats to the world (Time Crisis II), the player (Time Crisis: Project Titan), or the player’s organization (Time Crisis 5). The V.S.S.E. (Vital Situation, Swift-Elimination), a secret group, sends highly trained agents to stop security threats. The first Time Crisis game has three stages, each with four areas (starting locations). The second and third games each have three stages, with three areas per stage. The fourth game adds a prologue, making four stages total. Each stage has three areas, except the prologue, which has one area. The fifth game includes a special upgrade kit called the True Mastermind edition, which also includes the full game. This doubles the number of stages from 3 to 6. Each stage has three connected areas, so players do not experience breaks or loading screens after completing an area (except the final stage, which has only one area).

Many game areas are dangerous, such as a ship slowly sinking or a train hanging over a broken bridge (as in Time Crisis 3). In the third and fourth games, helpers from other groups join V.S.S.E. agents. These helpers sometimes assist with missions or protect their own groups. Crisis Zone has a different story, focusing on a SWAT team instead of secret agents. It takes place in the United Kingdom and follows the S.T.F. (Special Tactical Force) as they try to stop the U.R.D.A., a terrorist group. Razing Storm and Time Crisis: Razing Storm take place in the near future and involve an elite team called S.C.A.R. (Strategic Combat and Rescue). This team is sent to a South American country during a revolution to capture a person who planned an attack on the United States with help from international military groups. They must fight terrorists and other soldiers.

Games

The first game in the series, Time Crisis, was released for arcades in 1995. The story follows Richard Miller, an agent working for an international intelligence group, as he tries to save the daughter of a new president from someone in the old government who wants to take control again. This game introduced key features that became important in later games, such as time limits for completing combat sections, cover mechanics, and the recurring character named Wild Dog, who later appeared as a boss in other games.

A version of the game for the PlayStation was released in 1997, using a new light gun controller called GunCon. This version added new levels set after the main story, where Miller investigates a criminal group hiding in a hotel that is actually a weapons factory.

Time Crisis II was released for arcades in 1997. It follows agents Keith Martin and Robert Baxter as they stop a powerful business leader from launching a nuclear satellite and rescue a kidnapped agent. This game was the first to allow two players to work together, with arcade machines using light gun controllers of different colors. It also updated gameplay features from the first game, such as time limits, and added new rules, like giving players penalties for shooting their teammate and introducing a system to highlight dangerous attacks. A PlayStation 2 version came out in 2001, using GunCon 2 and featuring better graphics and more story scenes.

Time Crisis 3 was released for arcades in 2003. It follows agents Alan Dunaway and Wesley Lambert as they help stop a hostile nation from attacking nearby countries with missiles. They work with Alicia Winston, a local fighter, to rescue her brother and others captured after a failed mission. This game added three new weapons for players to use, each with limited ammunition that can only be refilled by defeating specific enemies. It also introduced a health bar for bosses and enemies, and destructible objects that explode to harm nearby enemies. A PlayStation 2 version released in 2003 included extra content, such as a side mission from Alicia’s perspective and stages where players use a sniper rifle.

In 2006, Time Crisis 4 was released. It introduced a refined system that lets players move their character to different hiding spots by aiming the gun in specific directions. A PlayStation 3 version came out in 2007 and 2008, bundled with GunCon 3. This game was the first in the series to include a first-person shooter mode.

Time Crisis 5 was released in 2015 for arcades and used Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3 for the first time. Unlike earlier games, it used two pedals for control. A special edition called True Mastermind, released later in 2015, added three new levels, making the game the longest in the series. It has not been released for home consoles.

Crisis Zone was released in 1999 for arcades. It had similar gameplay to Time Crisis but allowed solo play with a fully automatic machine gun instead of a pistol. It also had interactive backgrounds and a different story about an elite soldier named Claude McGarren. A PlayStation 2 version came out in 2004 and was renamed Time Crisis: Crisis Zone.

A side story called Time Crisis: Project Titan was released in 2001 for PlayStation, featuring a new hiding system.

In 2009, Razing Storm was released for arcades. It was later re-released for PlayStation 3 in 2010 as Time Crisis: Razing Storm. This version included the game Deadstorm Pirates and the arcade version of Time Crisis 4. It supports PlayStation Move and GunCon 3 controllers.

Time Crisis Strike, a spin-off of Time Crisis 3, was released in 2009 for iOS and J2ME. Time Crisis 2nd Strike, a sequel to Time Crisis Strike and an alternate version of Time Crisis 4, was released in 2010 for iOS and in 2013 for Android (Japan only). It allowed players to use another iOS device as a gun controller with the iGunCon app. This game is no longer available for purchase.