Genre: Light Gun Shooter
Year: 2002
Developed by: Nextech
Published by: Namco
Platforms: Arcade, PS2
#189
Feeling Like: Time after Time (after Time)
It was either after a shift at GNS, or Prince of Whales but neither makes sense. Our summer job at our alma mater with Kyle required us to remove 60 lockers from the room we changed for P.E. as kids. It was cathartic destroying things with crowbars while getting paid for it, but the school was nowhere near downtown. A post-work trip wouldn’t have made sense. A few years later, we both worked the night shift for the whale watching company – Johnny Zees would have been closed.
So I guess I’m not certain of the circumstances, but I know I played through Time Crisis 3 with Dave Ollech in our early 20s. I’d played the game multiple times before and since, but that day was special; it was the only day I’d finally beat the game.
The cabinet was backed up against the far wall. I still remember the smell when I opened the door to my favorite place in the entirety of Victoria, BC. The carpet was vacuumed, but there’s no removing the absorbed odor of tokens, haze, electricity and excitement. There were neon lights at every angle. The symphony of sounds from over a hundred arcade machines melded into something beyond bleeps and bloops. Occasionally something would stand out to draw prospective players in, but eventually it just became a warm, welcomed background hum.
I don’t know if Time Crisis 3 holds the crown as my highest rated Arcade Game ever, but it’s the highest on the 500. It’s even better than Time Crisis 2, already a banger in its own right. The default position is to hide behind a barrier, making it the only Light Gun game I know of with an actual defensive maneuver. When you want to step out and shoot something, press the pedal. It’s a bit of “pat your head, rub your belly” but you’d be amazed how well it works. I was annoyed that other Light Gun games didn’t have the same mechanic.
Another option I appreciated was the variety of weapons. That’s not new for this genre, but the ability to switch between them at any time was and man alive, does that make a difference. Not having to waste precious ammo on your big guns on cannon fodder goons adds an extra element of strategy; of COURSE I’m going to save my Grenade Launcher and Machine Gun for a boss fight, or a giant helicopter trying to mow us down. Just like in other games. How about that?
When you’re an adult, the prospect of actually finishing an Arcade game doesn’t seem quite so daunting. Even the most modest income can absorb a full playthrough of most games, particularly since most of them rarely eclipse an hour of playtime. Dave and I finally decided to mow through Time Crisis 3. Fuck it. We had time and very little responsibilities.
Playing through a Light Gun game with a friend is a whole different ball game. While one of you hides, the other can pop out for a few quick shots. Alternating and communicating is key; I never once felt overwhelmed, even during boss fights.
The game’s camera was always set up so I could see Dave clearly. I’d glance over and if I saw him being fired upon by a baddie, I knew that was my cue to pop out myself and fire off a few shots. Even facing overwhelming opposition, we obliterated the final boss on very few quarters. The last shot, and it really was the last shot, was Dave mashing his shotgun in the end boss’ face, then ducking while I jumped out right behind him and scored a head shot. It was perfect, the dynamic cut-scene began right away and we both cheered. It felt like something right out of a John Woo movie.
Which is good, because the plot, dialogue and everything that doesn’t involve the core shooting is ridiculous. Time Crisis 4 is even funnier in this regard. We played it, but not to completion. I recall the enemy was a bunch of terrorists using TERROR BITES, some kind of insect robot swarm being deployed for nefarious reasons. I also just learned there is a Time Crisis 5 and plans for a 6th. I gotta get myself to an Arcade, stat!
Despite it being over 20 years old, it’s held up as one of my top memories from Johnny Zees. Dave was there with me in an incredible place, it may have been the last time I completed a game there. It wasn’t my last appearance at that hallowed ground, however. That honor belonged to Soulcalibur 2, where I trounced a bunch of children, but that’s a tale for another day. Pointing at shooting is about as innate a request as a game can have, yet it’s amazing how some get it so wrong and others, like Time Crisis 3, get it so right.
The 500 