Time Crisis II

Infobox VG
title = Time Crisis II


caption=
developer = Namco
publisher = Namco
designer = Takashi Sano (Producer)
system =
released = Arcade
1998
PlayStation 2
vgrelease|NA=2001-10-01vgrelease|JP=2001-10-04|PAL=2001-10-19
genre = Rail shooter
modes = Single-player, multiplayer
ratings = vgratings|ESRB=Teen|ELSPA=15+|OFLCA=M15+
platforms = Arcade, PlayStation 2
media =
requirements =
input = Light gun (Guncon, Guncon 2)
arcade system = Namco System 23

"Time Crisis II" is the second installment to Namco's "Time Crisis" series.

Gameplay

"Time Crisis II" was released utilizing Namco's System 23 arcade board in 1998, and was ported to PlayStation 2 (with enhanced graphics and polygon textures) in 2001. The game utilizes the foot pedal system, just like "Time Crisis", where players can shoot or hide from enemy fire. One modification to the hide and attack system was the "crisis flash" system which alerts the players whether or not the enemy attack would cause a direct hit, a feature not present in its predecessors, "Time Crisis" and "".

When a player presses the pedal, he or she can shoot the enemies. Releasing the pedal places the player in hiding; during this time, players cannot shoot, but are safe from harm. A player must defeat all enemies before moving forward. The player's gun magazine contains 9 bullets (though occasionally a machine gun is available, which contains unlimited ammo for the remainder of the scene). Releasing the pedal also reloads the gun (hiding performed two functions, as players can recall from Time Crisis).

When the player fails to release the pedal after he/she spots a "crisis flash", one life is lost. The crisis flash system fixed much of the unexpected life losses that rose from "Time Crisis." Though seldom, unexpected life loss problems still remain. Each scene has a 40-second time limit, but unlike "Time Crisis", in which seconds were added to the clock (and kept on running out even during wait animations), the timer only runs down when the battle is ensuing. The timer is reset and/or freezes when the player(s) are on "wait animation". There will also be points where time will reset back to 40 as well.

The time limit system is much more lenient than "Time Crisis", as players only lose one life if time runs out, rather than an instant game over.

This was the first "Time Crisis" game to introduce two-player cooperation by allowing two people to play simultaneously, allowing each player to cover the other. The same system is utilized once again in "Time Crisis 3" and "Time Crisis 4".

tory

Neodyne Industries, LTD, has successfully completed a network of 64 satellites called the "Starline Network". Starline is supposedly a communications system which NDI claims will unite the world. Nevertheless, the covert agency VSSE discovers that Starline is actually a network of satellites intended to launch a nuclear satellite into space.

Christy Ryan, the agent responsible for uncovering the corporation's hidden agenda, attempts to escape NDI captivity and report this nefarious plan to VSSE HQ, but is detained by Jakov Kinisky and his bodyguards. VSSE sends agents Keith Martin and Robert Baxter to shut down the Starline Network and rescue Ryan.

Christy has already been taken away before Martin and Baxter are able to reach her, however, and Kinisky and his minions attack the agents inside Ryan's apartment. After a gunfight in the streets and a boat chase in a nearby river, Keith and Robert manage to recapture Christy's laptop, which reveals that the satellite in question belongs to the military. The agents proceed to NDI's train depot, only to have the satellite airlifted out before they can reach it.

Inside NDI headquarters, situated on an island, CEO Ernesto Diaz and the mercenary Wild Dog begin preparing a rocket for launch from a sea-based launch site when the VSSE agents arrive. The agents encounter fierce resistance, but are able to defeat Wild Dog and rescue Christy, who escapes by raft into the sea.

It is revealed, however, that Diaz has been using the satellite as a red herring to distract the agents and reveals the real one is about to be launched into space. The final battle between Diaz and the VSSE ensues with the agents coming out as the victor. The falling debris from Diaz's death damages the rocket, emitting an explosion which destroys NDI's hopes of a hostile takeover.

Recent militarization from the NDI has forced the VSSE to retrain some of its agents in spite of saving the world from a nuclear catastrophe.

PlayStation 2 Port

The PlayStation 2 version of the game featured enhanced graphics and came packaged with the G-Con 2 lightgun peripheral, although it was also compatible with the G-Con 45. When completed enough times, the player could unlock alternative weapons, such as a machine gun or shotgun, and had the option of wielding two lightguns at a time (one of which would have to be a G-Con 2). The game also had Crisis Missions, a clay pigeon minigame, 'Shoot Away 2' and, a remake of the arcade game, "Quick and Crash".

External links

* [http://www.timecrisis2.com/ Official website]