TIME CRISIS 4

'''Time Crisis 4''' is the fourth installment in Namco's ''Time Crisis'' series.

Contents

Background

PlayStation 3 release

Plot

Enemies

Game-related tracks

Cast

References

External links

Background

''Time Crisis 4'' was first shown at E3 2006 prior to its recent final revision arcade release.
One major change is the addition of the multi-screen/multi-hiding system, introduced in ''. Unlike ''Project Titan'' (which players went on the offensive), players are placed on the defensive. In ''Project Titan'', players had to hide and shoot arrows to switch screens. Screen switching has been refined to allow the player to point the gun outside the screen to move around.
''Time Crisis 4'' also utilizes a new light gun control with infrared emitters. Prior to this, all Namco light gun games used gun controllers that relied on cathode ray timing. Because Namco's light guns with cathode ray timing utilized memory chip-to-lens pointing, the arcade cabinet designers had to ensure that the infrared-emitting light gun controllers would provide the same accuracy as their cathode ray timing-based gun provided in the past. This delayed the game's release given past accuracy issues with IR light guns.
''Time Crisis 4'' also refines the multiple weapon system introduced in ''Time Crisis 3'', by encouraging strategic use of the additional weapons. The game also features a voice navigation system that guides players through different situations. Given the voice navigation system, the game can be voiced either in Japanese or English. Prior to ''Time Crisis 4'', the game was voiced exclusively in English.
The player can choose to customize gun calibration and/or turn the blowback on or off with a pre-game code explained in the cabinet. ''Time Crisis 4'', like its predecessors, is available either in a 29" standard twin cabinet or a 52" deluxe twin.

PlayStation 3 release

Namco is slated to release a Sony Playstation 3 conversion of the game sometime near the end of 2007 (it will be bundled with the ''GunCon 3''). ^[2] The Playstation 3 edition will feature 16:9 widescreen support and a specially-programmed first-person shooter mode, which players engage combat similar to a typical FPS game, but with manual gun pointing, aiming and firing in addition to arcade mode. ^[3] In addition to footage that wasn't included in the arcade, players will play as William Rush in FPS mode. ^[4]

Plot

When the VSSE receives information about a possible arms black market taking place in the United States, they send agents Giorgio Bruno and Evan Bernard to California to investigate.
At an airport, Giorgio and Evan receive a surprise attack from a mysterious military-like squadron assisted by a horde of insect-like creatures (a biological weapon codenamed "Terror Bite"). Captain William Rush of the U.S. Joint Intelligence Division rescues the VSSE from the surprise attack, briefs the VSSE of the current situation, and extracts them out of the airport. After a helicopter chase and a tense gunfight in the streets with the arms dealers, Giorgio, Rush, and Evan discover U.S. Army dog tags on the arms dealers' corpses, and determines that the smuggling deal is actually an act of treason.
Giorgio, Evan, and Rush infiltrate Wyoming to suppress unlawful retrieval of the weapons only to discover that it has been utilized for a top secret coup d'etat by one of America's units of bio-weapon operation elites (called ''The Hamlin Battalion'') turning against its own country. The trio did not act fast enough to stop the Hamlin Batallion from retrieving the bioweapons.
In the midst of the Wyoming cliffhanger, Beth informs the trio that Buckley Air Force Base near Aurora, Colorado has been hijacked by this mutinous unit, prompting the trio to make a rush trip to the battered AFB. As Giorgio and Evan attack the Hamlin Battalion through the air, Rush leads the National Guard to attack by ground. Nearing the end of the trio's joint pursuit against the Hamlin Battalion's outdoor defense, a couple of Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs) begin to depart for unknown reasons.
Shortly after the UCAVs leave, the mercenary Wild Dog appears without warning and attacks the VSSE by utilizing his grappling hook weapon-arm option to pull the agents' helicopter down. After landing safely, Giorgio and Evan pursue Wild Dog inside the underground silo. Wild Dog lures Giorgio and Evan through various traps and reveals his latest weapon-arm option: an object-lifting tractor beam. After Giorgio and Evan defeat Wild Dog, the debris buries Wild Dog underneath. Wild Dog detonates himself a third time, which knocks Giorgio and Evan off-balance.
In spite of a harsh landing, Giorgio, Evan, and Rush finally rendezvous at the scene of the crime — the UCAV silo.
As the time crisis ensues and in the game's tense closing moments, Giorgio, Evan, and Rush wipes out the remaining accomplices of the Hamlin Batallion and ultimately stop the UCAVs from achieving its destructive coup.
PlayStation 3 owners will be able to uncover footage that was not included with the arcade game when the PlayStation 3 version of Time Crisis 4 through the game's FPS mode. ^[4]

Enemies

★ 'Foot Soldiers (White):' They form the bulk of the entire Hamlin Battalion troops. They have the lowest accuracy in the game although they can still fire life-threatening shots occasionally. Certain foot soldiers attack with an army halberd (military-issue compact hand axe) by either swinging it at close-range or utilizing the axe as a projectile.

★ 'Ammunition Personnel (Yellow):' If the player kills those enemies, they drop additional ammo for the side weapons (machine gun, shotgun, grenade launcher), ''but'' unlike Time Crisis 3, they have slightly better accuracy than foot soldiers. Although ammo personnel also carry army halberds, they don't use it as often as the foot soldiers.

★ 'Field Commanders (Black):' These high-ranking soldiers lead a small group of white troops. Their accuracy is higher than foot and ammo soldiers combined. A few field commanders toss army halberds at the player.

★ 'Marksmen (Red):' The marksman has the highest accuracy among all normal troopers, and can also perform surprise attacks when the player is seemingly low on guard. They rarely use army halberds.

★ 'Special Weapon Troopers (Black and Green):' The Special Weapon Troopers are armed with rocket launchers and grenades, in which they use alternately on the player.

★ 'Terror Bites Clerks (White and Red with Shield):' The Terror Bites Clerks are in control of the Terror Bites. They can control the Terror Bites to attack the player. If the player destroys all of the Terror Bites, the Terror Bites Clerk will come out to attack. They wield machine pistols (hand pistols with full-automatic firing capability) with high accuracy, and they are also equipped with shields to protect themselves from the player's attacks.

★ 'Elite Soldiers (Heavy-Armored Machine Gunners):' The Elite soldier is equipped with a machine gun and heavy armor (Rush refers to it as "High-tech reinforced armor"). The armor worn by these enemies is durable and can withstand multiple shots from the player. Players can use the machine gun at far range or the shotgun when they are at either close or moderate range.

★ 'Terror Bites:' A biologically-engineered insect-like weapon always attacking in seemingly-endless swarms. These enemies appear at various points throughout the game. There are four different types of Terror Bites (beetle, mosquito, armadillo, and mantis), each can be destroyed most efficiently with a specific weapon. If they get too close to the player, they will slowly drain away each "hit point" until shot off.

Game-related tracks

Described herein are the game's BGM music tracks^[6]:

★ ''Top Secret Plan''

★ ''Beginning''

★ ''Something's Coming... (Terror Bites theme)''

★ ''Infiltration''

★ ''Shower of Bullets''

★ ''Metropolis Mayhem''

★ ''In the Dark''

★ ''Crimson Sunrise''

★ ''To Live or Die''

★ ''Launch''

★ ''Once Again (Wild Dog's theme)''

★ ''Showdown''

★ ''Leave it to us!''

★ ''Save This Country!''

★ ''Rejoice!''

★ ''Take a break''
These songs were composed by Takeshi Miura.

Cast

Character	Japanese Voice Actor[7]	English Voice Actor[8]
Giorgio Bruno	Hiroaki Miura	David Vincent
Evan Bernard	Hiroaki Miura	Travis Willingham
William Rush	Akio Ohtsuka	Christopher Sabat
Elizabeth Conway	Mariko Suzuki	Megan Hollingshead[9]
Marcus Black	Hisao Egawa	Sam Riegel[10]
Jack Mathers	Daisuke Gouri	Chuck Cope
Wild Dog	''N/A''	Dave Mallow
Gregory Barrows	Hisao Egawa	Harry Molloy
The Head of VSSE	Daisuke Gouri	Michael McConnohie
Narration 1	''N/A''	Michael McConnohie
Narration 2	''N/A''	Patrick Seitz

★ '''Note:''' Wild Dog solely speaks English and has no Japanese voice.

References

1. http://au.playstation.com/games_media/release_schedule.jhtml
2. Antoine Morcos. "Time Crisis 4 sur PlayStation 3". Jeuxfrance.com. June 13, 2007.
3. http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=4982
4. http://ps3.qj.net/More-reloaded-Time-Crisis-4-screenshots/pg/49/aid/95767
5. http://ps3.qj.net/More-reloaded-Time-Crisis-4-screenshots/pg/49/aid/95767
6. Source: BGM Music page from Namco Bandai's official Time Crisis 4 website (Japanese)''
7. Source: Namco Bandai Games' official Time Crisis 4 Website in Japanese (for the characters); Time Crisis 4 End Credits (for the Head of VSSE)
8. Source: Time Crisis 4 End Credits
9. Source: Time Crisis 4 attract movie via Namco Bandai's Time Crisis 4 website, wikilink to Megan Hollingshead, voice sample from Sandie Schnarr Talent.
10. Source: IMdB Entry for Time Crisis 4, IMdB entry for Sam Riegel, both retrieved on November 19, 2006

External links

★ Namco's Official Time Crisis 4 Page (Japanese)

★ "Time Crisis 4 location test announced". Retrieved on January 23, 2006.