Time Crisis 5

Yep – They are still making The Time Crisis series, you just can’t play them at home. At some point in the past, Namco stopped making their light gun games for the home market and focused on the Arcades.

Time Crisis 5 came out in the Arcades in 2015 and is more of the same shooting action that we love.

The one difference is that it uses a 2 pedal system to allow you to duck to either side which adds a bit of variation into the game.

Its a cool feature that lets you flank the enemies so that if one has a riot shield and you can’t hit him, you can move to the side of him and get a clear shot.

If you like the earlier Time Crisis games than you will undoubtedly enjoy 5.

Time crisis 5 Summary

The Time Crisis series has been around for many years and is a first-person rail light shooter that was first released in 1995 by Namco. It has a massive following spanning so many entries into the series and receiving high praise from gamers and critics. Time crisis 5 carries on the tradition the series is known for and was released in 2015. 

It was the first in the series to use the Unreal Engine. This is an engine that was developed by Epic Games and is famous for making gameplay run smoothly as well as have stunning graphics.

Time Crisis 5 Plot 

The game plot is simple and it’s centered around two rookie agents who must hunt series antagonist Wild Dog. These agents are not alone in their quest to stop Wild Dog, they are helped by Robert Baxter from Time Crisis 2. 

The opening of the game starts with a scene on a rooftop where Marc Godart and Luke O’Neil are supported by Catherine Ricci who is providing air support. They are all there to provide back up for Robert Baxter. 

He is the one tasked with retrieving a briefcase that is in the arms of Wild Dog. The briefcase belonging to a VSSE auditor was killed three months before the events of the game started. 

This briefcase is very important because it contains very important information about a traitor inside the VSSE ranks. It is the agents’ job to find out who this traitor is in the ranks and stop them.

Time Crisis 5 levels 

Time crisis 5 is divided into 6 stages as players hunt for Wild Dog and the traitor within the VSSE. The first stage starts with the player chasing Wild Dog through a plaza before fighting him later on in a large open area. In the second stage, players are put in a chopper that they must pilot while chasing Wild Dog’s train. At the end of the level, Wild Dog is inside an armored truck that shoots missiles. 

The next few levels are spent gathering intelligence and clues on who the traitor might be while still hunting Wild Dog. In the fifth stage, there is a motorcycle chase that takes place and at the end of the level, players fight Wild Dog who has a gravity gun. 

Once Wild Dog has been defeated, the players meet the traitor who is inside an aircraft in the final stage. The traitor has a giant robot that they are controlling and it is up to the ends to stop him once and for all. 

Game controls

The one thing that has seen a change from previous time crisis games is the gun controller. Selecting weapons has been tweaked a bit with players having to press the red button on the gun. 

This action can be performed even if the player presses the pedal. While the addition of a dual pedal system didn’t sit down well with many fans of the series, it is a very good gameplay element. 

The addition of this feature makes avoiding fire from enemies very easy in this game because players feel more in control and have plenty of freedom. For a rail shooter, it adds an extra layer of depth to the overall gaming experience that players get playing this title. The only downside to the controls is the light guns themselves. 

The recoil in them doesn’t pack a punch like in previous titles but overall, the guns are easy to handle and very responsive when shooting which is all that’s needed in a rail shooter.

Game graphics 

When it comes to the graphics of this game, they are fantastic thanks to the use of the unreal engine. As pointed out earlier, it was the first time crisis game at the time to use the unreal engine. 

This game also proves that arcade machines haven’t lost their juice and can produce stunning graphics and smooth gameplay experiences. The lighting in this game is incredible with the textures shining very well and images looking very crisp and polished. 

The cabinet 

What makes or breaks the experience of a game is its cabinet. When done well it can provide gamers with an immersive experience and when done poorly, it can break the immersion gamers crave. This game has one of the coolest cabinets players can play in. 

The blue and red colors shine and the art around the cabinet is top quality. The stand out feature is the two monitors that let players experience this wonderful game in full HD. The only problem that many games have with the cabinet is they are far apart from one another and the screen might be too big for some. 

It is a great game to play with someone with the multiplayer mode however, the single-player mode is also good. While the cabinet doesn’t reinvent the wheel, one can see the passion that Namco put in creating this game. Everything about it is beautiful and carefully designed to the last detail. 

Game sound 

Time crisis games are known to have a very good soundtrack and this game carries on that theme. The sound coming from the speakers is great and the gunshots in this game are very realistic. The voice acting, on the other hand, is very weak and isn’t the best. It comes across a bit cheesy sometimes but that is to be expected from a rail shooter. They are not known to have the best voice acting when compared to current-gen home consoles but they do add a bit of humor to the game.

Final thoughts 

While the voice acting isn’t the best and the character outfit could have been better, the game from a graphical point of view looks stunning and crisp. The gameplay is very flawless and fresh thanks to the addition of the pedal. While this is a feature many gamers are critical of, this is a fantastic entry in the Time Crisis series. The cabinet is very well designed and can be experienced in single-player or multiplayer mode.