PS3 Fanboy

Supposedly, amazon.com had a magical sale where they offered Time Crisis 4 (with Guncon) for $50. We missed out on that limited time only offer -- but the game is still seriously discounted. Now only $60, Time Crisis 4 costs the same as any other game out there. We like collecting peripherals, so we already have a copy. But, should the rapidly dropping price on this game suggest it's not doing as well as Namco Bandai had hoped?

[Thanks, danny!]

How much do you like Time Crisis 4? Is it the kind of game you'd spend $180 on? Well, that's what Namco Bandai is asking from players that want to play the game with two players. The Guncon 3 peripheral does not come separately, and will not come separately from the game, effectively forcing fans to purchase two copies of the game. The Consumerist contacted Namco Bandai's live support and got this response: "I'm sorry, but the Guncon 3 is not sold separately. It is only sold bundled with Time Crisis 4 ... If you wish to play two players using two Guncon 3s then you will need another copy of Time Crisis 4."

Strangely, Namco Bandai won't sell extra controllers directly either. "We do not sell replacement Guncon 3s. If the Guncon 4 [sic] is defective, then we can provide an RMA exchange where we'll inspect and repair or replace your Guncon 3."

Much of the appeal of games like Time Crisis 4 comes from the ability to play with friends. Why is Namco Bandai making it so difficult (and expensive) for PS3 fans to make Time Crisis 4 a better game? "At least it's cheaper than the arcade version," must be thought going through their heads.

[Thanks, Alkaiser!]

Is there anything funnier than Japanese people pretending to be Al Pacino? Not tonight. A new TIme Crisis 4 video has surfaced on the web, and it showcases a silly Scarface homage using the Guncon. Bad acting, bad props, and bad special effects merge into an experience that's very special. It's sort of like the game's FPS mode ...

Namco's Time Crisis 4 comes out today, and its high Guncon-infused price tag may scare a few people. At $90, it certainly isn't cheap ... but when you consider the alternative, it certainly feels like a bargain. For the truly hardcore, instead of picking up the PS3 game, why not consider buying the arcade game downright? It'll only cost you $16k.

Certainly, this makes the price of a PS3, an HDTV and the game seem very, very cheap in comparison. Stay tuned for the complete review of the PS3 version of Time Crisis 4.

The new FPS mode of Time Crisis 4 has so much potential. Too bad it isn't actually taking advantage of any of it. Combining a terrific FPS with the free aim of the Guncon would be nothing short of incredible. Instead, it seems we're receiving a rather primitive attempt at a generic, basic FPS that's sloppy in too many ways. A shame, really. We're certain the Arcade on-rails segments will be a lot of fun, and hope that a more capable team will deliver something a bit more refined than this first attempt at a light gun FPS game.

Yeah, we left you on a sort of cliffhanger last time we talked about the creation of the new Guncon for Time Crisis 4, but as promised, we're back to follow up with the final steps of its creation. First and foremost (and important to this blogger on a personal level), we have been assured that the new Guncon 3 design works equally well for left-handed players, so fear not if you think the design favors one handedness over another.

A second humorous point is the fact that outside of Japan, the Guncon 3 has a really cheesy (literally) bright orange color. Japan gets a cool black one. Why? Government regulations in the US and certain parts of Europe -- anything modeled after a gun needs to look significantly different than a real gun.

It helps that the gun is accurate. The hardware side of the gun sounds impressive: "the lens of the gun was designed by a company that makes precision lenses used in cameras and scanners that can minimize distortion at the 90mm level. In the Guncon 3 itself, there are chips dedicated to computing the location of the sensors, which can detect their position within 1/60th of a second and transmit the data to the PS3. These chips also contain the functionality to detect movement and tilt" like a Sixaxis -- might be handy for reloading? Anyway, check out the post on the PlayStation Blog to see all the prototypes and the final result.

It's about time we saw another trailer for Time Crisis 4, the baddest mother of all arcade shooters. Debatable, but we'll say it under the condition you guys offer your favorite arcade shooters in your comments. A personal favorite, for example, is Crypt Killer. It was rad. So is this trailer. Not only does it seem like you get a large array of weapon possibilities, but you get to control helicopters, have standard-looking missions a la previous Time Crisis games as well as the new fully controllable "FPS Stages". Lookin' good!

Ever wondered what kind of work goes into creating those GunCon devices? The one you'll use for Time Crisis 4 is different from its predecessors, as it dictates all on-screen movement as well as aiming/shooting. This is something the franchise has wanted to do for a while, but with the GunCon 2 and older consoles, it just didn't seem feasible. As you can see from the picture, early renderings put an analog stick where the gun's hammer would be. It doesn't look that comfortable for moving around a level, honestly, but that's why it's an early rendering and not the final product.

After a month, a prototype was created where two people could move around in a room and try to shoot one another. It only had algorithms for horizontal aiming, which obviously had vertical aiming to add later, but for the gun itself, testing it this way was necessary. We're left wondering about the final stages of the process, as it has yet to be written. It seems a lot of work was put into the GunCon 3, so much so that the game itself seems like an add-on, though it's the reason for the redesign.

How can an $80 game ever be a deal? Well, when it includes the Guncon 3. Namco Bandai's upcoming Time Crisis 4 is a pricey purchase thanks to the bundled peripheral. However, it promises to be the most advanced light gun on the market. Hopefully, we'll see other games support the Guncon -- it would be a total waste to just make a single game for it. The PSN is a perfect place for Namco Bandai (or any other publisher) to release small new light gun games. (Of course, we hope Sega realizes how perfect it would be to bring Let's Go Jungle! to the system ... )

Amazon.com is offering the game and gun peripheral for $80. Yes, it's a bit much, but it's probably the cheapest pre-order you'll find right now.

[Via CAG]

Giorgio, Evan, and William. Those are your main characters for Time Crisis 4 and your mission is to battle terrorists -- wait, no, they're not terrorists. But they are! Insert cheesy voice-over and explosion. This trailer is bad. Not bad as in "this game sucks" but it's hilariously bad like Zero Wing. But, as they say at the end of the trailer, at least it won't be boring. These games are a lot of fun to play and have eaten our quarters for over ten years. We're excited to test it out in our homes!

The light gun genre may be a dying breed, but Time Crisis 4 ignores all warnings. In spite of some sloppy graphical and presentation issues, it's clear that Time Crisis 4 is the best, if not only, option for fans of the genre.

Right now, the game doesn't have that "next-gen polish" we've become so accustomed to on the PS3. Textures and character models don't really pop out. However, the framerate seems pretty solid, and the action flows at a brisk pace. At the very least, it looks better than the other light gun port, Ghost Squad on Wii.

The new FPS mode is where the game features the most potential, adding some depth to the arcade experience. Right now, the AI is fairly unintelligent, and the level design feels similar to the original on-rails mode. What may come as jarring for some is the lack of a gun model on-screen. FPS players have long been used to the gun being on screen, but because this game requires players to aim with the Guncon 3 (G-Con in the PAL territories), the indicator is unnecessary.

Right now, Time Crisis 4 looks like it needs some polish. However, Guncon 3 is an excellent peripheral that has us keeping high hopes for future light gun titles.

Maybe a fanboy shouldn't write about Time Crisis 4. For example, the graphics are far from revolutionary, looking more like a PS2 game than a PS3 title. Yet, the unique control mechanism of Time Crisis 4's new FPS mode certainly warrants a closer look. Instead of having a virtual mouse on the screen, players are free to simply aim at the screen. Really. Aim as you would a real gun, and fire away. These two new videos aren't filled to the brim with depth, but they show, at the very least, the potential that Time Crisis 4 has in bringing something new to the genre.