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TIME CRISIS II
review | PLAYSTATION 2
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Publisher: Sony.
Developer: Namco. Released: October 2001 (Europe). Genre: Lightgun. Posted 30th November 2025. By Tom Clare © 2025 |
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Time Crisis II blasted its way into arcades back in 1997, and it wouldn’t see a console port for nearly four years. For once, however, the wait would prove a blessing. While 2001 would see the original PlayStation enjoying its own purpose-built entry Project Titan, Namco would save the coin-op sequel for the more powerful PlayStation 2. This would prove a wise move: the cooperative angle meant it played wholly unlike any other lightgun game, and the extra grunt of the hardware ensured it replicated (and in many cases, built on) the legendary coin-op.
TCII is an absolute thrill ride. A lightgun game built around three stages each possessing three sub-levels, the game plays like a non-stop action scene. A buddy co-op situation sees Alan Dunaway and James “Buzz” Gibson embarking on a series of raids and chases with the aim of taking down powerful tech-player, Ernesto Diaz. From the moment the pair bust down their first door, the game is utterly unrelenting. Even five years on from the original, there was still nothing quite like Time Crisis. This was thanks to a superb cover system that sees players having to hold a button on the gun to peek out from their place of safety, as well as a shooting system so crisp and satisfying as to be unmatched in its genre. Oh, and the bombast of its levels borders on the insane.
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From start to finish, Time Crisis II is glorious, unrelenting fun
The opening Venice stage is iconic. Although entirely fitting, in retrospect, this was a significant tonal shift for a lightgun genre that had become increasingly comfortable with gritty, urban and industrial surroundings. Venice unfolds amid unusually picturesque, bright settings, including a riverside cafe that sees players diving for cover behind cafe tables, whilst blasting through the windows of fashion retailers, and taking down foes stationed on rooftops. The iconic sequence from the arcade game where the player is assailed on a hill climb by a cascade of falling fruit barrels, is perfectly recreated. This is promptly followed by a sequence of skirmishes in tight alleyways, leading to an awesome powerboat chase. Not even ten minutes have gone by, and it’s like you’ve lived a scene straight from a James Bond film. The second level ups the ante even further, beginning with a tricky foray through a woodland, with enemies darting in and out of the trees. Survive this, and it’s on to the trainyard, another of lightgun gaming’s greatest levels.
Here, the player must sprint for the train before fighting their way through its carriages. Survive this, and you’ll have to shoot enemies on an adjacent train before (having avoided some perilous signal points) jumping across to engage a ridiculously high-octane boss, the kind only Namco could have conjured. The majestically named Buff Bryant starts his assault with a mounted gun, before taking the unusual approach of trying to clobber the player by swinging around a warhead, and taking to a helicopter for the final flourish.
Here, the player must sprint for the train before fighting their way through its carriages. Survive this, and you’ll have to shoot enemies on an adjacent train before (having avoided some perilous signal points) jumping across to engage a ridiculously high-octane boss, the kind only Namco could have conjured. The majestically named Buff Bryant starts his assault with a mounted gun, before taking the unusual approach of trying to clobber the player by swinging around a warhead, and taking to a helicopter for the final flourish.
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The final section, set around Neodyne’s industrial complex, plays host to a barrage of gun-totting lunacy. Whilst it’s thematically a little more familiar than what’s gone before, it looks fantastic and features furiously paced, dizzying action. One sequence sees the player juggling two bosses at once: one with a Gatling gun, the other a rocket launcher, and here you’ll need to have honed your cover reflexes to the max. There are some helicopters to take down, as well as some lethal machinery and lasers that you’ll need to keep an eye out for when venturing from cover. Battling enemies and the clock, Time Crisis II packs an unbelievable amount of gameplay, with the PlayStation 2 handling all the bells and whistles with Rolls-Royce smoothness.
Players will likely need a few attempts to beat the Arcade mode, though this is more manageable after repeat plays, thanks to the awarding of extra health and credits after each attempt. When all’s said and done, you can finish Time Crisis II’s story in under 20 minutes, but as was so often their way with console ports, Namco had an uncanny knack for enticing players to return. Firstly, there are five difficulty settings for those wishing to test their mettle on the main game. More significant, however, is the game’s superb array of extra modes. Crisis Mission is the best, and likely the one you’ll get the most mileage from. Consisting of a number of alternative routes and scenarios from the main levels, these quick-fire levels are a tough test, requiring large numbers of enemies to be taken down, without losing any health. These are typically set to super-strict time limits, and there are often hostages who must be avoided. These are extremely challenging, but very moreish. Elsewhere, there are some nice multiplayer options. Agent Trainer offers a straightforward but fun target shoot, providing an effective means of sharpening up. Shoot Away 2 is essentially Namco’s take on Duck Hunt, right down to the option to play with modern or retro stylings. The skeet shoot is okay, but quite difficult due to very small targets and a camera that has an unhelpful habit of panning as you’re trying to line up a shot.
Players will likely need a few attempts to beat the Arcade mode, though this is more manageable after repeat plays, thanks to the awarding of extra health and credits after each attempt. When all’s said and done, you can finish Time Crisis II’s story in under 20 minutes, but as was so often their way with console ports, Namco had an uncanny knack for enticing players to return. Firstly, there are five difficulty settings for those wishing to test their mettle on the main game. More significant, however, is the game’s superb array of extra modes. Crisis Mission is the best, and likely the one you’ll get the most mileage from. Consisting of a number of alternative routes and scenarios from the main levels, these quick-fire levels are a tough test, requiring large numbers of enemies to be taken down, without losing any health. These are typically set to super-strict time limits, and there are often hostages who must be avoided. These are extremely challenging, but very moreish. Elsewhere, there are some nice multiplayer options. Agent Trainer offers a straightforward but fun target shoot, providing an effective means of sharpening up. Shoot Away 2 is essentially Namco’s take on Duck Hunt, right down to the option to play with modern or retro stylings. The skeet shoot is okay, but quite difficult due to very small targets and a camera that has an unhelpful habit of panning as you’re trying to line up a shot.
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Robust presentation, persistently decent performance, and a raft of post-game options and unlockables set up Time Crisis II brilliantly. Anyone who’s played the arcade version, however, will know that what makes it special is its cooperative gameplay. This element undoubtedly elevates the experience above its much-loved predecessors. Not only teaming up, but overlapping at numerous points, you’ll regularly see your partner blasting away in the back of the shot, lending an amazing sense of camaraderie. Namco have gone to significant lengths to ensure players have as many two-player options as possible. The most widely used is the split-screen, where the action is displayed side by side.
This isn’t perfect, of course. The aspect ratio is compressed (particularly noticeable as there’s no native widescreen option), and with the playing area limited to half a TV screen, the game loses a shade of its accuracy and freedom. The frame rate is consistent, though also a bit slower than the single-player. That being said, it’s still a huge amount of fun. For those who want an experience faithful to the coin-op, you’ll need a link cable (remember those?), two systems, and two TVs. Awkward perhaps, but this is TCII at its absolute best. Lastly, for a compromise that restores some of the performance, there’s Double Gun mode. Strangely, this appears to have been designed for individual players to practice dual-wielding, though in practice, it isn’t really clear how simultaneously holding cover release buttons on both guns, whilst also aiming and pulling their respective triggers using one hand each, could work. Nevertheless, it opens the possibility for a two-player team-up of the one-player experience, which sees players sharing one screen.
This isn’t perfect, of course. The aspect ratio is compressed (particularly noticeable as there’s no native widescreen option), and with the playing area limited to half a TV screen, the game loses a shade of its accuracy and freedom. The frame rate is consistent, though also a bit slower than the single-player. That being said, it’s still a huge amount of fun. For those who want an experience faithful to the coin-op, you’ll need a link cable (remember those?), two systems, and two TVs. Awkward perhaps, but this is TCII at its absolute best. Lastly, for a compromise that restores some of the performance, there’s Double Gun mode. Strangely, this appears to have been designed for individual players to practice dual-wielding, though in practice, it isn’t really clear how simultaneously holding cover release buttons on both guns, whilst also aiming and pulling their respective triggers using one hand each, could work. Nevertheless, it opens the possibility for a two-player team-up of the one-player experience, which sees players sharing one screen.
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The arcade game may have been four years old, but it runs well and looks good on PS2
It’s in many ways emblematic of all that was good about Namco at the time. Capable of recreating arcade experiences in the home, whilst adding a raft of enticing challenges and a steady stream of unlockables to help encourage players to keep returning. Whilst aspects of its visuals were perhaps starting to look a little dated (mainly character designs), this remains a stunning arcade port, and one that goes to impressive lengths to ensure that the two-player mode that brought the coin-op to life, is represented fully. There will never be a better excuse to dust off your GunCon.
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VERDICT"A great port of a legendary arcade game. TCII is superbly playable, features tonnes of 2-player options, and offers countless reasons to return. An absolute thrill ride from start to finish." OVERALL: 9/10 |
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