Project Titan is a decent Light Gun Shooter that is hampered down by it's graphics, replay value and it's lengthy...
Game Title: Time Crisis Project Titan
Platform: PlayStation (PSOne)
Developer: Flying Tiger Development
Publisher: Namco
Genre: Light Gun Shooter
Age Rating: 15+ ELSPA
Release Date: April 6th 2001 (Europe)
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Game Score: 6.0/10
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Summery:
Project Titan is a decent Light Gun Shooter that is hampered down by it's graphics, replay value and it's lengthy Continue system.
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As question to have Namco's Time Crisis 2 onto home console's was tough but however Namco hires developer Flying Tiger Development to bring a PlayStation exclusive sequel due to the PlayStation's limited capacity. Their project took them about 2 years to develop and the final result is Time Crisis Project Titan. The game seems aright for Hard core fans but this game proves as a rental at best, even if bought with the G-Con 45 controller.
In Time Crisis Project Titan you once again play as Richard Miller VSSE's top agent in a black leather jacket. He stands accused for a crime that he didn't commit, the President Xavier Serrano becomes assassinated and now you have 48 hours to find out the truth of the President's killer otherwise you get handed over to the authorities. Most of the storyline is dry and shallow at best and everything is resolved by endless gunfights. The voicework is above average with some decent accents with French people.
If you played through Time Crisis in the Arcade or on the PlayStation then you'll feel the highs and lows of Project Titan. There's a Storymode to play through where there are 4 Levels each with different Acts with Gunfights with the enemies and the last Act at the end will have a Boss encounter to face. There are two difficulty settings available but however if played on the Easy Setting you can only play the first 3 Levels which is kind of annoying that you've got to finish the game on the Normal setting. There is also a Time Trial where you can select from the available 3 Levels but the Fourth Level becomes unlocked when you reach Level 4 in the Story Mode. You have unlimited lives and you can easily beat the rankings without to much trouble. Disappointingly there is no new content in Project Titan so you'll find the replay value to be absolutely shallow in comparison to other Light Gun games.
The main feature of the Time Crisis series is the Duck N Cover mechanic which still works well. In the arcades Time Crisis came with a Foot-pedal which allows you to engage when it is pressed and reload when it is released. You use the sides of the Light Gun to get out of cover and you shoot down waves of guys which appear on screen and you release the button to duck behind cover again to reload or to dodge incoming attacks. The problem with that is it makes your arms tired as well inhabit your accuracy. You can plug a second controller and use that to reload if you want or use your steering wheels petals which helps brings the arcade experience much more closer. Watch out for the Red and Brown guys cause they have higher accuracy and can shoot you easily without missing. There is a combo system in which you carry on shooting bad guys without missing a single bullet you can earn an extra life. This makes shooting with speed and accuracy important cause there are Red guy targets that can sometimes take you by surprise.
During the boss fights you are introduced to the Multi-Hiding System which allows you switch between different hiding places. Enemies and bosses require you to consistently switch between hiding spots to get the upper-hand on bosses. This is done by shooting the arrow while in cover.
You have a Life counter in which you start with 3 on Normal or 5 on Easy, if you run out of Lives then you got to use one of your available Credits to keep playing. If you Continue you restart the Level all over again which is a poor way to extend the length of the game. It would have been nice if you kept going from where you died after continued. Dispute this Project Titan sticks true to it's arcade roots as you expect but the game is more faster and more harder then it's original title on the PlayStation.
Flying Tiger Entertainment has spent 2 years in developing the game the games presentation is just worse then expected by 2001. Ultimately the graphics are terrible in comparison to the original. Character models look dull and simplistic and their animations from taking cover to just flying backwards unrealistic are just plain bad. The overall level design and the visuals aren't too bad.
The soundtrack is remixed with some old tunes from the original but their original tracks are way better.
Overall Time Crisis Project Titan is simply just no better then the 4 year old game that has received a change in the genre. Hard core fans will still have a decent challenge ahead for this game but any lack of replay value, poor presentation and the annoying continue system can only make the game a worthwhile rent at best. Project Titan is a decent Light Gun Shooter that is hampered down by it's graphics, replay value and it's lengthy Continue system.
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The Good Points:
1. Duck N Cover system still works well
2. Much more challenging then the original
3. The Multi-Hiding System is an interesting mechanic against bosses
The Bad Points:
1. Bad presentation
2. Annoying Continue system
3. No other Replay Value
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Reviewed by: Anthony Hayball (AQWBlaZer91)
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