The Setup
At this point I’d like to discuss how the GunCon3 works. The GunCon3 has a long USB cord on it, probably about ten feet. You can plug this into any available USB port on the PS3, and you’re good to go as far as that is concerned. The real hassle comes in when you setup the sensor. What you are looking at is basically a mix between the Wii sensorbar and an old PowerGlove get-up. You have two small square LEDs, each with three sensors, and a cord in between, with a small notch point that is supposed to represent the vertical mid-line of your TV. Two small rubbery weight belts come with the sensors; so, the idea is that you attach these weight belts onto the LEDs, and these will help hold them up and steady on top of your TV. For some TVs, this is arguably going to be troublesome; on my setup, it wasn’t too bad, but my LEDs would fall over or get mispointed fairly easily with some walking traffic around the TV. Also, the LED sensors have a single USB male end coming out of them that requires being plugged into the PS3, but this cord should be plenty long enough for most setups.
In game options, like the mini games and a calibration control panel accessed from the main menu, will help you get the point. I actually had to stand back from my TV about seven feet to get inline with the LED sensors, so I was standing behind my couch. Trying to play standing up, holding the GunCon3 steady for upwards of an hour or more can be quite tiresome, let me tell you! However, all that said, I have never used a more accurate lightgun. You can seriously aim down the sites of the GunCon3 and fully expect to peg whatever it is you’re aiming at. I was quite pleased; Namco did an impressive job with the accuracy of this setup. My biggest complaint would just be that the LED sensors are a hassle to place securely on your TV, and the long USB cables are a bit bothersome too.
More Depth Than Most, But Worth Price of Admission?
The inclusion of the Full/Complete Mission Mode gives Time Crisis 4 a level of depth that no other lightgun game to my knowledge has ever had. At the same time, the Arcade Mode is as short as you would expect for a lightgun game — roughly an hour, but until you get used to where enemies pop out at, it’s no walk in the park. When I grew tired of that, I tried one of a dozen or so mini-games, and then of course the Full or Complete Mission Mode was a nice distraction too. Also worth noting, playing the Arcade Mode multiple times earns you unlockables, like more continues, which, until you have enemy positions memorized, are vital.
There is definitely more content here than your typical lightgun game. Furthermore it’s accessible and fun enough that I found myself going back to playing several times after I told myself that ‘this would be the last time.’ I’m sure this game is even more fun with a second player, but as far as I know, you can’t buy a second GunCon3 by itself, making it a very pricey proposition to get a second controller. In fact, buying the game to begin with isn’t cheap; it retails for about $90, which gets you the game and the GunCon3, which is currently used only by TimeCrisis 4. Hopefully, if the PS2/GunCon2 is something to measure by, there will be more lightgun games coming for the PS3, but I think it’s fairly unlikely.
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