Crisis Zone

Did You Know?

• In Japan, Game Machine listed Crisis Zone as the third most-successful dedicated arcade game of the month in their February 1, 2000 issue.
• The 2004 remake received 'average' reviews on Metacritic, with criticism that it was 'Too much like Time Crisis 2'.
• The arcade version spells the protagonist's name as Croad Macgalain.

Gameplay

The player controls Claude McGarren, leader of the elite anti-terrorist Special Tactical Force (STF). The game retains the pedal system for reloading and taking cover, but the player wields a customized Heckler & Koch MP5K machine gun with a sight laser and a 40-round capacity. A portable ballistic shield strapped to the character's left arm provides cover. The crisis flash is replaced by a warning target icon that signals when to hide, though the player can interrupt the enemy's shot. Crisis Zone is the first Time Crisis game to allow the player to select three levels in any order; completing all three unlocks the final level. The PlayStation 2 version features more detailed polygons and textures, higher difficulty, re-recorded voice acting, and an additional three-level mission set six months after the original, playable only in linear order. It supports the Guncon 2 lightgun and includes a two-player cooperative mode called Two-Gun Mode, which allows simultaneous play on a single screen without split-screen. Weapon switching, similar to Time Crisis 3, lets the player choose between a fully automatic machine gun, an 8-round handgun, and a 6-shell shotgun; all weapons have unlimited ammunition but require reloading. The Crisis Mission exercise menu is unlocked through gradual play. The PS2-exclusive story mode also includes special weapons such as the flamethrower, missile launcher, laser rifle, Gatling gun, and grenade launcher, each usable only once per area.

Plot

In 2000, Garland Electric opens Garland Square, a modern complex on the outskirts of London. Shortly after its grand opening, the complex is seized by the URDA terrorist group, which takes no hostages and makes no demands, causing confusion among intelligence agencies. Scotland Yard and MI6 dispatch the STF's First Platoon Unit, led by Claude McGarren, to suppress the URDA and prevent their hidden agenda. The STF liberates the Drycreek Plaza shopping mall, Garland Park, and the Garland Technology Center, eliminating the twin lieutenants Tiger and Edge and wiping out the terrorists' air force and tank defenses. After securing Garland Square, McGarren learns from VSSE officials that ringleader Derrick Lynch plans to overload Geyser 1, an experimental nuclear reactor powering the complex. McGarren and his men descend five kilometers to the control room, defeat Lynch's troops, and kill Lynch. McGarren shuts down the reactor seconds before meltdown; the control room explodes after the STF evacuates. Six months later, Lynch's successor Jared Hunter seizes the Grassmarket District and holds STF Director Grant Kessler's daughter Melissa hostage, demanding the release of surviving URDA members. McGarren and Squad 1 deploy into Grassmarket Street, defeat an experimental defense droid called the A-0940, and storm the Belforte Hotel where Melissa is held on the rooftop swimming pool. Hunter engages Squad 1 but is forced to retreat on a heavily armed speedboat, which is destroyed by McGarren's chopper, killing Hunter. McGarren and his men take Melissa to safety, ending the URDA's threat.