North American cover.
Australian and European covers.
South Korean cover
Crisis Zone is a 1999 Light Gun Game released by Namco for the arcade worldwide. A Playstation 2 version was developed by TOSE and released by Namco throughout North America and South Korea. For Europe and Ocenia, the game was published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe on behalf of Namco. They are released with or without the Guncon 2 accessory.
The British government deploys the counter-terrorist unit the Special Tactical Force (STF) after receiving intelligence that a paramilitary terrorist group known as the URDA has seized control of Garland Square, which is a recently constructed business park located at the outskirts of London.
A sequel game was made for the PS2, which takes place six months after the terrorist incident in GS. URDA remnants, led by Jared Hunter, storm GS' Grassmarket District and occupy it. Among the hostages abducted include Melissa Kessler, whose father is the head of the STF, Grant Kessler. In response, STF teams are deployed to GS and seize control of Grassmarket while hunting down Hunter to rescue Melissa.
The game's arcade version contains examples of:
- Absurdly Long Stairway: After defeating Derrick Lynch, the STF can't take the elevator back up to the surface because it broke, so they have to take five kilometres of emergency stairs. During the credit roll, at least one soldier can be seen having to sit on the stairs to catch his breath.
- Anti-Frustration Features: Crisis Zone gives the player an audible warning before the shot is fired.
- Armor Is Useless: Averted. The more durable basic enemies are visibly more heavily armoured, and you can actually see sections ablate and fly off as they take sustained fire; also, the ballistic shields some of the enemy troops carry can withstand a number of shots.
- Big Bad: Derrick Lynch in the main campaign.
- "Blind Idiot" Translation: The arcade release called the hero Croad McGalain and one of the bosses Eddy. The PlayStation 2 version fixed them into Claude McGarren and Edge, respectively.
- Boss-Only Level: The final stage in the original story as well as the Grassmarket District story in Crisis Zone is a final battle against Derrick Lynch.
- David vs. Goliath: Claude vs. Tiger.
- "Die Hard" on an X: Much closer to its namesake. It's Die Hard in an Urban Complex and City, though you are aided by other STF fireteams deployed in Garland Square.
- Disney Villain Death: Derrick is knocked through a window of the room you were fighting in and explodes.
- Do Not Run with a Gun: Claude uses a riot shield, so there are more sequences where you're moving and firing at once.
- Dual Boss: Edge and Tiger fight you together in the office section of the main campaign.
- Elite Mook: The foot soldiers in the Final Boss fight have some of the highest killing shot rates in the game. There is one notable segment where six blue soldiers pop out and fire killing shots immediately as if they're really red soldiers in disguise.
- Gaiden Game: To the main Time Crisis games. It features a separate plot with different characters, a machine gun as your main weapon rather than an alternate or "certain sections only" weapon, and a riot shield that allows you to Take Cover! even while on the move. Also until 4, Crisis Zone takes place in The Theme Park Version of real-life locations as opposed to Fictional Countries with Fantasy Counterpart Cultures.
- Generic Doomsday Villain: Lynch wants to destroy London just to show how evil he is.
- Hellish Copter: Multiple helicopters assault you in Garland Park, culminating in a boss fight against a large jet-black copter with missiles, bombs, and support from two elite versions of the Mook copters.
- Heroes "R" Us: The STF and player character Claude McGarren. According to game material released by Namco, the STF is only deployed when a crisis in the UK is in the early stages before the SAS would be sent in.
- It's Up to You: Downplayed. It's explicitly shown that Claude is accompanied by an STF. detachment, who are still in considerable numbers by the end of the game, and those allies appear in some section transitions, thus averting the One-Man Army trope shown in the main games. But they and their gunfire never appear during active gameplay and the game only progresses when you defeat enemies.
- Jetpack: The URDA's air division consists of soldiers equipped with body armour and jetpacks and you fight them in the Grassland District campaign.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Claude's all-protecting riot shield, which is why he, unlike the VSSE agents, can move around more freely and still take cover at any time.
- Macross Missile Massacre: The attack helicopter in Garland Park engages in this in the last part of the battle against it.
- More Dakka: Rather than a handgun, the game gives you a submachine gun (a customized Steyr TMP) with a 40-round magazine and limitless ammo reserves.
- Red Shirt: You see several of your fellow soldiers bite it over the course of the game, most notably during the boss fight in Garland Park.
- Sound-Coded for Your Convenience: Killing shots/Crisis Sightings now come with a warning beep in addition to a red reticule. Unfortunately, killing shots are faster here than in any other game in the series, meaning by the time you respond to the beep you've probably taken damage already.
- Subsystem Damage: The fighting vehicle that attacks Drycreek Plaza sports a whopping fourteen weapons systems that you must destroy: Its main gun, a top-mounted autocannon, two turret-mounted missile launchers, six side-mounted machine guns, two retractable missile bays on the rear, and lastly two more autocannons in its internal bay that are only deployed as a last resort. Fortunately, all of these can be destroyed by a submachine gun.
- Western Terrorists: The URDA, which is led by Lynch.
The game's PS2 version contains examples of:
- Big Bad: Jared Hunter continues with Lynch's work by conducting a terrorist attack in the Grassmarket District campaign.
- Boss-Only Level: The PS2 sequel has one when the STF pursue Hunter by speedboat.
- Dual Wield: The PS2 version of Time Crisis: Crisis Zone also has this feature, although you are required to complete 55% of the game (that includes the extra modes) to unlock it.
- Fire-Breathing Weapon: A flamethrower's available for players in the PS2 version, although it can only be used once per stage.
- Grenade Launcher: A GL's available for players in the PS2 version, although it can only be used once per stage.
- Hostage Situation: URDA remnants kidnap Melissa as leverage to force London to released URDA terrorists imprisoned.
- Jetpack: Hunter is also wearing one when you fight him at the top of the hotel.
- Market-Based Title: The game is known in North America and South Korea as Time Crisis: Crisis Zone.
- Macross Missile Massacre: A missile launcher's available for players in the PS2 version, although it can only be used once per stage.
- More Dakka: A gatling gun's available for players in the PS2 version, although it can only be used once per stage.
- Rewarding Vandalism: On special mode, it rewards you further by giving you access to a special weapon for a limited time, as well as a new area to test that weapon out in.
- Updated Re-release: Updated graphics and feature a new campaign, Grassmarket District, that continues the story.
