Shoot your way through a ton of levels, taking out anything that wants to kill you first. That is the basic idea of most rail-shooters, and Time Crisis: Crisis Zone isn’t much different.

The graphics of Crisis Zone are great. Each level is huge, and each of the individual “Action Points” contains objects so destructible that it makes you want to ignore the enemies and just shoot the environment. The character models also show battle damage; as you pelt a particular part of the enemy’s armor with bullets, you will see dents in their helmet or shield.

The game’s music is upbeat and energetic, though it can be slightly distracting a few times. The weapons fire is loud and clear and sounds true to form. Thankfully, I didn’t hear the same gun fire sound every single time someone fired their weapon. Each of the weapons seems to have a slightly different sound coming from it, making the experience varied enough to avoid becoming monotonous.

Garland Square is under attack, and it is up to you (Claude McGarren, leader of the Special Tactical Force), your quick reflexes, and your pin-point accuracy to save the people from the infamous Derrick Lynch and the terrorist organization known as U.R.D.A. That is the story behind Time Crisis: Crisis Zone, but like a lot of rail-shooters, this is only an excuse to tie together level after level of mayhem and violence.

But that doesn’t mean that the game isn’t fun. On the contrary, I found myself completely immersed in the game every time I picked it up. It’s just that most of the time I couldn’t follow exactly what was going on. The story advancing information was few and far between, so by the time I got to the next part of the story -- I had all but forgotten the previous part.

An interesting feature in the Time Crisis line that I don’t remember from other games is the use of a shield. This shield allows you a safe place to reload your weapon or wait out the enemy. You are completely safe behind this shield, but you can’t shoot the baddies either. You will also find several enemies toting these metal barriers. But if you hit their Shields enough, they will toss them aside, leaving them wide open for a volley of bullets.

There are several modes of play in Crisis Zone, each one adding a different feel to the overall game. Story Mode is the one described above. You will move from location to location, mowing down any baddies that stand between you and Derrick Lynch. Story Mode Special is unlocked after you complete the normal Story Mode. This one follows the same story, but takes you through alternate tunnels and paths and heavier resistance. Once you complete Story Mode Special, you will unlock Trial Mode. Here you go back to levels in the Story Mode and try to beat them in a set time, or with a higher score. Crisis Mission gives you challenges ranging from landing hundreds of hits without being shot once, or even taking down an enemy while not damaging any of the surrounding environments. These challenges come in a wide variety, and when I found myself getting frustrated with part of the Story Mode, I found this section to be a nice reprieve. As you progress through Story Mode, you will unlock everything from missions to weapons and enemies, making this mode one that is always growing and providing new diversions to keep you busy.

Time Crisis: Crisis Zone is tough. It isn’t unbeatable, but it will take a lot of practice and replaying the same levels over and over again to progress through the Story Mode. There are a few levels that I’m able to get through in one try, but not many. I found the challenge level to be just high enough to make me want to attempt the level again, and not give up on any particular part.

The Crisis Mission mode has enough variety that you should be able to find a particular type of mission that suits your style and abilities, making some missions harder for you than others. There are definitely some incredibly hard missions in this mode, but there is also a fair share of easy ones. But in general,Crisis Zone’s difficulty is all up to your personal playing style and skill.

Time Crisis: Crisis Zone uses the Guncon 2. Actually, it can use two Guncon 2's. Though it is only a one player game, you can plug two light-guns into the PS2 and enter into Double Gun Mode. While you can do this for the Story Mode, this feature isn’t available in Story Mode Special.

You can shoot your weapon or drop the shield by pressing either the A, B, or C buttons. Or you can get the same effect by pulling the trigger while pressing on the thumbcon (the D-pad where the gun’s hammer should be). Seeing as that is all you do in the game (drop your shield and shoot), there isn’t really a need for the buttons to do anything more than that. I found that I was most comfortable using the C button (the one at the butt of the gun... you know, where the clip goes) to drop my shield with my off hand. This allowed me to steady the gun with both hands and just apply some pressure with my pinkie to the button.

Any light-gun game fan should get Crisis Zone. It translates the feel of other rail shooters (including other Time Crisis games) really well, and has a very enjoyable (and challenging) gameplay experience.