I’ve mentioned before, when reviewing Operation Night Strikers, that I’ve long been a fan of lightgun games. Ever since I tried Duck Hunt on my uncle’s NES in the late 80s, I’ve been in love with the format. My favourite lightgun game, though, which took the genre to a new level and that I sunk the most pound coins into at the local arcade was Time Crisis (then its sequels that came after). Adding a cover pedal was a stroke of genius, providing a crucial extra layer of realism and tactics to the lightgun formula.
There have been attempts to bring lightgun games to home consoles in the past with varying degrees of success. I’ve heard the PS1 & PS2 Gun-Cons worked pretty well, back in the day (I never had a PlayStation – I was always more of an Amiga, PC and Nintendo guy). However, once CRT TVs died out and digital flatscreens became the norm, the guns didn’t work in the same way. The Wii used its motion controls to offer an alternative, and some of its lightgun efforts were good. However, modern consoles haven’t picked up the slack as successfully, with the Switch motion controls not offering quite the same experience for lightgun games.
So, when I heard news that a new crowdfunded system called G’AIM’E had been developed by Tassei Denki Co., Ltd. that offered a plug-and-play mini console that included Time Crisis, Point Blank (another arcade favourite of mine), Steel Gunner and Steel Gunner 2, I practically squealed with joy.
To quote from the press blurb, “The G’AIM’E system utilises advanced AI technology combined with a high-resolution camera system integrated into the barrel of the Lightgun to track your movements, providing an accurate, smooth experience on virtually any modern display.”
I was lucky enough to be sent the ‘Ultimate Pack’ (RRP £199) to review. This includes 2 G’AIM’E guns (each with 4m cables), the mini-console pre-installed with the four games, a pedal, a multi-region AC adapter, 1m USB-C power cable, 1m HDMI cable, quick start guide, pin badge and diorama stand. Also available is a Premium Pack (RRP £149), which only contains 1 gun but all the other extras, except for the AC adapter and diorama. Then there’s a Basic Pack (RRP £99), which only has one gun, the mini-console with only Time Crisis installed, the USB-C power cable, HDMI cable and quick start guide.
The Ultimate Pack is attractively and efficiently packaged. Having two guns adds multiplayer to the mix (though not for Time Crisis, it must be noted), so this might be a big swing-vote for those wanting to play with a friend. I love the little diorama that came with the Ultimate Pack, but it’s not worth the extra £50 on its own. I wouldn’t recommend the Basic Pack, because it’s a lot to pay for only one game, and the lack of a pedal is a big turn-off for me.
The mini-console is nice and small, as well as lightweight, so it’s easy to squeeze among your home entertainment setup or take to a friend’s house. The guns seem to be of good build quality. There’s a little weight to them, and they’ve recreated the bright blue and orange colour of the arcade guns. There’s an optional recoil slider on the side, which is great. The pedal seems sturdy, too.
Setup is simple – it really is just plug-and-play, though you have to go through the calibration process every time you boot it up. This involves shooting 8 targets 3 times. There’s an opening introduction video which is clear to follow and slickly produced. It can be skipped, thankfully, as it would get annoying after you’ve already watched it once.
Most importantly, however, is how it plays. Sadly, the G’AIM’E system is not without problems.
The only real issue is accuracy *. I’ve followed everything in the introductory video and quickstart guide – measuring the ideal distance from my TV, turning off the lights and keeping too much clutter away from the screen. I’ve been as careful as possible with the calibration process, too, using the iron sights on the gun every time. However, you do not get the fast, near-pinpoint accuracy you could get with the original hardware, running on CRT screens.
I remember being a crack shot at Time Crisis in the arcades, taking most of the bad guys out in the first stage with one shot each. With the G’AIM’E set, I end up getting 25-35% accuracy scores instead. You just don’t get the sense of skill you had before, where it felt like you were genuinely aiming each shot square on at the bad guys when they hit. Now it usually takes a couple of shots until you compensate enough to make the kill. This makes the bad guys in the distance or hiding behind cover frustratingly difficult to shoot.
That said, I still enjoyed playing Time Crisis enough with the G’AIM’E system to run through the whole game twice within a couple of days. Not that it’s particularly long – it can be finished in about half an hour or so, but I still had a lot of fun on top of the strong sense of nostalgia. It’s a perfectly ported release of the original Time Crisis game.
The graphics may be far from smooth or realistic by today’s standards, but the game holds up remarkably well. It has tremendous energy. I especially love the way each stage is woven together, having you move through each area rather than simply cutting to the next scene.
The set pieces are well-orchestrated, too. It genuinely feels like you’re playing an OTT 90s action movie, despite the chunky polygons.
It’s just such a shame that the accuracy issues make the game more difficult and less satisfying than in the arcades. It’s disappointing that the Time Crisis sequels aren’t included either, because they’re possibly even better. The original is still a great game, though, and it deserves credit for revolutionising the genre and setting the standard for the series.
The Steel Gunner games play fine with the G’AIM’E guns, aided by the large crosshairs being visible as standard. This makes it easier to aim, though it shows up the accuracy shortcomings, as you can clearly see when it’s off the mark or unstable (the crosshair literally wobbles around at times, when your hand is still).
The Steel Gunner games themselves are fun, if a little too relentless, having you mindlessly wave the gun around, spraying a constant flow of bullets across the screen to take out the vast swathes of enemies.
I love how most of the backgrounds are destructible, though, as it’s a lot of fun creating carnage throughout each level. The game even jokes about it at the end of some of the stages.
The graphics on these two games are more retro, lacking true 3D, but they have a pleasing old-school pixel style that I love. Again, the games have a lot of energy, even if accuracy is less important.
Point Blank, unfortunately, is practically unplayable. It’s a game that requires speed and accuracy to progress, which isn’t currently possible with the G’AIM’E set as it is. It’s very difficult to pass the stages, other than the simpler levels with unlimited ammo.
I tried to find support for the accuracy issues, and it looks like G’AIM’E has promised a software or firmware update in the future that might address these problems. Nothing has appeared yet (other than in Japan, according to some accounts), but fingers crossed it does get fixed, because then this could be a wonderful package to own. *
However, whilst the accuracy problems make the set a little disappointing, there is a silver lining. After looking for help online, I discovered that some people had managed to get the guns to work on their PC via a PlayStation 2 emulator. I gave it a shot, and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t work a treat – with seemingly better accuracy than using the G’AIM’E console itself. This suggests it’s a software or firmware issue that can be fixed with an update.
As such, whilst the out-of-the-box experience isn’t yet fully refined, the G’AIM’E set remains fun to play and may be worth getting for use on the PC alone. I’ve acquired a few lightgun games for the emulator, and there are some corkers, including Time Crisis 2 and 3. Granted, the pedal doesn’t work with the PC, but you can use one of the buttons on the gun instead. It’s less immersive but still does the trick.
* EDIT – shortly after writing this review, I was made aware that a firmware update has now been made available. You can find it here: https://www.mygaime.com/downloads
I’ve updated my system and given it a quick test, and I can happily confirm that it has improved the accuracy. I could make some one-shot kills on Time Crisis, like the good old days. I also tried Point Blank and, whilst I still found a couple of stages very difficult, it was far more playable than before and I was able to pass a number of levels on the middle difficulty setting. This makes me very happy and I’ve boosted my rating up to 4 stars now, to reflect this update.
You can find out more information about G’AIM’E and how to order a system here.
TIME CRISIS™, POINT BLANK™, STEEL GUNNER™Series & ©Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. Tassei Denki Co., Ltd.