In hindsight, it's easy to see why Tassei Denki's G'AIM'E Light Gun was so successful when it was crowdfunded earlier this year.
Light gun gaming has somewhat fallen by the wayside since the humble CRT TV was consigned to history by modern flat-panel HD displays, so there's been an understandable hunger for its return for some time now.
Couple this with the inclusion of one of the greatest light gun games of all time in the form of Namco's Time Crisis, and the fact that the G'AIM'E Light Gun raised over £860,000 / $1,400,000 on Kickstarter isn't all that shocking.
I previewed the G'AIM'E Light Gun back in July down in London, and came away very impressed indeed – but now I have the final retail version in my hands and have been able to test it away from the roaming eyes of PRs and G'AIM'E staff (both of whom are lovely, don't get me wrong) on a wide range of screens – so how does it measure up? Let's find out.
G'AIM'E Light Gun Review: The Hardware
The G'AIM'E Light Gun comprises the gun itself and a small box which plugs into your TV via HDMI. Setting things up is a breeze, and there's no need for fiddly sensor bars or any other additional hardware. There are two USB-C ports on the front of the box, into which you can plug a single gun and a pedal or two guns.
Contained within the G'AIM'E box is a bespoke chipset (according to Tassei Denki) and, depending on which version you've bought (it's being offered in 'Basic', 'Premium' and 'Ultimate' variants), the pre-loaded games. Time Crisis is available on all variants, but the Premium and Ultimate editions of the G'AIM'E also offer Point Blank, Steel Gunner and Steel Gunner 2.
I've got to say, I'm not the biggest fan of splitting up the product offering in this way; while I understand that not everyone is going to want two guns, the fact that the 'Basic' edition only has Time Crisis on it seems a bit mean-spirited, but it is what it is.
The G'AIM'E is tiny and will fit into your AV cabinet with little effort, but let's be honest, it's the gun itself we're all most interested in. Fashioned from blue and orange plastic, it's solidly built and feels very premium – perhaps even more so than the legendary Namco GunCon, from which it takes a generous helping of inspiration, it has to be said. This is understandable, as the GunCon itself was influenced by the plastic firearm seen on the original Time Crisis coin-op.
The gun has A and B buttons on either side of the barrel, along with a 'Coin' button, 'Pause' button and recoil switch. The force feedback isn't as aggressive as it was on the original Time Crisis arcade machine, where the entire top portion of the gun would snap back when taking a shot, but it's still fairly effective.
The braided cable that comes with the gun is refreshingly long, and thankfully hasn't been swapped out for a rubber-coated one – as I was told would be the case during my hands-on preview back in July.
The trigger on the gun is clicky and responsive, and I'd say it is a step up from the one seen on the Sinden Light Gun – another solution for playing these kinds of games on modern-day televisions. The G'AIM'E also feels a lot lighter than the Sinden.
The Premium and Ultimate editions also include a pedal, which allows you to properly replicate the feel of playing Time Crisis in your living room. The pedal feels solid, and the rubber feet ensure it remains in place when playing on a wooden floor. However, it does tend to move around a little if you have a carpeted room.
While the pedal allows you to get the true coin-op experience, I actually found myself relying more on the button on the gun's barrel to control my reloading/hiding in the game, which isn't as authentic but certainly feels a little more intuitive (but that might be because I've spent more time with the PS1 version of this game than the arcade original). Having both options is great.
The 'Ultimate' pack I was sent for review also comes with a plastic Time Crisis diorama and a pin badge – two non-essential items, sure, but neat bonuses nonetheless. It's also worth noting that the power supply isn't included in the 'Basic' and 'Premium' SKUs, but you can use pretty much any 5V 3A USB power block. Finally, the only SKU that includes two guns is the Ultimate one.
G'AIM'E Light Gun Review: Performance
Much was made of the G'AIM'E's AI-powered internal tech when the crowdfunding campaign was in full swing, but before you get visions of the gun 'learning' as it plays, allow us to share Tassei Denki's take on the process.
The G'AIM'E's AI has been 'trained' on over 3,000 different screens, and "functions much like a seasoned expert – whether an art appraiser or a structural engineer," according to the manufacturer. "Through extensive training involving thousands of learning iterations, the AI develops a kind of intuitive judgment, shaped by experience rather than rote memory. When faced with new data, it doesn’t retrieve a specific past example; instead, it draws on its internalised expertise to make direct assessments."
Flowery word-salad aside, this basically means that the AI recognises where the TV is in your room, and therefore possesses "a deep, conceptual understanding of what defines a screen," says Tassei Denki. "When a new image is captured, the AI uses this learned knowledge to analyse it, identifying regions that exhibit screen-like features. It can then accurately determine the screen’s boundaries and vertices within the image."
So, there's no "learning" taking place here, and the only way to update or improve performance is by applying a software update in the future.
With that out of the way, what is the G'AIM'E Light Gun like to use? Well, the first big plus point it has over rivals like the Sinden and the Sinden-based Polymega Light Gun is the fact that it doesn't require a thick white border around the screen image – the aforementioned 'AI magic' allows it to track where the screen is in the room without the need of a garish visual guide.
Despite this neat feature, the G'AIM'E Light Gun is bound by the same limitations as its rivals. Because what you're effectively using here is a camera that's tracking what's happening on the screen in real-time, there's a noticeable amount of latency when quickly shifting your aim; this is especially apparent when you switch on the on-screen crosshair in Time Crisis (an optional feature the other games lack). Also, the cursor isn't as rock-steady as I'd like, even when you're not moving the gun – hold your aim, and you'll notice that it jitters ever-so-slightly.
To be clear, this is a shortcoming that is equally apparent with the Sinden, and if I'm being brutally honest, I don't think it's anywhere near bad enough to ruin the experience, despite how catastrophic it might sound on paper. In fact, when you use the device in its optimal setting (as explained in detail in the tutorial when you turn on the system), performance is impressive – it's just that reaching that point often requires a bit of effort.
The instructions make it very clear that the initial setup and calibration are vital; if you move position or even come closer to the screen, you'll need to recalibrate everything again to ensure things perform as expected. Calibration is required every single time you boot up the device, which can be annoying but ensures that you're always getting the best possible accuracy for your setup. Playing in a darkened room also has a positive impact on performance.
When you hit that sweet spot, using the G'AIM'E often feels like technological magic; shot accuracy is genuinely stunning.
G'AIM'E Light Gun Review: TV Testing
Depending on the size of your TV, you'll need to ensure you're at the correct distance away from it. As I've just said, playing in a slightly darkened room, with no other strong sources of light, also helps. It goes without saying that you'll also want to ensure there are no other screens in view of the gun, as it will become confused about which display it's supposed to be 'looking' at.
To kick things off, I tested the G'AIM'E Light Gun on a 46-inch OLED TV and found that it struck the sweet spot for my personal setup at home. Tassei Denki recommends standing between two and three meters from the screen with a TV this size, and that's about the limit of my living room. With the curtains closed and my distance locked in, I found the G'AIM'E is surprisingly accurate.
If you own a larger TV, you may struggle to find the optimal viewing distance, depending on the room's size and furniture layout.
TVs of 65 inches and over demand between three and four meters of distance between the display and the player, which might be more than many people can achieve; for example, the 65-inch TV we have in the Hookshot Media office only has around a meter of space in front of it, so I couldn't test the G'AIM'E on it at all. However, if you're lucky enough to have the space, playing on a larger TV definitely improves things – and the gun's super-long braided cable gives you a lot of freedom.
During my testing, one point really did ring true – distance is key. Even when playing on a 15.6-inch portable screen (not the ideal display, I will admit), I found that, if I struck the perfect distance, accuracy remained pretty decent.
As a rule of thumb, the G'AIM'E really likes to see as much of your screen as possible to ensure accuracy is as good as it can be, but if you're too far away, performance drops. Once you've found the best distance from your screen, things work really well indeed.
G'AIM'E Light Gun Review: The Software
The headline news here is that the G'AIM'E Light Gun comes pre-loaded with Namco's legendary Time Crisis, the 1995 coin-op smash hit that revolutionised the genre with its pedal-based, 'peek-a-boo' gameplay.
This isn't the first time the game has been available outside of the arcades; it was famously ported to PS1 (alongside the aforementioned GunCon) back in 1997. It goes without saying that it wasn't an arcade-perfect port, and at the time of writing, the only other way to experience Time Crisis in its original coin-op form is the Arcade1UP cabinet, which costs significantly more than the G'AIM'E Light Gun and is restricted to a small, built-in screen.
The other big news is that the version of Time Crisis included here has been specially prepared by Bandai Namco itself, which should mean it's the best way to experience the game (legally) at home.
As I've already mentioned, the Premium and Ultimate variants of the G'AIM'E Light Gun come with three additional titles: Point Blank, Steel Gunner and Steel Gunner 2. All four of these games are also included on the aforementioned Arcade1UP cabinet.
Time Crisis (1995)
Released in 1995 and powered by Namco's Super System 22 arcade hardware, Time Crisis revolutionsed the light gun genre by introducing a pedal which allowed players to duck in and out of cover to avoid enemy fire – a mechanic which also reloaded the gun, avoiding the issue of having to shoot outside of the screen to restore ammo (the system used in Sega's Virtua Cop and House Of The Dead games).
The version of Time Crisis featured here is based on the arcade original, and it looks stunning. As the title suggests, the clock is ticking, and it's vital that you clear each stage before the timer runs out. This mechanic introduces a 'speedrun' mentality, which means you'll keep coming back to achieve the best possible completion time.
The lack of a two-player mode does count against Time Crisis (this would become a series staple from Time Crisis 2 onwards), but this remains a stone-cold light gun classic.
It's worth mentioning that I experienced an odd audio issue while playing the game; during one playthrough, the music would repeatedly pause for less than a second before starting again. The gameplay was unaffected, but it was a distraction nonetheless. I couldn't replicate this behaviour on subsequent playthroughs, and I will also note that I wasn't using the bundled power supply.
Point Blank (1994)
Released a year before stablemate Time Crisis, Point Blank is a shooting gallery on steroids. It uses 2D visuals and has a strong cartoon vibe, although there are stages which feature realistic-looking criminals and ninjas.
This is utterly tremendous fun with two players – in fact, I dare say it's the game that you're going to be putting the most time into, given that Time Crisis' appeal does wane a little once you've completed it.
It's just a shame that the excellent sequels weren't included as well.
Steel Gunner (1990)
Namco's first light gun game, Steel Gunner is a lot of fun, even if the 2D visuals are less striking than the 3D of Time Crisis.
Running on the company's System 2 Plus arcade hardware, this rail shooter features bold and colourful sprites, and while it lacks the wow factor of Time Crisis, it's still worth playing through a few times, especially if you can convince a second player to join in. The destructible environments are a lot of fun.
Steel Gunner 2 (1992)
Released two years after its forerunner, Steel Gunner 2 is very much more of the same; while it introduces new enemies and levels, the action is very similar to the previous title.
That's no bad thing, as it's still one of the better 2D light gun shooters.
All in all, you've got a quartet of excellent light gun games here – but sadly, that's all you're going to get.
While Tassei Denki has been very open about the fact that it sees a bright future for the G'AIM'E project, the business model will be built around selling the same hardware repeatedly, rather than allowing users to download new games to their existing boxes.
So, when the inevitable Time Crisis 2 G'AIM'E arrives in the near future, it's going to mean making another similarly-sized investment to this initial product offering – unless, of course, Tassei Denki comes up with a way of updating the games on the device using its USB-C connection (there's no Wi-Fi, so you can't update things that way, but the company has confirmed that you'll be able to apply updates in some form in the future).
It is possible that the main G'AIM'E box will be sold individually to prevent existing owners from having to purchase guns they don't need, but this remains to be seen.
G'AIM'E Light Gun Review: Which Bundle To Buy, And Where To Buy It
As I've already mentioned, the G'AIM'E comes in three SKUs:
Basic ($99.99 / £99.99 / €99.99)
- G'AIM'E Lightgun
- TV mini-console featuring TIME CRISIS
Premium ($149.99 / £149.99 / €149.99)
- G'AIM'E Lightgun
- TV mini-console featuring TIME CRISIS and three other Lightgun classics - POINT BLANK, STEEL GUNNER and STEEL GUNNER 2
- Pedal, for true arcade action
- Collectable TIME CRISIS Pin Badge
Ultimate ($199.99 / £199.99 / €199.99)
- Two G'AIM'E Lightguns so you can enjoy co-op gaming with friendly rivals
- TV mini-console featuring TIME CRISIS and three other Lightgun classics - POINT BLANK, STEEL GUNNER and STEEL GUNNER 2
- Pedal, for true arcade action
- Collectable TIME CRISIS Pin Badge
- Collectable TIME CRISIS Diorama Stand
- Type-C AC Power Adapter
You can pre-order these bundles directly from the manufacturer, with units expected to ship in December. Pre-orders are also available via other stores – you can check which ones here.
The Basic bundle, while £50 / $50 / €50 cheaper than the Premium, only includes a single gun and is missing the pedal, as well as three of the four available games. Unless you're working with a tight budget and you only want to play Time Crisis, I'm not sure it makes much sense from a value perspective.
The Premium bundle includes three extra games and the pedal, which significantly enhances immersion while playing Time Crisis. For $149.99 / £149.99 / €149.99, this bundle offers a more complete experience – but it's still sadly lacking the extra gun. Even so, Point Blank alone is almost worth the additional outlay.
In addition to having two guns, the Ultimate bundle includes a power supply (a substitute for which you likely already have in your home), a pin badge and a diorama stand.
If you know someone else who owns a G'AIM'E, you can use their gun for two-player games and opt for the Premium bundle – otherwise, you're looking at a cool $199.99 / £199.99 / €199.99 for the 'complete' experience, which might be too high for some people.
G'AIM'E Light Gun Review: Conclusion
Tassei Denki clearly wanted to make the biggest splash possible with its G'AIM'E initiative, and I think it has managed that with the final product. The G'AIM'E Light Gun is easy to set up on any television (or projector), and is accurate enough to ensure things are enjoyable – provided you follow the calibration instructions to the letter. Once you find the ideal setup, it's a pleasure to use.
Like similar products, such as the Sinden (starting price: $115, and you'll need a PC, too) and Polymega's gun ($110, and requires a Polymega console, which costs over $550), accuracy isn't 100% all the time – after all, what you're dealing with here is a camera that 'reads' and processes what's happening on-screen in real-time, and that process can sometimes introduce jitter and a small amount of latency.
However, even old-school CRT-based light guns were susceptible to a little bit of inaccuracy at times; indeed, the G'AIM'E feels (at least to my memory) very close to playing on a PS1 with the GunCon, or playing Time Crisis in the arcade – especially when you've got it calibrated perfectly on a decent-sized TV in the perfect environmental conditions. When you consider that Tassei Denki's solution is reasonably priced compared to the competition, easy to set up, and allows you to play on modern TVs without any expensive modifications, I'd say it's a win.
I still have some misgivings about Tassei Denki's business model – I'd much preferred to have a single box which allows me to install new games, either digitally or physically, and the multiple bundles feel needlessly confusing – but ultimately, the G'AIM'E gives you access to two of the best light gun shooters ever seen in arcades in Time Crisis and Point Blank, along with two very enable bonus titles with the Steel Gunner duo.