Time Crisis is back — and comes with an AI-powered Lightgun for your flatscreen TV

Remember when your gaming experience was limited to a giant, flickering box in the corner of the living room, and the only way to shoot virtual bad guys was with a clunky plastic gun that only worked if you stood perfectly still and had the sun behind you? Well, if you miss those days you're in luck, because Tassei Denki is here to whisk you back to those simpler, yet frustrating, times with their brand-spanking-new G‘AIM’E TIME CRISIS Lightgun! And this time, it comes with its own AI Brain.

For years, Lightgun enthusiasts have been mourning the death of their beloved pastime, alongside the demise of the humble CRT TV. Try plugging one into your sleek, ultra-thin tele, and you'd get about as much accuracy as a stormtrooper with a blindfold on. Luckily, Tassei Denki, a company that clearly understands the deep, existential void left by the lack of arcade-perfect Time Crisis at home, has flown in and delivered a humble hit of nostalgia.

The Kickstarter campaign is already live and has over 8,500 eager gamers registered, presumably still nursing phantom wrist pains from countless hours at the arcade. This new G‘AIM’E TIME CRISIS Lightgun is hitting the scene just in time to celebrate the game's momentous 30th Anniversary. All that’s missing, as they delightfully point out, is the constant need to feed it a steady diet of coins.

The company has ditched the temperamental infrared tech of yesteryear and embraced the threatening future of AI-driven hardware. This new Lightgun uses a high-resolution camera, which apparently makes it so smart it practically has a PhD in "point-and-shoot." Forget those frustrating calibration rituals that felt like you were trying to perform ancient arcane magic. This gun calibrates itself as you play – hopefully, it can help a shaky aim as well.

The device will also adapt to your seating position, so you can kick back on your sofa like true gaming royalty and still hit every shot. The gun just learns and adapts, even taking into account someone walking in front of the screen to make sure everything is okay.

If you’re ready to re-enlist as Richard Miller, the secret agent who single-handedly proves that one man can make a difference, then there are various Kickstarter tiers to get your trigger finger twitching. From the Basic package, which gives you the weapon and Time Crisis, to the Ultimate package, which includes two guns for co-op chaos, a pedal for that authentic arcade "pop out and shoot" action, and enough collectable goodies to make your shelf groan. Just remember, global prices are in JPY, so brush up on your exchange rates, or you might accidentally order enough Lightguns to arm a small militia.

Dr. Andrew Steel, CEO of Tassei Denki, stated, "We couldn’t be more excited to work with our patrons in launching our new project, designed to bring authentic arcade thrills back to the home, without the fuss, hardware and additional setup to enable Lightgun accessories to operate on modern displays."

If you’re tired of modern gaming’s endless open worlds and complicated skill trees, and yearn for the simple joys of kicking it in an arcade, then the Kickstarter page is the place you need to be, with over 50 days left to sign up.

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