Namco Bandai: Guncon 3 NOT sold separately

by Andrew Yoon { Dec 6th 2007 at 10:00PM }

How much do you like Time Crisis 4? Is it the kind of game you'd spend $180 on? Well, that's what Namco Bandai is asking from players that want to play the game with two players. The Guncon 3 peripheral does not come separately, and will not come separately from the game, effectively forcing fans to purchase two copies of the game. The Consumerist contacted Namco Bandai's live support and got this response: "I'm sorry, but the Guncon 3 is not sold separately. It is only sold bundled with Time Crisis 4 ... If you wish to play two players using two Guncon 3s then you will need another copy of Time Crisis 4."

Strangely, Namco Bandai won't sell extra controllers directly either. "We do not sell replacement Guncon 3s. If the Guncon 4 [sic] is defective, then we can provide an RMA exchange where we'll inspect and repair or replace your Guncon 3."

Much of the appeal of games like Time Crisis 4 comes from the ability to play with friends. Why is Namco Bandai making it so difficult (and expensive) for PS3 fans to make Time Crisis 4 a better game? "At least it's cheaper than the arcade version," must be thought going through their heads.

[Thanks, Alkaiser!]

Tags: consumerist, guncon, guncon-3, namco-bandai, time-crisis-4

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Sinspaw @ Dec 6th 2007 10:11PM

One word for you bandai. Ridiculous

Kspraydad @ Dec 6th 2007 10:31PM

Andrew...can you IP ban crap like this?

Andrew Yoon @ Dec 6th 2007 10:31PM

Yep. It's done.

stirlo @ Dec 6th 2007 10:41PM

doh! it's _really_ easy to get my GF to play 2 player games with me, but COD, motorstorm and SKATE are a lot harder - time crisis will fall into that boat as well unless they release separate guncons..

PETEJOZ @ Dec 6th 2007 11:10PM

I don't really care about getting two guns, since I have no friends =(.

Nah, joking, it's just that nobody is willing to play such a game, the thing that pisses me off as that they won't replace the gun. So what are you supposed to do if your gun breaks?

Tim @ Dec 6th 2007 11:13PM

Man that is freakn harsh. "No Xtra Gun for you!"

I'm sure they will come around...eventually, after the game has been our a while.

nezromatron @ Dec 6th 2007 11:50PM

Easy fix. Keep emailing them at : support@namcobandaigames.com

If they don't offer extra guns, there is really no point in buying this game.

standinside @ Dec 6th 2007 11:57PM

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-zo-49-en-70-2bn6.html

then what the heck is this? does it mean u can only get the japanese one?

Andy @ Dec 7th 2007 12:11AM

Hmm...

This is slightly odd.

Are there any other Guncon3 games coming out?

Benjamin09 @ Dec 7th 2007 1:06AM

BOOOOO!!! Can I take my copy back now that I learned this?

secret @ Dec 7th 2007 1:38AM

It looks like a toy squirt gun.

ElLobo @ Dec 7th 2007 6:49AM

Anyone thinking of picking this up, it looks like they'll be selling this cheap on Amazon at 2 p.m. PST. Not sure how cheap, but not likely half price for two guns. I'm sure they'll sell it separately at some point. It'd be horrible if they wait until a second gun game comes out. Who knows when that'll be...

Here's the "hint" for Amazon's "Lightning Deal":

Gift giving Crisis? It's almost Time 4 a great video game deal.

ElLobo @ Dec 7th 2007 7:01AM

Never mind, I just found out it's $20 off regular price. There's only 5,000 available, too. Not sure if that's really all that sexy to anyone.

Nate @ Dec 7th 2007 7:47AM

I like this type of game in the arcade and would have gotten it for the PS3, but it's only good if it's two player and I'm certainly not paying for the game itself twice, especially since it got such poor reviews.

Sammy @ Dec 7th 2007 8:29AM

I think lightgun games seem tailored perfectly to be made as DLC for the PSN.
High resolution versions of the first three would be a great buy. Virtua cop series too. Why has Sony neglected to use the PSN as a host for older arcade titles. I know they want fresh software on the system but they could seperate remakes into another category. It would make the system a fair match for the virtual console. High Definition Rage Racer? Online arcade Daytona? *salivates*

As for the gun thing...it is kind of silly...I imagine it encourages most consumers to wait until this game is in the bargain bin or other games to be released before chancing their hands on the software. Maybe it even sends out a signal to show the hardware they created won't be heavily supported this generation.

Most importantly I think the industry needs to start creating seperate price points. Why are all games priced the same? Time Crisis is a bad example because it comes with included hardware and research and development that went into it...but had this been a solo game surely something like this costs much less to make than even the most basic of FPS?

I am rambling :D

TheSh0wstopper @ Dec 7th 2007 9:12AM

Fellas,

I understand how people who own this game might be upset that they cant get a 2nd gun but from a business perspective you have to understand why they are doing this. This game WILL NOT sell a million, duh. Hell it wont sell 1/2 million. PS3 ownsers dont buy many games (look at the sells of the 'BLOCKBUSTER' games like Drakes, Ratchet, Heavenly, etc...). If those didnt sell Time Crisis sure as hell isnt. So it would be dumb of them to start making extra guncons (which seems pretty expensive to make) for them to sit on store shelves and collect dust.

-TheSh0wstopper

Popfrogs @ Dec 7th 2007 11:11AM

Whether they put them in retail or have you order them direct from the company is their problem. Consumers like us are just begging for that choice. Namdai is being retarded on this one.

KosmoCrisis @ Dec 7th 2007 10:22AM

Can the game be played without the Guncon???

alienclays @ Dec 7th 2007 11:06AM

but would it be so hard for them to make a way to buy them direct? even if you had to wait 2-3 weeks for them to build it only on an on demand basis?

oh well, the price of making the BD and the packaging probably isn't all that much and the gun may not cost all that much less anyway.

nezromatron @ Dec 7th 2007 12:06PM

I think I will just buy the black one from japan. Looks way cooler than the orange thing we get anyway. (Though it will prob end up costing the same as buying another game, heh)

MGSteve @ Dec 7th 2007 1:05PM

That is ridiculous. Talk about screwing the consumer.

ryan @ Dec 7th 2007 2:57PM

rediculous.... we should petition to get them to offer the gun separatly...

ryan @ Dec 7th 2007 2:59PM

fortunatly for me i didnt have to pay full price for the game..

i only paid $50 buying it from rogers video...

it was their copy they had for rental but unfortunatly they are not allowed to offer or carry the game for some reason so to get rid of it they sold it at a used price of $49.99

ilike2game @ Dec 7th 2007 6:12PM

Well, i guess i'm going to have to import one from play-asia once they restock, but it's okay because the black one looks way cooler anyway. Or i might just wait until some good ebay deals come up. I think that's BS that the aren't realeasing the extra guns though.