Time Crisis 4 operates in the same manner as previous games in the arcade series. You move along a pre-destined route, shooting terrorists and occasionally facing off against a boss character. The game utilizes a simple duck-and-cover tactic. You stand out in the open to shoot enemies and then hide behind an object to avoid return fire while reloading your weapon.

Just don't expect an easy ride. Waves of killer bugs known as Terror Bites crawl towards you in swarms, requiring precision – and lots of ammo – to wipe them out. Objects fly out of nowhere, including trolleys and runaway vehicles. A couple segments even resemble Sega's Gunblade New York arcade game, where you fly around in a chopper and destroy everything in sight with a rocket launcher. There are also new multi-screen segments, where you force the included GunCon 3 peripheral left and right to shoot down enemy soldiers approaching from multiple directions.

The GunCon 3 is an interesting device. It's a bright orange light gun with a grip on the side and two analog sticks set up on a separate handle and on the back. Its functionality is good once you set up the necessary LED sensors on top of your television. However, sometimes it acts bizarrely, failing to read and pushing you to the wrong target. Overall, though, the gun works moderately well, with precision aiming and weapon switching coming off without many hitches.