G’AIM’E Lightgun review: A great if extravagant addition to your game room

If you frequent second hand stores, chances are you’ll have seen at least one lightgun sitting forlornly on the shelf, whether that’s the PlayStation G-Con or some comparable device. The problem is that, as cool as lightgun games are, this old tech is useless without a CRT TV.

That’s where the G’AIM’E lightgun comes in. It uses an AI-assisted barrel camera to detect what’s going on the TV screen and, in theory, replicates the same kind of experience PlayStation owners had with their G-Cons. In fact, Time Crisis is one of the games bundled with the system, alongside Steel Mission 1 & 2 and Point Blank. But does it deliver?

Yes, but it requires work. I certainly can’t fault the G’AIM’E lightgun on presentation. The bundle I was sent, the Ultimate Pack, includes a pair of blue G’AIM’E guns (wired with 4M cables) which feel suitably well built. They’re plastic but there’s nothing flimsy about them or the foot pedal that also came with it. And while the pin badge will probably end up in a drawer somewhere, the acrylic Time Crisis display looks cool on my shelves.

The base G’AIM’E unit is a black box (likely Android) that fits neatly on your TV stand and is powered by a USB-C connection. I was able to power it from my PlayStation 5’s USB-C port, which should give you an idea of how little power it guzzles. Between the box and the guns, you could easily store this stylish setup in a drawer.

So how does the G’AIM’E perform? Once you’ve got it properly set up, pretty damn well. However, it’s the setup that’s the biggest barrier to getting the most out of the G’AIM’E guns. They’re advertised as ‘Plug and Play’ but there’s a significant amount of work involved in finding the sweet spot, and the layout of your room can have an impact.

I first tried setting the G’AIM’E up in my lounge, with a 40 inch TV, standing between 2 and 3 metres away, as instructed by the manual. Despite following the calibration steps, which have you firing at on-screen targets, it was only half as accurate as it should be.

I was getting close, but the fact that the optional crosshair wobbled when I held the G’AIM’E still, didn’t fill me with confidence. Point Blank’s “shoot the apple off the guy’s head” challenge seemed like an unobtainable achievement. Moving furniture around, covering my glass TV stand with a blanket, and opening and closing the windows didn’t help either.

However, setting the G’AIM’E up in my office/games room offered a world of difference. Even though I was sitting closer than G’AIM’E developer Tassei Denki advises, accuracy was near perfect. I was able to shoot the apple off that Point Blank character’s head without ventilating his skull, and Time Crisis was a dream to play.

Time Crisis is, in fact, the best of four games on offer by far, and not just because it’s the only proper 3D game. Pressing the pedal to emerge from cover, gunning down foes and then ducking down again, never gets old. If the bundle you’ve bought doesn’t include the pedal, the button on the side of your gun has the same effect, though I’d have sooner it be a toggle.

Everything, from the relentless foes to the ridiculously cheesy cutscenes will remind you how great Time Crisis is or, if you’re a newcomer to the series, absolutely delight you. Steel Gunner 1 and 2, though sprite-based and with no use for the pedal, are still a joy to play. And while it’s more of a shooting gallery than a level-by-level blast, Point Blank had me grinning too.

The G’AIM’E is comfortable to use and while the ‘recoil’ is less pronounced than your average gamepad’s force feedback, it’s a neat touch. I tackled the G’AIM’E solo, but all the games support two players, which promises to dial the fun factor up a notch.

What the G’AIM’E currently doesn’t support is extra games. The guns work, in a roundabout way, on the PC, which is a potential source of additional games. And, while there are three G’AIM’E bundles, as below, priced at £199, £149 and £99, there’s no Time Crisis 2. Tassei Denki has not confirmed more games will be coming to the system, so it may be that you’re stuck with just these four.

As far as accuracy goes, while I had a positive experience, a brief poke around confirms that not everyone has been so lucky. Tassei Denki is aware of these issues and has updated the Japanese firmware with an option to address them, but that’s still not arrived in the west. So be aware it may not be as plug and play as G’AIM’E advertises; your results may vary.

Ultimately, if you’ve got a love of lightgun shooters and your own dedicated room to set the G’AIM’E up in, the G’AIM’E Lightgun Ultimate Pack is a worthy, if pricey, purchase. I know I’ll be returning to the world of G’AIM’E on a regular basis, as well as further delving into its PC potential.