Product description
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After seeing his parents murdered by space pirates, Juno swore
to fight evil in all its manifestations. Displaying
lightning-quick reflexes and extraordinary self-possession, Juno
is known throughout the Union for keeping calm in the midst of
the most ferocious firefight. When drones stealthily board the
Jet Force's scout craft, Juno provides cover so his comrades can
escape. Juno is one of three characters you can play as in Jet
Force Gemini. The other two are Lupus the doggie, and Vela the
pretty-but-tough space adventuress.
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Review
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Like the Chicago Bulls of the early 1990s or the San Francisco
49ers of the 1980s, some teams just keep finding ways to win time
and time again. It's no different for video-game developers,
especially if the developer's name is Rareware Its latest
endeavor, the 3D space adventure Jet Force Gemini, has such a
wide variety of awesome gameplay that it could be broken up into
four separate games - and still get strong reviews. That said,
Jet Force Gemini easily joins Rareware's already impressive
stable of hits, which includes GoldenEye 007 and Banjo-Kazooie.
At first glance, Jet Force Gemini seems like a compound
that incorporates the best elements from several successful
franchises: Take Turok's enemies, add in Banjo-Kazooie's
gameplay, include GoldenEye's sniping action, then throw in a
Star Wars-like theme complete with sidekick droids and furry
Ewok-like creatures known as Tribals - and mix. The game's basic
goal is to search for and rescue the Tribals, who've been
attacked and enslaved by alien insects. To do this, you assume
the role of three main characters ( eventually as the
game progresses): the fraternal twins Juno and Vela, plus their
canine mascot, Lupus. Once they are , you can play any of
those characters' unique, moderately sized quests in whatever
order you please. There's also a wealth of multiplayer modes
(more on that later).
Since finding Tribals is the name of the game, its multipart
levels offer plenty of exploration. However, it's possible to go
an entire level without finding a single one, since many levels
have branching paths and optional locations to visit. You may
also find multiple exits in a level that lead to optional secret
levels. The game's free-flowing nature gives virtually no hints,
so you must figure things out on your own (a prospect that may
frustrate novices; it's easy to get "stuck" in a few levels).
Many of the levels offer simple puzzles that you can solve to
save Tribals, such as one in which you move color-coded platforms
to get across a room. However, most of the fun is reserved for
killing baddies.
In terms of AI, enemies have basic common sense: They can run for
cover, dodge, weave, and they have weak points and defenses. Some
enemies use different attacks, depending on whether they've
spotted you or not. Others are mindless drones who use sheer
numbers to overwhelm. This AI lets you develop your own playing
style in response, which is highly rewarding for a game of this
nature. You might prefer to snipe from afar and use available
cover (such as boxes and walls) to avoid return fire. Or you
might just want to pull a Rambo and go in s a-blazin'. Each
strategy has its drawbacks (losing time vs. losing life). You can
also play from a third-person perspective, which is harder but
necessary for jumping. You can always revert to first-person view
on the fly, which makes targeting enemies much easier.
The game's control scheme actually flip-flops between two views,
depending on how the game's being played. In the default
third-person view, the player uses the analog joystick to move
around, the C buttons to strafe, jump and crawl, and the A, B and
Z buttons to select weapons and fire. In this view, it's rather
difficult to shoot enemies (especially at close range), which may
prove frustrating to some gamers. To help alleviate this problem,
the game uses the R button to switch to a first-person view more
akin to Turok's. The C buttons become movement buttons, while the
joystick becomes the crosshair target. Mastering this mode
becomes essential, since you must directly at certain weak
points to kill tougher enemies and bosses. This flip-flop in
control can get confusing - and the confusion is only compounded
by the lack of a jump button in first-person view. Those who've
played Turok-type games may prefer to play most of the game in
first-person view, which is OK except for the chore of keeping
the R button down throughout the entire game. Overall, the
control remains responsive at all times - but the awkwardness in
using two very different control styles in the same game might
prove distasteful to some.
What makes Jet Force Gemini work is a philosophy that is
prevalent throughout Rareware's games: Make it easy to beat, but
difficult (and rewarding) to complete 100 percent. Since you'll
find new power-ups along the way (such as robot droids, keys,
weapons and jet packs), you'll want to backtrack through the
levels to explore previously unreachable areas and find secrets -
this boosts the game's replay value immensely. It's in this area
of the game that Jet Force Gemini really shines. One of the best
secrets is a robot named Floyd; after you've found all his hidden
parts and put him together, he'll becomes your sidekick. What
makes Floyd so innovative is that a second player can take
control of Floyd's targeting and turn the one-player game
into a two-player co-op mode. Plus, Floyd acts as a special "key"
to areas that lead to special mini-missions (yet another new type
of game), in which the robot must fly through courses within a
certain time limit. Plus, there's always the reward for rescuing
every single Tribal (and yes, you Ewok-clone haters will have the
ability to kill every single one, as well). You can also find
secrets to unlock hidden characters and modes for the multiplayer
games. Plus, with tons of hidden areas in each level, where you
can find weapons and weapon upgrades, there's seemingly no end to
things to look out for. --Nelson Taruc
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written
permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot
logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc. -- GameSpot Review
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