I like to play videogames, listen to music, sing, air-drum, play and watch football, and write. That...
I like to play videogames, listen to music, sing, air-drum, play and watch football, and write. That's not to say I'm any good at them though!
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*A review which is primarily based on the single-player experience of the third-person action-adventure game, Jet Force Gemini.*
Jet Force Gemini sees you taking on the evil tyrant of Mizar in a battle across the universe, and although the story, aimed at children (above the age of eleven - thanks ELSPA), can seem silly in places, the plot twists are simply stupid:
[SPOILERS] When an asteroid is set on a collision course with Earth, an ancient starship is needed as the Jet Force ships won't be able to get there in time. However, not only do the Jet Force Team have to search for the ship parts, but they are also asked to save all of the Tribals - as if this doesn't take time (not the only thankless task which is a pain in the ass)! It's a farce as they would crash the starship on the Asteroid, yet still allow for players to travel to previous stages (though this is welcome). Oh, but the force is strong in this one as the final scenes scream out 'Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope', except all are awarded a medal. [END OF SPOILERS]
The weapons arsenal can be huge, so scrolling through them can be slow; for the bosses it doesn't help to have the weapons that are ineffective against them in there, and switching to the weapons assigned to the d-pad is awkward. Now, care needs be taken into the consideration of the Capacity Crates, as these are finite. Ammo Crates however, appear again and again. The problem with the standard-issue Jet Force Pistol is that, not only does its charge require refilling after only a few shots, but it also needs topping up as the weapon is reduced to firing weaker shots when out of ammunition. Worst case scenario being a reliance on this weapon - especially when fighting a boss in a form which is incapable of dealing damage to the player. Health and ammo can be replenished by a Service Robot at a Console, and whilst this comes at the cost of Mizar Tokens, these must not be worth much as those taken are replaced on re-entry of an area.
Presentation-wise, Jet Force Gemini is well animated (check those moves out at the end credits) and has great reflections-effects. It can be tricky to determine where the Gems exist though since they are rendered in pixels and appear flat. Sadly the framerate is not too steady, and there is some slowdown as the action heats up. The music, presented in Dolby Surround Sound, really adds to the atmosphere of the game.
The twins Juno and Velo can fire when crouching but not crawling. Of the controller configurations, NORMAL does not give as complete a control as EXPERT. Since the controls can be a handful it would have been handy to have been able to toggle Targeting Mode on and off. As the camera can only be centered, thankfully there are not too many jumps to make in this game. Jet Force Gemini places as much emphasis on exploration as it does on the shooting, and even if the Region Markers are handy, the twist in the story whereby pretty much everywhere needs be searched thoroughly, such that no stone is left unturned, is sure to throw some players off! What slows the game down though is not being to skip the sequences of the ships parking up whenever another stage is selected - the advantage of a game being on cartridge is that there should not be such waiting times.
It was third time lucky for me - the plot twist threw me off first time, and on the second time I was not well prepared for the final fight. Despite this, I found this to be a fulfilling game and thus finished it on my third attempt. Since the single-player game is played to such perfection, it can count on the multi-player modes and mini-games to come up with the replay value. If you can forgive Jet Force Gemini for it's fair share of (3D game) flaws, then it's a sizeable challenge worth tackling.
No matter how you slice it,Jet Force Geminiis one tough game. But the frustration of ... more
playing this epic is tempered by the sheer magnitude and quality found within. Be forewarned, this run-and-gun action-fest is not for everyone. In fact, novices may be...
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Aug 3rd, 2009
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