Movie games tend to follow the
latest trends – if one particular genre is hot, they’ll jump on it like a dog
chasing a squirrel. Back when action/adventures reigned supreme, you couldn’t
find too many movie games – especially those geared at children – that didn’t at
least try to mimic some of what Sonic and Mario had accomplished. These days,
Halo and Gears of War clones are all the rage. Hence the creation of G-Force, a
third-person shooter that combines button-mash melee combat with a handful of
puzzles and a few minutes of platforming.
The combination is not remarkable
but felt like it could have been. G-Force succeeds in a couple crucial areas
(the controls are great and the camera is mostly reliable). It draws you into
the first few stages by introducing new weapons, new gameplay styles and new
challenges, engrossing the player with its high polish and unexpected charm. But
then – not unlike the games based on Up and Bolt – the objectives and level
types are repeated, leading to the dark and dreary land of repetition.
Undeniably, part of G-Force wants to
be Metal Gear Solid. You can see it in the guinea pigs’ gear, in the way they
walk, and even hear it in the soundtrack. But you won’t see it in the graphics,
which are movie-inspired but not movie-quality (not that the G-Force film can
compare to Metal Gear anyway). And you definitely won’t see it in the gameplay,
which jumps back and forth between running/shooting and hunting for key items.
The latter task is barely noticeable
at first, thanks to the way the game disguises several typical objectives. No
one wants to hunt for keycards to open locked doors or crawl through air ducts
to navigate a level unless it’s exciting. G-Force achieves that by surprising us
as we make our way through the game. For starters, the enemy lineup consists of
a bunch of appliances that come to life, spawn powerful weaponry, and attack
anything that moves. It’s not difficult to imagine where this inspiration came
from. But from a game standpoint, it works pretty well.
Instead of ironing clothes, irons
come to life and stand upright, using their metallic bellies to shield incoming
attacks. Their weak spot is revealed whenever they launch a fire ball; at that
time, their thick shield is split in two, revealing their sensitive interior.
Paper shredders seem like a great
thing for any business to have…until they start ejecting buzz saws and other
razor-sharp materials. And who knew they were invulnerable to retaliation? I
don’t remember reading that on the box, though there was a warning about keeping
it away from small pets and children. Now it makes sense.
Since it is often impossible to
avoid a shredder’s path, there is a way to defeat it: by using the power of
another enemy. Throughout nearly every stage, green laser beams will appear and
attempt to lock on to Darwin (the lead character). When the beam is locked into
place, it’ll turn red, indicating that an attack is coming. You can use this to
your advantage by moving near the shredder, stand around until the beam turns
red, and then jump out of the way. One zap is all it takes to eliminate this
threat.
Shredders may be some of the most
exasperating enemies in the game (they’ll kill you quick so you have to be
quicker), but they are not the only major obstacle. Many doors are blocked not
only by keycards but by satellite-controlled force fields. Darwin can’t pass
through the door until he eliminates the field, a task that is often too small
for him to accomplish. Thus, he turns to his radio-controlled fly: Mooch. Using
Mooch like a tiny helicopter, it’s possible to fly through vent covers and
maneuver around areas that Darwin can’t fit through or even reach. Mooch’s
attack abilities are limited to a weak stun gun, but the levels were designed
for him so it’s never a problem.
It is with these mechanical devices
– and others, such as a vacuum-inspired object that sucks and pushes Darwin
through the air – that G-Force becomes a game kids will be glad they started
playing. As kids defeat each new enemy and solve each new puzzle (which mainly
involve fetching objects, but they’re still fun), they’ll be encouraged to
continue. The weapons (laser blasters, a shotgun, an ice cannon that freezes
enemies, a hypnotic weapon that turns enemies into allies, etc.) are nothing we
haven’t seen before. But in this context, they’re great.
Then the worst – dare I say usual –
thing happens and the game starts to fall apart. A big portion of G-Force’s
entertainment value comes from its adjustment to new and exciting things. Before
you could become bored with the current objective, a new one appeared. But after
reaching the half-way point (about three or four hours in), the game runs out of
new things to introduce. Soon, objectives are reiterated in slightly varied
forms. Enemies are piled on to add difficulty to the adventure, and force fields
and key card collecting are used in excess. It’s the kind of thing you might
have expected to see in a very bad sequel. But it all happens within the same
game. It goes from cool and exciting to, “I’ve seen this. And that. And this…”
That’s not a deal-breaker for young
gamers; if your kid is more of a casual player, he or she probably won’t be too
bored by the repetition. In any case, this is not a game you’ll want to finish
in a day or two – even though it is possible to do so.
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Gameplay: 7.0
G-Force is a good starting point for young players who crave the shooter
gameplay that teen- and adult-oriented games provide. But if your kid has
already played a few rounds of Halo, G-Force isn’t likely to deliver much
satisfaction beyond a rental.
Graphics: 7.8
These furry critters are fairly detailed. The worlds, however, are fairly
lacking.
Sound: 8.0
After hearing the soundtrack, the above-average voice work seems like icing
on the cake. G-Force’s music is gripping, intense, and would work well in any
spy flick.
Difficulty: Easy
G-Force occasionally tries to overwhelm the player with too many enemies,
but even then the game doesn’t feel challenging; just slightly less easy than it
was without the onslaught.
Concept: 7.0
Not at all an unfamiliar experience. The one unique feature, 3D mode, uses
old technology (and old blue/red paper glasses) and doesn’t work very well.
However, the mixture of shooter gameplay, Mooch flying and light spy elements
are very appealing – and, minus the repetition factor, very polished.
Overall: 7.0
One of the better kid-specific action titles. But like so many movie-based
games, G-Force is very repetitive.
