Jet Force Gemini

"The biggest con with this game is that it will magically suck up most of your free-time."

- Jet Force Gemini Review -

Author: marshmallow

This situation with this game is rather odd. It has gotten "above average" reviews from most sites, yet gamers across the Internet (message boards, chat rooms...) view it as one of the best games to have come out in quite some time. This only leads me to believe that the sites (EGM, IGN64, etc.) have played BETA versions. This review is for the game that you can buy at the store, wrapped in plastic, manual, etc., not sent from the company...

GRAPHICS 9/10:

Considering the game took two years to make, and the original design plans go back to 1996, the graphics turned out rather nicely. Don't be deceived by the first level, with huge amounts of blurring and repetitive textures...the levels later in the game give Banjo-Kazooie a run for its money. But, you don't have to take my word for it...

There is no fogging, whatsoever, save for the mountain planet, in which it truly gives you the feeling of being hundreds of feet in the air. Some of the larger rooms and chambers will put you in disbelief at what the N64 can do when pushed, and the textures look very realistic (coming from a person who has played several Dreamcast games).

Now, slowdown. Many reviewers have said that there is severe slowdown in this game...I laugh in their faces! The framerates in this game are solid as a rock...in fact, I can only remember ONE, single incident where the slowdown was bad enough to affect gameplay, and that was in one of the last rooms in the Sekhmet Battle Cruiser, which was simply monstrous in size, and filled with dozens of enemies. For your information, Turok II's slowdown was very annoying, enough to affect gameplay. GoldenEye's stuttered here and there, but no one really cared because they were having so much fun. If you thought GoldenEye's framerate was acceptable enough to have fun, you will find Jet Force Gemini's acceptable as well.

MUSIC 10/10:

Nintendo always claimed the Nintendo 64 was capable of CD-quality sound, but many people (including myself) never truly believe them. Well, after seeing this title, I am a believer...The sound quality is AMAZING! Not only is this on a cartridge, but the N64 has no sound chip! This is definitely a major achievement, and should be acknowledged with heavy praise.

But of course, what's quality if the composition is bad? Well, I can assure you, the sound composition in this game is literally jaw-dropping. You will find many similarities to Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, and Aliens...which, naturally, fits the action perfectly well. You've heard of eye-candy? Well, Rare presents ear-candy.

You know how in other reviews, for other games, the author usually lists a few levels with awesome sounding music? Well, if I were to do this with this title, I would list just about every level in the game...

GAMEPLAY 9/10:

Oh, complete sweetness, at its best, in the purest form. The game's central core is of a hardcore shooter, which requires good aim, good battle skills, and of course, a knowledge of the enemy.

Speaking of the enemy Drones, they are, quite honestly, one of the smartest creatures I have ever witnessed in a game of this type. Instead of running at you and shooting regardless of the situation, they will hide behind boxes, and when you are not shooting, get back up and fire, then duck again. They will use corners of walls, crates, boxes, and other, more powerful creatures as shields, and will try to protect themselves at all costs. If a single Drone is left from what was once a group of six, it will often flee, looking for backup. They strafe left and right, evading gunfire, and even duck in open spaces. This will make the battles oh-so much more interesting.

What's a shooter without guns? The first few guns are standard fare -- Pistol, machine gun, tazer...Then you start to unlock some interesting features. Shurikens -- blade like razors that take off the head of the opponent, Tri-Rocket -- huge gun that causes devastating explosions...etc., etc...

The game starts off slow, mainly because you're just learning everything, and the controls feel strange. Switching from regular mode to manual mode, at first, is quite frustrating and confusing. However, after playing for several hours, it will become almost second nature, and is a very well implemented feature. So well, in fact, I would compare it to Z-targeting in Zelda V.

The levels are an absolute joy to play! You know, in almost any game you buy, there are always a few levels you like to play over and over? Well, in this game, just about every stage can be lumped into that same category, where you play them over and over. Thankfully, playing it many times will help you, because there are tons of secrets, power-ups, and even hidden paths to open up new worlds (many of which are not mentioned in the manual, such as the Gem Quarry, the abandoned space-station...).

I would say the game doesn't *truly* begin until Lupus, Juno, and Vela meet up at Mizar's Palace. I won't spoil anything, but after that, you are forced to find every Tribal (small Ewok-look alikes enslaved by Mizar) to beat the game! Some Tribals are out in the open, but many more are cleverly hidden. You will literally spend hours looking for the little things, and may come up with nothing.

I also must discuss its length. This game is titanic sized. Colossal. Gargantuan. Enormous. Gigantic. Enough adjectives to quench your thirst? Interestingly enough, there is a clock that keeps track of your gameplay time, and I am at 20 hours -- and about 50% through the game. If that's not long, what is?

REPLAY VALUE 8/10:

The multiplayer mode is nothing to write home about, even hardcore JFG fans would tell you this. However, it's there, and it can be a source of fun, so it does extend play time, I would imagine.

As for the one player game, it is truly a winner here. Secrets abound in each and every level, hiding in the dark recesses of the most hidden areas, waiting to be discovered by the player. Extra guns, perhaps? Totem poles for more secrets? Bonus missions that will help you even further? You name it, this game has it.

JET FORCE'S PROBLEMS:

Face it, no game is perfect, even the best of the best have certain flaws. Even the coveted Jet Force Gemini has some problems. They are no huge deal, and there's not a whole lot to talk about, so I'll just organize it into a list of sorts...

1. You can't skip the real-time cinemas before and after each planet! Sure, it's pretty nice to see the first few times, but after playing the level 50 times, it gets kind of annoying.

2. You can't replay the bosses (unless there is some secret code no one has discovered yet)! Rare admitted that they should have let you play Gruntilda again in Banjo-Kazooie, and they should have implemented it -- it seemed they would allow you to in this game, correct? Nope! Which, by the way, is truly sad, as the bosses are excellent, and a joy to fight.

3. Those who are not so good at games might have a difficult time with this title, as the difficulty in some of the levels is way up there (especially when hunting down Tribals). However, considering most people reading this are hardcore gamers, this would actually qualify as a plus.

IN CLOSING:

Jet Force Gemini is a game that no self-respecting gamer would want to miss. Hey, if you've been turned off by the average reviews from big company sites that might have played it only about 10 minutes, that's OK by me; it's your loss, not mine. While you're trying to snag the dwindling amount of copies at Blockbuster, just to try it out, I'll be in my cozy house, playing one of the best titles to have come out in quite some time...

OVERALL SCORE: 9/10

Of course, I am only one voice in a crowd of many. Go to message boards (particularly that of Nintendorks), chat rooms, ICQ...you will find that people all over love Jet Force Gemini. Even the most jaded gamers will find something to like, regardless of previous playing experiences. Do yourself a favor, and at least try the game. The absolute worst thing that will happen is that you will fall in love with it and have to shell out $50, and then lose most of your free-time. I should know -- it happened to myself.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99