Jet Force Gemini

"Rare's new shooter will keep you busy for a LONG time"

With over two years in the works and redesigned characters, Jet Force Gemini finally arrives on the Nintendo 64. Although the game does have a few problems, it is a solid title that definitely deserves a look. The game is mainly a 3rd person shooter, with exploration and puzzle solving thrown in.
In the game, there are three characters to choose from, Juno, Vela, and Lupus the dog. Each character possesses a certain ability, for example, Juno can walk on fire, Vela can swim underwater, and Lupus can hover in the air. In the game you travel from stage to stage, with each character having a separate path to the boss Mizar. After Mizar is reached with all three characters, each character can then travel to all the stages. All this adds up to one lengthy quest, which takes over 50 hours to complete for first time gamers. The stages all are very different from one another, with forest worlds, military bases, and space stations. There are a few problems with this game though. The first is, you cannot skip the cut scenes, they are long and you have to see them every time you switch a stage. Another problem is the control layout, which take a while to get used to and can be awkward sometimes.
The graphics are about what you would expect from a Rare game, the stages are huge and detailed. The cut scenes is where the game shines brightly, especially the spaceships. The sound is great too, with mainly classical like music. The bosses are also done wonderfully, they are HUGE, topping any boss I've played on the Nintendo 64 so far, and believe me the are challenging.
With all problems aside, Jet force Gemini is a very rewarding game to play. For shooting fans, this game is a must have with only a few problems. This title has graphics and sound that are above most other N64 games, there is only a hint of slowdown at times when there are a lot of enemies shooting at you. Also, this game features a multiplayer mode that is similar to Goldeneye's, although not nearly as good. There is a multiplayer shooting contest similar to Area 51 and House Of The Dead which is very fun to play. If you still can't decide wheter to buy this game, give it a rental, though you probably won't be able to see everything the game has to offer in a few days due to it's VERY LONG quest.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/02/00, Updated 02/02/00