Jet
Force Gemini
MSRP: $49.99
Number of Players: 1-4
Developer: Rare
Publisher: Rare
Reviewer: Douglas Rensch
From
its humble beginning as a small development house for the Sinclair computer in the early 80’s, Rare (formerly Ultimate) has come
a long way. After they exploded with Donkey Kong Country on the
SNES, Rare has been regarded as one of the best development houses in all of gaming. Their work on the N64
is only bested by Nintendo themselves. Now, the same development team that produced the underrated sleeper hit
Blast Corps has a new title on shelves. Does Jet Force Gemini live up to the high standards that
Rare has set?
The premise behind Jet Force Gemini is an homage to campy sci-fi serials such as
"The Thunderbirds" and "Flash Gordon," with a few contemporary
influences tossed in for good measure. Juno, the deliberate leader of the Jet Force
team; his hot tempered sister, Vela; and their loyal cybernetic dog, Lupus, are the last three members of Jet Force Gemini. Mizar, the Galactic despot, has hunted down and killed all of the other Jet Force
teams on his way to galactic conquest. The last straw is Mizar’s attack on Goldwood, a peaceful planet of Ewok-like creatures called
Tribals. The adventure begins as the lone remaining Jet Force ship is attacked by Mizar’s ship on route to Goldwood.
Much like Blast Corps, Jet Force Gemini is not a game that
is easily defined. It shares characteristics of many genres, but doesn’t really fit into any
one on its own. Jet Force Gemini mixes elements from
platformers, first-person shooters, adventures, racers and other genres. The mixture
seems to work well and provides lots of variety, especially in multiplayer.
Control in Jet Force Gemini takes some serious time to get used
to. The main gripe being that you can’t map button functions.
The game has two main modes of control: standard third person and
"Sniper mode," which is more or less an first-person mode. All of the buttons on the controller are used
sans the L button. It is quite a complex control scheme, but well worth
learning. The two modes of control are toggled using R, and the controls change depending on
the mode you're using. At first, it is quite hard to control, but excellent level design and pacing slowly ramp up your abilities and, after a few hours, it will seem like second nature. Perhaps it could have been more
intuitive and easier to control but the complexity allows for more freedom.
Once you have rescued Floyd in the single
player mode, the game can then be played cooperatively by two players. One player assumes the roles of Floyd and the other is either Juno, Lupus, or Vela. Floyd is a floating robot who has automatic fire with limitless ammo. It isn’t
a mind shatteringly different idea, but co-op games are few and far
between. Jet Force Gemini with two players is lots of fun.
The first and last word about Jet Force Gemini probably revolves around its large variety of explosive weaponry. There are about 15 different weapons available to the
Jet Force Gemini team, and each has its place and opportunity for use. Of course, the more satisfying ones are those that reduce your enemies to a pile of goo, but even the most basic
Jet Force Gemini standard issue pistol can produce a prodigious amount of gore. Some of the more spectacular weapons are the homing
shuriken -- flying from body to body, lopping off heads -- and the Tri-Rocket that reduces any enemy to a puddle.
Rare’s mastery of the N64 technology is once again apparent as the graphics in
Jet Force Gemini are some of the best on the system. Light sourced weapons, high quality textures, and lots of on-screen baddies,
which are a delight to mow down with heavy weapons fire. The difference in appearance in levels is quite
striking and adds a large element of immersion in the planet-jumping story. The difference in between the cliffs of Rith Essa and the deserts of Cerulean
is an awesome visual treat.
The music in Jet Force Gemini is simply awe-inspiring, utilizing full Dolby encoding. It features John
Williams-like instrumental scores, and a homage to the electronica band, Juno Reactor, with a drum and bass rendition on Goldwood. Like Rare’s
Banjo Kazooie, it also features a heavy dose of real-time modulation of
the music, affecting both mood and immersion in the game. This is one of the few gaming soundtracks that
is worthy of a Compact Disc release. The sound effects are also quite nice. They have a quality of reality that fits with the over-the-top
weapons and creatures. Surround sound used as a key element in finding enemies and friends.
A recent trend in Rare game design uses multiple characters on branching paths,
which is something that some may not like. However in Jet Force Gemini, I believe that it is used quite effectively. At the beginning of the game, you can only play
Juno. Once certain objectives that are essential to the story are achieved, Vela, lupus and Floyd are unlocked. Each level has a certain number of Tribals that you must
free. Some are hard to find, while others yell for your attention. It is not essential to find, or even save, Tribals to complete a
level -- at least not at first. Once all the characters have been
unlocked and you face Mizar for the first time, you must then return to the levels to save all of the
Tribals in order to save Earth. You can also collect the heads of slain enemies to open cheat
modes and, if you want, the heads of the Tribals as well. It can get tedious at times, while at other times it really is engrossing. Upon your second trip through the games, several new levels and game modes are unlocked, including two racers.
One is like Wipeout and one like Super Sprint.
Excellent level design is evident, as all of the levels are large and
varied and have enough logic to them so that you never really get frustrated.
Worthy of special mention
is the enemy AI. The enemy drones will attack in coordinated groups and work together to make your life miserable. They will use decoys, flanking maneuvers, and cover fire to attack you. Once I was under heavy fire from ground troops who were flanking me, and I positioned myself so that the snipers couldn’t hit me. So, what does the sniper do? He pulls out a grenade to flush me out. The enemies will sometimes
throw down their arms and surrender, but beware, the second you turn your back, they’ll pull a grenade on you.
As with all Rare games, Jet Force Gemini also features several multiplayer modes. At first, only two modes are
open: death match and shooting. The death match is similar to the one player game, except you kill your
friends. The shooter is like a gun game using the controller. After you have progressed in the game quite a bit, both racing modes will
open and more levels and options can be earned for the multiplayer modes. The multiplayer modes are not as fun as those in
GoldenEye, but the variety of modes and areas makes for a nice bonus. The
death match levels themselves are quite ingenious, and are reminiscent of some
Half-Life levels.
Despite a push from Nintendo, Jet Force Gemini will probably remain under the radar of most gamers. It isn’t easily accessible and requires a bit of dedication before it gets going. Once the game hits it’s stride then it becomes nearly impossible to put down. Each new level is a new experience and there is a large enough variety of terrain to keep the game interesting. As with all Rare games,
the graphics, sound and gameplay are a given. Multiplayer isn’t incredible but it
-- along with branching paths and multiple characters -- adds to the
replay value. Jet Force Gemini may not be for everyone, but it certainly is a game worthy of praise. Thumbs up.
Graphics
8.5
A large variety of environments and effects put
Jet Force Gemini in the upper echelon as far as graphics. Outstanding explosions, vistas, and lots of stuff on screen at once.
Sound & Music
9.5
Probably the best soundtrack I’ve ever heard in a game.
Control
7.5
Nothing is wrong with the control per
se, but there is a tough leaning curve. The inability to map buttons hurts the score a bit.
Replay Value
8.5
The game has inherent replay value, in the collection of drone heads and various other activities. Several solid multiplayer modes, and a co-op mode add to replay value. There are a lot of cheats that can be earned through replay--Oh yeah, and Mr. Pants!
Fun Factor
8.0
The game is compelling enough to keep you playing even after a long time. Wry British
humor, lots of atmosphere, cool music, and enough explosions to keep you on your toes.
Overall
8.5
This game is very close to being a classic. It has all the trappings of an incredible game, due to the fact it doesn’t immediately grab you, it loses a point. However it is an excellent game, and if you stick with it, it becomes apparent that
Jet Force Gemini is worthy of the Rare name.
From
its humble beginning as a small development house for the Sinclair computer in the early 80’s, Rare (formerly Ultimate) has come
a long way. After they exploded with Donkey Kong Country on the
SNES, Rare has been regarded as one of the best development houses in all of gaming. Their work on the N64
is only bested by Nintendo themselves. Now, the same development team that produced the underrated sleeper hit
Blast Corps has a new title on shelves. Does Jet Force Gemini live up to the high standards that
Rare has set?
Once you have rescued Floyd in the single
player mode, the game can then be played cooperatively by two players. One player assumes the roles of Floyd and the other is either Juno, Lupus, or Vela. Floyd is a floating robot who has automatic fire with limitless ammo. It isn’t
a mind shatteringly different idea, but co-op games are few and far
between. Jet Force Gemini with two players is lots of fun. 
Worthy of special mention
is the enemy AI. The enemy drones will attack in coordinated groups and work together to make your life miserable. They will use decoys, flanking maneuvers, and cover fire to attack you. Once I was under heavy fire from ground troops who were flanking me, and I positioned myself so that the snipers couldn’t hit me. So, what does the sniper do? He pulls out a grenade to flush me out. The enemies will sometimes
throw down their arms and surrender, but beware, the second you turn your back, they’ll pull a grenade on you.