The ultimate toy versus toy battle! (Gotcha Force (GC))

Member Name: randomreviews

Product:	Gotcha Force (GC)
Date:	26/09/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: vibrant scenes, diverse characters to choose from

Disadvantages: not much of a plot

Looks can be deceiving. When I first saw this game on the shelf at GameStop, I didn't even bother with it. First of all, its called Gotcha Force - not exactly a cool, enticing title. I thought it was some lame kid's game. The packaging is pretty crappy too. If you go on popular review sites like IGN or GameSpot, you'll even see the game received mediocre reviews. I wrote the game off as trash until I stumbled over some gameplay videos of it on YouTube and noticed the comments were loaded with tons of fans who didn't have anything negative to say about the game. It actually looked interesting so I bought it and I have to admit, this is definitely one of the most underrated gems on GameCube that few players seem to be aware of.

The plot itself is extremely basic - evil toy sized "Gotcha Borgs" arrive on Earth and you're the human who encounters G-Red, a good Gotcha Borg and team up to fight the Death Force. Outside of a few minor interactions before battles, the plot really doesn't get any deeper than that. You're just going from place to place to battle.

There are RPG elements involved because as you battle you earn experience that helps increase your borg's level and parameters like hit points. Battles can be extremely chaotic. You're constantly on the move against multiple opponents and trying to dodge, block and attack. Its very fast paced but fun because you have numerous options for attacks. When you win you may unlock new borgs which you can add to your team to use to help in various stages based on their combat type. Some borgs can be used as healers, long range shooters, close range attackers with swords and so on. There is a degree of strategy involved because you have to select a partner to assist you in battle and of course you have to select the appropriate borgs to add to your own party so you can survive. There is a tier system, so some borgs lose their effectiveness quickly. In addition to winning, you earn more points which allow you to expand your team and also permits you to user higher tier borgs - so the game maintains a challenge since you're not just immediately allowed to form the most perfect team. You're also graded and ranked based on your time and dodge/hit ratio which determines how much experience you earn.

There are over 200 borgs to unlock so there's a lot of diversity in what your team will be. Each borg has a certain theme, like ninja, cowboy, angel, dragon, samurai, etc. Stages are pretty large and detailed but tend to have a juvenile theme - like a sandbox in a park for instance.

The game supports 4 player versus or tag team modes as well. Since its a GameCube game it also works on Wii. I guess if you combined Pokémon with Custom Robo you'd probably end up with Gotcha Force. It can get repetitive at times mainly due to the lack of storyline but if you've got siblings or friends over you'll probably enjoy it more. The camera can be a fatal flaw but mastering a borg's skills and executing strategies in real time combat can be very satisfying and motivating to continue playing.

Summary: Gotcha Force is an addictively fun game that has more of a childish appearance.