JFG: what's all the fuss about? (Jet Force Gemini (N64))

Member Name: Cassanova

Product:	Jet Force Gemini (N64)
Date:	06/03/01 (47 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hours of....well fun?

Disadvantages: Not hugely exciting

Jet Force Gemini is a shooting/adventure game for the Nintendo 64. It was released a year or so ago and has received much praise.
I for one can't see what all the fuss is about.

Firstly, it was developed by Rare, who you should know by now make great games. Their software history includes Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Donkey Kong 64, and Banjo Kazooie etc...
You get the point, these guys make excellent games. They are like what Squaresoft or Namco are to the Playstation.
Without Rare, the Nintendo 64 might have crumbled.
I think you definitely get the point now.

First impressions

When I turned the game on the first thing that I noticed was that everything was very low in resolution. Even the logos were awful. I was very disappointed straight away.
Then when I started a new game, things got worse. The opening sequence was good but again it was low-res throughout. There were no sound effects (well, voices) and straight away I knew that the story wasn't going to be, well, exciting. The story is very unoriginal and very tedious. Some might argue that it doesn't need a story because the gameplay is so great, but I would argue that the gameplay is very repetitive and you find yourself waiting for something exciting to happen.

Gameplay

As I said above, the gameplay is not all that hot. At first I enjoyed it, and thought that it would be like an old-school shooter. You know, simple but fun, and very addictive.
Wrong again, it is over complicated (although you will get the hang of it), not simple enough, and you frequently say to yourself "Why can't it be like this or that".

This game is, admittedly, very long. It will take you up to 100 hours, probably. But unfortunately it is just like any other Nintendo 64 game. Because the cartridge is limited in size, the developers make you go back to all the old levels and find more of the secrets. When I first played Nint
endo 64 games it didn’t bother me, as most games have secrets. The problem is when a game just relies on this method.
I think that secrets should be a secondary option, unlike in this game where you really have to get them.

But don’t get me wrong, this game isn’t that bad. In fact it actually gets better as you progress.

Graphics

As I have said, they appear to be very low resolution and the game doesn’t run at a very fast speed. But the later levels are actually very good. One in particular is Mizar’s palace (or something, I honestly can’t remember the name). Not only can you see for miles, but the style and look of everything is incredible. The sky is a mix of orange and purple, sort of like a fantastic sunset. There is a beautiful and very large moon in the sky, which looks very well done. The scenery itself comprises of a huge temple that looks very menacing. The floor is another great aspect of this level. It is really shiny and reflects everything in the game.
I must admit, this game really surprises you. One minute you think that it is all boring and unexciting. The next, the quality of the graphics and gameplay are suddenly great.
I won’t talk about this any more as you will have to play the game to see just what I mean.

Music and sound

Although the sound effects are not all that, the music certainly is very good. Obviously the constraints of the Nintendo 64 cartridge don’t allow for hours of fantastic music, but Rare have done very well anyway.

Lastability

Well, what can I say? This game is huge with a capital H. It will consume your life. Well it probably won’t because it isn’t that addictive, but it will take a long time to complete.

Overall

This game is really a mix of good and bad.
As the title of this opinion says, I can’t really see what all the fuss is about. This is a
great game, but it isn’t very special.
I think if you can buy this game for a good price, and you like shooting games, then you should go ahead and buy it.

Thanks for reading my opinion.

Cheers!

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