So how on earth did G-Force of all games manage to buck not only a trend that has seized licensed titles for pretty much the entire history of video games, but also the trend of terrible kids' games? A little known artist called Picasso once said that good artists copy, great artists steal. Whether you interpret what G-Force has done as copying or stealing doesn't really matter. The bottom line is that developers Eurocom have picked up the Ratchet & Clank playbook, read it front to back, then back to front again, then photocopied it, scanned the photocopy to their email, then emailed it to themselves, then printed it out and called it G-Force.
We don't mean to sound too critical about this though. The way that G-Force blatantly pillages many of Ratchet & Clank's gameplay trademarks doesn't feel like they're trying to sneakily get away with it without people noticing, it seems more of a case of 'these mechanics work, so we're going to use them.' While we may not condone it, it has worked. Though we wouldn't suggest for a second that G-Force was anywhere remotely near the realm of quality that Ratchet & Clank occupies, it can exist as kind of a demented cousin, with the benefit of an established kids' IP that might just lure the young'uns into some decent gameplay. It's important that we nourish our gamers-to-be, and since we all know that Ratchet & Clank is a game for adults in disguise anyway, G-Force is a workable substitute.
If only Captain Qwark were here...
In G-Force you take on the role of secret hamster agent Darwin. The story naturally follows along the lines of the Dreamworks film, which is along the line of electrical appliances getting out of control because of some sort of virus (didn't that already happen in the Transformers movies?). Anyway, it's up to Darwin and his rodential cohorts to save the day, secret agent style. When you consider the secret agent aspect it makes perfect sense that G-Force would adapt the Ratchet & Clank style of gameplay, which is built around using gadgets and unconventional weapons in a futuristic setting. Further, Ratchet is a furry creature and you too, as a hamster, are a furry creature. G-Force balances out its platforming and shooting elements fairly evenly, with some air duct navigation and vehicular sections thrown in for good measure. The level structure sees you moving from point to point within an open area and your goals are always linear and simple. A helpful marker shows the distance from your goal, and also of some use is a scanning gun that lets you highlight both items in the environment and enemies, giving you information on how to get past obstacles and beat enemies.
The game has some enjoyable interactions between enemies and the environment. You'll sometimes be required to activate inanimate enemies to put them to your own purposes. For example, smoke alarms can be activated so that their lasers will be trained on you, which you can lead to a breakable door and perform a last minute dodge so that the door breaks. A boss offers up a similar difficulty where it is being protected by forcefields that are emitting from miniature satellite dishes, which are also behind their own forcefield. You need to lure missiles from the main boss to destroy the forcefield protecting the dishes, get in and destroy those, and THEN you'll be able to tackle the boss. Little scenarios like this show some thought put into the design and even though these are simple ideas that won't excite older gamers, it's good stuff to prepare our gamers-to-be with.
Visually G-Force puts in adequate effort. The aesthetic is incredibly clean and sterile, which will look extremely bland to older players but seems appropriate in replicating the look of the film. Nor is there much variety to the settings. Making up for the lifeless environments though are some cleverly designed electronic appliance robots, which will make up the bulk of your opponents throughout the game. The Transformers influence is pretty obvious as you battle lamps, toasters and PC's come to life, but many of them have their own unique gimmick that you'll need to exploit to take them down. This is usually something basic like waiting for them to reveal a weak spot, but it's still a layer of depth not often found in kids' games. The hamsters themselves look good, with detailed fur and decent animation. Though through the fault of the film and not the game, the fact that the black hamster is, shall we say, 'gangsta', will dim your faith in humanity.
The game has some basic puzzle-solving elements, most of which you'll navigate with Mooch, a fly that accompanies Darwin wherever he goes. Though it wouldn't be surprising to learn that he was strapped to your back and could double as a jetpack ala Clank, his purpose is more akin to living spy camera. Mooch can be deployed at any time with a tap of the d-pad. Usually you'll be navigating him through tiny spaces in order to unlock doors from the other side, retrieve keys, deactivate traps and so on. He can also slow down time to move through obstacles like fans or chomping electronic doors. This element of the game contributes to the basic puzzle solving. There's also something gratifying about sneaking around as a high-tech fly.
Today paper shredders, tomorrow your iPhone.
The controls and animations are smooth and responsive. Amusingly the roadie run from Gears Of War has been replicated here, complete with epic shaking camera as your hamster dashes along the floor with his little jetpack. Awww. The shooting elements are solid because, again, they've simply lifted them from Ratchet & Clank. You can lock on to enemies, strafe around and dodge in an almost identical way, with your weapons selectable with the face buttons and fired with the trigger. Since they probably deemed it a little too obvious to give Darwin a wrench for melee attacks, he has an electric whip instead which functions in much the same way. You can find data discs that will earn you upgrades and new weapons when exchanged at the game's vending machines (another pure Ratchet convention). There's also the obligatory vehicular sections in which you pilot, uh, some sort of rocket-powered hamster ball… thing. For the sake of consistency, we suppose, they threw in Ratchet & Clank's rail-hopping into these sections too.
Strangely enough the game also comes with the ability to play in 3D… sort of. The game comes with two sets of 3D glasses; not the clear plastic kind you get at the movies now, but the flimsy cardboard blue/red kind you could get back in 1993. If Avatar is the future of 3D gaming, G-Force is the wave goodbye to the past. The 3D mode looks absolutely terrible, with all of the game's colours replaced by a nauseating, blurry yellow. You'll try it out for ten seconds and never have the desire to do so again.
G-Force obviously isn't a game that older gamers are going to want to pick up and play. Though it does a good job of replicating a simple version of Ratchet & Clank's mechanics and is enjoyable on a basic level, the originating source is clearly the vastly superior game. But looking at G-Force compared to what's currently on the market in terms of kids' games, it's a winner.
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