Jet Force Gemini Nintendo Retrospective

Join the quest for justice with JFG.

Don’t forget to set aside a healthy chunk of time this fall for Jet Force Gemini. Developed and published by Rare (GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Diddy Kong Racing), this gorgeous space-age shooter will take you on a galactic adventure through mounds of swarming aliens with three bold new heroes.

The story is set in an unknown region of our galaxy, where a team of adventurers called Jet Force Gemini is bravely struggling against the looming threat of a warlord named Mizar.

Mizar is not exactly bursting with kindness — in fact he spends his spare time conquering nearby solar systems. Juno, Vela, and their loyal pooch Lupus ignore the apathetic galactic authorities and set out to drive a stake through the heart of Mizar’s operation.

Visual Sensors Read Positive

There is nothing subtle about Jet Force Gemini’s visual package, which propels players into a futuristic world full of color and volatile special effects. Character animations are naturally fluid, while smartly directed cinema scenes provide entertaining breaks in the action.

Graphically, Rare is most proud of JFG’s real-time lighting effects. Weapon blasts shed light on surrounding structures as they tear toward an enemy, and if the alien dodges the blast it will continue to affect the environment as far as the eye can see. Each weapon has a unique lighting effect, which can turn the screen into a kaleidoscope of colors during heated gun fights.

A Monumental Mission

On their quest to overthrow the maniacal Mizar, Jet Force Geminians will have to tear way through a staggering 120 stages of action. The characters travel individual paths to reach Mizar’s home planet, where they regroup for a final confrontation. Each character is equipped with a unique talent that must be mastered along the journey.

Vela has the ability to swim long distances underwater, Juno is able to walk over fiery surfaces, and Lupus the dog can jump much farther than the other characters. Team members earn the ability to mech up with robotic power-ups that make them even more versatile.

In an effort to give JFG the feel of traditional stage-based shooting games, Rare gives you only three chances to complete a world. Each world is made up of a number of stages, and if you are unable to complete all of those stages with three lives you’ll have to try again.

Alien Intelligence

Rare is already delivering fairly tight play control, which is no easy task for a 3-D third-person shooter. The camera maintains an over-the-shoulder position throughout the action, but while aiming the character turns transparent for a quasi-first-person view. This view is essential for keeping up with chaotic confrontations, which can fill the screen with explosive blasts and flying debris.

Alien enemies may be plentiful, but don’t consider them expendable. Airborne drones will flock together to corner an unsuspecting player, and won’t simply stand around waiting to get shot. Rare has designed some of these flying squadrons to align themselves in the classic configurations of arcade shooters like Galaxian and Centipede.

Too Much Fun for One

Rare has witnessed the power of multiplayer appeal with the monstrous success of its own GoldenEye 007, and it’s adding the same kind of fun to Jet Force Gemini. A two-player cooperative mode allows a second player to control a flying robotic sidekick named Floyd. Floyd automatically moves in the same direction as the primary player, but the second player can control Floyd’s weaponry.

The JFG development team previously gave us Diddy Kong Racing, so it’s no surprise that the new Pak will feature several variations on four-player racing games. Other multiplayer games, including deathmatch, can be unlocked by completing components of the main adventure mode.