The game is basically a 3D arcade game where the player must explore
this environment, fight enemies and of course solve a variety of
puzzles. As you control Darwin, he can perform all the classical
arcade moves as he jumps and explores the environment.
Thankfully the puzzles in the game are rather easy to solve, so
younger gamers should have no problems at all.
Also helping Darwin in the game is Mooch, a fly and his sidekick and
by accessing the D-pad on the controller, Mooch can help Darwin
reach places that he cannot. There is even “bullet-time” for Mooch
which needs to be used when flying through blades etc… very cool
indeed.
Even though he has some weapons and basic spy gear, as Darwin
progresses he will be given more powerful items to assist with the
mission. There is even a currency in the game or chips which can be
used to purchase additional equipment from kiosks that are littered
throughout the levels and is slightly reminiscent of Ratchet and
Clank.
Although our favourite weapon in the game was the flame thrower and
seeing little Darwin use this piece of equipment was a blast. One of
the cool spy devices is a scanning unit that allows you to scan
items and enemies. For enemies, it also assists in showing them
their weakness which is ideal for battles, more specifically boss
fights.
The combat in the game is quite diverse as you take on a variety of
rogue appliances and I must admit that the control system on the
XBox 360 works quite well. You can even setup hotkeys for weapons
which is great for later levels when the enemies and environment
changes. If you do become stuck in the game, maps are available at
kiosks and the game will assist you by pointing you in the right
direction should you become stuck.
Graphically, the title is visually quite impressive on the 360, even
though it has been designed for a variety of different consoles.
Darwin, Mooch and his fellow characters are well animated and look
almost like their movie counterparts. The game even uses cutscenes
to progress the story along.
The frame rate of the game manages to be quite decent throughout the
game, however on certain levels, it does stagger a little. A cool
feature in the graphic’s department is that you can even play the
game in 3D, thanks to the 3D glasses which come with the game.
Although it works, you do lose that great colour palette of the game
but for those that like 3D, why not.
The music, voice acting and sound effects of the game are decent as
well and there are some really memorable moments in the game which
I’m presuming is from the movie that helps keep you interested in
the story and gameplay. Needless to say, both graphics, sound
and gameplay come together well.
In conclusion, G-Force doesn’t push the envelope in terms of
technological advancement or new gaming innovations, however where
it does succeed is through its gameplay. The gameplay, although easy
for older gamers would be perfect for the younger generation and
rather than just skimp on another movie port, the developers have
actually put some forethought into the creation of the game.
Definitely recommended for the younger gamer from the decent
gameplay and is extremely kid friendly.
