Aesthetics:  
Jet Force Gemini's visuals are the real star of the show, unlike games like Battletanx, where the crude graphics are made up for by the simple and fun gameplay. Jet Force Gemini has both factors going for it: sweet, jaw dropping graphics and fun gameplay. For start, the main characters (you) in the game have a beautiful, detailed, perfect look to them that really reminds me of watching a cartoon. They animate fluidly, as do the enemies, and when you shoot an enemy, a gleefully gory, but not really disturbing death will occur, usually green goop spraying all over the place, and making splashing sounds all over the walls, or maybe the head will fly off (you can collect their heads to earn bonuses, by the way). The environments are very nice as well, showcasing nice textures and detailed wall engravings and such to keep the wow factor in every room high. One thing to remember applies to almost every aspect of Jet Force Gemini: Stick with it. I have to make sure you know that the first one or two levels are not that graphically impressive, and can seem a little dull visually speaking, but stick with the game, and you'll encounter some of the most beautifully detailed, colorfully lit, and reflectively surfaced levels you've ever seen (Mizar's Palace, Walkway etc.) As I said, the graphics rarely drop, even when surrounded by alien bugs, who also look terrific.

Gameplay:  
The gameplay in the game leaves little to be desired even if it is a little on the difficult side. You play as three members of a futuristic interplanetary police squad that is hot on the trail of an alien dictator who has enslaved the peaceful, bear-like race called the Tribals and of course, seeks to rule the galaxy. Though the story is not original, the gameplay surely makes up for it. The stages mostly consist of you strafing and dodging your way through roomfuls of Mizar's bug guards who

assault you with laser fire, rockets, and grenades, as well as smarty-pants AI. It's a good thing you'll have some kick-ass weaponry at your side when you're fighting sometimes 10 bugs at a time from close and long ranges. You'll have a shotgun, a machine gun, two types of rocket launchers, a sniper rifle, grenades, and several varieties of explosives along with a neat flame thrower and electro gun that runs blue electricity through the bodies of the ants (like in Turok 2, but funnier looking).



It's cool to see the effects of the various weapons including bug guts splattering all over the place after a rocket blast, a head go flying after a guided shuriken slices it neatly off, or a bug running crazily around the room, trying desperately to escape the fire that is consuming it after having a burst of flame fired at it. The one problem I have with the gameplay is rescuing Tribals, which is rather difficult at times. They move independently and often run into the middle of a blazing firefight, arms outstretched, waiting to be saved, and you do have to rescue every single tribal in the game to finish it. You take the role of Juno, the guy at first, and then have the options of continuing your quest throughout the enslaved worlds as Lupus, the dog, or Vela, the girl, although you will have to visit every area with every character eventually. This may sound boring, but each character has a special ability that lets him or her unlock many new areas in each level, making them like new levels all over again. The length of gameplay is massive, and there are lots of worlds to save, so this one will definitely be getting a lot of playtime. There are hidden mini-games and play-modes hidden throughout the levels too, which makes the gameplay even more varied. You will eventually have to visit the Big Bug Fun Club, a disco joint for Mizar's guards in disguise and will find an arcade machine to play there, which is a fun ovehead racing game. You will also have to race in Mizar's palace in a level reminiscent of F-Zero X and other futuristic hover racers. You will eventually have to rescue a robot who previously worked for Mizar and play as him several times in some special challenges to earn mission critical equipment.

Multiplayer:
The game comes packaged with a decent multiplayer which includes several modes. You can play standard two, three, or four person deathmatches with a selection of weapons, characters, and levels. The levels are mostly based on single player missions, and are not too big and not too small. You can play as many different characters which you earn in the single player, and you can select to fight with Light, Medium, or Heavy weapons, which includes mostly every weapon in the game. I have put a few hours into Jet Force Gemini's deathmatch mode, and I have to be honest, It offers quite a bit of fun, but you'll be surprised how it will get old soon after a few games. It is cool and everything, and the graphics stay good, and the arenas are neat, but it just doesn't have the long lasting fun of Turok 2 or GoldenEye's multiplayer. You can also do a kind of cool on-rails shooting competittion, where the players vie for the highest score by shooting bugs and not shooting Tribals. Decent, but a las, boring after the first couple rounds. The final mode is a racing game that is pretty limited, although the graphics look good. Overall, the deathmatch is by far the best mode, but the multiplayer will not be that party game you've been waiting for, but it still offers lots of fun for a few rounds.

Sound:
The music in this game has to be heard to be believed. And some say the N64 is audio challenged. That won't be an excuse anymore after JFG, a game that begs to be played in surround sound. The music for each level is extremely distinctive, and some of it sounds wonderful, about movie quality I'd say. The score for the Battleship Sekhmet sounds like something that would sound good in Star Wars or some other movie, and I love the tune for the Water level. The sound effects are also of excellent quality, especially the wet sounding splatter of alien guts. The gunshots whiz by your head like nothing you've experienced and can really get your nerves up especially in surround sound, and the guns all have a specific sound that is pleasing to the ears. Unfortunately, there are no voices in the game, save for the babble of the Tribals, and this is a little bit of a letdown, but really does nothing to detract from the stupendous gameplay experience.

OVERALL:
Jet Force Gemini is simply a must-have game that offers a long, beautiful, exciting, and deep single player campaign, and a decent multiplayer. The graphics are above and beyond most available N64 shooters, and it is the perfect game for the action fan who doesn't mind a little cartoony sci-fi with his gore and guns. It's too bad critics pushed such a deep, challenging, and awesome game into the pass-up bin, when so many gamers would simply love it if they would give it a chance.

 

The Lowdown on  Jet Force Gemini Aesthetics: Awesome Control: Above Average Gameplay: Very Good Multiplayer: Average Sound: Awesome Innovation: 5/6 Lasting Appeal: 6/6 Overall: Awesome! "Top of the Genre"