Gotcha Force

[Cacophanus]

It's good (if a little vapid). The designwork and atmosphere of the game is very cool and cute (think Pokemon meets Transformers and you want be far off). Gameplay wise it's more than a tad simplistic though. Admittedly I am only very early on in the game, but the combat does degenerate into button mashing more often than I would like. The dash function is also pretty wishy washy because it has very little contextual usage (no dash attacks basically). Overall, I am pleased with it but I think it is meant more for genki kids with short attention spans rather than any kind of serious gamer. It is damn good fun though...

...now only if I could test the versus...

[Max M]

It actually reminds me of some of their Dreamcast games like Tech Romancer and Powerstone from what I've seen.

Might order it from DVD Box Office as it's only ?24. Sometimes I enjoy buying more low-key titles that I know very little about, it's more surprising.

[Cacophanus]

It actually reminds me of some of their Dreamcast games like Tech Romancer and Powerstone from what I've seen.

The arenas are far bigger and the viewpoint is squarely over-shoulder third person (a la Virtual On). In all honesty it is really "Virtual On Lite", which is no bad thing really.

Might order it from DVD Box Office as it's only ?24. Sometimes I enjoy buying more low-key titles that I know very little about, it's more surprising.

Exactly. Not sure if Gotcha Force is going to be all that "surprising" though.

[JetBlack]

I am grabbing this tomorrow. I had my hands on it at E3 earlier this year and it was just insane......mainly because of the 4 player hook up which just enters chaos.

Simple yeah, but I'm fine with that. I have PLENTY of serious minded "adult" games to get through.

[JetBlack]

I first saw this at E3 and I didn't know what the hell it was about.....but I picked it up because it at least looked interesting.

Okay, I've played this game for about a week and it's insane. Simply insane.

DO NOT LET THIS KIDDY LOOKIN' GAME FOOL YOU!

Yeah, I admit, if someone walked by during the intro scene, or at ANY of the dialog / story scenes their perception that Nintendo is "just for kids" would be justified. This game looks like Sesame Street level fodder. The voice acting is SO BAD it was actually funny. You just can't imagine lines and delivery like this with a straight face. It's beyond horrible, it's something new altogether. The story is a paper cut thin edge away from a Pokemon lawsuit (right down to the clothing and collecting), and if anyone was expecting "Next-Gen" graphics then they better look elsewhere. This is about as close to color inside the lines as it gets.

HOWEVER.....

Forget all that....and put your mind on hold or cover your ears while the characters "talk".....because when the action hits there's no tomorrow with Gotcha Force. I've been up to 4 AM twice playing this game, and it will surprise you. In classic Nintendo with their backward / backhanded content over perception game play, this becomes a competent arena style beat 'em /shoot 'em up.

This is Halo for kids, Hooked Virtual On Phonics, Time Splitters for dummies, 007 death match for youngsters.....whatever, you've played this already.....HOWEVER, you haven't played it like this. Unlike other "arena" kill or be killed games, this isn't like Halo's head shot killing, or prime sniper location with a rocket launcher. This is FAST paced action at its best. If you ever wanted to be in a free-for-all war of the worlds death match then you need to be playing this game. You don?t stand still and ?snipe? in this game. There is a kinetic energy in this that other death arena games lack. Much like comparing F-Zero to an ordinary racing game.

Sure you can blast through the first 5 levels just mashing the "B" button, but get beyond that and you'll need actual strategy to still hold your head up with pride. Trust me, you will get your donkey kicked if you are not ready.

Gotcha Force plays like tag-team wrestling, where you "set up" teams that fight to the death. One by one, one at a time, with the next in line replacing the dead as you go on. It cost "Force points" to use certain types of "borgs" in the game, so you're limited to whom you bring to the table.

Doing well will score you "borgs" that you collect throughout the game. Each has their unique style and abilities. And I say this in the most grand of fashion. Put all these borgs out there in a melee situation and everyone will use their attacks in a flurry of rainbow motion. White bullets, red lasers, blue light sabers, orange fire, yellow explosions. Unlike Halo's death arena where everyone has more or less, the same weapon - this is a symphony of color on the war field.

Long range attacks, air attacks, below ground, status attacks, stealth attacks.....the game ups the ante with each chapter and shortly you can't catch your breath. Mashing the "B" button only goes so far when you're up against borgs that dodge your shots. I had to plan out attacks for each different borg on the field.

And if that's not enough, the environment also plays a factor. I found myself on the run, bullets grazing the ground at my heels as I ran for cover at the next pillar, then jumping out to take a few shots, and rolling back for cover, then on the run again for higher elevation, and position. Since your borgs are simply "TOYS", the landscape is made up of huge rooms where you dodge fire around the legs of chairs and tables, and stacks of magazines (all still in Japanese). You might find yourself battling it out at a playground with giant sand buckets in a sand box, or at a school setting around the teacher's desk. All the areas are multi-leveled and any borg equipped with a jetpack will have access to everything.

Targeting between enemies (and the later levels will have MANY) is done with the shoulder buttons. There is no "radar" map (in the US version) - unless you pick up a certain borg. Otherwise you need to watch the word balloons on the outside edge of the screen that inform you in a general direction about the enemy location. These word balloons might contain specific info that can tell you at a glance if more enemies have simply landed to the left of you.....or worse, that incoming fire is on the way. The screen is chaos at its best.

A general passer by will not understand what the hell is going on. But you will be sitting in a "zone" with nuclear missiles buzzing by your head just out of range all while dealing with targets on multiple levels?.and all on the run!

Gotcha Force becomes something fun, much like PN.03. It's not "deep", or totally engaging.....but my god it will kick your donkey if you let it, and it's all about having some grand fun and just kicking all arse on the field. As usual par for these games, you'll be ranked by shooting percentage, dodge percentage, ally kills (yes, friendly fire is a BAD thing!), and other factors. And hopefully you'll be rewarded with a new borg to add to your side of the battle.

Play through the game multiple times and new story is added and newer meaner borgs show up.

Get some friends together and go head to head with up to FOUR players.

Get together with other Gotcha Force players and trade borgs via memory card manager.

Play against the computer, play the story mode.....there's something for almost everyone. Sadly, there's no internet connectivity (which this game screams for).

So....if you see this on the shelf, or for a rental, don't be embarrassed, pick it up and give it a whirl. Don't buy it unless you have long-range plans, but for the short-term play test, it's a lot of fun.

In America buying the game also got you a free strategy guide. I don't know if that's also offered online, but hey, free stuff never hurt me. Plus, the game is introduced at a cheaper rate than other new titles.

[bowser123]

Well said JetBlack.

I've had this game since it came out, I bought it mainly because it was cheap, looked fun and is made by Capcom.

It's not brilliant but certainly no where near as bad as some reviews have made out.

Gotcha Force is good simple fun and definitely worth a try.

[JetBlack]

bowser, you know I've heard about these "bad" reviews....I've yet to read them myself. I know they exist, I just haven't gotten around to it. As of this point, I don't give a rat's arse what they think. The game rocks and it's a blast when I get on it.

Some of my best fighting borgs are the first ones I picked up at the beginning. Nothing better than Western Gunman, with his ability to run and shoot - however, Command Girl has taken his place. Her "instant" shot makes for a quick take down of lower rung enemies. Battle Girl is still good, but I've moved on. I have tons of borgs now.

I'm a long range gunner type. Nothing better than death from far away.

I still HATE those pink shield lance knights.....they kick my ass every time. Makes me run through my whole team, use up all my Force Points just so G-Red can come save the day. (well now he's turned into the next phase......) Still......I get all upset if I can't beat a battle with my first two borgs. I hate going into the minus column for using more Gotcha Force points than it takes to win.

[kryss]

I'm dragging this up!

We had it as Relay a few months back and I just needed to play it some more. The voices in the Japanese version are infinitely better than the US/UK versions. I made two little videos of the action, one where I spend most of the time as a giant battleship, and the other as more people-like robots.

Damn, I still love this game so much after so many years.

[Tig]

holy crap, Gotcha Force.




I thought the only person who had this game was my friend, who is also a massive Virtual On fan.

I remember two things about it: one, it had an absurd number of playable characters, more you could ever hope to unlock. Two, it has the most retina-burning colour palette ever.

[Kaladron]

I love the GameCube.
And I love unearthed gems.

Should I get this game?

[kryss]

Yes yes yes yes yes.
Best but least well known game on the GC.

I still have a ton of GC games unplayed, but if Gotcha Force appears I can't help but play.