PLAY: The future of gaming

2009/10/10

FAIZUL AZIM SAIFUL

FAIZUL AZIM SAIFUL tries his hand at gaming, 3D-style, and gives it the thumbs-up.

G-Force PS3, Xbox 360, PC I HAVE seen 3D movies and read books (and seen pictures) in 3D, but G-Force gave me my first insight into the future of gaming — giving gamers a deeper experience of a game.

Just think about it. Having 3D perspective on games such as Mirror’s Edge, Gran Turismo 5, Batman Arkham Asylum, Metal Gear Solid or God Of War could suck gamers in.

G-Force may not be on the same level as some of these games (mainly because the premise of the game is meant for the younger crowd — it is from Disney), but seeing the action from a different perspective could keep me coming back for more.

Although the 3D glasses that come with it is not of high quality, the prospect of more games using this technology does provide hope for a different approach towards developing a next-gen game.

Don’t get me wrong: the 3D part is not the only thing that keeps me coming back for more, the movie-based game has its own draw, mainly because of its variety and the fact that you are a small furry hero in a man’s world.

You might think: “What? Another bad movie-game transfer?” I had the same trepidation when I got the game, but after several hours of being a rodent and a fly (all in 3D), I thought to myself “Wow, God may just be a gamer.” The story takes bits and pieces from the movie of the same name and puts them together to make the storyline. Unfortunately, those who have not watched the movie will be left dumbfounded (a clever marketing trick or bad game development skills).

To really enjoy this game You’ll have to watch the movie first. If you don’t, you’ll be plagued with questions such as “Who do you work for?”, “Why are we fighting to stop these evil appliances?” or worse, “Why should you care!”.

The plot may not be explained using the game, but the voice acting and cut scenes are well done, so if you have seen the movie you will definitely enjoy how it is delivered.

You play as Darwin, the guinea pig leader of a special government agency code-named G-Force.

With your crack team of agents, your job is to stop billionaire Leonard Sabre from achieving world domination through the use of his manufactured appliances, which can turn deadly when sent a special piece of computer code.

Controlling characters Throughout the game, you control one of two different characters. Darwin is your main character, as you’ll control him during most of the game — he’ll be performing almost all of the action and platforming.

The other character is Mooch, a fly that can fly through smaller obstacles and slow time to reach switches and grab items that Darwin can’t get to.

Despite the fact that there are three other members of the team present, you never get a chance to control or interact with them outside of the cut scenes.

G-Force is primarily a third-person shooter that takes all of the foundations of the genre and puts them to work splendidly.

Missions After working your way through a brief tutorial, you’ll embark on the first of many missions with Darwin who can jump, double jump, use his booster pack to hover, boost, and dash forward, and access a variety of nifty weapons and gadgets.

Equipping each is as easy as pressing the corresponding face button, and the controls are similar to any third-person action/adventure title you’ve played in the past few years.

This means it really is accessible to all ages, even though the player will face a variety of challenges. There’s a melee battle mechanic when Darwin lashes out with his electric whip, a shooting mechanic where you simply aim with the L1 button and fire with the R1 button, and when locked on to an enemy (L2), you can dodge and manoeuvre while still facing the foe.

Enemies are varied enough and try to use basic tactics to lure you into getting hurt.

There aren’t any overtly difficult puzzles in the game since the focus is squarely on action, and it does a good job of delivering it in good, controlled doses.

One of the coolest aspects of the game is the ability to force everyday appliances into coming alive, thereby allowing you to utilise them as you see fit.

Of course, you’re basically creating enemies by doing this — your enemies are those appliances that have suddenly sprung to life and gone berserk — but you’ll need their unique help at certain times.

For instance, there are ceiling fans that will snag you and mash you if you get too close, but you can use their vortex of air to climb to new heights (just hover out of harm’s way when you’re high enough).

You can upgrade your weapons, refill your health and ammo, and even purchase maps on the locations of various vending machines scattered around the level.

G-Force is not your typical family game where infinite lives and respawning health are commonplace. Instead the game offers three difficulty levels with each one giving you less lives per level.

Other facts It is also worth noting that the game is substantially longer than most of its type. There is an Achievement/Trophy for completing the game in less than eight hours, which should tell you that the average play through will take just over that.

The graphics are mostly clean and they really shine when it comes to the G-Force team. Darwin and other technologically sophisticated members of this miniature-sized group look nice, as the detail and polish is more than acceptable.

The cut-scenes are nicely choreographed, though, and the special effects are better than average, so at least we have a few highlights.

The sound is just below perfect for a children’s game.

The effects are crisp, with explosions and gunfire coming through clearly on the speakers. Even the appliances sound good when they start snapping and growling before attacking. The music fits well and promotes a heightened sense of action. There’s no piece that feels out of place or too whimsical for the subject matter.

The voice work is well delivered, which is a given since some of the voice actors from the movie reprise their roles here. It’s a bit disappointing to learn that not all of the original voice actors are here, but the sound-alikes do an amazing job of replicating the original voices so you may want to check the game credits to see who’s who in the game.

G-Force scores because it is one of the first games to be successfully recommended to young and older gamers alike.

Hardcores will enjoy the challenge and solid mechanics, while younger gamers will enjoy the familiar characters and fluid gameplay.

It is a great tie-in game, and ranks up there with the likes of Kung-Fu Panda in the school of how to make a solid family title without dumbing it down for the masses.

The game can be bought at Playtime Electronic in Bangsar Shopping Centre.