GENRE
	Action/Adventure
	DEVELOPER
	Rare
	PUBLISHER
	Rare
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONTROLLER PAK
	yes
	RUMBLE PAK
	yes
	RAM PAK
	no
	BUY NOW AT

Rare is a company synonymous with quality. There are few companies that are canonized by the public; Rare is one of them. Rare best known for Goldeneye and Banjo-Kazooie on Nintendo 64 have formed a masterpiece that I believe merges the best of both games. Jet Force Gemini takes the guns and huge explosions of Goldeneye and meshes them into the exploration and huge worlds of Banjo-Kazooie. The end result is a game that can be left with no other words then stunning. I hold this game in the same quality category as Zelda64.

visuals

The graphics are among the best seen on the N64. They only seem to improve as the game continues on into the later stages. It is simply breathtaking when you move into a massive area with a huge pyramid in the distance, and a monstrous reflective floor the whole way across it. The explosions are great, and I especially love watching the ants get blown to bits with huge weapons. The framerate I believe is a non-issue. Only when I pull out a huge weapon and begin blowing up everyone in sight does the game hiccup enough to have any effect on gameplay. It is better then Goldeneye’s framerate if that is what you are wondering. Lighting effects are another great graphical feature that is in this game. They’re awesome, and they’re everywhere. The levels are truly huge, and there is no site of fog except when used to add to the scenery such as in the swamp. Overall I believe the graphics are comparable to Zelda64 where the levels are huge, but the textures aren’t quite as good as Banjo-Kazooie. Remember though, comparing the graphics to Zelda64 is a very good thing.

The few quibbles I have with the graphics are that the textures in some areas seem a little to stretched or blurred for their own good. This has come to be expected on the N64 however with its miniscule texture cache. Another is that sometimes the camera angles get annoying. Most of the time everything is great, but after you get Floyd he can get in the way when the camera angle isn’t right where you want it to be.

audio

The audio is the best on the Nintendo 64 period. Nothing can compete with the awesome soundtracks the fantastic gun sounds of the bullets whiz by your head when it’s all in Dolby Surround Sound. I personally believe that this is the best music on a N64 game to date. It is midi, but you can hardly tell. It adds a whole other dimension to the game that makes me want to make it to the next world just to here the new music. Simply put the audio is more enjoyable then Ricki Lake is wide.

gameplay

The control scheme has a learning curve. Once that curve is overcome I feel the control setup is the best possible solution for the game. It is very nice to be able to select any 4 weapons just by pushing one of the sides of the digital pad. The controls once one has come accustomed to are perfectly adequate for the job.

Their are plenty of moves in this game to keep you happy. You can jump duck, sidestep, roll, crawl swim, fly etc... Some of these features are limited to the character you are such as Vela being able to swim, and Lupus being able to fly. The little movements in this game piss me off. Rare went and tried to make it more realistic by having the character you use move a little after jumping or after stopping from running. This makes things very annoying. It is very hard to be precise in your movements.

The most annoying fact about the game is that you have to go through and collect every Tribal. Many of them are easy to find, but one bastard tribal can certainly ruin your day. The thing about this game is that I believe it is the hardest Rare game to date. It is the first one where I have actually gotten stuck not knowing what to do more then on a few occasions. After you figure it out you hit yourself in the head and continue on, but this could make or break the game for some people. If you are easily annoyed then be prepared to give yourself an ulcer. I've noticed that most of the time I spend trying to complete something it ends up being for a bonus that really isn't required so if you find something inordinately difficult it probably isn't necessary. The gameplay in JFG is reminiscant of a girl that is nice most of the time, but sometimes she can be a real bitch.

multiplayer

I haven't had a chance to play multiplayer, but I will discuss the options available. First of all this game features a cooperative mode. You cannot play in cooperative mode until you have discovered floyd. Once you have him all you have to do is hit start on the second controller, and a 2nd player will be able to shoot from floyd. JFG also has the standard 4-player deathmatch and a target practice mode.

overall

This game is FUN. This game is filled with so many awesome features it is very easy to overlook the few bad. The more I play it the more I love it. My roommate commented on the fact that I probably would get carpal tunnel due to the fact that I hadn't moved from JFG for 3 days. The graphics, sound, and gameplay most of the time come together to form a game that I believe is one of the very best for Nintendo 64. I believe this game is only second to Zelda64, but it is so close I sometimes waiver on which I think is better. Overall if you find yourself breathing even when your not thinking about it, you should buy this game.

9.8/10