
	Platform Xbox 360 Genre Action Publisher Disney Interactive Developer Eurocom ESRB E +10 (Everyone) Released July 21, 2009

- A lot of hardcore gaming going on - 3D is a gimmick but fun for the younger set

- Might be too complicated for kids

Review: Gears of War 2 (360) Review: The Munchables (Wii) Review: Punch-Out!! (Wii)
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G-Force

Score: 7.0 / 10

For a game so clearly aimed at 9 and 10-year old boys, it strikes me as odd that G-Force seemingly pulls gameplay mechanics from the likes of hardcore 3^rd person action games such as Gears of War and features flight controls that feel much more refined than they should be.

Admittedly, I approached G-Force with low expectations – the packed-in 3D glasses actually made my eyes roll – so that might be how the game managed to meet and exceed my expectations but it’s actually a hardcore experience.

Playing alternately as a guinea pig (Darwin) and a fly (Mooch) in the battle against an army of household appliances created by the billionaire villain sounds about as kiddie as a game can get. The art style also leans toward a younger audience, which is why it was so surprising that the game is so reminiscent of games that

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skew to an older audience. This means that an older audience, presumably parents of children, can really get into the experience playing as Darwin or Mooch.

Darwin has a variety of weapons to use but I found it best to use the guns simply because it felt so comfortable. Likewise getting around with Darwin’s little jetpack, which felt

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uncannily like the one found in Red Faction: Guerrilla’s single-player campaign. The controls for Mooch are on par with most of the console flight controls, which is good for me but horrible for kids that don’t have the experience. I watched my nephew get more and more frustrated with the opening tutorial as he fumbled his way through then moved on to the first level where his frustration only increased until I took the control away and “helped” him through the tougher parts. After a lot of practice, his 10-year old brain has wrapped around inverted flight controls and his ability to snap in and out of aiming with Darwin’s guns got a lot better, but it wasn’t easy and the only reason he kept at it was that he thought the banter between Darwin and his team was funny.

He also really liked the 3D effects, which ultimately gave me a headache.

I imagine that G-Force will be one of those Trojan Horse games for my nephew that gets him familiar with games that are definitely for the mature player. Who would have thought a guinea pig with a jetpack could be a Trojan Horse?

- D.D. Nunavut

(August 21, 2009)