Gotcha Force
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting
Opinion: Kenny Lee
To me, Gotcha Force remains one of the biggest mysteries in the Nintendo GameCube's library. Normally after you read a review, you can understand where a reviewer is coming from with his comments. Games that are marked as universally bad usually have some glaringly obvious problems, whether its graphics, or gameplay, or overall polish. And that's what leaves me baffled by Gotcha Force. In nearly every respect, this is a really great game. Like all games, there are some minor nuisances that you have to live with, but certainly nothing to justify the harsh and (in my opinion) unfair critiques this title has been given. In all honesty, I completely expected Gotcha Force to be a game that would have struck a chord with reviewers, and I still kinda do. I guess I'm just in denial about it.
To my relief, I'm not the only one who loves this game though. It's almost as if game critics across the globe colluded together to give Gotcha Force a bad rep. As it were, I had an absolute blast playing this title, so did all my friends who've played it at my place, and so did every single person I've spoken to who has had the privilege and wisdom to try this game. That's batting a perfect 1.000 folks, so you can understand my disbelief when I see it garner a 62% approval rating on Gamerankings.com. It's like this. Take the well-known Virtual On title by Sega. Include Capcom's popular Power Stones series. And finally add Nintendo's industry-engulfing Pokémon franchise. If you mix the best aspects of each of those games presumably you'd end up with a good game. Which is true with this title, except Gotcha Force is more than good, it's absolutely fantastic.
You control what is called a Gotcha borg, a tiny toy-like robot that obeys your commands. That's about as complicated as it gets, since the mechanics require the IQ of a lemming to comprehend. Utilizing a lock-on system with a 3rd person perspective camera, you can perform several techniques. Jump or hover, dodge in any direction, and perform your special attacks to defeat your enemy. That part is very much like Virtual On. Special moves are executed with a single press of a button, and depending on the distance from your opponent and which borg you have, you can slash a sword, fire missiles, heal your friends, morph your enemy, freeze your enemy, burn your enemy, launch a laser beam, etc. I could go on, since each borg's ability is unique, but really it's too much to remember, and definitely too much to write down and read. In any case, the simplistic gameplay is very much akin to Power Stone. Then you have your 200+ borgs to collect. Each with it's own strength and weaknesses. If you haven't figured it out yet, that is very similar to Pokémon. All that combines into what I'd have figured would be a guaranteed blockbuster hit, rather than the biggest sleeper that I have ever seen.
The thing about Gotcha Force is that the developer really put some heart and soul into this one. When you're planning out more than 200 different robots, each with its own ability, you'd imagine that Capcom's creative tap would eventually run dry. But I've lost count the number of times the ingenuity of the Gotcha borgs completely shocked me. I won't spill the beans on the really great ones, but early on you'll find borgs like the Arrow Ninja, an assassin who shoots arrows that stick you in place, giving you limited movement capabilities much like a spider web. Then there's the Chainsaw Knight, who doesn't just have a chainsaw to drill you in two, but a grappling hook to reel you in to the teeth of his rotating blade. Or if you want, the Acceleration Ninja can zoom in and out with a hit before your enemy even blinks. Can you imagine the strategies you could conjure up by mixing and matching your Gotcha collection? I do because I've played the game, yet it still astounds me.
Of course the game has its problems. The voice acting is the kind that gives you those unnerving impulses. You know, the one where you want to hammer a nail into your brain. The AI could definitely use some extensive work, even if multiplayer is nearly unstoppable. The graphics may turn people off, but really only the foolish would dismiss Gotcha Force because of that. And it can chop pretty bad when four players are on the screen at once. But still, I wholeheartedly recommend this game 100%. If anything, the biggest problem is the cost, as Gotcha Force is still offered at retailers for full price. Also, it seems that stock of this game is extremely rare, so a copy may be difficult to get. Take note, don't make the mistake and think this game is just for the kids. I am not a child, and I can't remember the last time a video game entertained me as much as this one. To me this isn't a niche title; it's a game that the majority count will enjoy. I may be (see also: "Most definitely") wrong, and if I am I offer my apologies and my condolences, because really this is one of the best titles I've ever played.
