1999
Jet Force Gemini
"Rare again with another original title: wonderful visuals, addictive gameplay and atmospheric soundtrack. You're the JFG team, attempting to thwart antagonist Mizar and his insect army. As a third-person shooter, it showed another string to Rare's bow and was very popular. Personally, a least-favourite Rare N64 outing, having awkward controls and characters I just didn't connect with. I loved the insect baddies' AI, however!"
7/10 - Steven Smith 64
User Reviews (12)
"Allow me to throw objectivity right out of the window as I proclaim "Jet Force Gemini" is my all time favourite Nintendo64 game. Sorry Link! RARE lovely crafted sci-fi adventure takes the best of platforming and shooting into a huge, three characters (one is a space dog) driven space epic that I sadly believe would look amazing on today's systems. Get this right now!"
10/10 - Shiryu 64
"Jet force gemini was a huge surprise! I first thought it would be to mature for me, but when I played it at a friend I was hooked. I bought it, and I played untill the very end (unlike my friend). It was awesome. Great action, graphics and music. Lots of weapons. Branching paths. Finishing the whole game is VERY hard! A must have!"
9/10 - Henmii 64
"Played at the demo kiosk in the big box store. It wowed me so much I put it on my wishlist. 15 years later, I finally purchased it. What a great game! Its graphics still stand out and its gameplay was ahead of its time. Rare certainly was a powerhouse during the SNES and N64 eras. I can't say it enough: I miss Rare."
9/10 - artofmana 64
"Ever wanted to see an armoured space dog reduce a bunch of ewoks into green splatters? Well now you can. Jet Force Gemini was as odd yet vibrant as its title suggests. Experimenting with three protagonists and oodles of weapons was a breath of fresh air. Perhaps let down slightly by its controls, boss difficulty and collecting tedium. Still, unparelled in atmosphere and depth."
8/10 - YoshiTails 64
"Possibly Rareware's most irregular title, Jet force Gemini is a decent third-person shooter that's is a little ahead of its time. The ability to switch between the game's three protagonists and their respective levels on a whim is unique, and with a fantastic soundtrack and atmosphere you'd think this game a classic, but tricky controls and frustrating difficulty let it down. A shame really."
7/10 - GreenGaming 64
"Inventive weaponry with three uniquely specialized playable characters. Fun combat against a varied roster of insectoid aliens and fantastic boss fights. In many ways Jet Force Gemini was ahead of it's time, particularly with the inclusion of Floyd the co-operative enabling robot companion. Unfortunately the fantastic pace and variation of this game hit's a brutal wall midway through which forces you to collect EVERYTHING!"
8/10 - AJWolfTill 64
"What can I say about Jet Force Gemini that will convey how fun this game is? I don't know. Anything I say won't be enough. It is an action game, full of great design, excellent music, inventive bosses and a large amount of the staple Rareware humour. A must buy game for the N64. Any problems with the controls are overcome using expert controls."
10/10 - SyntheticPerson 64
"Fond memories and quite possibly the bestdamn soundtrack on the entire console, simply unbelievable on a cartridge in the 1990's. Google "Jet Force Gemini Water Ruin" or "Jet Force Gemini Character Selection" to see what I mean. With that said I got stuck and never completed it....I'll probably go back soon. Yet another Rare classic on the Nintendo 64. Long gone but never forgotten."
8/10 - JetForceSetGrind 64
"I could never finish this game. Did it matter? No, because I enjoyed a massive wonderful ride journeying with Juno... Uh... girl and tank dog to go through all sorts of different planets and locations to collect a mass arsenal of weapons and collectibles that bring together a great classic game. And Multi-player, exploration, the great views given by cut scenes. A completionists game."
8/10 - KO-Cub 64
"+great sound design and orchestral style music +cooperative mode +lots of fun mini-games to find +great sci-fi environments +included competitive multiplayer +machine gun dog -the requirement to get all of the Tribals to face final boss killed pacing even more than other complained about fetch quests such as Wind Waker and Metroid Prime -competitive multiplayer not nearly as good as Goldeneye and Perfect Dark"
7/10 - VGScrapbook 64
"Sporting an intense challenge (in part due to the awkwardness of the camera and control scheme), as well as some of the greatest weapons in third-person shooter history (I'm looking at you, Tri-Rocket Launcher!), Jet Force Gemini was an another admirable effort by Rare to show they were more than just a platform game powerhouse. Though rough at times, it's worth a play through!"
8/10 - bizcuthammer 64
"Next to Majora's Mask and Perfect Dark my favorite game on the N64. Impressive graphics and one of the greatest soundtracks IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY. Sure, the controls take some time to get used to, and the difficulty is rock-hard (even more so if one attempts rescueing all the tribals without a walkthrough). Unique for its sci-fi atmosphere, unique for its depth of exploration."
10/10 - MussakkuLaden 64
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Comments 39
One of the few games I never managed to complete... tempted to get back in there : D
So good. I miss this game and a remaster would look so brutal with the graphics we have now, but I would love to see it. The weapons, multiplayer, locations and worlds. AAH! Theirs some reasons why I wish I never sold my N64 and the games.
I would love to see a new version or even a remake, I think I may have sold mine as well really should get in the loft and have a look
I love this game so much I did not mind halfway into it, it made me go back to the start and collect EVERYTHING! Oh and that ace F-Zero / Wipeout style racer... good times!
Fantastic game. One of my favourite games of all time. People usually list controls and tribal collecting as faults, but the tribals aren't hard to collect - and the levels are fun - so I don't see the problem. Also, if you use the expert control style, you will find it much easier to get to grips with.
My favorite space game of all time! Everything about it was absolutely perfect in my eyes. The incredible soundtrack, insane blood and guts violence, and powerful weapons made this one heck of a gem for me. And I played it again recently on catridge and it blew my mind again. Oh, and the credits scene is one of the best I've ever seen. Bar none.
I believe this game derserves more than a 7.
An 8 at the least. Some people like me may never see that ending first hand due to having the game saying. "You got 100% yet?" Even though I pushed myself to get everything, It eventually got tedious.
Damn, hate it when I submit a typo. Unparelled? Unparalleled that shoud read facepalm
Also just realised can you shoot the teddy bears? That's the trouble with reviewing N64 games - memory plays tricks on you!
There's no limited appeal in games. There's only limited openness in humans. Jet Force Gemini 10/10 - Best action game of 1999.
One of the best game ever made... Oh Rare... We miss you so much!
Funny circumstances how I got to play this game. When I first read about it in magazines, like the Club Nintendo magazine or the like, I was not even a tiny bit interested in it. Some while later, more or less by chance I bought a magazine which included a 100-or-so pages walkthrough. I read through the whole, first because I had nothing else to do, later because it was so well-written and exciting. It got me interested in the game and suddenly, when I read the reviews and things again, I found I must have that. And so I did, and it was amazing.
My hint at those who never got into liking this game: Try playing it with a walkthrough. With a game as hard and long as this one, using a walkthrough, perhaps even permanently, can really increase rather than diminish the fun.
I owned and played every Rare game and this was also my least favorite. It was still a good game though but I have to agree with the reviewer here as well.
Another original and nearly flawless game by Rare!
@SKTTR Then what do you get when 'people with limited openness' make games?
Just like in the Tetrisphere bit you're saying it's got "addictive gameplay", yet you give it only a 7?
If a game is addictive, then how can it be less than great, hence an 8? I don't get it.
Though back in the day we used to complain about how long it took Rare to release games, it's amazing how many they put out on N64 given the overall creativity and quality involved.
Though I have posted many times about the greatness of this game I will gladly do so again as the music, graphics, and gameplay were absolutely top-notch for its time! I played this game again last year and I have to say it is every bit as good as it was back in the day! Finding all the Floyd parts in order to allow a friend to join in for some co-op action remains one of my warmest memories to this day and that will likely never change!
This mention of this game makes me sad and angry. Not because of the story or because I don't like it. No, I loved the crap out of it and I miss it. I get sad and angry because some jackass who used to be my mom's friend asked to "borrow" it one day, and I knew it would never be coming back. It really needs to get a remake or release on someone's (Nintendo or MS) digital store sometime. More people need to play it. This was from smack dab in Rare's glory days.
This game was amazing for its time. Loved every minute of it
Great game- rubbish review.....the worst of the 64 reviews imo!! Not because I disagree with the score (I do, I'd give it 9) but because I feel "Personally, a least-favourite Rare N64 outing" shows a bit of bias towards personal feelings and not an accurate score. What I have enjoyed most about the n64 re-reviews is the fresh analysis of old rereleases without bias, how some stand the test of time better than more 'LOVED' games.
Edit- same reviewer gave mission impossible an 8.....mind boggling!1
One of those that was probably good for its time, but whose faults are much clearer in retrospect. I only messed around with it when it was first released--mainly at demo kiosks--but my attempt to get into it several years later proved futile.
On a side note, this may be one of the few reviews in this 64x64 feature that isn't just gushing with nostalgia and instead attempts to review the game for what it is.
@ULTRA-64 , there is no such thing as a review without bias. Sure we can try to look at games from other perspectives, but ultimately second guessing your own perspective can only take you so far, and you may not be able to for games that don't fit your tastes as much. Some people may prefer the gameplay of Mission Impossible over Jet Force Gemini and forgive its flaws more easily, much like you are able to forgive the flaws of Jet Force Gemini more easily than the reviewer. We should respect each others opinions and realize that there is no such thing as an objective review, no matter how hard we try.
@VGScrapbook think you're right for the most part tbh , I was being a bit ott.....long day =(
I try to respect opinions but debate is healthy also, in the case of reviews I guess I see these as a bit different so maybe my scale is off and most of the 64 reviews have been great reading. Still belive this is in a different league to mission impossible though....in my opinion
My 3 favorite N64 games are Starfox, Majora, and Jet Force Gemini. 10/10 for me. The JFG soundtrack is my favorite of all time.
10/10, an absolute gem
This is back when Rare was a cutting edge game developer in it's prime. They made a ton of hits in the 90's before they collapse completely. Blastcorps, Perfect Dark, Conker's bad fur day, Goldeneye, Diddy Kong racing were awesome!!
This game was Boss.. Tri-rocket launchers, Ants exploding, collecting heads. the ending sucked though.. It felt thrown together at the last minute.
@ULTRA-64, yes, debate can be healthy and fun! It helps us figure out what we enjoy most about our passion and find even more appreciation for video games.
Ah Jet Force Gemini.. Also known as my second favorite Rare N64 game.
Behind the original Banjo.
For me though, that's not saying much. OoT, Goemon 64, Paper Mario, Ogre Battle 64, Pokemon Coliseum, Mario 64, Smash Bros., Yoshi's Story, Evangelion, Sin and Punishment, RE2 and 1080 Snowboarding all hold a fonder place than any of Rare's outings. But hey, one top 20 game and 3 top 30 games isn't bad (JFG @ 26, DK64 @ 29).
Just could have been way better.
For reference, due to my lack of appreciation for Goldeneye being a FPS, it sits at number 43. And only sits in the top 50 due to the N64's lack of games.
Which, you can argue, but in NA, it launched with 2 games.
It would still be a nice addition to the eShop, whenever Nintendo pulls it's head out of the sand and puts N64 VC games on the Wii U.
A new Rare shooter for the 3DS / New 3DS would be nice, were Rare even remotely as good as they were during their heyday.
Perfect Dark, for those wondering, ranks as my 34th highest N64 games and the 12 titles I listed were not in order, though I do have a great fondness for Goemon.
Loved this game. Got it around the same time as Pokemon Snap (as cheap, older, used games) and played them with my wife. It looked weird, it played a bit weird at first, but it was really fun. Like most Rare games finishing it revealed some "thin" sort of half-baked areas, but it was pretty solid overall.
Always thought there should be a sequel with the unusual controls and play style. ALWAYS pretty much hated the design of the characters (before and after the last minute changes).
Oh, and the music really surprised me. How could the Star Fox 64 music be so weak and all the Rare games have such impressive music? This one especially had rousing movie orchestra style music that Star Fox should have had. (The original Star Fox music was far better than Star Fox 64 as well).
Anyway, it's a favorite of mine that so few have given a chance (at least that I know of).
I miss that game so much. I never got to finish it.
Who the hell owns this IP ?
Final boss in this game was hard as hell really loved the gameplay and the atmosphere in this game. A 9/10 in my opinion.. Should play this title again when i have more time.
@Faruko probably Rare and by proxy Microsoft. Banjo and perferct dark have nested in Xbox live arcade.
I think Starfox and Donkey kong are the only Rare made games with Nintendo IPs
Jet Force Gemini remains in my top 5 favorite N64 games. JFG and Goldeneye being the exceptions, I never was a huge N64-era Rare fan, but I played the heck out of this game. A true classic.
I've only played the multiplayer mode.
Bought this game recently, never played it when it was released. I've only played it for a couple of hours but honestly I don't feel this game holds up very well today. Maybe it will get better later but at least in the beginning I'm not too impressed.
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