Jet Force Gemini

An alien invasion, planets to explore, hordes of insectoid enemies, and a squad of heroes with heavy weapons – that is the ambitious world of Jet Force Gemini, a third-person sci-fi shooter that Rare unleashed on the Nintendo 64 in 1999. It was a period when Rare was churning out one technically impressive title after another, and this game was among their boldest.

The player takes control of several characters and travels across planets, clearing environments of enemies and, above all, rescuing small furry creatures called Tribals. And here lies the typical Rare catch: to progress in the game you have to save absolutely all of them, which means simply blasting your way forward is not enough. A single accidentally killed Tribal forces you to explore the levels again, and more carefully, turning the game into a blend of action, collecting, and thorough exploration.

Technically it was a feast for the eyes. Detailed environments, plenty of enemies on screen, elaborate world design, and an imaginative bestiary showed just how far Rare could push the N64 hardware. The ambition could be felt in every corner, whether in the scope of the locations or in the effort to combine several genre approaches into one grand adventure.

Even so, the game earned a reputation as an underrated title, mainly because of its aiming controls. The targeting was unconventional for its time and cumbersome for many players, which put off part of the audience that might otherwise have discovered one of the console's most imaginative shooters. It is a classic example of a game whose ideas and atmosphere outran how comfortably it actually controlled.

For Rare fans and collectors of the N64's golden era, however, Jet Force Gemini remains a fascinating piece worth giving a chance, especially if you do not mind getting to grips with somewhat unusual controls and let yourself be drawn into its sprawling world.

Why play: For an ambitious, technically impressive Rare sci-fi shooter with expansive worlds that deserves a second chance despite its quirky aiming.