G-Force
|
| G-Force

You know that Hollywood's movie makers must be dangerously close to reaching the bottom of the barrel when the best idea they can come up with is a film populated by secret agent guinea pigs, but we'll resist turning into Barry Norman because the release of G-Force does at least give us an excuse to review the mobile phone video game adaptation of the same name.

In keeping with its cinematic inspiration, this top-down 2D adventure sees you solving all kinds of puzzles and conundrums with the assistance of wonderful gadgets such as speed shoes, a high-tech boomerang and a fiendishly effective robot fly.

You'll also be called upon to indulge in a spot of computer hacking as you attempt to bust open electronic locks and break into secure storage boxes.

In fact, the sheer number of items available in this game is one of its strongest points: because you have access to such a wide and varied arsenal of covert contraptions, you really do feel like James Bond - albeit a considerably smaller, not to mention cuter, version.

However, you never feel like you get to make full use of these intriguing devices as the game is over all too quickly, and despite the dazzling array of spy toys it doesn't take long for the puzzles themselves to become predictable and repetitive.

Visually, G-Force contains some pleasingly eye-catching 2D graphics and boasts detailed scenery, but the generally absurd nature of the furry protagonists is curiously at odds with the serious tone of the overall presentation. There's a strange lack of legitimate belly-laughs here, which is odd when you consider that the movie itself is billed as an action-comedy.

Ultimately, G-Force is a fun little action puzzler that will easily occupy a couple of hours, but we can't help but feel that the game's intended audience is likely to become bored with the lack of humour and generally repetitive gameplay.

G-Force

Attractive presentation isn't enough to save this half-hearted movie tie-in from becoming bogged-down with disappointing repetition
Score
Damien  McFerran
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.