Gotcha Force
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| Gotcha Force | |
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| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Platform(s) | GameCube |
| Release date | JP November 27, 2003 NA December 3, 2003 PAL February 20, 2004 |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Players: 1 - 4 |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Everyone PEGI: 7+ |
| Media | 1 × GameCube Optical Disc |
Gotcha Force is a game for the Nintendo GameCube. Poor reviews from professional critics plagued the game, as well as lack of advertising, but many gamers disagree with professional opinion, having given the game high user ratings.[1][2][3] Capcom themselves seem to consider the game as one of their favorites, as the official Japanese site is stocked with concept art, screenshots of the developers messing around, and videos. There is (or was) a toy and manga line in Japan, though (like the game) it is exceedingly rare now.[4][5]
Contents |
[edit] Story
The Earth is being attacked by small army of Gotcha Borgs (small toy-like fighters with enough power to level the Earth) called the Death Force. Luckily, a child named Kou finds a borg called G-Red and forms the Gotcha Force. Allied by his friends, Kakeru and Mana, (plus many more) Kou counter-attacks and aims to get rid of the menace, known as the Death Force's leader, the Galactic Emperor.[6]
[edit] Gameplay
The game focuses primarily on its combat system, which goes as follows: Before each match, GF Commanders must pick Gotcha Borgs to put on a force.[7] Each Gotcha Borg, depending upon its powers and abilities, costs a specific amount of "GF Energy" in order to place on a force--in Story Mode, GF Energy increases with each match. In multiplayer, GF Energy is determined by players beforehand. Once Forces are determined, the battle begins. Borgs are placed in an arena, and both Borgs are constantly locked onto each other. If there is more than one enemy, Borgs can switch their lock between enemies, or have the option to lock onto allies (for healing or support). Gamers must quickly dodge, move, use borg abilities, and use the arena to their advantage in order to evade or block incoming attacks. Borgs often have five attack capabilities.
Once a borg is defeated, that does not mean the match is over. Forces are determined by multiple Gotcha Borgs, and once one is defeated, the next Gotcha Borg in the Force will arrive in the arena, picking up where his or her fallen ally left off. Battles continue until a Force simply has no more Gotcha Borgs. There are many different types of Gotcha Borgs. Some types include wing, demon and machine. Each type acts differently, like wing types can sometimes fly. Some types of Gotcha borgs have the ability to make a partner bigger or make an enemy smaller, some borgs can even change the look and abilities of an opponent--there are many different strategies to use with a single force, counters to these strategies, and counters to these counters. There are over 200 Gotcha Borgs overall.
[edit] Characters
Kou Shishido - The star of the game, Kou is a young, energetic schoolboy who recently moved to Sahari Town. Definitely a Personality-filled fighter, Kou is honorable, loyal, and friendly, and leads the Gotcha Force against the Galactic Emperor. His partner is G Red, who later gains his old data from Megaborg to form Neo G Red.
G Red - Kou's partner Gotcha Borg who is determined to stop the Death Force conquering the earth.
Kakeru - Kou's best friend, though they probably have known each other for a short time, seeing as Kou only moved recently. Kakeru is more easy-going and laid back than Kou. While Kou will most likely simply rush into a battle, Kakeru would rather simply make sure there is ample equipment and reinforcements for fighting. In battle he uses Ninja Borgs. His partner is Sasuke, a red-haired Normal Ninja.
Mana - A sweet girl whose cheerful attitude (and tendencies to place her friends' priorities above her own) makes her a hit with the other kids. She uses Nurse Borgs, and also uses Wizard Borgs. Her partner is Nao, a blonde Angel Nurse.
Usagi - An energetic girl who loves sports. A slight bit of an ego resides within her, but her friendliness and casual demeanor rules it out completely. She uses Girl Borgs, and also uses Angel Borgs. Her partner is Kei, a red clothed, green-haired Battle Girl sporting a baseball cap.
Tsutomu - An intelligent child who loves books and school, and would rather think and debate, than play or idle. He is Usagi's good friend and foil. He mainly uses Tank Borgs, and also uses Air Borgs. His partner is Leopard, a yellow and blue Normal Tank. Tsutomu suffers from a bit of a low self-esteem problem, and sometimes has to use positive self-talk to stay focused.
Koyama "Kitsune" Akio - A friend of Nekobe, he likes causing mischief. He is almost always found hanging out with Nekobe. He uses Machine Borgs. His partner is Isaac, a purple Claw Robot.
Nekobe Katsumi - A coward at heart, he tries to hide it by bullying other kids. Interestingly enough, even when the Death Force are at their most intimidating, Nekobe remains courageous and steadfast to the Gotcha Force, refusing to back down and continues to fight for the sake of other people. He uses Knight Borgs. His partner is Vlad, a purple Vampire Knight.
Met - A boy fascinated by the military, and a young apprentice strategist, Met is a very serious and no-nonsense type of kid. While other children would probably be going out to play, Met would stay at home and continue to think of battle strategies. He mainly uses Tank, Ninja, and Insect Borgs, and sticks to support-based borgs. His partner is Shijima, a green Arrow Ninja.
Tetsuya - He likes challenges and never backs down from a fight. He most often partners up with Met. He mainly uses Musha (Samurai) Borgs, and also uses Knight Borgs. His partner is Musashi, a white Normal Samurai.
Kotaro - A younger one who is always looking for fun. Also Kou's younger brother, he wears overalls, a red shirt, and has a yellow and black tiger striped bandana on his head. He uses Gun Borgs. His partner is Billy, a blue-haired Revolver Gunman with sunglasses.
Yuji - A weird child who is always saying random things, often during the strangest moments -- many others wonder if he's quite right in the head. He never takes fighting seriously, even if the world is at stake. He is also an unlikely ally of Sho. He mainly uses Knuckle Borgs, and his partner is Jack, a pink Jelly Diver.
Tama Tamagawa - One of the Death Force Commanders, he is a spoiled child who thinks he is better than everyone else, but can rarely back it up. He only uses Fortress Borgs, and uses Death Arc, a blue/purple Sirius, as his partner. Tama is pudgy, constantly eats, and also wears a little boys' sailor suit, and occasionally does the navy salute.
Sho - A mysterious child who fights both the Gotcha and Death forces who uses Wing Borgs. His partner is Garuda, a red and black Anubis Wing. There is very little official statements about him, but there are many rumors (and some gamers consider proof) that his father was killed by Gotcha Borgs. Though he is an enemy for the first parts of the game, he can become an ally if the player never loses a fight to him.
Orochi - One of the Death Force Commanders. Her real name is Rin, but she goes under "Orochi." Little is known about her. She uses a variety of borgs and doesn't have a specific partner, but often uses Death Wing or Dark Knight as her heavy hitter. Though she is an enemy for the first parts of the game, she can become an ally during the second playthrough on if the player never loses a fight to her.
Galactic Emperor - Leads the Death Force in trying to destroy earth. He is the final boss of the game. (Is NOT a playable character in the game without a cheating device or glitch--when beating him, the player simply gets another G Red instead.)[8]
[edit] Gotcha Borg Tribes
A Gotcha Borg's Tribe designates what kind of Gotcha Borg it is. There are a total of 20 Gotcha Borg Tribes in the game.
Ninja Borgs - Good in both long-range and short-range attacks. All of the Ninja throw projectiles, and are very quick. The first Ninja Borg you receive is at the beginning of the game, the Normal Ninja. As with ninjas known in other media, some of them are ninjas that excel at something, such as the Shuriken Ninja using the large shuriken attached to his back or the Double Ninja being able to fight alongside a copy of itself.
Kakeru prefers Ninja Borgs and his partner, Sasuke, is based on the Normal Ninja.
Gun Borgs - Excel in mostly long-range attacks, and don't do well in close combat. Many of the Gun Borgs have a second attack that is a powered-up version of the main attack. One of the first Gun Borgs you receive is the Revolver Gunman at the beginning of the game. His main attack is shooting with one gun, and his secondary attack is shooting both. There are three Gun Borgs that function differently: the Wire Gunner, the Time Bomber and Remote Bomber. Wire Gunner can spread a wire out, then shoot and hook the enemy to it causing them to go to the spot it was placed. Time and Remote Bomber are able to drop bombs, but Remote Bomber is the only Gun Borg without a gun, having a detonator instead.
Kotaro prefers Gun Borgs and his partner, Billy, is based on the Revolver Gunman.
Knight Borgs - The powerhouses of close combat. Some of the Knights have a shield, which can be used to block any attack given that the shield is facing the attack head on. Only some knights use swords, while others use other weapons. Examples are the Hatchet/Axe Knight, the Hammer Knight, and the Chainsaw Knight. The Vampire Knight and Chainsaw Knight are the only ones that use different techniques. The Vampire Knight is used more like a Musha Borg (in addition to its health constantly draining, while attacking regains it) and the Chainsaw Knight is able to grab opponents far away and drag them closer.
Katsumi prefers Knight borgs and his partner, Vlad, is based on the Vampire Knight.
Girl Borgs - The female version of Gun Borgs. A good example of this is the Wire Girl. The only exception is that she has a Large Beam attack as well as using the wire for herself only. The exceptions to this are Spinner Girl, who uses a laser-bladed yo-yo, and Shadow Girl, who only uses a sword.
Usagi prefers Girl Borgs and her partner, Kei, is based on the Battle Girl.
Machine Borgs - All-around and varied group. The Machine Borgs make up most of the Gotcha Borgs. There are no formats, as each Borg differs in style, from the traditional G-Red to the transformable Victory King to the massive and extra-powerful Cyber Machines (which only appear when Cyber Mars/Machine Red combines with Cyber Atlas/Machine Blue in any combination.)
Kitsune prefers Machine borgs and his partner, Isaac, is based on the Claw Robot.
Dragon Borgs - Very powerful Gotcha Borgs. They can cause much destruction on the field, but are very slow. They mostly come in two forms, a small form and a larger form. The only different-functioning Borgs (in small/large format) are the Wing/Phoenix Dragon, which uses lasers and is much faster; Machine Head/Death Head and Mechanical Dragon/Cyber Dragon which can combine to form the Machine Dragon/Cyber Death Dragon.
Musha Borgs - Samurai Borgs. Mostly excel in very close combat, and have few ranged attacks. The Chrono Samurai has the ability to stop time, and the Samurai Shogun has the ability to vertically cut across the field with his swords.
Tetsuya prefers Musha borgs and his partner, Musashi, is based on the Normal Samurai.
Knuckle Borgs - the literal 'mixed nuts' of Gotcha Borgs. Knuckle simply describes that they are mostly melee, but contain most of the strangest borgs in the game. The Jelly Diver/Tar Diver produces a 'bubble' around itself that slows anything inside it except the Diver. The Copy Man only has the attack of copying another Gotcha Borg and using its abilities. The Walking Bomb functions exactly as its name says, except it has to latch onto someone before blowing up part of the field.
Yuji prefers Knuckle borgs and his partner, Jack, is based on the Jelly Diver.
Wizard Borgs - Mostly Supporting Borgs. The effects range from creating shields to changing the size of the other Gotcha Borgs. They also have beam shots, but they are very slow and don't deal much damage. To counter this, they are also very fast.
Nurse Borgs - Strictly Supportive Borgs, as well as being the second smallest Borg Tribe. These Borgs are not suited for battle at all, only to help in battle. All of them have large hypodermic needles which heal the Borgs, and beam shots that are very slow. Also, there is no difference whether targeting an enemy or ally, as they will be healed no matter what.
Mana prefers Nurse borgs and her partner, Nao, is based on the Angel Nurse.
Idol Borg - SMALLEST Borg Tribe in the game. Consists of only one Borg, Pop Honey. Her only attacks are a beam shot and pop singing, which confuses the opponent and spins them around.
Bug Borgs - One of the stranger Borg tribes to use. Most of the borgs are versions of the Claw/Alien Worm Borg, except the Roach and Alien Insect. The Roach is more of a last resort/filler Borg, as its only attack is dropping bombs. The Alien Insect acts more like a combination of a Knight Borg, Musha Borg, and the Jet Hero Borg.
Demon Borgs - Actually contains Gotcha Borgs that function like other Tribes. The Akuma/Demon Samurai function like Musha Borgs and each have special abilities. The Akuma Samurai's swords grow after each hit, and the Demon Samurai's swords grow after a Gotcha Borg is destroyed on the field (Taking its 'soul'). Demon Wing/Death Wing act like Wing Borgs.
Hero Borgs - Group of Gotcha Borgs 'that protect the planet.' It consists of different types of borgs, such as the Gold/Metal Heroes being able to transform, Cyber Hero using moves from the character Ryu from Street Fighter, Star/Planet Hero having the ability to grow in size and power, and Jet Hero (although not featured in any of the 'Hero Fights') which functions like a Wing Borg and is able to use Scope.
Wing Borgs - Gotcha Borgs that are capable of prolonged flight. Most of the Wing Borgs have a Melee weapon (usually a sword) and a ranged weapon except for the Blade/Anubis Wing, which uses its blade as a ranged weapon.
Sho prefers Wing borgs and his partner, Garuda, is based on the Anubis Wing.
Angel Borgs - Has equal amounts of supporting and attacking. The Ice, Tornado and Wind Valkyries offer support and can attack separately. The Quick/Slow Valkyries are more supportive, although they still have some attacking.
Tank Borgs - Contain mostly vehicle borgs, with the exception of the Ultimate Cannon. Differently-functioning Tanks are the ICBM Tank, which fires ICBMs, and the Victory Machine, which is able to transform to an Air Borg.
Tsutomu prefers Tank borgs and his partner, Leopard, is based on the Normal Tank.
Air Borgs-As Tank Borgs are rulers of the ground, Air Borgs defend the skies. Most of them are incapable of being stationary on the ground, except for the Carrier Helicopter and the Flying Saucer. The Violet/Red Attackers are also capable of dropping large bombs.
Fortress Borgs-Large Ships that take up part of the field. They are also incredibly slow, with exception of the Beam Satellite. Each ship has a range of different weapons from beam cannons to small planes to large laser beams.
- Galactic Emperor is a Borg in this section, but is unobtainable.
Tama Prefers Fortress borgs and his partner, Death Arc, is based on the Sirius.
Death Borgs-The tiny, frail borgs that make up most of the Death Force, Galactic Emperor's Army. They come in several versions based on the Greek Alphabet, and those versions have upgrades. (Death Borg Alpha, Death Borg Alpha II) Each version is based on a different tribe: Alpha - Ninja; Beta - Knuckle/Gun (Beta uses Knuckle, Beta II uses guns, Beta III uses grappling claws); Gamma - Knight; Delta - Girl; Zeta - Musha; Theta/Iota - Nurse (Iota uses a flamethrower); Lambda - Angel; Mu - Air; Nu - Tank; Sigma - Wing; Omega - Machine; Chi - Tank. Also, some were based on other Borgs: Omicron - Walking Bomb; Tau - Kung Fu Master. Others include the Death Eye, Death Bomb (Death Eye attached to Red/Violet Attacker Bomb), and Death ICBM. (Death Eye attached to ICBM) Galactic Emperor uses Death borgs as his minions.
[edit] References
- ^ Gotcha Force for GameCube Reviews - GameCube Gotcha Force Reviews
- ^ Gotcha Force Reviews - Gotcha Force Player Reviews - Gotcha Force Web Site Reviews
- ^ Nintendo World Report - GC Review: Gotcha Force
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Gothca Force Instruction Booklet pg. 2-3
- ^ Gothca Force Instruction Booklet pg. 7
- ^ Gothca Force Instruction Booklet pg. 24-25
