Rating: PG
Players: 1
Genre: Action-Platform
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Release Date: July, 2009 (AUS)

RENT

Movie tie-in games. Going on my past experience they tend to fall below par. So how does the “G Force” game fare?

If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll know the members of the G Force. This apparently picks up either during parts of the movie or after it (unfortunately I have not been able to see the movie myself to clarify). If you haven’t seen the movie, here’s a brief idea: it’s kind of like Mission Impossible but with guinea pigs, instead of Tom Cruise.

You play as Darwin (who has some gear that even Tom would be envious of) and the fearless fly Mooch. Somehow you need to infiltrate the headquarters of evil billionaire Leonard Saber, and put some serious damage on his army of household appliances.

Sounds a bit odd, but when your waffle iron grows pointy teeth and wants a piece of you, you’ll want Darwin to save you. Numerous toasters get toasted thanks to Darwin’s artillery which gets new additions every so often. There are discs that you find that I believe can add to this collection along the way.

To help you navigate through this maze of imminent danger, your team members communicate to you over your special FBI issued hidden microphone and earpiece. They scan the areas you are entering and tell you which way to go, which appliance has come to life, and anything else you’ll  need to keep watch for.

When Darwin can’t reach an area via jetpack or by squeezing his guinea pig self through, trusty sidekick Mooch comes in to save the day! He can activate switches and stun certain hindering objects so that Darwin can quickly swoop in, sort out the problem at hand, and continue trying to clear the current objective.

Many of Saber’s appliances are just your regular co-operative piece of equipment, however there are a few that suddenly spring to life. This could be pretty scary for younger cherubs though – so if this sort of thing is not in the movie, or your kids haven’t seen it yet, be wary of buying this for them.

Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten very far into the game itself, but from what I have played the game is very well put together. The graphics are great, and the gameplay is challenging (even for me!). The sounds are appropriate, as is the background music. The only thing that may disappoint existing fans is the fact that Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz and Tracy Morgan didn’t lend their vocal talents to the game.

Funnily enough, even though my stance on movie tie-ins remains the same, I did really enjoy playing “G Force”. These sorts of games aren’t so bad if they’re done well. Be prepared for plenty of action, fights with appliances, and a whole bunch of Disney classic fun. Over and out!

Review product was provided by Madman Entertainment, and does not affect the outcome of this review.

Title:

Most superheros have a secret origin: a terrible injustice that was done to them by an evil doer; a super power they gain from a mutation, caused by an experiment gone wrong, or a freak accident; or a dire need for helping people. Dave Lizewski didn’t have any special secret origin, he was just bored.

“I always wondered why nobody did it before me…”

Inspired by his love of comic books super heroes, as well as the lack of real-life ones, in the first issue of the comic this self-proclaimed class nobody embarks on a mission to become a super hero. Deciding that you don’t need special powers to be a super hero – just a wetsuit and mask off EBay – the crime fighting begins with our yet to be named hero prowling roof tops and wearing his costume under his school clothes. At first this is enough to satisfy Dave, until he eventually blunders into an encounter with graffiti-ing thugs who stab and beat him, as well as a run in with the front end of a Mercedes, leaving him hospitalised and fighting for life.

Overcoming intensive rehabilitation and multiple surgeries under the guise of mugging related injuries – but unable to go back to a “normal” life – Dave resumes his crime fighting escapades in the second issue. He begins prowling the streets once again, this time becoming involved in an incident that gets recorded via mobile phone and posted to YouTube. Dave, not a popular kid at school and purely a geek at heart, thoroughly enjoys the overnight sensation that his now named alter ego – Kick-Ass – generates. He creates a MySpace account under the name Kick-Ass to talk to the people, and get requests for help. And so the tale of our less than average hero Kick-Ass begins. (There is a MySpace page set up for Kick-Ass, with the “actual” footage of him saving the guys life. www.myspace.com/kickass_comic)

Mark Millar introduces two new super heroes in the third issue, father and daughter duo Big Daddy and Hit Girl – who are the opposite of Kick-Ass. These two characters impart a no holds barred, take no prisoners stance – they are willing to kill for what they believe in. At this point, if not blindingly obvious earlier, it becomes clear that this is not a typical super hero story. The evil doer doesn’t get caught by the hero and left for the cops to deal with. Hit Girl and Big Daddy serve up their own brand of justice, and they serve it up steaming hot. Mark Millar occasionally drops comments into the narration that give reference to his political views, which adds substance to the vigilante feel of the Hit-Girl and Big Daddy characters.

Issue five introduces the fourth and final super hero character – Red Mist. This character presents a rival for Kick-Ass; he sparks intense feelings of outrage and jealousy in Dave. Red Mist is seemly one of many in a copy cat subculture spawned by Kick-Ass’ popularity in the media. It soon becomes apparent that Red Mist is exactly like Kick-Ass – he has no powers or training – so his addition adds a curious interest to the story, leaving the reader wanting to know where the author will go with it.

Kick-Ass is an original, 8 part mini-series that delivers a fresh perspective on the super hero genre, with a modern-day real-world edge. Not only does it deal with a super hero with no powers, it imparts a sense of cynicism about the hero stereotype. There are many cringe-inducing moments in the story, but there are also many moments leaving the reader thirsty for more. The use of profane language in the comic is not for the faint hearted, but it adds a reckless quality to the characters that is almost endearing. Dave is an easily likeable character; even though most of the time he thinks he’s a total bad-ass, at the end of the day he knows he’s just a comic book geek out for cheap thrills.

The movie Kick-Ass, starring Nicolas Cage, and new comers Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse is released in Australia early next year. It looks to be as action packed as the comic, but it is doubtable that it will convey the same amount of blood and guts or profanities as John Romita Jnr and Mark Millar depict on paper. Initial reviews about the movie are that if you like the comic book, then you’ll love the movie. Hopefully it doesn’t turn out be another of those movies where all the good bits are in the trailer.