Gotcha Force

Not to be confused with G-Force: Guardians of Space, one of the English versions of Gatchaman.

Gotcha Force
North American cover art
Developer(s)	Capcom
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Producer(s)	Yoshihiro Sudo
Designer(s)	Atsushi Tomita Shosuke Suzuki
Artist(s)	Ryuji Higurashi
Composer(s)	Mitsuhiko Takano
Platform(s)	GameCube
Release	JP: 27 November 2003 NA: 5 December 2003[1] PAL: 20 February 2004[2]
Genre(s)	Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer (Up to 4 players)

Gotcha Force (ガチャフォース, Gacha Fōsu) is a fighting / third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom for the GameCube in 2003. The game consists primarily of collecting gacha toys and battling with them.

Upon its initial release the game received mediocre reviews from critics and very little advertising. Due to these circumstances, it was not commercially successful, although it has gained a cult following with numerous high fan reviews.^[3] The official Capcom Japan website showcases many pieces of concept art and videos. There is also a toy and manga line in Japan though it is extremely rare.^[4][5]

In March 2012, Capcom reprinted copies for the GameCube in Japan 9 years after its original release, which stirred talk of a possible future sequel to come.^[6][7]

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.^[8] 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). The player 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 that normally consist of close range contextual attacks and three long range attacks, though some Borgs differ.

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, or tribes, of Gotcha Borgs. 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.

As you play through, you may also obtain borgs of alternate colours, or even special colours such as silver, gold, shadow, or crystal, each with various effects on the borg's life points though some borgs are significantly harder to obtain than others.

Plot

The Earth is being attacked by "Gotcha Borgs" called the Death Force. Luckily, a child named Kou finds a borg called G-Red and forms the Gotcha Force. Allied by his friends, Kou counterattacks and aims to get rid of the menace, known as the Death Force's leader, the Galactic Emperor.^[9]

Development

Gotcha Force was developed on HAL Laboratory Sysdolphin engine.^[10][11]

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	56/100[12]

Review scores

Publication	Score
Edge	3/10[13]
Electronic Gaming Monthly	5.67/10[14][a]
Famitsu	29/40[15]
Game Informer	7/10[16]
GameRevolution	D[17]
GameSpot	5/10[18]
GameSpy	[19]
GameZone	8.5/10[20]
IGN	6.5/10[21]
Nintendo Power	3.4/5[22]
Nintendo World Report	8/10[3]

Gotcha Force received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.^[12] Reviewers generally praised the game's concept and gameplay, but found the game to lack depth in the long run. Mary Jane Irwin of IGN stated: "What really hurts it is that the game never progresses beyond the simple battles. I never felt challenged -- and after playing through the story mode for an hour, I felt like I had seen all there was to see."^[21] Irwin, along with other reviewers, also noted the game to be more appealing to children. Alex Navarro of GameSpot believed the game "crutches itself far too heavily on brainless, clunky, spastic action that doesn't so much entertain as it bewilders."^[18] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one seven, one eight, and two sevens for a total of 29 out of 40.^[15]

Notes

1. In Electronic Gaming Monthly's review of the game, one critic gave it 7/10, and the rest gave it each a score of 5/10.

References

1. "CAPCOM® RELEASES GOTCHA FORCE™". Capcom. 5 December 2003. Archived from the original on 5 February 2004. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
2. Bramwell, Tom (20 February 2004). "What's new?". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
3. Metts, Jonathan (24 February 2004). "Gotcha Force". Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
4. "Gotcha Force Developer's Concept Art Page". Capcom Japan. Archived from the original on 2 October 2010.
5. "Gotcha Force Action Figures". Capcom Japan. Archived from the original on 2 October 2010.
6. "Official Gotcha Force Re-Release". Capcom. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012.
7. Gantayat, Anoop (2 March 2012). "Capcom Reissues Gamecube Title Gotcha Force". Andriasang. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
8. Gotcha Force Instruction Booklet pg. 7
9. Gotcha Force Instruction Booklet pg. 2-3
10. "ARC (Gotcha Force)". VirtualWorldRE. Algoflash, Rigodron, GGLinnk. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
11. "Main Executable (DOL)". VirtualWorldRE. Algoflash, Rigodron, GGLinnk. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
12. "Gotcha Force". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on 10 February 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
13. Edge staff (January 2004). "Gotcha Force". Edge. No. 132. Future Publishing. p. 99.
14. Gifford, Kevin; Elliott, Shawn; Johnston, Chris (January 2004). "Gotcha Force" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 174. Ziff Davis. p. 160. Archived from the original on 30 December 2003. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
15. "PSO EP III FAMITSU SCORES 8,8,8,8 32/40". PSOWorld. 20 November 2003. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
16. "Gotcha Force". Game Informer. No. 129. GameStop. January 2004. p. 138.
17. G-Wok (December 2003). "Gotcha Force Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
18. Navarro, Alex (5 December 2003). "Gotcha Force Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
19. Guzman, Hector (8 December 2003). "GameSpy: Gotcha Force". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on 14 December 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
20. Watkins, Rob (31 December 2003). "Gotcha Force - GC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 30 September 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
21. Irwin, Mary Jane (5 December 2003). "Gotcha Force". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
22. "Gotcha Force". Nintendo Power. Vol. 176. Nintendo of America. February 2004. p. 68.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Gotcha Force at MobyGames