Rare’s Nintendo 64 run needs to be studied. Banjo-Kazooie (and Tooie), Perfect Dark, Diddy Kong Racing, and more. They couldn’t miss on this console. But one of the best games of that era rarely (don’t do it) gets talked about. Jet Force Gemini.

‘Jet force gemini’ was ‘starship troopers’ for kids

In an era where developers were still trying to nail down the 3D camera, Rare dropped a third-person shooter where the camera worked decently enough. Movement reminded me a lot of PlayStation’s Syphon Filter, and the guns were a blast to play with. You can play as three different members of Jet Force Gemini, a team that is basically the space police fighting off insectoids led by the main villain, Mizar.

Gameplay was solid, the weapons ranged from pistols to rocket launchers, and the enemy AI actually presented a challenge. Now, I know I called this “Starship Troopers for kids.” And it still is that to me, but you are going to have to work to complete this game because the story sees you rescuing the Tribals, natives to the planet Goldwood, from Mizar. But you had to get every single one of them saved to finish the game. Hindsight being what it is, this wasn’t the best design decision, but at least the game was fun.

Jet Force Gemini was also one of the first games that I can remember actively playing the mini-games early in my gaming life. I loved the racing. No surprise, given that these are the same folks who made Diddy Kong Racing. The multiplayer, though? Not really my thing. It had a lot to do with the control scheme and camera. It just didn’t feel right for deathmatch-style gaming and led to more frustration than anything. The control scheme already took some getting used to in single-player. Dealing with it against friends was a step too far for me. But I still loved the game.

SHOULD WE RUN IT BACK?

Well, it’s on the Nintendo Switch Online service, but yes. I’d love to see a remaster. But more than anything, I’d love to see Rare working independently instead of being placed on the back-burner by a company that has no idea what it’s doing or what it wants to be. This is a group of incredibly talented developers who deserve more than being bought up to be displayed as a trophy and then getting tossed to the side at a whim.