Movie games tend to follow the latest trends – if one particular genre is hot, they’ll jump on it like a dog chasing a squirrel. Back when action/adventures reigned supreme, you couldn’t find too many movie games – especially those geared at children – that didn’t at least try to mimic some of what Sonic and Mario had accomplished. These days, Halo and Gears of War clones are all the rage. Hence the creation of G-Force, a third-person shooter that combines button-mash melee combat with a handful of puzzles and a few minutes of platforming.

The combination is not remarkable but felt like it could have been. G-Force succeeds in a couple crucial areas (the controls are great and the camera is mostly reliable). It draws you into the first few stages by introducing new weapons, new gameplay styles and new challenges, engrossing the player with its high polish and unexpected charm. But then – not unlike the games based on Up and Bolt – the objectives and level types are repeated, leading to the dark and dreary land of repetition.

Undeniably, part of G-Force wants to be Metal Gear Solid. You can see it in the guinea pigs’ gear, in the way they walk, and even hear it in the soundtrack. But you won’t see it in the graphics, which are movie-inspired but not movie-quality (not that the G-Force film can compare to Metal Gear anyway). And you definitely won’t see it in the gameplay, which jumps back and forth between running/shooting and hunting for key items.

The latter task is barely noticeable at first, thanks to the way the game disguises several typical objectives. No one wants to hunt for keycards to open locked doors or crawl through air ducts to navigate a level unless it’s exciting. G-Force achieves that by surprising us as we make our way through the game. For starters, the enemy lineup consists of a bunch of appliances that come to life, spawn powerful weaponry, and attack anything that moves. It’s not difficult to imagine where this inspiration came from. But from a game standpoint, it works pretty well.

Instead of ironing clothes, irons come to life and stand upright, using their metallic bellies to shield incoming attacks. Their weak spot is revealed whenever they launch a fire ball; at that time, their thick shield is split in two, revealing their sensitive interior.

Paper shredders seem like a great thing for any business to have…until they start ejecting buzz saws and other razor-sharp materials. And who knew they were invulnerable to retaliation? I don’t remember reading that on the box, though there was a warning about keeping it away from small pets and children. Now it makes sense.

Since it is often impossible to avoid a shredder’s path, there is a way to defeat it: by using the power of another enemy. Throughout nearly every stage, green laser beams will appear and attempt to lock on to Darwin (the lead character). When the beam is locked into place, it’ll turn red, indicating that an attack is coming. You can use this to your advantage by moving near the shredder, stand around until the beam turns red, and then jump out of the way. One zap is all it takes to eliminate this threat.

Shredders may be some of the most exasperating enemies in the game (they’ll kill you quick so you have to be quicker), but they are not the only major obstacle. Many doors are blocked not only by keycards but by satellite-controlled force fields. Darwin can’t pass through the door until he eliminates the field, a task that is often too small for him to accomplish. Thus, he turns to his radio-controlled fly: Mooch. Using Mooch like a tiny helicopter, it’s possible to fly through vent covers and maneuver around areas that Darwin can’t fit through or even reach. Mooch’s attack abilities are limited to a weak stun gun, but the levels were designed for him so it’s never a problem.

It is with these mechanical devices – and others, such as a vacuum-inspired object that sucks and pushes Darwin through the air – that G-Force becomes a game kids will be glad they started playing. As kids defeat each new enemy and solve each new puzzle (which mainly involve fetching objects, but they’re still fun), they’ll be encouraged to continue. The weapons (laser blasters, a shotgun, an ice cannon that freezes enemies, a hypnotic weapon that turns enemies into allies, etc.) are nothing we haven’t seen before. But in this context, they’re great.

Then the worst – dare I say usual – thing happens and the game starts to fall apart. A big portion of G-Force’s entertainment value comes from its adjustment to new and exciting things. Before you could become bored with the current objective, a new one appeared. But after reaching the half-way point (about three or four hours in), the game runs out of new things to introduce. Soon, objectives are reiterated in slightly varied forms. Enemies are piled on to add difficulty to the adventure, and force fields and key card collecting are used in excess. It’s the kind of thing you might have expected to see in a very bad sequel. But it all happens within the same game. It goes from cool and exciting to, “I’ve seen this. And that. And this…”

That’s not a deal-breaker for young gamers; if your kid is more of a casual player, he or she probably won’t be too bored by the repetition. In any case, this is not a game you’ll want to finish in a day or two – even though it is possible to do so.

Gameplay: 7.0
G-Force is a good starting point for young players who crave the shooter gameplay that teen- and adult-oriented games provide. But if your kid has already played a few rounds of Halo, G-Force isn't likely to deliver much satisfaction beyond a rental.

Graphics: 7.8
These furry critters are fairly detailed. The worlds, however, are fairly lacking.

Sound: 8.0
After hearing the soundtrack, the above-average voice work seems like icing on the cake. G-Force's music is gripping, intense, and would work well in any spy flick.

Difficulty: Easy
G-Force occasionally tries to overwhelm the player with too many enemies, but even then the game doesn't feel challenging; just slightly less easy than it was without the onslaught.

Concept: 7.0
Not at all an unfamiliar experience. The one unique feature, 3D mode, uses old technology (and old blue/red paper glasses) and doesn't work very well. However, the mixture of shooter gameplay, Mooch flying and light spy elements are very appealing – and, minus the repetition factor, very polished.

Overall: 7.0
One of the better kid-specific action titles. But like so many movie-based games, G-Force is very repetitive.