Gotcha Force

From Capcom Database Wiki

Intro

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. 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. Artwork and illustrations were done by Ryuji Higurashi.

[edit] Characters

Kou - 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.

Orochi - Starting off as Kou's biggest rival, Orochi makes her presence known through her talented use of some of the more obscure borgs. The Imperial Knight and Black Knight are some of her heavy hitters, while the Teleport Ninja adds a bit of spice to her selections. Throughout the earlier missions, the battles with Orochi are among the most difficult in the game. If the player defeats her in one of the battles, she joins the team and becomes a stalwart ally.

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.

[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.

[edit] Gameplay

Some have considered the gameplay to be similar to Virtual On, while others believe it to be reminiscent of a 3D Super Smash Bros. It also bears resemblance to Pokémon (with its emphasis upon acquiring more Gotcha Borgs and battling them against each other).

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. 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.