I've never really been a huge fan of third person shooters. They can be challenging and sophisticated, but overall I never really get any sense of action from them like I do from first person shooters. Looking back, really the only third person shooter that did that was the low selling Gotcha Force for the Nintendo Gamecube, and here's why:


This is a cowboy riding on a blue plane. What more could you possibly want?

1.It's simple.

Gotcha force manages to make room for so much action by shrinking down everything into one tiny package. All you need to shoot is B and X. Your guns reload automatically, and you automatically go into melee mode when you get close enough to an opponent. Because of this, you can focus on running around the stage like a badass instead of hiding behind a wall and shooting at enemies when you get a chance. Movement is pretty much all you need to focus on in Gotcha Force, and it gets to be a lot more interesting because of it.


That tank doesn't stand a chance.

2. It incorporates melee extremely well.

I almost don't even want to call Gotcha Force a third person shooter, because it uses melee so well, it's more of a third person attacker. Of course, that doesn't quite roll of the tongue as well. Gotcha force automatically switches you to melee when you are in range of an opponent, and there are no annoying combos to do that weigh down fighting games. Just run up and mash B; it's as simple as it should be in a shooting oriented game. Get close, and and attack without having to change what you've been doing up until then. The auto targeting makes it extremely easy to shoot your way up to your target, and then knock em back with a well timed punch. That's the second part; the over the top attacks in Gotcha Force knock you back immense distances, so that a close range oriented character can't abuse someone once they get close in. They can dish out damage, but they don't effectively get an instant kill.


That is one glowy fist.

3.It has awesome aerial combat.

Gotcha Force is one of the few third person shooters, probably the only one, that uses aerial combat. I don't mean some level where you're on a helicopter or something, but standard air combat incorporated into the gameplay. Every character can either double, triple, or even quadruple jump, or has a jetpack with a certain amount of fuel in it. These types of jumping limit but don't restrict air movement to such a point that players end up either fighting or shooting on the run whilst in the air. However, because of the targeting system, this doesn't make combat any harder, and actually makes it a lot more interesting. Attacks knock players in or out of the air, and you move much faster and more accurate while essentially running in midair, probably the coolest method of movement ever. Overall, to be able to survive a battle in Gotcha Force, you need to be airborne as much as possible, and because of it, Gotcha Force is a lot more intense and fun than any other third person shooter I've played.


Had a seizure yet?

4. Multiplayer.

One of Gotcha Force's largest flaws was that overall, the game was pretty easy. Battles in story mode can almost always be won in one try, and there isn't a hard mode or anything. Luckily, there is multiplayer. Being able to essentially create small armies with the robots won in story mode and have them fight eachother is just incredibly satisfying, and a lot more challenging than fighting against the computer.


I'd probably choose the robot. Just sayin.

5. Tons of characters.

Gotcha Force takes a different approach to variety, and it works. You don't run around collecting different weapons and switching between them; rather, you run around collecting robots and switching between them. Every robot has 2-4 different weapons( not including melee attacks), as well as different health, damage, speed, and jumping ability. Rather than having to work with he weapons the game gives you, you can create a team of robots that suits your specific style of play, with tons of different types of 'borgs' whether it be a slow and sturdy tank, and quick and agile ninja, a close range oriented samurai, etc.



Oh, and its extremely japanese.

If you ever see this game, as rare as it is, I implore you to buy it.