Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

Okay, I know what you guys are going to say.  Why is Aeropause looking at a game based on a kids movie.  Well there are a couple of reasons.  First off, I am an achievement whore and will look at just about any kids game to see what the achievement list looks like.  Secondly, it does something that no other 360 or PS3 game has done so far, and that would be a game that is in true 3D. 

For the uninitiated, or for those without kids, G-Force is a movie that is coming out July 24th.  The movie focuses on a team of hamsters that have been genetically engineered to fight terrorist events from around the world.  The game will come out a few days befor the movie, and our demo was on the Wii version, but we did look at the 360 version for a minute or two to see the aforementioned 3D version of the game.

G-Force sticks close to the framework of the movie, but expands on the story with levels that will fill in events that are not specifically covered in the movie.  You play as Darwin, the leader of the G-Force team, who is tasked with leading his team against a billionaire industrialist, Donald Saberling.  It seems that Donald Saberling has been creating sentient creatures out of appliances made by his company.  The plot sounds a little cookie cutter, but the creatures themselves are rather unique and fun to watch come to life.

In the first sequence that we got to see from G-Force, Darwin had just entered the Saberling industrial complex and we watched as several clothes irons came to life to attack the intruder.  Controlling the battle was simple enough with both the Wiimote and nunchuck being used for movement and attacks.  The stick on the nunchuck moved Darwin around the level, while you aimed with the Wiimote, while attacking with the A button.  The controls are meant to be intuitive for both kids and adults to play.

Throughout G-Force, you will gain access to 26 weapons, 22 of which, are exclusive to the game itself.  One of the better items that you recieve that is exclusive to the game is the jetpack.  The jetpack allows you to fly around the levels and get to better locations to attack foes.

I did ask about whether G-Force would have any special waggle movement, because it always seems that games focused on kids would have some kind of superfluous motion control.  The developers said absolutely not, as they felt that there is no reason to embed waggle control when it is really not necessary.

Many of the voice actors are providing specifically recorded lines for G-Force, including people like Sam Rockwell, who has provide the voice to the main character, Darwin.  Not sure if Nicolas Cage is donning his voice talent, but something tells me that if he is not, it might be a good thing.  All I can think of is his stilted voice acting in most of his movies and I shudder.

There are some driving sequences that you can play through, and the funny thing about driving in G-Force is the vehicle that you drive.  Anyone that knows that a hamster knows that you have to buy those hamster homes thatt are made out of those plastic tubes and running globes, and so on.  The vehicle that you drive is made out of those parts, and it was funny to watch this badass vehicle driving around firing at targets, and shooting off team members in their own spinning balls.  The driving sequences also give you several different paths to navigate the levels.  I was really impressed with the controls during this sequence, and really found this to be a highlight of the game.

Now I mentioned the 360 and PS3 version having a mode where you can play the entire game in 3D.  Donning a pair of 3D glasses that come in the game box, I was really impressed with how the 3D looks.  Things really do come out of the screen at you and it added a whole new depth to the game.  3D mode can be turned on and off on the fly, so you do not get headaches while playing.  The colors are a bit off in this mode, but the fact that the development team made it work, and work well is a big note, and a selling point for me on the 360.

G-Force is set up for a July release date, and looks like it could be a lot of fun for the family audience.  Yes it is a licensed property, but it seems like they are trying to do enough to give players more of an experience than the movie.