Gotcha Force

Not to be confused with G-Force: Guardians of Space, one of the English versions of Gatchaman.

Gotcha Force
North American cover art
Developer(s)	Capcom
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Designer(s)	Atsushi Tomita
Artist(s)	Ryuji Higurashi
Composer(s)	Mitsuhiko Takano
Platform(s)	Nintendo GameCube
Genre(s)	Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player Multiplayer (Up to 4 players)

Gotcha Force (ガチャフォース) is a video game for the Nintendo GameCube video game console. The game received mediocre reviews from critics, as well as a lack of advertising, though it remains a cult classic with numerous high fan reviews.

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 a toy and manga line in Japan, though it is exceedingly rare now.

Story

The Earth is being attacked by "Gotcha Borgs" called the Death Force. Luckily, a child named Kou finds a borg called G-Red and forms the Gotcha Force. Allied by his friends, Kou counter-attacks and aims to get rid of the menace, known as the Death Force's leader, the Galactic Emperor.

Gameplay

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 that normally consist of two close range attacks and three long range attacks, though some Borgs differ.

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, or tribes, of Gotcha Borgs. 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.

Characters

• Kou Shishido — 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.
• G Red - Kou's partner Gotcha Borg who is determined to stop the Death Force from conquering the earth. He arrives on earch in a weakened state, having had much of his power stolen by the Death Force. Later in the game he regains his lost power and becomes Neo G Red.
• Kakeru Inui - 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 tends to be more cautious. In battle he uses Ninja Borgs. His partner is Sasuke, a red-haired Normal Ninja.
• Mana Umihara - A sweet girl whose cheerful attitude (and tendencies to place her friends' priorities above her own) makes her a hit with the other kids. However, she is not well-suited to fighting, and often needs to be rescued. She uses Nurse Borgs, and also uses Wizard Borgs. Her partner is Nao, a blonde Angel Nurse.
• Mina - The older sister of Mana. While she is not in the final game, she was supposed to be the main antagonist. Mina was cut out of the game and her role was taken by Orochi.
• Usagi Kurokawa - An energetic girl who loves sports. A slight bit of an ego resides within her, but her friendliness and casual demeanor rules it out completely. She uses Girl Borgs, and also uses Angel Borgs. Her partner is Kei, a red clothed, green-haired Battle Girl sporting a baseball cap.
• Tsutomu Katoru - An intelligent child who loves books and school, and would rather think and debate, than play or idle. He is Usagi's good friend and foil. He mainly uses Tank Borgs, and also uses Air Borgs. His partner is Leopard, a yellow and blue Normal Tank. Tsutomu suffers from a bit of a low self-esteem problem, and sometimes has to use positive self-talk to stay focused.
• Akio "Kitsune" Koyama - A friend of Nekobe, he likes causing mischief. He is a bit of a coward, acting primarily as Nekobe's sidekick and panicking when they are separated, but grows stronger and more independent over the course of the story. He uses Machine Borgs. His partner is Isaac, a purple Claw Robot.
• Katsumi Nekobe - A coward at heart, he tries to hide it by bullying other kids. He is not fond of practicing, preferring to cheat to get his way. Interestingly enough, even when the Death Force are at their most intimidating, Nekobe remains courageous and steadfast to the Gotcha Force, refusing to back down and continues to fight for the sake of other people. After joining the Gotcha Force, he attempts to partner up with both Mana and Usagi, both of whom reject him. He uses Knight Borgs. His partner is Vlad, a purple Vampire Knight. He is referred to by his last name in the game.
• Masamune "Met" Onda - A boy fascinated by the military, and a young apprentice strategist, Met is a very serious and no-nonsense type of kid. While other children would probably be going out to play, Met would stay at home and continue to think of battle strategies. Though apparently friends with Tetsuya, Met rejects the Gotcha Force's invitations until the Death Force becomes too much for him to handle alone. He mainly uses Tank, Ninja, and Insect Borgs, and sticks to support-based borgs. His partner is Shijima, a green Arrow Ninja. His full name is Masamune Onda.
• Tetsuya Sawatari - An energetic boy who likes challenges and never backs down from a fight. He most often partners up with Met, and assists with training Kotaro, acting as his sparring partner. He mainly uses Musha (Samurai) Borgs, and also uses Knight Borgs. His partner is Musashi, a white Normal Samurai.
• Kotaro Shimano - A younger one who is always looking for fun. Kou made friends with him after he saved Kotaro from being picked on by Nekobe and Kitsune. He wears overalls, a red shirt, and has a yellow and black tiger striped bandana on his head. Kotaro is initially weak due to his youth and inexperience, but has a strong fighting spirit and becomes a formidible commander after training with Tetsuya. He uses Gun Borgs. His partner is Billy, a blue-haired Revolver Gunman with sunglasses.
• Yuji Araki - A weird child who is always saying random things, often during the strangest moments. His "Yuji-isms" include proverbs, tongue twisters, pop culture quotes and more. He never takes fighting seriously, even if the world is at stake, becoming the unlikely ally of Sho simply by saying "I agree with that" to Sho's vendetta against Gotcha Borgs. In spite of this, he doesn't appear to harbor any real grudge toward the Gotcha Force, and readily joins them during the Death Force's invasion. He mainly uses Knuckle and Hero Borgs, and his partner is Jack, a pink Jelly Diver.
• Tama Tamagawa - One of the Death Force Commanders, he is a spoiled child who thinks he is better than everyone else, but can rarely back it up. He only uses Fortress Borgs, and uses Death Arc, a blue/purple Sirius, as his partner. Tama is pudgy, constantly eats, and also wears a little boys' sailor suit, occasionally giving the navy salute.
• Sho Takami - A mysterious child who fights both the Gotcha and Death forces who uses Wing Borgs. His partner is Garuda, a red and black Anubis Wing. There are very little official statements about him, but there are many clues (and some gamers consider proof) in the game that suggest his father was killed by Gotcha Borgs. Though he is an enemy for the first parts of the game, he can become an ally if the player never loses a fight to him.
• Orochi - One of the Death Force Commanders, apparently possessed by the Galactic Emperor. Her real name is Rin Nishikiori, but she uses the name "Orochi" while under the Emperor's control. Little is known about her other than that the Emperor uses her as a pawn, granting her temporary use of the Dark Knight. Her partners are Dark Knight (originally) and Death Wing, whom she uses after Dark Knight's defeat at the Death Base. Though Orochi is an enemy for the first parts of the game, she can become an ally during the second playthrough on if the player never loses a fight to her.
• Galactic Emperor - Leads the Death Force in trying to destroy earth, manipulating Gotcha Borgs and humans alike in his conquest. His motivations are unclear, but he seems primarily concerned with destruction for its own sake. Called the "Death Brain" in Japanese. He is the final boss of the game. (Is NOT a playable character in the game without a cheating device or glitch—when beating him, the player simply gets another G Red instead.)

Gotcha Borg tribes

A Gotcha Borg's Tribe designates what kind of Gotcha Borg it is. There are a total of 20 Gotcha Borg Tribes in the game.

Ninja Borgs - Good in both long-range and short-range attacks. Most of the Ninja throw shurikens, and are very quick. The first Ninja Borg you receive is at the beginning of the game, the Normal Ninja. As with ninjas known in other media, some of them are ninjas that excel at something, such as the Shuriken Ninja using the large shuriken attached to his back or the Double Ninja being able to fight alongside a copy of itself.

Kakeru prefers Ninja Borgs and his partner, Sasuke, is based on the Normal Ninja.

Gun Borgs - Excel in mostly long-range attacks, and don't do well in close combat. Many of the Gun Borgs have a second attack that is a powered-up version of the main attack. One of the first Gun Borgs you receive is the Revolver Gunman at the beginning of the game. His main attack is shooting with one gun, and his secondary attack is shooting both. There are three Gun Borgs that function differently: the Wire Gunner, the Time Bomber and Remote Bomber. Wire Gunner can spread a wire out, then shoot and hook the enemy to it causing them to go to the spot it was placed. Time and Remote Bomber are able to drop bombs, but Remote Bomber is the only Gun Borg without a gun, having a detonator instead.

Kotaro prefers Gun Borgs and his partner, Billy, is based on the Revolver Gunman.

Knight Borgs - The powerhouses of close combat. Some of the Knights have a shield, which can be used to block any attack given that the shield is facing the attack head on. Only some knights use swords, while others use other weapons. Examples are the Hatchet/Axe Knight, the Hammer Knight, and the Chainsaw Knight. The Vampire Knight and Chainsaw Knight are the only ones that use different techniques. The Vampire Knight is used more like a Musha Borg (in addition to its health constantly draining, while attacking regains it) and the Chainsaw Knight is able to grab opponents far away and drag them closer. The dark knight and imperial knights use two swords and two shields they can switch between. Unlike all the other knights, the dark knight cannot be pushed back when his shield is hit.

Nekobe prefers Knight borgs and his partner, Vlad, is based on the Vampire Knight.

Girl Borgs - An all-female tribe of speed-based borgs that emphasize shooting attacks. They tend to have low defensive power but great mobility, and employ a wide array of ranged weapons as well as several speedy but weak melee weapons. A fine example is Battle Girl, who handles both a basic machine gun and homing missiles, as well as a beam sword. The exceptions are Spinner Girl, who uses only a laser-bladed yo-yo, and Shadow Girl, who only uses a sword.

Usagi prefers Girl Borgs and her partner, Kei, is based on the Battle Girl.

Machine Borgs - All-around and varied group. The Machine Borgs make up most of the Gotcha Borgs. There are no formats, as each Borg differs in style, from the traditional G-Red to the transformable Victory King to the massive and extra-powerful Cyber Machines (which only appear when Cyber Mars/Machine Red combines with Cyber Atlas/Machine Blue in any combination.)

Kitsune prefers Machine borgs and his partner, Isaac, is based on the Claw Robot.

Dragon Borgs - Very powerful Gotcha Borgs. They can cause much destruction on the field, but are very slow. They mostly come in two forms, a small form and a larger form. The only different-functioning Borgs (in small/large format) are the Wing/Phoenix Dragon, which uses lasers and is much faster; Machine Head/Death Head and Mechanical Dragon/Cyber Dragon which can combine to form the Machine Dragon/Cyber Death Dragon.

Musha Borgs - Samurai Borgs. Mostly excel in very close combat, and have few ranged attacks. The Chrono Samurai has the ability to stop time, and the Samurai Shogun has the ability to vertically cut across the field with his swords.

Tetsuya prefers Musha borgs and his partner, Musashi, is based on the Normal Samurai.

Knuckle Borgs - the literal 'mixed nuts' of Gotcha Borgs. Knuckle simply describes that they are mostly melee, but contain most of the strangest borgs in the game. The Jelly Diver/Tar Diver produces a 'bubble' around itself that slows anything inside it except the Diver. The Copy Man only has the attack of copying another Gotcha Borg and using its abilities. The Walking Bomb functions exactly as its name says, except it has to latch onto someone before blowing up part of the field.

Yuji prefers Knuckle borgs and his partner, Jack, is based on the Jelly Diver.

Wizard Borgs - Support-based borgs that perform best on a team. The effects range from creating shields to changing the size of the other Gotcha Borgs. They also have beam shots that move slowly and have a slow rate of fire, but deal moderate damage for single shots. Curiously, all Wizard borgs are actually named "-Witch" (such as Guard Witch or Bug Witch) and all are female.

Though not her favorite, Mana frequently uses Wizard borgs.

Nurse Borgs - Strictly Supportive Borgs, as well as being the second smallest Borg Tribe. These Borgs are not suited for battle at all, only to help in battle. All of them have large hypodermic needles which heal the Borgs, and beam shots that are very slow. Also, there is no difference whether targeting an enemy or ally, as they will be healed no matter what.

Mana prefers Nurse borgs and her partner, Nao, is based on the Angel Nurse.

Idol Borg - SMALLEST Borg Tribe in the game. Consists of only one Borg, Pop Honey. She performs like a Wizard borg in battle, as her only attacks are a beam shot and pop singing, which confuses the opponent and spins them around.

Bug Borgs - One of the stranger Borg tribes to use. Most of the borgs are versions of the Claw/Alien Worm Borg, except the Roach and Alien Insect. The Roach is more of a last resort/filler Borg, as its only attack is dropping bombs, however despite its weakness it can survive more devastating attacks such as ICBM explosions and Ultimate Cannon blasts. The Alien Insect acts more like a combination of a Knight Borg, Musha Borg, and the Jet Hero Borg.

Demon Borgs - Actually contains Gotcha Borgs that function like other Tribes. The Akuma/Demon Samurai function like Musha Borgs and each have special abilities. The Akuma Samurai's swords grow after each hit, and the Demon Samurai's swords grow after a Gotcha Borg is destroyed on the field (Taking its 'soul'). Demon Wing/Death Wing act like Wing Borgs.

Orochi frequently uses Demon Borgs, and adopts a Death Wing as her surrogate partner after losing the Black Knight.

Hero Borgs - Group of Gotcha Borgs 'that protect the planet.' It consists of different types of borgs, such as the Gold/Metal Heroes being able to transform, Cyber Hero using moves from the character Ryu from Street Fighter, Star/Planet Hero having the ability to grow in size and power, and Jet Hero (although not featured in any of the 'Hero Fights') which functions like a Wing Borg and is able to use Scope.

Wing Borgs - Gotcha Borgs that are capable of prolonged flight. Most of the Wing Borgs have a Melee weapon (usually a sword) and a ranged weapon except for the Blade/Anubis Wing, which uses its blade as a ranged weapon.

Sho prefers Wing borgs and his partner, Garuda, is based on the Anubis Wing.

Angel Borgs - Has equal amounts of supporting and attacking. The Ice, Tornado, and Wind Valkyries feature both a rapid-fire shooting attack and a more support-oriented special attack. The Quick/Slow Valkyries are more supportive, with special attacks that cause status effects but featuring the same rapid-fire attack as the rest. The exception is Ring Valkyrie, who produces a unique bladed ring shot and features an entirely offensive special attack. Curiously, all Angel borgs are designated "-Valkyrie" in their name (though misspelled "Valkrie"), rather than "-Angel."

Usagi frequently includes these borgs on her team.

Tank Borgs - Contain mostly vehicle borgs, with the exception of the Ultimate Cannon. Differently-functioning Tanks are the ICBM Tank, which fires ICBMs, and the Victory Machine, which is able to transform to an Air Borg. Tank Borgs can be ridden by other borgs.

Tsutomu prefers Tank borgs and his partner, Leopard, is based on the Normal Tank.

Air Borgs-As Tank Borgs are rulers of the ground, Air Borgs defend the skies. Most of them are incapable of being stationary on the ground, except for the Carrier Helicopter and the Flying Saucer. The Violet/Red Attackers are also capable of dropping large bombs. Like Tank Borgs, Air Borgs can be ridden by other borgs, who can employ their great speed.

Fortress Borgs-Large Ships that take up part of the field. They are mostly stationary, Though Beam Satellite and Death Saucer are capable of slow movement. Each ship has a range of different weapons from beam cannons to small airplanes to large laser beams.

• Galactic Emperor is a Borg in this section, but is unobtainable.

Tama Prefers Fortress borgs and his partner, Death Arc, is based on the Sirius.

Death Borgs-The tiny, frail borgs that make up most of the Death Force, Galactic Emperor's Army. They come in several versions based on the Greek Alphabet, and those versions have upgrades. (Death Borg Alpha, Death Borg Alpha II) Each version is based on a different tribe: Alpha - Ninja; Beta - Knuckle/Gun (Beta uses Knuckle, Beta II uses guns, Beta III uses grappling claws); Gamma - Knight; Delta - Girl; Zeta - Musha; Theta/Iota - Nurse (Iota uses a flamethrower); Lambda - Angel; Mu - Air; Nu - Tank; Sigma - Wing; Omega - Machine; Chi - Tank. Also, some were based on other Borgs: Omicron - Copy Man/Bug Witch; Tau - Kung Fu Master. Others include the Death Eye, Death Bomb (Death Eye attached to Red/Violet Attacker Bomb), and Death ICBM (Death Eye attached to ICBM). The Galactic Emperor uses Death Borgs as his minions.

External links

• Official Japanese Site
• Template:GameFAQs
• Gotcha Force Fan Site