Gex series for HG101 by wildweasel In cinema, there's been a long-standing phenomenon: the B-movie. The classic example of a B-movie includes low production values, rock-bottom budget, and actors who audiences hadn't heard of before (and in many cases, would never hear of again). Games have tried to capture the essence of the B-movie numerous times, to varying degrees of success (see Splatterhouse, Duke Nukem 3D, and to a greater extent, Stubbs the Zombie and Destroy All Humans). It's rare, however, that in attempting to pay tribute to a B-movie, a game ends up practically becoming one in the process. Such is most certainly the case with Gex. Gex is a talking gecko (not to be confused with his more famous cousin, the Geico gecko) that first saw the light of day in mid-1994 as the mascot for a game company called Crystal Dynamics, during the exit of the now-infamous "animals with 'tude!" era of videogaming. Crystal Dynamics was, near the beginning of its life, a major developer (actually, the first licensed developer) for Panasonic's up-and-coming 3DO console system. They released their first games, Crash 'n' Burn and Total Eclipse (not to be confused with the Freescape-powered first-person game by Incentive Software), for the 3DO Multi-Player in 1993. Both games ended up being commercial failures, much like the rest of the 3DO (though Total Eclipse did get a sequel for the Saturn, called Solar Eclipse). They tried again with Gex - originally a 3DO exclusive title, it eventually was brought over to the other two consoles that were quickly building steam: the Playstation and the Saturn. Gex - 1994 (3DO, Playstation, Saturn, Windows 95) Gex, like most of us at some point, is utterly obsessed with his television. All he wants to do is sit down and watch the latest horror flick when a being known as Rez (no, not that Rez) beams him into his own TV set and forces him to explore all the different channels and try to find a way out. It's a premise rather reminiscent of the early-90's comedy flick, Stay Tuned - and ends up being just as entertaining (for better or for worse). Naturally, Gex had taken about the same direction as most other animals-with-tude of his day. With the - ahem - success of Bubsy, Gex's developers decided to give him a series of snappy one-liners to be launched off at random during the game. And who better to launch off these tried and true tidbits than stand-up comedian Dana Gould? (Indeed, Gould's success was one of the major selling points of the game.) The advantage of this is that, with the recognizable voice and distinct couch-potato personality, Gex doesn't quite fade away into the background like the silent furries of other games. He also doesn't get terribly annoying - not right off the bat, at least. Some lines do get repeated more often than one would hope, but often times it's the shorter ones that suffer from this, so they don't get annoying very quickly - though I must admit they did start to get old enough that I eventually turned off the voice altogether in the sci-fi levels ("Jane! Stop this crazy thing!"). Kudos to Crystal Dynamics for giving us the option, at least - but the game does feel a little empty without the near-constant movie-quotery of our lizardly protagonist. The game is actually quite well put together - it's a 2D platformer, featuring some smooth animations, high-color graphics, and plenty of graphical variety to keep players interested. Gex is able to run through levels and basically do what a gecko must; that is, eat bugs, cling to walls, and whip things with his tail. You can also use Gex's tail to bounce by holding down on the directional pad, which can be useful for destroying blocks as well as killing enemies Mario-style. The primary objective of each level is to find a TV remote, which is used on the world map to turn on another TV (a level). Hidden throughout some of the levels are pieces of the Planet X remote, which power up a secret world when all of them are collected. The side-scrolling gameplay is, as mentioned, pretty competent; there are plenty of neat things you can figure out, hidden secrets, and a good number of different worlds (representing the basic archetypes of B-movies: horror, cartoon, kung fu, space, and others). They all have their unique tilesets, a selection of different themed enemies, and a wide array of different one-liners for Gex to spout off. As mentioned above, these lines are actually quite amusing at times, but there are a few that get pretty old. Thankfully the game changes things up between worlds, so you won't be hearing all of the same lines over and over again (though the generic ones, specifically ones like "It's tail time!" will play everywhere - cue groaning audience sound). Like any good side-scroller, Gex has an assortment of powerups, each in the form of a colored orb with an insect on it. There are orbs that grant you health (either in single points, complete fills, or bonus health), the ability to spit fire, super speed, or a wind shield that kills anything Gex touches. It's interesting to note that, when strapped for health, any of the powerups can be used as a makeshift healing item, simply by tail-whipping it instead of using your tongue to eat it. Another interesting feature of the powerups, specifically the "permanent" ones like the fireballs, is that they stack - you can hold up to three powerups, each one counting as another extra hitpoint. If Gex takes damage, the powerup is lost in lieu of a hitpoint, and the next one (if there is one) will take effect. With a possible max health of 5, this means that a fully-equipped Gex can take up to 8 hits before dying. Unfortunately, hitpoints and powerups reset at the end of each level, so you can't go revisit a previously-completed level and stock up on health and powerups before fighting a boss. Hitpoints also do you no good against bottomless pits or water. That does prevent things from being too easy, though...but this may be more of an all-around curse, as you'll soon see. Also, annoyingly, the game pauses for about a second each time Gex is injured, which can screw up timed jumps. The game can tend to be a little on the difficult side at times, which is compounded by the save system - you must collect a VHS tape in specific levels to save the game - but that's not all. You also have to actually complete the level with the tape in your inventory in order for it to take effect. Worse yet, the save feature inexplicably only seems to be present in the 3DO version, leaving Playstation and Saturn owners to write down passwords (or else use the cheat mode, which breaks the game flow, as the levels you've beaten previously will not be opened up). Even worse than the need for passwords, you still need to find a VHS tape in order to receive one, and they aren't always within easy reach (and not even in very many levels, at that - probably only one level in each world has one). Emulators with save states can get around this, these days, but that really shouldn't be necessary. Oh, and should you die after picking up the tape, but before you reach a checkpoint (a Polaroid camera), you'll need to pick it up again. What a pain! Interestingly, the original Gex was the only entry in the series to be released in Japan (every version except the Saturn). Nearly all of Gex's spoken dialogue was removed from the game, aside from his speech in the introduction movie (which was re-dubbed into Japanese), and a single line in English on the title screen. After that, he remains completely silent through the rest of the game. The Playstation version was the only one that came to Europe. Gex, originally being a 3DO game, was probably not that hard to port to the arguably more powerful Playstation and Saturn. There is no discernible difference between the three versions, outside of the fact that only the 3DO version has save support. The game was brought to PC's running Windows 95 a couple of years later, in what appears to be a somewhat lazy port - similar to Earthworm Jim and Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (released around the same time), the game simply runs in a window which can be maximized. Gex: Enter the Gecko (Playstation, Nintendo 64, Windows 95) Nearly three years after the first Gex had hit every 32-bit platform in the known universe, Crystal Dynamics finally released a full-blown sequel. Enter the Gecko brought the series into full 3D gameplay, in a move seemingly directly inspired by Super Mario 64 - indeed, if you've played that before, this game should prove to be all too familiar. With the move to 3D, the levels have been made somewhat more non-linear, but in the face of this, there are more "missions" per level - similar to Mario 64's stars, you can revisit a level and find the other remotes, using the meager clue left for you in the name of the level. However, Gex goes the extra mile of actually showing you where in the level the remote is, instead of sending you blindly to find it. This isn't always helpful, though, and can sometimes even direct you entirely the wrong way. The levels are exceedingly easy to get lost in, especially those that are divided into rooms like the Scream TV levels. Thankfully, the levels aren't all that big, but the highly restrictive viewing distance presents some navigational headaches. There are two bonus remotes for each level, one Hidden remote which (obviously) must be found in some obscure corner of the level, and one Reward remote, given to you for collecting all 120 collectible items in the level. The layout of the levels doesn't help these either, and it can be downright counter-intuitive which items in a level will give you collectibles and which will not. It essentially boils down to tail-whipping everything several times over, just to make sure you didn't miss a single skull/tin can/Jason mask somewhere. The controls don't help matters either. Gex can move around at a decent clip, but his ability to cling to walls has now been inexplicably limited to only certain surfaces. He is now able to climb up ledges using his tongue, but like wall clinging, this only works on some ledges and is wildly inconsistent at times - so you really shouldn't rely on it. Eating bugs is a little easier this time around, though, as the tongue now automatically aims at a bug if it's nearby. Gex is still able to tail-bounce like in the first game, but doing so now requires you to press and hold the Jump button starting at a certain point of the jump, typically about a quarter of a second before he lands. This is much harder than it sounds, and thankfully the tail bounce isn't a required move. But then we find ourselves at the ultimate curse of every 3D platformer: the camera system. There has been many a potentially good game brought to utter ruin because of an uncooperative (and sometimes even downright malicious) camera. This one is the apex of cruelty as far as cameras are concerned: it's difficult to control, makes annoying sounds when you play with it, and whatever angle you choose ends up being overridden by the game moments later as Gex passes through any of the numerous fixed-camera zones. Lining up your jumps has never been more difficult, as even if you know where you're going, the camera could swing around mid-jump, causing the direction you're pushing to no longer be the correct direction to be jumping. This turns otherwise simple jumps into complete leaps of faith, and pretty much ruin what would be good levels. I consider myself lucky that the game doesn't have that many bottomless pits, because I have to repeat my jumps enough times that it would only be more painful to have to restart the entire level on account of them. Of course, the game does let you change between Manual, Semi-Auto, and Auto cameras, but doing so doesn't solve the fixed-camera rooms - it only controls how soon the game will automatically center the camera behind Gex. In Auto mode, the camera swivels back behind you as soon as you stand still - Semi-Auto makes it take a few seconds, and Manual disables this entirely. The camera is a pain regardless of the setting, though, and the option is seemingly only there to taunt you. Gex's lines, again recorded by Dana Gould, get more amusing and varied, but can also get more annoying at times as well. (I swear, if I hear him mention Boy George's pants again...) But strangely enough, when the game was released in Europe, all of Dana Gould's original lines were thrown out and re-recorded with British actor Leslie Phillips, known for co-starring in British sitcom Honey For Tea, and as Hactar in the radio version of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, among various other roles. The European N64 version uses these re-recorded lines as well. Mr. Philips is far less annoying than Dana Gould is in this installment, that's one thing for certain, but if you ask me, he's too cultured to be playing a slacker like Gex...though his lines can also be pretty funny as well (such as his comment upon entering the Cartoon universe, "Ah, to see the world as Keith Richards does."). It's really up to the player which voice they prefer, but if neither one works out (because even Leslie Philips brings mention to Boy George's pants more often than is socially acceptable), the voices can easily be turned off. The N64 port was surprising, given that Crystal Dynamics had not previously made a cartridge game - numerous cuts had to be made for the game to fit on the cartridge, though. The full-motion video intro was cut, as was the 3D title menu. Gex's lines suffered the brunt of the casualties, reducing the sound quality of them so that it's not always obvious what he's saying, and also removing so many lines that he only has 5 or 6 to use at a given moment and ends up repeating himself several times per level. Also, a few of the extra secret levels were cut from the PS1 release, but in their place has been added a single brand-new mission based on Titanic. As far as I can tell, the Windows 95 release is primarily based on the PS1 version, and exclusively supported the 3DFX Voodoo video chipset - meaning that unless you have one of those cards (or a good Glide wrapper), they're impossible to run on modern systems. Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko (Playstation, Nintendo 64) Gex's third and final outing plays very much like the previous installment, but Crystal Dynamics has seen fit to try to improve on the shortcomings of Enter The Gecko and create something that is actually somewhat playable. That's not to say that said shortcomings are entirely absent, but at least an effort has been made to fix them. Gex is now a member of the TV Terrorism Agency. The game begins as Gex is once again doing what he does best: watching TV. Having already defeated Rez twice, he's about ready to retire when his suddenly-introduced love interest, Agent Xtra, is kidnapped. So he must once again travel into the media dimension and kick some...uh...(don't say tail, don't say tail!)... Before you're even allowed to enter any of the channels, though, Gex must undergo training. If you've played Gex 2, then you probably already know how to do everything - which makes it more annoying that you're forced to go through the training course. The training is also a little inconsistent at times, as the first few rooms will activate automatically, but in the next several, you'll need to tail-whip Gex's turtle butler to get him to tell you what to do (and activate whatever it is you need to use to progress - raise platforms, etc). The reward for this training course is one remote, so there is no way to get around doing this. Grr. A lot has changed for the better, including the camera system, which now is somewhat more consistent in how it follows Gex (though it's still a pain more often than not - even when set in "Expert" mode instead of Novice). Tail-bouncing is now much easier, since you can press and hold the Jump button at any time on the way down, making it effortless to pull the move off when needed (and repeat it endlessly, bouncing throughout the levels like some sort of Bizarro Tigger). Karate kicks, which are now necessary due to some levels requiring longer jumps, are a little tricky to pull off. Since Gex doesn't start off running right away (unless you're using the analog controller), you have to let him get a bit of a running start first to pick up speed. Then actually doing the kick is just like Super Mario 64's Long Jump - hold Crouch, press Jump. Unfortunately, if you're too quick on the draw and press Crouch before Gex is running fast enough, he'll stop on a dime and start ducking. Oh, and should you have played an N64 version in the past, crouching is now handled with the right hand instead of the left - in Gex 64, the Z button was used to crouch. In Gex 3, this is now the R button, while Z is now the tongue button. The button placement hasn't changed between the PS1 games, though, being R1 to crouch in both games. It's still more than a little disorienting after being used to Mario 64. I seriously can't stop comparing this to Mario. Well, they're asking for it... The game's graphics have certainly improved since Gex 2, although many assets have been reused. Gex now has a unique costume for every level (instead of only dressing him up for novelty purposes like the bunny suit on Toon TV), viewing distance has increased without too much of a hit on performance...though there is occasional slowdown, it's not really that much more than Gex 2's. The powerup items are much, much better to look at, and considering how many of them there are, that's a good thing. Upon completing some levels, though, you're treated to a mandatory cutscene exchange between Gex and Agent Xtra, where Xtra mentions how good you're doing, and Gex ignores her completely in lieu of hitting on her. Thankfully these scenes are short, because I don't think I like the idea of our reptilian hero having that kind of relationship with a human female. (On that note: please, dear God, don't tell me somebody has already written slash fiction about these two. I'd prefer to remain uninformed about such things. Especially if said slash fiction has pictures to go with it. Bleah!) Gex 3's level sets are even more varied than the last couple, sending the hero through holiday TV specials, Agatha Christie mysteries, war films, and even pay-per-view wrestling. They're all fleshed out pretty well, although each channel only has one level associated with it (despite several remotes being hidden within each). Voice acting is once again handled by Dana Gould in the US version. In the European release, however, he is replaced with Danny John-Jules, best known for playing The Cat from the classic BBC sci-fi series Red Dwarf. And he fails to disappoint - given the choice between the two, I would pick Danny's performance over Dana's any day, as he makes even the most mundane lines sound silly ("Somebody throw me a blanket!"), whereas Gould's lines are mostly just the same stuff as the last games ("It's tail time!" makes a disappointing return, but thankfully no more references to Boy George's pants). The music has also very much improved from Gex 2, actually sounding like music and not simply providing ambiance. The N64 port once again suffered many casualties - while most of the voice acting is surprisingly intact, the entire intro sequence had to be redone (and rendered in real-time 3D as opposed to the PS1's FMV version), and a few objects such as powerups that previously were models are now 2D sprites. A few special effects had to be nuked as well for whatever reason. While Agent Xtra is still represented in photo-realism (by an actual woman, wow! [/sarcasm]), her image is now displayed on a wall texture instead of as full-screen video. And given the N64's limitations, this wall texture couldn't be very large, so it looks really blurry and grainy. Methinks the effort and cartridge space could have been better used for other things - like improving the graphics, frame-rate, and camera system. Gex: Enter the Gecko (Game Boy Color) To coincide with the release of the second game on Nintendo 64, Crave Entertainment and infamous GBC developer David A. Palmer Productions (also known for their Men In Black and Commander Keen GBC games) decided to also capitalize by making a pint-sized Gex game. Enter the Gecko plays more closely to the original 3DO game than the sequel, but many elements of its 3D counterpart have been translated to the Game Boy (for better, or for worse). Tail-bouncing, which is now completely mandatory to learn due to it making Gex jump about twice as high as normal, is no longer handled by pressing Down in the air. You must now press the jump button again, with the same touchy timing issues. Gex can hardly jump, and to get him to run takes about half a screen of walking before he breaks into a run. It's somewhat unpredictable, and with how small the field of view is, this can make situations that were already a leap of faith turn into complete, utter torture. Not to mention half of the jumps you'll be making are engineered specifically so that Gex will always, without fail, land just short of them every time you make an attempt. Oh, and the controls are backwards from every other platform game on the market: B jumps, A tail-whips. Unless you can get used to that, you're bound to have some frustration from walking off cliffs. Many of the levels have been recreated in 2D, and despite the layout being redone, it mostly follows the same theme, patterns, and some of the same landmarks. Even the objective remotes remain the same, such as Toon TV's "Jump to the Teetering Rock" mission. The one thing they didn't even try to do in the GBC version: the speech. Gex no longer speaks; he is now a mute. And thank God for that - I would not enjoy listening to Dana Gould in glorious GBC sound. At least the graphics are marginally good, even if the developers made them too large and restricted the field of view too much in spite of it. But at the end of the day, this remains a piece of GBC shovelware, and should be treated as such by avoiding it. You could get more enjoyment from, say, Tarantula's GBC port of Grand Theft Auto. (That's not intended as a compliment to either game.) Gex: Deep Pocket Gecko (Game Boy Color) David A. Palmer Productions once again helms this shovelware tie-in to the console sequel, but somehow does a lot better this time around. It's still a 2D platformer like before, but the controls have been tightened up quite a bit (Gex gains momentum much faster, notably), the hub level made less confusing, and the animations smoothed out quite a bit. On the other hand, Gex sometimes doesn't pick things up (I had to repeatedly tail whip and jump at the very first remote for it to register), leaps of faith are still a common occurrence, and platforming in itself is more frustrating. There are two kinds of platforms in Gex 3: those that you can jump on, and those that are actually part of the background but look exactly the same. It seems like they were deliberately trying to mess with the player, similar to modern creations Syobon Action and I Wanna Be The Guy. The only thing that DPG doesn't do is instant deaths ad nauseum. But one could argue that playing this game is instant death in itself, because it's bad enough that you might as well be dead.