Vexx

The world?s surliest hero goes on a strangely familiar quest of moving platforms and breathtaking vistas.

What does it say about the ?extreme?Eness of Vexx, the first platformer of the new year, that the game it most closely resembles is Banjo-Kazooie on the N64? Sure, the introduction goes on about the evil Dark Yabu and the legendary Astani War Talons and your grandfather being murdered before your very eyes, but the game itself is as standard a hop-n-bop as you can make without actually hiring Shigeru Miyamoto for the design.

Simply put, Vexx is divided into nine levels, most of which have 10 Shines?er, sorry, ?Wraithhearts??to discover. These thumping wonders are won by completing the usual 3D platform tasks: exploring hidden passages, carrying heavy rocks to and fro, winning a few mini-games, and collecting six of this or 100 of that. Our young, surly hero defeats enemies by snapping at them with his Astani jobbies, earning bonuses by juggling creatures in the air fighter style?a mindlessly fun diversion in open-air spots.

While it wouldn?t be smart to give too much credit to Vexx?there?s nothing really new here, save for some neat time-based puzzles?the game is far more engaging than you?d figure from first glance. The backdrops are uniformly pretty, and while you have little idea where to go next at times, the challenge never graduates to frustration-level. With some polish (and a better soundtrack), Vexx could take on the top of the heap; as it is, it already beats all of last year?s second-tier platformers.

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