Gex: Enter the Gecko
- January 01, 2000 00:00 AM PST
Leapin' lizards!
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After all, there's no reason to let annoying, overly repeated dialogue ("I'm trapped in Boy George's pants"; "Slip of the tongue, baby"-sheesh) spoil this enjoyable update to 1995's awesome Gex. No more 2D sidescrolling: This platformer's third-person 3D, � la Croc and the upcoming Tonic Trouble.
Once again, you're stuck in the bizarre Media Dimension, trying to stop bad-guy Rez from wrecking the world's TV. While looking for him, you'll run around one of seven twisted "channels" (game worlds)-Scream TV, Rocket Channel, Circuit Central-grabbing power-ups and fighting zombies, ninjas, giant flowers, and other nasties. This means whipping your tail, doing a flying karate-kick, or eating power-ups that let you freeze or flame your opponents.
The 3Dfx-only game has some good-looking levels, though Tomb Raider-ish clipping problems abound and Gex tends to look much better than his blocky enemies. Camera control is well done, giving you three ways (fixed camera, tracking camera, and a combination) to view the action. It's a helpful option, useful for tackling tricky jumps or just getting a good sense of where you're at in larger worlds.
Don't spend too much time looking, though. Worlds like Kung-Fu Theater and Toon TV sport creative design and nifty sights, but Gecko's quick controls-great with a gamepad-make fast action the way to play.
I wish Crystal Dynamics had ditched Gould for the sequel: his quips have little tie to gameplay and seem a weak way of trying to make this a sly, Duke-ish, "adult" game. Forget frills: I'd rather run, jump, smack, and kick. Fortunately, there's enough of that here to go around.
