Latest news with #Gex
Metro
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Playing Gex again is a reminder of a simpler time for gaming - Reader's Feature
A reader welcomes the return of PS1 platformer Gex and reminiscences over both a childhood favourite and an era when video games weren't so demanding. This week, a game trilogy has been re-released which is very dear to me but seemingly very few people have even heard of: Gex – where a gecko is tasked with saving television from the evil robot Rez. This is good news, even if you don't know or care about Gex. Games are notoriously difficult to preserve. Playing old games today, without the hardware they originally ran on, can be a mission that quickly enters a legal grey area. Therefore, I am immensely grateful for companies like Limited Run Games giving some of these old games a new lease of life. Although it feels like only a minimum effort went into this one – note how I call it a re-release and not a remaster or remake. The Switch version, in its current state, looks especially awful. At least they added some quality of life features, like being able to manually save whenever you want to, which can take the frustration out of some of the more challenging levels. Gex was originally created by Crystal Dynamics, who took over the Tomb Raider franchise after Angel Of Darkness. Speaking of which, did you know that until the 2013 reboot, Lara's model was measured in Gexels? This is because the Tomb Raider games were made on a modified engine based on the one developed for Gex 3D: Enter The Gecko, which was heavily inspired by Super Mario 64 and in my opinion definitely doesn't have to stand in that game's shadow. This is the game I played religiously as a child. I loved the tail-whipping gecko from the first moment I laid eyes on him, on my neighbour's PlayStation, and eventually got the game for PC. Once I also got the graphics card necessary to actually play it, I spent every minute of my allotted hour of computer time in the media dimension, where Gex hops into the different levels, which are pastiches of television genres and movies. These range from haunted house horror to Looney Toons, kung fu movies, Star Wars, and many more. They are full of fun nods to their inspirations and Gex usually dresses for the occasion, be that fighting hunters as a bunny during 'Wabbit' season or wearing a hide and a bone although his nose in the Jurassic levels. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. The animations and sound design made it so much fun to double jump around on Gex's spring-shaped tail, accompanied by a characteristic 'boioinnng!' And if you happened to land on some unfortunate enemy's head, they got flattened. Similarly, when jumping into a wall, Gex might hit his head and fall flat on his back with a splat, after which stars circle over his head, together with an 'oooww' sound. I'm definitely guilty of giving the poor gecko a few headaches. The game also rewarded my urge to explore and while I failed a timed Indiana Jones style level a lot, because I spent my time marvelling at the snakeheads and skulls adorning the temple walls, imagine my elation when I discovered, in a horror level, that some bookshelves would turn when walking against them, revealing a lever that opened a new part of the level! Of course. I also hunted down all the collectibles to earn all the TV remotes. With enough remotes you would unlock new levels and bosses and one of these has been living rent free in my head for over 20 years now: Gexzilla battling it out with Mecharez – complete with tanks and helicopters trying to defend the city that is getting destroyed in the process – epic! The only thing that doesn't quite hit home for me is Gex's actual personality, especially when it comes to the voice lines, which trigger all the time. While the sound effects and animations are quite endearing, the comedian Dana Gould's quips are old-fashioned and feel weird to hear out of a gecko's mouth. (It seems you were playing the US version. In the UK, Gex was originally voiced by Leslie Philips and then later Danny John-Jules. Their voices weren't in the initial re-release but are being added via a patch – GC) And then there is the fact that a Gecko has implied relations with a human woman… ick. I guess it is a product of its time, much like the older James Bond films which inspired his personality, but I do have to give its makers credit for trying something different than 'Mamma mia.' More Trending I love revisiting Gex because it reminds me of simpler days. Life is busier now and I rarely find the time or motivation anymore, to fully explore and complete today's often vast and complex games. Older games making a comeback shows us that there is a case for more simplicity. Being able to finish a game without it taking dozens of hours and eating up all your spare time is such a relief. By reader Peter Schmid The reader's features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@ or use our Submit Stuff page and you won't need to send an email. MORE: Video games are great for my mental and physical wellbeing - Reader's Feature MORE: I'm going to say it: Mario Kart World is not as good as it should be – Reader's Feature MORE: As a former Xbox 360 owner I don't understand Xbox today - Reader's Feature
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gex Trilogy (PS5) Review: Throwback Platformers Find New Life
While some are more cynical about it, I've been loving the sea of remasters, ports, and remakes of classic games that are now playable on current systems. The latest retro collection is Limited Run Games' Gex Trilogy, which brings Dana Gould's media-obsessed gecko to modern systems. With quite a few quality-of-life upgrades and plenty of special features, this is more than a simple port and gives Crystal Dynamics' forgotten mascot the respect he deserves. While it's possible to get the full nostalgia effect and play the original games with purely digital controls and in a 4:3 aspect ratio, there are also a lot of additions. The most exciting is the ability to play the Gex 2 and 3, which are both 3D platformers, in native widescreen. Rather than just stretching the screen to achieve this effect, you can see more of the world at once in the widescreen version. This makes it the ideal way to play these platformers as they look sharp and give you a wider view than previously available. There are also several other quality-of-life upgrades, such as the ability to rewind gameplay, make saves at any point, and play with a CRT television filter. The original Gex is what I'm most nostalgic for, and I had a great time going through the game again. The 2D platformer is still quite fun, as you've really got to explore the levels in order to find TV remotes to unlock other stages, as simply going from left to right won't keep the game going. The game was a visual feat back in 1995, and while the sequels are clearly inspired by Super Mario 64 being a phenomenon, it's hard not to wonder what the games would've been like if it had doubled down on 2D and evolved that way. The 3D sequels, Gex: Enter the Gecko and Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko, retain the good sense of humor and feature former The Simpsons writer Rob Cohen doubling down on gags. The pop culture references and parodies help the game feel like a real time capsule, although the gameplay hasn't aged incredibly well. Gex 2 and 3 weren't Super Mario 64 upon release, and they certainly aren't as fun to go back to 25 years later. However, there is a charm to platformers of the era, and these collectathons are faithfully put together in the Gex Trilogy. There's value beyond nostalgia here, even if these aren't platforming classics (although it's fun to see some of the huge names that worked on these titles, such as Glen Schofield, Evan Wells, and Bruce Straley). I do want to give a special shoutout to the game's nice collection of bonus features. There's a great interview with Dana Gould, prototype footage of the never-released Gex Jr. game, plus ads, manuals, and art for all three titles. This extra effort, along with a complete music player for all three titles, really helps make Gex Trilogy feel like a celebration of the series. We love to see it. The Gex Trilogy lives up to its name and brings all three Gex games to modern consoles. With solid quality-of-life updates and a nice array of bonus features, there's a lot here for fans to sink their teeth into. While the 3D sequels haven't aged like wine, they're still interesting to revisit, and the original side-scroller is still quite a lot of fun. The original Gex is still quite fun Nice quality-of-life upgrades Good array of bonus eatures The 3D sequels aren't quite as beloved 8 Disclosure: The publisher provided a digital copy for our Gex Trilogy PS5 review. Reviewed on version 1.000.000. The post Gex Trilogy (PS5) Review: Throwback Platformers Find New Life appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
