Subj:  *** GEX REVIEW FROM KRAIG **
Date:  Tue, Apr 18, 1995 11:39 AM EDT
From:  ST4PG@Jetson.UH.EDU
To: donhicks@aol.com


Please reply when you receive this!

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GEX by Crystal Dynamics
 
 
 
	Ever since Nintendo sent shockwaves throughout the gaming 
industry with release of their mega-blockbuster game, Donkey Kong 
Country, it has earned the recognition of being the premier platform game 
from which all others will be inevitably be judged for years to come.  
The first contender to have a realistic shot to take the championship belt 
away from Nintendo's franchise gorilla is Gex, Crystal Dynamics's 
much-anticipated and delayed product that was to be crowned as the 3DO's 
mascot going into the 1994 Christmas season. Unfortunately for 3DO and 
Crystal Dynamics, this optimistic timeline didn't come to fruition. It 
appears that the extra time put into this game was well spent because in 
spite of all the pressure Crystal Dynamics felt to make a clear-cut winner, 
they actually stood and delivered. 
	Like Donkey Kong Country's characters, Gex is SGI-rendered 
to bring him to life. Unlike many platform game characters before him, 
Gex actually has a real personality, thanks to Dana Gould, a comedian who 
has a talent for whipping out impersonations and one-liners snatched 
from television shows and movies spanning decades. As a result, Gex 
truly becomes a lizard with an attitude, and a sense of humor.
There's nothing like hearing Gex scream "Yo Adrian!" (From the Rocky 
movies) to lighten the moment when he is hurt by an enemy on screen. 
Television and movie buffs will probably get an additional kick out of 
this game due to large library of recognizable quips afforded to Gex. 
	Although the music and additional sound effects aren't as 
snappy and entertaining as the dialogue, they still fit the bill. Most of the 
music soundtracks complement their corresponding worlds well. For 
instance, the jungle level has music that Tarzan might enjoy doing the 
lambada to. Effective, sometimes amusing, sound effects are used such 
as the satisfying gulp that emerges from Gex when he swallows a tasty 
powerup bug that endows him with special destructive powers. The 
rather dreadful farting sound made by one of the many colorful enemy 
bosses --- the dreaded "Flatulance Man" is mildly entertaining as well. 
	In addition to character graphics and animation, Gex delivers 
on other fronts. Although not all of the five worlds of the "Media 
Dimension", the wacky TV world in which Gex is entrapped by his arch 
enemy, Rez, look breathtaking, a few of them are absolutely stunning. 
Some of them suffer from lack of background parallax scrolling, but 
other things on-screen usually more than make up for it, such as well-
drawn backdrops, and foreground scenery like spider webs, trees, and 
beautiful waterfalls. Many of the bosses at the end of each world simply 
have to be seen to believed. The only black mark goes to the games 
questionable scrolling.  Intense combat can involve a lot of jumping, and 
unfortunately when this happens, the scrolling can suddenly become 
way too shifty, and is even apt to slowdown when many objects are on-
screen. Although this can be annoying, it usually doesn't occur often 
enough to hamper the game in a horrible way.
	Of course, the main ingredient, and the hardest element to 
perfect, is gameplay. It is here the Gex truly has something new to offer 
other than wisecracks and long tail. Being a gecko, Gex is endowed with
sticky feet that allow him to climb nearly anywhere. Up walls, ledges, 
on the ceiling, and even on the backgrounds. This background traversing 
adds a new element of complexity and level design that has been absent 
from the generic and boring hordes of cookie-cutter designed platform games 
that are pushed onto store racks. By adding the ability to use backgrounds, 
it often gives the gamer a choice of paths to take, each of which can 
reap different rewards or punishments. More importantly, this additional 
interaction makes it a blast to play.
	Gex is not flawless, however. The most glaring blemish is that 
there are simply not enough levels to enjoy. There are 5 worlds, each of 
them containing a various amount of levels, usually between 4 and 5. 
Each world takes on a separate theme ranging from a jungles to 
graveyards. To the credit of the game designers, each world employs 
new strategies and techniques in addition to graphics. One might require 
a lot of precision jumping, while another might use more swimming and 
brutal tail-whipping. There is also an additional 6th secret world which 
can be entered by finding the pieces of a special remote control placed in 
secret areas throughout the game. Unfortunately, it still doesn't add up to  
enough playtime, even to gamers that may not be very adept at these 
types of games. Gex also suffers from some minor design problems. The 
save game system is clunky, forcing the player to often times replay 
certain levels to obtain videotapes (which initiate the save) and the vague 
manual doesn't help much either. To compound matters, the menu and 
map interface aren't very user-friendly as they invite costly errors, such 
as re-entering levels that you have already beaten. There is also the 
minor annoyance of not being able to access the main menu and change 
a few options without ending your game. 
	Although Gex suffers from some minor problems, it doesn't 
detract from it taking its place as one of the best entries into the crowded 
world of platform games. Perhaps the most impressive thing about this 
title is that this is Crystal Dynamic's first foray into this genre. Gex may 
not decisively beat the Marios, Sonics or Donkey Kongs of the gaming 
world, but it certainly deserves to be mentioned proudly in the same 
breath. 
 
----------

Reply!

Kraig Kujawa


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From: ST4PG@Jetson.UH.EDU
Subject: *** GEX REVIEW FROM KRAIG **
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