Footnotes in Platformer History: Gex
Article and "Illustration" by Toby Jones
When Gex was released for the 3DO, I was about eight years old. There was no way I was going to own the game (the console was unbelievably expensive), but I knew it was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen. I was a huge fan of 2D side-scrollers and at the time I hoped to become a herpetologist when I grew up... so really, the only way Gex could have been closer to my sensibilities was if the lead character had been a Chameleon. I pined over magazine articles about it, drew my own comics starring the wise-cracking gecko, and dreamt that I might one day be able to play it.
By the time I finally did, it was the Playstation port at a friend's house. By this point the likes of Super Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot had captured our imaginations and a quaint two-dimensional game (even if it starred the coolest character ever) did little to hold our attention. The vast majority of the articles in this series will surely focus on the countless three-dimensional platformers that were released in the wake of Nintendo's genre-defining masterpiece, but first I'd like to revisit the game my young self coveted so completely.
I don't know that I've ever played a more dated game. What's interesting about this is that it isn't simply steeped in tropes from the era of its creation. The sarcastic, slacking, TV-obsessed leading lizard with the letter "X" in his name is a distinctly 90's creation, but the music is so 80's in style that is could easily be confused for the "Splash" soundtrack. Also, the soundtrack is awesome and probably one of the most enjoyable aspects of this game. A wiser player would turn off Gex's one liners and bask in the glory of the music, but in the interest of experiencing the game in its purest form I decided to leave them on.
The one-liners. In case you aren't familiar with Gex, one of its claims to fame was that it featured a legitimate comedian (Dana Gould) as the titular character, delivering witty quips throughout the adventure. This was going to give the character a level of 'tude that would catapult him into celebrity and make him "the next Sonic". I remember finding these zingers very humorous back in the day, and I have no idea how I did because half of them don't make any goddamn sense. Mostly they're references that are obscure beyond comprehension, and they're usually just come off as awkward when you do get them. Here's a good example, a line Gex spits out when in a Kung-Fu themed world:
... I just don't understand. Was this phrase some major part of popular culture and I just missed it? Furthermore, I don't see how it applies to anything aside from including the word "Kung-Fu". Here is one more:
I suppose it's a prison rape joke, but why Mike Tyson? I assume just because he was a large, angry famous person who happened to be in jail at the time. I don't know that he was necessarily considered homosexual, but oh well. I also can't figure out why they made most of the one-liners references to old TV shows, because the intended audience seemed to be children. Usually the quips are unobtrusive or even baffling to the point of hilarity, but they really only need to be heard once each. Sometimes Gex starts repeating the same lines over and over, and that can get pretty unbearable.
The gameplay is overall pretty solid, though. It's standard 2D hop-n-bop fare, but it's executed well and Gex's wall-climbing ability is a fun dynamic. The cartoon-themed levels are particularly great- some are large enough to seem practically nonlinear and exploring them is rewarding. The experience isn't as smooth and seamless as a Mario or Sonic (or even a Sparkster), but the game is enjoyable enough to play that it's easy to see why 3DO made it their flagship title.
When you beat the game you are met with a baffling, almost 20 minute long ending sequence. It starts with a seemingly endless roll of text that starts by congratulating you for beating the game and ends with mocking you, then moves on to some interesting concept art and the end credits proper. During the credits, this absolutely incredible song about Gex plays.
Gex Theme
Surely the best thing you'll hear all day. One minor issue with the game is that It can get a little too difficult at times, especially because the 3D Gex sprite vs. his 2D environment can make hit detection a little wonky. The controls are also sort of unintuitive (R1 to run? Circle to attack?), but for all I know this is a side effect of being ported from the 3DO controller. The biggest problem with Gex, though, is that it inexplicably (and unforgivably) employs a password system. Apparently the 3D0 version has a save function , so I guess this was just a really lazy port.
But like I said, generally a good platformer. Seeing it play so well in 2D makes me worry about the transition to 3D for the sequels, something I'll be sure and get to in a future installment. Next time: Bomberman Hero.
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When Gex was released for the 3DO, I was about eight years old. There was no way I was going to own the game (the console was unbelievably expensive), but I knew it was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen. I was a huge fan of 2D side-scrollers and at the time I hoped to become a herpetologist when I grew up... so really, the only way Gex could have been closer to my sensibilities was if the lead character had been a Chameleon. I pined over magazine articles about it, drew my own comics starring the wise-cracking gecko, and dreamt that I might one day be able to play it.
Selections from a Gex comic, drawn by an eight year old me. I apologize on behalf of my younger self for using bright green ink.
By the time I finally did, it was the Playstation port at a friend's house. By this point the likes of Super Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot had captured our imaginations and a quaint two-dimensional game (even if it starred the coolest character ever) did little to hold our attention. The vast majority of the articles in this series will surely focus on the countless three-dimensional platformers that were released in the wake of Nintendo's genre-defining masterpiece, but first I'd like to revisit the game my young self coveted so completely.
I don't know that I've ever played a more dated game. What's interesting about this is that it isn't simply steeped in tropes from the era of its creation. The sarcastic, slacking, TV-obsessed leading lizard with the letter "X" in his name is a distinctly 90's creation, but the music is so 80's in style that is could easily be confused for the "Splash" soundtrack. Also, the soundtrack is awesome and probably one of the most enjoyable aspects of this game. A wiser player would turn off Gex's one liners and bask in the glory of the music, but in the interest of experiencing the game in its purest form I decided to leave them on.
The one-liners. In case you aren't familiar with Gex, one of its claims to fame was that it featured a legitimate comedian (Dana Gould) as the titular character, delivering witty quips throughout the adventure. This was going to give the character a level of 'tude that would catapult him into celebrity and make him "the next Sonic". I remember finding these zingers very humorous back in the day, and I have no idea how I did because half of them don't make any goddamn sense. Mostly they're references that are obscure beyond comprehension, and they're usually just come off as awkward when you do get them. Here's a good example, a line Gex spits out when in a Kung-Fu themed world:
"G.I. Joe now has Kung-Fu grip!"
... I just don't understand. Was this phrase some major part of popular culture and I just missed it? Furthermore, I don't see how it applies to anything aside from including the word "Kung-Fu". Here is one more:
"This is about as much fun as being Mike Tyson's cell mate on Valentine's Day."
I suppose it's a prison rape joke, but why Mike Tyson? I assume just because he was a large, angry famous person who happened to be in jail at the time. I don't know that he was necessarily considered homosexual, but oh well. I also can't figure out why they made most of the one-liners references to old TV shows, because the intended audience seemed to be children. Usually the quips are unobtrusive or even baffling to the point of hilarity, but they really only need to be heard once each. Sometimes Gex starts repeating the same lines over and over, and that can get pretty unbearable.
The gameplay is overall pretty solid, though. It's standard 2D hop-n-bop fare, but it's executed well and Gex's wall-climbing ability is a fun dynamic. The cartoon-themed levels are particularly great- some are large enough to seem practically nonlinear and exploring them is rewarding. The experience isn't as smooth and seamless as a Mario or Sonic (or even a Sparkster), but the game is enjoyable enough to play that it's easy to see why 3DO made it their flagship title.
When you beat the game you are met with a baffling, almost 20 minute long ending sequence. It starts with a seemingly endless roll of text that starts by congratulating you for beating the game and ends with mocking you, then moves on to some interesting concept art and the end credits proper. During the credits, this absolutely incredible song about Gex plays.
Gex Theme
Surely the best thing you'll hear all day. One minor issue with the game is that It can get a little too difficult at times, especially because the 3D Gex sprite vs. his 2D environment can make hit detection a little wonky. The controls are also sort of unintuitive (R1 to run? Circle to attack?), but for all I know this is a side effect of being ported from the 3DO controller. The biggest problem with Gex, though, is that it inexplicably (and unforgivably) employs a password system. Apparently the 3D0 version has a save function , so I guess this was just a really lazy port.
But like I said, generally a good platformer. Seeing it play so well in 2D makes me worry about the transition to 3D for the sequels, something I'll be sure and get to in a future installment. Next time: Bomberman Hero.
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