2D platformer? A bl**dy 2D platformer? Surely Crystal Dynamics must have been off their rockers to do a, I'll say slowly, 2.D. PLAT...FORMER! Sonic and Mario had worked wonders for 16bit systems like the Mega Drive and SNES but a 2D platformer on a 32Bit system? Insanity.
Well here we sit on the dawn of 2006. Some 12 years since the hey-day of the 3DO multiplayer. What game do you think is always in the 3DO most favourite game top 10 list? It is not Snow Job or Psychic Detective, interactive movies being what they were. How about the rendered scene prima donna's; Burning Soldier perhaps Megarace? No and no, respectively. Yet Gex, a 2D platformer is always in
everyone's 3D0 top ten.
Developers, developers and developers... What can we learn from this? Try this. The kids will always buy good games. Not quirky games. Not novel games. Not uniquely imaginative games. This all helps. But game concepts the kids are familiar with. Games that are designed, written, executed and delivered well. For sure, they will buy them. Shocking isn't it? The kids will buy good games. You see the same kid who thought Wing Commander III was good didn't sit around awaiting another 3D space epic. The kid who bought Need for Speed did not wait around for another 3D super car extravaganza. That kid was actually waiting for the next good game. That game happened to be Gex. A bl**dy 2D platformer.
Shouldn't be long now. I have been prophesising the return of 2D platformers for a while. They are having some success right now on the Nintendo DS. And games like Metal Slug have been leaking on to the Playstation 2 and Xbox. We shall see. We shall see. Wait for the 2D shoot 'em ups to kick in. That's all I'm saying. Just wait.
Why is Gex considered a must have? Good graphics. Nice level design. Imaginative lead character. (a Gekko called Gex) Fun music and sound effects. Good difficulty balance.
Gex himself is something of a charismatic character. He is a generation X, bone-idol, TV-aholic with an abounding selection of genuinely witty remarks. Delivered courtesy of the voice of Dana Gould. (A reasonably yet only in the USA, famous comedian.)
Gex lampoons other 2D platformers by stereotyping, in a naturally funny way, movies and games for each of its six worlds. From the Cemetery to the Jungle to Planet X. (Been a while since I typed that!)
It is all done very well. Each world is broken down into a number of levels and you tackle each one in turn. The objective being to collect a TV remote and progress on. Until finally you meet Rez, Gex's arch nemesis. (No less.)
That's it. This is probably one of the only 2D platformers I ever played. I loved it to death.
Get a copy and play it on Freedo. (The 3DO emulator - http://www.freedo.org )
Rare? Rare? Bl**dy rare? No they made Donkey Kong for the N64. This was made by Crystal Dynamics!
3DO kid.
I played this game first on 3DO and then again on the Playstation. What I feel is most amazing about this game is the music. Most of the tracks are epic in length and very well produced. The last boss fight was spectacular graphically. At least at the time it was.