Gex 64: Enter The Gecko

Developer: Crystal Dynamics Publisher: Midway

Released: August 26, 1998 Rated: E 6/10

The only taste N64 owners would get from seminal late ‘90s developer Crystal Dynamics would come in the form of a wise-cracking, couch-potato lizard by the name of Gex. The second Gex title (and first title in the series in 3D), Enter the Gecko, joins the early ranks of the N64’s iconic 3D platformer genre, the Dana Gould-voiced gecko gains a little bit of hardware support by virtue of a controller with a well-designed analog stick, but loses even more ground with frame rate hiccups and severely downgraded audio capabilities that highlight the poor shelf life of the character as the years keep rolling.

A few forced-perspective segments actually make for stronger gameplay by settling down the camera for a minute or two.

The unfortunate truth of Gex: Enter the Gecko is that unlike a lot of failed 3D platformers of the era, its base design, mechanics, and ideas are a really solid foundation that would make for a pretty excellent game if it were afforded better execution that severely dates it on multiple levels. Boasting a hub-world setup that, unfortunately, doesn’t really do anything interesting in and of itself, Gex explores the Media Dimension inside his television and visits various themed levels inspired by different genres of movies and TV. Classic cartoons, horror flicks, Tron-inspired computer tech, and more each inspire a handful of levels, with a few objectives and collectibles to obtain per level. Though not as fleshed out as many great titles of the era, the levels flow decently well from start to finish, sometimes with a few different paths, and often with some interesting enemy design, even if they aren’t used that often or creatively.

A few level-specific costumes show a little extra character and are some of the better bits of humor you’ll find here

Crystal Dynamics is no slouch, even if Gex is remembered less fondly than the bigger hits of their legacy like Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain. And it’s easy to appreciate a lot of what they do with Enter the Gecko in concept. It’s just a lot of execution problems that come with the same old growing pains of the transition to 3D that they simply can’t overcome here. Gex’s moves like his quick little pop of a tail swipe, long jump flying kicks, and springy double jumps are actually really fun and well-curated, and overlap with that of Mario in a pleasing way. Other ideas that are good on a base level, like vertically-focused platforming are a classic flop of otherwise interesting and varied level design. There’s just far too much additional frustration with controls, a godawful camera, and annoying presentation that compounds and falls apart quickly once the cracks appear.

Little things like Gex’s momentum are done in just a really sloppy manner that doesn’t line up with completely natural player expectations. He either takes too long to stop and turn around like he’s ice skating or has to take a wide turn, neither of which feel quite right even if they happen as expected. Unsurprisingly, the camera is the biggest culprit in any poor controls or gameplay, though. Whipping around too fast and too far to adjust, zooming in while on the wrong angle, and just generally being unable to rein in when needed to do so manually, the old nemesis of 3D platformers is here to spoil a lot of otherwise potentially fun or memorable gameplay moments.

What you will end up remembering, of course, are a lot of dated and overly-repeated one-liners out of Gex’s mouth. With only about 100 individual lines featured in this Nintendo 64 port, down from over 700 in the CD-based versions, this is a huge hit to the ability of a player to handle more than a few levels, or revisit a level immediately to chip away at its objectives once they’ve completed one of them. The music, on the other hand, doesn’t get any real downgrade from the PS1 and is honestly pretty solid and appropriately varied for the level differences, though not loaded with earworm melodies like a lot of great platformers of the era. There are actually a few cut levels for this port, mostly bonus stages, though one new N64 level comes in to replace them. Still, another trade-off that doesn’t seem to give the N64 port much of a leg up.

One messy quirk of the gameplay is that the tokens that pop out from defeating enemies can splash out in all directions, clipping through walls or falling off platforms where they can’t be collected.

Though it’s impossible to imagine that the concept of a smart-mouthed, pop culture-obsessed protagonist would ever have aged well, 25-plus years on from release not only makes the bits that are understandable seem cringe-worthy, but some of the jokes honestly feel like they were dated upon release. “Don’t take career advice from Joe Piscopo” is the type of hack material that would barely pop a brick-walled chuckle hut of its day, while Austin Powers impressions maintain relevance via lowest common denominator humor that folks would have grown weary of between development and original release. Gould (or whoever voices Gex in your respective region) isn’t so much the issue, as his actual surviving recordings in this port and in the original are performed with the tone and rhythm that suits the character, it’s just an overall concept that defines the character by dating it severely, and lacks the charm or gameplay to overcome that.

Gex: Enter the Gecko might be the N64’s most awkwardly poignant snapshot of the era. A rough transition to the 3D space by an “sharp-tongued animal with attitude” main character is as late-’90s as a video game gets, as are many of the specific shortcomings it has like a bad camera, messy controls, and a transparent desire to copy its influences rather than riff on them. There’s a little bit of charm on the surface and some deep down in its soul that’s inseparable from a really good developer like Crystal Dynamics, but it’s the bread on a sandwich filled with issues that are as awkward and cliche as most of its humor. Take the time to explore a little bit of what Gex: Enter the Gecko has to offer, but don’t torture yourself to push through it when it starts to piss you off or you’re unable to reposition your eyes once they roll all the way back in your head.