Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko

This game has a bit of a plot to it, but, like the first Gex 64, it has nothing at all to do with the gameplay. It seems the spandex-clad Agent Xtra, Gex's sidekick, has been kidnapped in the "Media Dimension." Of course, it's your job, as Gex, to run through a bunch of random levels that somehow help you rescue her. How working your way up from the Christmas-themed level to the Egypt-themed level and beyond moves you any closer to rescuing her is beyond me, but asking questions will get us nowhere.

In terms of gameplay, little has changed from the last time we took the green guy out for a spin. The quest is still largely one of looking for remote controls, the more you gain, the more levels you have access to, allowing you to get more remote controls. It's a vicious cycle. Each level has three objectives to choose from, completing any will give you a remote, as will picking up all 100 of the little golden flies scattered about. These goals are all themed differently depending on the level, but most involve collecting a certain number of things, beating a certain boss, or just getting to a certain place.

The graphics are improved somewhat from the lastGex game, but at the cost of a consistent frame-rate. Any time that Gex has a view of anything more than a wall and maybe an enemy or two, the frame rate takes a noticeable hit. Add a couple enemies and a backdrop of some minor detail and you can watch as everything gradually... slows..... down........ Also, the problematic camera issues of the previous game are still here, but they're a little less fatal this time, resulting in fewer deaths. They're no less frustrating, though, as the camera has a sure knack for getting stuck in inopportune places, and is terribly bad at keeping up.

Unfortunately, getting through the levels is an exercise in tedium, just like the last time. Having to exit the level every time you get a remote is very frustrating, serving only to make this game take longer to complete. The next frustrating aspects have to do with the sound effects. The problem with repetitive sound in the previous Gex 64 was mainly thanks to Gex's stupid comments said over and over again throughout a level. This time around Gex seems to have a huge number of comments, so they rarely get repeated (though they're no less stupid). However, it's the other sound effects from the other characters that will really get on your nerves. For instance, in the Christmas level, one of the goals calls on you to fight a big evil Santa. And, when you hit him, he says: "You're on the list!" Funny, right? Well, every subsequent time that you hit him until he dies, guess what he says, again and again? "You're on the list!" This is something you see in at least one or two enemies in about every level: terribly repetitive sound effects.

If you got a kick out of the first game, if you played it all the way through and wanted more, and actually found that game funny, then run out and buy this game, because you'll love it. It's more of the same, with a few little new things to keep you interested. However, if you didn't like the first, or never played it, don't pick this one up. Go rent it if you must, but don't spend your money without playing it first.