Gex 64: Enter the Gecko

The theme of Gex 64: Enter the Gecko is basically a series of battles through a bunch of movie and television-themed levels in the quest of red, silver, and gold remotes, which allow access to further levels and open special bonus levels. Themes for these levels draw their inspiration from such sources as: Titanic, Indiana Jones, Warner Brothers Cartoons, Gilligan's Island, Godzilla, and, most notably (and poorly done), James Bond. While there are a few instances where the level's theme makes it fun to play (the Godzilla themed battle where Gex becomes suddenly huge and slow is actually rather entertaining), the majority of these are poorly done. Unlike Mario 64, where the level would often be significantly different depending upon which star you were going after, in Gex, the levels are always exactly the same, regardless of which remote you chose to go after before entering the level.

The gameplay has a few elements that are genuinely unique and interesting, but, for the most part, they're overshadowed by some serious annoyances. The first and probably most annoying problem in the gameplay is the absolutely horrible camera control. Never have I died so many times simply because the camera decided to rotate around me during a dangerous jump, only to change the relative direction the controller is pressed (in relation to the camera angle) and lead to my eventual death. The second and possibly more frustrating element is Gex's comments (due to limited space on a N64, only a few of Gex's quips were left on this port, which leads to much repetition) which can turn any truly enjoyable level into a painful experience. You, as well as everybody within hearing distance of the game, will quickly find yourself yelling at the television after you hear Gex say things like "Never take career advice from Joe Piscopo" 10 times in a row.

There are some good ideas occasionally presented in the levels, but these are sadly rare. But other than these isolated instances, there's really not much here to warrant getting the N64 version of this game.