Gex: Enter the Gecko
Gex: Enter the Gecko is a platform game and the second installment of the Gex video game series, released in 1998 and 1999 for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Microsoft Windows, and Game Boy Color. Its protagonist, Gex, a TV-binging, wisecracking gecko, is voiced by Dana Gould in the North American version, Leslie Phillips in the European release, and Mitsuo Senda in the Japanese release. Gex seeks to collect three types of remotes to unlock different TVs in the overworld that aid in the fight against his arch-nemesis, Rez.
| Gex: Enter the Gecko | |
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| Developer(s) | Crystal Dynamics |
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| Director(s) | Glen Schofield |
| Producer(s) | Jeffrey Zwelling |
| Designer(s) | Evan Wells |
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| Series | Gex |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Color |
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| Genre(s) | Platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
After creating the original Gex, which released for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, PC, Sega Saturn, and PlayStation in 1995, developer Crystal Dynamics sought a sequel in the form of a 3D platform video game in the style of Super Mario 64. The Gex model was rebuilt with this perspective in mind, and much of the game's humor was inspired by Fox's animated television series The Simpsons, on which scriptwriter Rob Cohen had previously worked as a writer. Hundreds of voice-overs were recorded for the character Gex, but hardware constraints forced the Nintendo 64 version of the game to include only around one hundred samples. The Nintendo 64 release, due to hardware limitations, features six fewer levels than its PlayStation counterpart, but the release also includes one exclusive level, "Gecques Cousteau".
Critical reception of Gex: Enter the Gecko was mostly positive. Critics' main concerns centered on the game's camera, graphics, low-polygon enemies, and simplicity. The game was followed by 1999's Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko, which was released on the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy Color.