Gex 3D: Enter The Gecko (PSX) - Part 7 [PAL/UK Playthrough]
0R.I.P. Leslie Philips
1924-2022
Many of you may be familar with Crystal Dynamics mascot, Gex, a smart-talking cartoon Gecko with enough catchphrases and pop culture references to make even Duke Nukem blush. In North America, Gex was voiced by Dana Gould, of Zombie Simpsons infamy, who had a hand in not only the way the character was performed but likewise in the which it was written, for better or for worse.
This PAL 50Hz version of Crystal Dynamics' 3D platformer however was a little different. While, structurally, Gex: Enter the Gecko (or Gex 3D) played as it did in its NTSC form, his quips were distinctively more... British? Featuring unique voice talent and one-liners to match: Whether it means talking about how, in the horror channel, the level is "bigger than Oliver Reed's bar tab" or maybe in the cartoon channel how Gex describes the experience as if being in "Boy George's pants".
Gex himself was played by Leslie Philips, a renowned actor of British camp comedy, particularly the Carry On films and, for much younger audiences, The Sorting Hat in Harry Potter. Traditionally, Philips would portray a smooth, gentlemanly-like, figure "Ding Dong"ing and "He-llo"ing his way into roles as he saw fit. The schlubby TV addict that Gex represented did always seem an odd fit for Philips, however it gave the character charm in a way Dana Gould never could. Curiously as well, when Gex 3D hit store shelves in early 1998, it released a full month earlier in Europe than in North America, coming out in January rather than Feburary.
As a platformer, Gex 3D plays much like the rest of peers in the early 3D era of gaming: Rough. It looks and sounds pleasant enough in its presentation but struggles largely because of the limited polygonal capabilities of PlayStation, with levels often being a confusing, cluttered mess or navigation feeling clumsy in wider spaces. Camera operation in 3D platformers were always very finicky, Gex 3D being no exception to this rule. Even so, with Super Mario 64 as a template, You saunter around a hub world between different "channels" completing objectives, being rewarded with remotes needed to unlock additional areas and bosses to fight. Thankfully, there is enough variety in the channels to keep the experience feeling fresh and plenty of challenge offered up in finding Gex 3D's secrets, which adds to the game's overall longevity.
That said, Gex 3D is ultimately of a by-gone era, and should be treated as such.
Some necessary notes about video capture:
-I made this using a different capture card (Roxio HD Capture Pro) and a different video scaler (the dreaded Scart-to-HDMI boxes everyone likes to hate on). As such, video quality won't quite be up to the same standard as some of my other videos on this channel.
-I did want to originally recorded Gex 64 (the Nintendo 64 conversion of this game) however getting the Leslie Philips lines to work on a 60Hz copy of the game had proven more difficult than originally anticipated. There is a possibility I will eventually go back to that version, since there is alot less video material up of it, however that must wait for another day.
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A LEGAL NOTICE:
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Any copyrighted footage I use is covered under fair use laws, or more specifically those listed under Section 30(1) of the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1989 and under section 107 of US Copyright Act 1976. This video exists purely for the purpose of research and criticism. I do not make a profit from any uploaded content, nor do I intend to. Thank you for watching.
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