The original Gex was a 2D action platformer where the big draw was that actual semi-celebrity Dana Gould voiced the title character with a large number of quips for every occasion, most of which were references and parodies of the pop culture of the moment. By the time a sequel was ready, the 3DO was about as dead as a console could get, blown away by the success of the original PlayStation, but that didn't seem to hurt the game much seeing as it played to the PS1's strengths by being a 3D platformer. The success of Gex: Enter the Gecko meant that its sequel got the annual treatment, but while the levels were somewhat bigger and it polished every aspect of the previous game, it just didn't land the same way and that was the end of the series. RIP Gex: 1995 -1999 and about as much of a product of his time as any mascot could possibly be.

The series being over is very different from being forgotten, though, and Limited Run Games has applied its Carbon emulation engine to the original games to give them a new release, all bundled together as Gex Trilogy. This is the full versions of Gex, Gex: Enter the Gecko and Gex: Deep Cover Gecko, with updates to the two 3D games to make them run full-screen on 16:9 TVs and monitors, and even more importantly, proper analog stick support. These versions are the PS1 versions, without the extra content from the Nintendo 64 ports or the unique Game Boy Color games, but a nice selection of extras including concept art, old TV ads, short little interview clips with Dana Gould and plenty of other goodies to leaf through. It's a celebration of the bulk of Gex's gaming history, preserving the games exactly as they were for better and for worse.

It's Tail Time!

The basic plot of each game is roughly the same: Rez is trying to take over the Media Dimension and Gex needs to put a stop to it by clearing levels and earning their remote controls. The first game is a 2D platformer, with the levels designed to take advantage of Gex's ability to stick to most walls. The tongue-lash is used to eat power-ups while the tail whip takes out enemies, and anyone who's ever played a platformer will know exactly what to do after getting used to the controls. Which are decent enough, but the complete lack of coyote-time (half a step or so off an edge and still allowing the jump) makes it feel stiff. I know I beat Gex with all secrets cleared back on the 3DO, but playing it now, I have no idea how.

The best game in Gex Trilogy is the second one, with Enter the Gecko being a great example of '90s 3D platforming despite the genre still finding its way. Like Mario 64's stars, each level has a number of remotes to search out plus a couple hidden ones to supplement the main objective, and there's no particular order needed to track them down. The camera controls have been remapped to work on the analog sticks, and while you can't angle up or down during play, there's an over-the-shoulder option for when you're standing still. The levels are small by today's standards, and divided up into rooms rather than being one big flowing area, but instant load times the PS1 could only dream of make the transitions seamless. It also helps the game was designed around the limited draw distance, so while seeing all the way across a brightly-lit room is frequently impossible, it's also only rarely any kind of problem.

Finally, Gex: Deep Cover Gecko is a decent enough follow-up that technically should be better than Enter the Gecko, but despite having a less hyperactive camera, better draw distance and more intricate levels, somehow doesn't end up feeling as good as its predecessor. In particular the FMV scenes with Agent Xtra were bad at the time and have aged poorly, with Xtra basically being little more than a cleavage delivery service. On the plus side, the level design has more side-quests, minigames and secrets in each level, plus the collectibles unlock fun extras in the hub world.

The best game on Gex Trilogy is the second one, with Enter the Gecko being a great example of 90s 3D platforming despite the genre still finding its way.

There's no question Gex Trilogy is a relic of its times, but that's mostly due to the endless quips rather than anything in its level design. The first Gex, for example, opens with horror-themed levels that could come from any platformer of the era. Enter the Gecko's cartoon level is based on Looney Tunes, which is from the 1950s rather than the 90s, while the PC-themed level looks exactly like you'd expect from any platformer ever made. Part of the point is that Gex is trapped in a video game-ified version of TV, so it kind of makes sense, but having the cultural parody begin and end with Dana Gould's voice work has always been a lost opportunity. It's also worth noting that while Gex talks a lot and has a huge number of quips in each game, the frequency of the comments means there's a large amount of repetition. This means you'll be hearing his Austin Powers impression a lot, which already felt dated at the time and hasn't gotten any fresher in the intervening decades.

Closing Comments:

The most important thing to keep in mind about Gex Trilogy, though, isn't really about how games that were excellent platformers in their day play in 2025, but rather seeing them in their place in gaming history. These were major releases at the time, by no means surpassing Mario 64, but certainly keeping pace, and having the series easily playable today is every bit as important as actually enjoying them on their gameplay merits. The era of PS1 gaming was about awkwardly getting to grips with everything 3D and multimedia had to offer, and it was a long process that's given much better results over the years, but is by no means perfected even today. Every major and most minor games of the era were another step towards learning what these new technologies could do, and the PS1 Gex games are some of the better fully-3D platformers of their time. There's no denying the Gex games have more than a few rough edges by today's standards, but that's also a major part of the charm. Gex Trilogy is a great collection of '90s gaming, reviving a set of minor classics that had a real impact in gaming history.