|
|
             |
|
|
|
|
Platform: NGC, PS2, XB Developer: Acclaim Publisher: Acclaim Genre: Platformer ETA: October 2002
Be notified of site updates. Sign-up for the Newsletter sent out twice weekly. Enter E-Mail Address Below: |
Vexx
2002 is shaping up to be the year of the platformer. With Blinx (XB), Mario Sunshine (GC), Ratchet and Clank (PS2), Rayman 3 (GC, PS2, XB), and Sly Cooper (PS2) all on the way and looking amazing, it is easy to imagine some really solid platformers slipping through the cracks. Hopefully, Acclaim’s Vexx will not be one of those because, if it is able to fulfill the promise of the recently released videos and screenshots, it could easily be in contention for sleeper hit of Q4.
Like Rayman 3, Vexx will appear on all three next gen platforms. Though the game is still over three months away, the recently released media reveals a sharp-looking game with a unique visual style and a very interesting main character design. It is obvious from the trailer that gameplay will be built around traditional, challenging platform elements, but Vexx also promises to add a few twists to the genre.
Vexx’s main weapons, the power gauntlets, provide the first twist. Using the gauntlets, Vexx can scale any surface in the game, promising a much more wide open game than the traditional 3D platformer. To this end, like Jak and Daxter, Vexx will be able to get to any place in the level that he can see, and key landmarks will be visible from anywhere in the level to provide a sense of place and easier navigation. Besides using the gauntlets to climb walls and cliffs, Vexx can use them to hang from ceilings, which should allow players to use different strategies to attack each level.
The other big tweak that Vexx gives traditional platformer game play involves the day/night interface. As Vexx travels through the levels the world will gradually cycle through day and night. This has been done in a number of recent games, but the neat thing here is that with the change from day to night, the enemies and even the levels themselves also change. At night enemies are more abundant and individual enemies are fiercer. New environmental dangers and pathways also crop us at night, making passage through the levels more challenging, and just plain different. Additionally, sundials are scattered throughout each level. Finding a sundial allows Vexx to immediately switch the world from day to night or vice versa. Though we have yet to see this concept in action, the potential of that effect is enormous—only slightly less intriguing than the time morphing element of the upcoming Blinx.
With so many choices available to multi-console owners, value has become one of the major deciding factors for many players. With this in mind, Acclaim has sprinkled Vexx’s world with a number of un-lockable multi-player (yeah!) mini-games. I’ve recently been revisiting Super Monkey Ball for this exact reason, so here’s hoping Acclaim can come up with some addictive, competitive games to throw into the mix. Even without the extras, the promise of the unique protagonist and the ever-changing environment moves Vexx into my personal watch list. October 2002 can't come soon enough.
- Tolen Dante (July 2, 2002)
Go HERE for more screenshots and to watch the teaser trailer. |
|
|
