Lord Spencer's Gaming (and other stuff) Blog

In their top 100 Saturn games , Retro Sanctuary didn't have many ringers in the last 10 in the list. From number 100 to the 91st game, there were some unique games, and even the start of a moderately successful mascot's career. Most of all, these were early 3D games in the fifth generation, and they have suffered as a result. While Gex is probably the only one worth playing today, some of these games are interesting in their own right. Bug! can go to hell though.

Pandemonium! is yet another Crystal Dynamics platformer, but it is one of their least-known titles. Originally released on the PS1 in 1996, the game was overshadowed by Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot . It then went on to be ported nearly everywhere, with the Saturn getting probably the best version. It's one of the earliest 2.5D games in the market, and through some impressive innovation at the time, it provided solid 2D gameplay in a moving 3D world. 93: Pandemonium!: Year: 1997. Genre: Platformer. Publisher: Crystal Dynamics. Developer: Toys for Bob.

Right on the tail (HA) of the last Gex game, Crystal Dynamics was busy crafting a sequel that would push the boundaries of the PlayStation console while opening new ground with their reptilian mascot. It's arguable if they succeeded with their first objective, but it is clear that they failed with their second and more important objective. Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko was the last game featuring the obnoxious lizard, selling less than its predecessor and perhaps convincing its developers to drop the character. Ironically, I think that caused Gex to end on a high note because Gex 3 is the best game in the admittedly average series. 98: Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko: Year: 1999. Genre: 3D Platformer. Publisher: Eidos Interactive. Developer: Crystal Dynamics.

Of all the video game mascots born in the 90s, Gex has always been the one that most embodied the spirit of the decade. With his sarcastic humor and misuse of parody as a style, he was as obnoxious a 90s star as you can get. Other than the character himself, the games he featured in were not unique, even if they were not actually bad. The first 2D platformer was a competent game that played well on the Saturn at a time when 3D platformers were ugly as sin. Enter the Gecko was Gex's first foray into 3D platforming, and it works well. However, I am not sure "well" cuts it when there are so many better platformers than it. 98: Gex: Enter the Gecko: Year: 1998. Genre: 3D Platformer. Publisher: Midway Games, Crystal Dynamics. Developer: Crystal Dynamics. First things first, I am changing my rating system to a simpler 10-point system. Any game scoring above a 7 is fully recommended, and any scoring below that I consider a waste of time. That leaves an ambiguous score of 7,...