Gex was a bad video game released in 1995 for the PlayStation, Saturn and 3DO. A perfect example of the era’s fondness for anthropomorphised platforming heroes, its protagonist cracked wise to an incredibly annoying degree and did nothing gameplay wise to stand out from its competitors. It should have been an also-ran, a footnote in gaming history - but somehow it sold enough copies to spawn a pair of sequels, which took the titular gecko into 3D. Combined, the series has sold around 15 million units, and many players who grew up with the PS1 have a strong nostalgic connection to Gex.
It’s those players I’m speaking to now, rather than anyone who’s never encountered the character before cos, like I say: Gex was a bad video game. Leave it where it belongs, buried beneath the passage of time. However, if you’re some sort of Gex stan, who simply can’t get enough Gex, even all these years later, do we have news for you. As reported by Kotaku, there’s a new Gex series game playable right now, for free… kinda.
As showcased in the embedded video above, Gex Jr. is an unfinished and unreleased spin-off from the main Gex games which stars (presumably) Gex’s son in the leading role. There’s not much to see save for the little scaly fella jumping around and, uh, saying some nonsensical stuff - but it’s clearly a video game, and a Gex video game at that.
The prototype build is dated January 25, 2001 - two years after the release of Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko for the PlayStation, Game Boy Color and Nintendo 64, and is available to download from Hidden Palace right now. Only a single level is playable, where little Gex Jr leaps around collecting cans of fizzy pop, and there’s no HUD. It’s clearly a total work in progress, but that it’s playable at all will be of great interest to those aforementioned Gex fans… you weirdos.
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The Gex franchise is currently owned by Square Enix, as it acquired Gex developer Crystal Dynamics via its Eidos Interactive purchase in 2009. Which you’d think begged the question: why no new Gex for this long? But why even ask that when the answer is right there, at the top of this page: Gex was a bad video game. That said, uh, a reboot may yet be on the cards, if this new trademark from December 2021 means anything.
Topics: Retro Gaming