Gex Trilogy

The Gex Trilogy will certainly not appeal to your everyday platforming fans, since not only is the protagonist not exactly conventional in his humorous appeal, but the games themselves haven't aged like fine wines, either. Still, those who can take the shortcomings in stride will discover that these titles have an endearing sense of honesty encompassing their level designs that you can't help but appreciate in retrospect.

Gex Trilogy reintroduces the three original chapters of the famous 90s platformer, with accurate emulation and some modern features such as quick saves, rewind, trophies, widescreen support and CRT filter. The first episode, in 2D, is notable for its wall and ceiling walking mechanics, while the two sequels in 3D chase the Super Mario 64 model, losing some of the originality. The constant, dated humor may be repetitive, but the collection remains a solid product for nostalgists and completists, enhanced by extra content such as concept art or interviews with the developers.

The Gex Trilogy masterfully maintains the charm, '90s humor, and fun gameplay from the original games. This remaster feels polished with minimal to no bugs, and the added features only benefit the original gameplay. However, some of the original trilogy’s woes make this a niche title that will likely only appeal to retro gamers or those who’ve fallen into a pit of nostalgia.

The Gex Trilogy is a good window into the history of gaming and the 3D games are still fun collectathon platformers, albeit with all the camera and control issues of the originals, and the awful 2D original I never want to play again. I would have liked to see a more Gexpansive remaster, and the result may not be entirely Gexceptional, but offers enough Gexperience to give you the kind of Gexual healing that only true nostalgia can provide.

Gex Trilogy ensures the three Gex games are as true to their original release as possible, but if you have no nostalgia for them you'll struggle a bit.