Counterpoint: I’m Excited About Gex

As I was writing down a list of topics I wanted to cover for my opening pieces here at Waypoint,
one game kept popping up in my head: Gex. I remember playing it when I was younger. Back
when Blockbuster was a thing, I think I rented it at least six times. I have vivid memories of
certain levels even to this day. And for those who saw that announcement and thought, “Who
asked for this?” Me. I asked for this. I’ve been publicly begging for a Gex return for almost 10
years.

BRING GEX BACK https://t.co/vGRrGTLTMG

— Zone Is For Cowards (@peagle05) August 10, 2015

Need the Gex remake https://t.co/T4BclZYmU1

— Zone Is For Cowards (@peagle05) April 5, 2018

Gex gets no love out here and I ain’t here for the disrespect at all

— Zone Is For Cowards (@peagle05) October 29, 2018

And those are just the ones without me cussing in them. I’m 100% taking credit for this. So, before I got going, I think to myself, “Let me check the site just in case someone has written about this slightly obscure memory from my childhood.” Of course, Dwayne had beaten me to it. But there was a silver lining: he doesn’t like it. So here I am as the other side of this coin, because I do. And just as important, I love how Gex made me feel.

Gex, The Key to my CHILDHOOD

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. From a technical, critical standpoint, Gex is not a classic
platformer. The mechanics are a bit wonky, and the platforming is average, but it’s just FUN.
The entire game from top to bottom is fun. I still own a copy of Gex 64. I’ve played it fairly
recently, and it hits me in a particular place to this day. The sarcasm of the titular gecko, the
references to the pop culture of the time, the fourth wall breaking — they’re all things that
resonated with me when I was younger. Which is why playing it now and still feeling the same
made me so happy.

I could just have fun for the sake of having fun and turn off that cynical side of my brain hardened by adult life that wants to analyze it. I realized I don’t need everything in a game to be tight to enjoy it. Just like how the 9th man off the Warriors bench doesn’t need to outscore LeBron James to have a good game. Just play solid defense for a few minutes, don’t turn the ball over, and give Steph some rest.

And that’s what I took from Dwayne. We’re both not wrong, the game just hit us in different
ways. I’m sure there’s a game he absolutely loves that I could never wrap my head around. So,
yes, I’m genuinely excited for the fresh coat of paint for Gex. Because I get to experience it in a new way, with the benefit of having lived longer as a gamer, but never having lost my younger self. Because that’s the beauty of gaming. It’s all about how it makes us feel, and we should never forget that because we’re older.