Vexx

by Acclaim Studios Austin

Product Features

• Vexx is trapped in a world ruled by darkness, and the Dark Yabu is the most evil magician in this evil land. Dark Yabu murdered Vexx's grandfather, and Vexx escapes his bondage to seek revenge!
• Explore ten unique and exciting game worlds as you jump, push, swim and climb your way through fun platform puzzles
• Use the power talons of your ancestors to defeat difficult and frightening enemies and bosses
• Collect the shadowraith hearts in each level to open up new areas of each massive, open-ended world
• Fun and challenging platform gaming is waiting for you, as you fight to liberate a world!

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006IKB5
• Item Weight: 8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: February 11, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,872 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #9 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Action > Shooter

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

While Acclaim obviously hopes to launch a new character into the video game pantheon with Vexx, don't expect another cuddly sprite who would be at home in a Looney Tunes cartoon. There is something decidedly twisted about Vexx. It might have something to do with his witnessing of the murder of his grandfather. After discovering hidden Astani war talons--which permanently attach to Vexx's arms--he is charged with avenging his grandfather's death, freeing his fellow villagers from slavery, and ridding the universe of the evil Dark Yabu.

But focusing on the game's story line misses the point of this platform game. Soon after the long and elaborately animated introduction ends, cut scenes fade into obscurity and the running, jumping, flipping, kicking, and smashing begin. Playing as Vexx, you collect Wraith hearts. The Wraiths themselves have been destroyed somehow--a story point that isn't too clear--but their force-feedback beating hearts remain. By gathering their energy, you power up the central hub that in turn opens doors to different worlds--from ice-encrusted wastelands and lush forests to hilly deserts and underwater oases. The graphics and music in each new world, as well as the many miniworlds hidden within, are often breathtaking. At times, you easily become distracted, taking a break from world-saving responsibility to hop into a pool for a swim or perch on top of some pole just to get a good look around.

The controls are fairly straightforward, although occasionally a near-impossible move sequence is needed to propel Vexx up to the next wobbling platform. The puzzles that lead to each heart can be challenging, if not downright frustrating, but there are enough available that you can always go play somewhere else. There are 81 hearts scattered throughout the game, but only 60 are required to battle Dark Yabu. The creatures in each world are easy to slaughter, only a nuisance if they attack at the wrong time or en masse. Those seeking more of a challenge can hop on the sundial in each level and twist it from day to night, which not only produces cool graphical and musical effects, but brings out a meaner breed of creepy-crawly.

The only real defect is the third-person camera, which at times simply refuses to cooperate--but this is more than made up for with the thrill of battling a sumo wrestler about 15 times your size, complete with his jiggling rolls of fat and deep-throated chortle. Nothing beats smacking him in the butt until he looms up on his tippy toes and falls over. --D.J. Morel

Pros:

• Cool new character
• Breathtaking graphics and music
• Lots of interesting worlds to explore

Cons:

• Camera often impossible to control
• Some levels are just too difficult

Product Description

In Vexx, you play a small slave out to do the impossible -- to stop the ultimate evil from destroying everything!

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Has some down falls, but still is great fun!, April 12, 2003

By 

Jake (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vexx (Video Game)

Vexx, very similar to Spyro, is actually a pretty good game. I was entised to buy it because of the graphics and it has held up to the $$$ worth. Here is the game broken down from a 1-10 scale, 10 being the best, 1 being really, really bad:

Graphics:9 Like I stated earlier, this game has no problems with the graphics that a re stunning and are basically eye-candy.

Story:7 This is where Vexx started to struggle in my opinion. The stroyline was simply just not there and the character developments were actually pretty close to awful, but it still did keep me envolved, so I gotta give it some credit.

Characters:7 This like I said above, along with the storyline, is where Vexx falls by the wayside. This has completely no character development, and Vexx never learns new moves or gets new abilities.

Gameplay:9 This one was the major one that everyone analyzes completely. I did to, and I like what I saw. The graphics and emense scenery helped greatly as this game kept me playing for hours with the moderatley difficult play that while does not frusterate you too much keeps the right balance of difficulty.

Overall:8 Game has downfalls, but lives up to $$$, maybe more.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great stuff...let the eye-candy reign supreme!, February 28, 2003

By 

C.E. - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Vexx (Video Game)

This game is great. The gameplay is slick, the visuals are over the top and the user-interface is effortless. You can pick this game up and pop it in the console...no reading of the instruction book required. Plug-and-play at its finest. I will not delve into plot details here, you can glean those from the editoral reviews and synopsis placed on the site , but I will say that this game is awesome!
I like platform games, and I am particularly taken by those games that give me my money's worth. I want something that wont take me 8 hours to finish. I want something that gives me 100 dollars worth of effort...based upon the 50 dollars that I shelled out for it on release day.
This game does all that and more. As mentioned earlier, this game is easy to play and requires no learning curve to be mastered. As far as presentation is concerned, we are given a deep and immersive enviornment fulled with lush visuals and some great effects. The lighting and changing of daylight vs nighttime cycles are great. The enemies become more challenging and agressive as the day wanes and night takes hold, so keep looking for those handy sundials to help tame the nasty beasts!
The camera can be frustrating at times, by using the right analog stick however, you can alleviate this problem and most often place it in an optimal position. Filled with hidden secrets and riddles to decipher, this game will keep you occupied for quite some time. I know that it will be in my PS2 for the next few months and I strive for 100% comletion and the unlocking of all its secrets. Fans of platforming...get this game!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good game, October 25, 2003

By 

TwistaG "Quoth the Raven 'Nevermore" (Moncks Corner,SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vexx (Video Game)

He's short, slightly furry and shifts fluidly from kinda cute to downright gnarly. No, not Danny Devito. That's Vexx, the titular character in Acclaim's new platform adventure game. The opening narration tells the story of Vexx's people being enslaved by the Shadow Wraiths. When forced to work in the mines, Vexx lashes out at his captor. His grandfather dies in the ensuing fight, so Vexx escapes and stumbles upon the legendary Astani War Talons which fuse themselves to his arms. Armed to the armpits in gauntlets that owe at least some design elements to those seen in Battlechaser's (a comic, for those not so inclined), Vexx sets out to destroy the Shadow Wraiths that have enslaved his people. Whatever Vexx is, inviting he is not. He's sort of a cross between a hobbit and a rat. From some angles and in some light he's almost cuddly, but not quite. He's got a disturbing, adolescent monster quality to him that keeps him from being cute even in his best moods. His pointy ears, odd facial hair and usually crossed eyes don't come together well. From the cut scenes it's clear not everyone of his race has this problem, so it's all the more bothersome that the lead character isn't more loveable. The opening scene offers most of the needed exposition before sending you off on your quest. All that remains is a brief introduction to a character that will be helping you on your journey and some welcome, if laborious tutorials on the basic mechanics of the game. Most of your time will be spent searching out wraith hearts, which hold the power to open up more parts of the world. Substitute "wraith hearts" for some of the more ubiquitous platform game collectibles, like stars and coins, and you've got a good idea of how you'll be spending most of your time. Vexx's world is a 3-D one full of platforms, strange, mostly harmless enemies, floating meteors and many, many levels of uninspired visuals. The levels are, for the most part, diverse. But they aren't always challenging and very rarely are they a sight to behold. While other platformers choose to be bright and shiny, post-modern, or even industrial, Vexx seems to be treading a line between all imaginable styles without accomplishing anything original or attention grabbing. The colors and styles switch a bit from level to level, but none create a lasting impression. The mechanics offer a little more variety than other 3-D platformers, and for that Vexx is to be commended. Combat in this type of game has, historically, been limited to the throwing of giant vegetables hitting one's opponents with one's ass. While these methods no doubt have their place and can be quite charming, there's something to be said for Vexx's ability to slice down foes with claws or juggle them in the air with repeated uppercuts and kicks. It's not a deep combat system by any stretch, and the villains don't usually pose much of a challenge, but it's still combat and that has to count for something. The mechanics of playing the game are a bit rough. There's a slight pause before any movement and navigating the landscape is sometimes clunky. The usual jumping from place to place flows well enough, and the game keeps moving at a constant speed. There's also the issue of the camera, but to be fair it's no worse than any other 3-D adventure game. None of these issues make playing Vexx unpleasant, but they are noticeable. One area where Vexx excels is sound. There isn't too much of it, which means there's no constant, annoying musical presence throughout the game. The score chimes in with a moody string on occasion and an uplifting melody when you reach a goal. Vexx hardly makes a peep outside the occasional grunt of effort, and the same could be said of the bad guys. One could call it minimalist or just minimal. The bottom line is that it adds enough to the experience without trying to create an experience of its own, an accomplishment many games should envy. Had Vexx come out a year or two ago, it would have been at the top of many a gamer's wish list. As it stands, there are several other platform games available that go above and beyond what's offered here. While Vexx builds adequately on the 3-D trail blazed by Super Mario 64, there are others who have taken the next few steps. If you've played all the others and still have a jones for jumping and gathering, Vexx will take the edge off. Otherwise, wait for the next Mario, Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, etc.