Vexx - surprisingly enjoyable

[Captain Vegetable]

Games are becoming more of a "mature," or "generally accepted" medium. On second thought, maybe "serious" would have been a better term?

Reguardless, story is as much an integral part to any game as any other part of said game. Why? Because it's moving the aforementioned direction.

Every other major form of art or media conveys some sort of story, or has some sort of story behind it. Do we need to know why Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Cistine Chapel? Nope. But does it make the experience more enriched? Certainly. Books, movies, music, all of these major forms of art/media tell a story in one way or another, and as games progress further toward this end, they will too. Even driving games are throwing stories out there to be experienced. It'll start off a bit rocky at first, but as more and omre people get the hang of it, and as more and more studios higher professionals to craft a story as they would higher a musician to compose the music or a programmer to write the code, the better they stand to get.

Is the story of Vexx important? Maybe not to some. But it most certainly isn't involved and grandiose. However, it doesn't really have to be. It doesn't subtract from the game, it adds to it. And in this reguard I think you should all just shut the Hell up and enjoy it, you ungrateful bastards.

[BioMechanic]

Good bosses are a plus, yes, but cheap bastards aren't. In a platformer though, I'd much prefer an additional level rather than a boss fight.

I don't think Vexx's camera is really that bad. You've got a lot of control over it to get a good angle, and you never have to worry about on-the-fly manipulation. It takes some fine-tuning once in a while, but it's not like you're constantly battling it, as in say Shinobi or DMC. A few seconds' tweaking, and you've got a jump lined up. The exception is the fixed-camera stages, which I admit can be problematic, but it's nothing critical. It's no worse than 90% of the 3D games out there.

At least Vexx handles its story in a good way - you're not forced to read the scrolls unless you want to, and there's precious few cinematics or dialogue....just gameplay.

One of the best things about the game is how you don't earn more moves later. From the beginning, you have everything you'll need (the few times you use the Air/Rock suits not withstanding). I can't stand platformers that give you extra abilities and force you to revisit levels for previously unattainable sections.

[Captain Vegetable]

Speaking of the Air Suit . . . where the Hell is it?

[Joust Williams]

You know where the bone thing is by the place you would launch to get the heart? If you face that way, then turn left, you'll see a mountain...you get there by a teleport pad to the left of that skeleton, just after the yellow poles, I think.

As for the camera, I think the worst part was that it loved to change your viewing angle for no real reason just as you were about to do something. Secondly, the sense of space changed constantly. A jump would be farther than it looks, and shorter on other times, and it wasn't consistent (the zoom was wonky). I completely disagree that it is no worse than 90% of games out there (or if it is, I feel bad for you because you are playing some games with seriously bad cameras ;p).

[BioMechanic]

Hm, I didn't have those kind of problems with the jump perspective. Between the R stick manipulation, Y being basically a first-person view, and B centering behind Vexx, I found the camera well-equipped to gauge distances. I never thought I was taking a "leap of faith", as it were.

Thinking about it a little more, I think the camera during the underwater sections gave me the most trouble, but nothing to the extent of PS2 Shinobi (which I found unplayable in parts). I also remember a couple of spots where the camera shifted suddenly, but it didn't lead to any deaths for me.

[BioMechanic]

OK guys, I fold.

I have 80 of 81 Hearts - there's one in Frostblight Mill that I am just unable to get. It's #5 - the one in the sky where you have to cross the flipping platforms. I simply cannot execute the necessary wall jumps at the end bit.

Besides, I cannot beat Dark Yabu. Well, I could, but I am unwilling to put more frustrating hours in than what I already have.....at least for now. Gotta be the hardest boss I've ever fought.

I think it's odd that there are 81 total Hearts. I think there were originally two additional worlds which were cut out - ten Hearts in one, nine in another would be an even hundred, which would make more sense. In fact, I remember seeing some screenshots somewhere that aren't in the game...in one, Vexx was riding some kind of animal. Oh well.

[RoleTroll]

OK guys, I fold.
I think it's odd that there are 81 total Hearts. I think there were originally two additional worlds which were cut out - ten Hearts in one, nine in another would be an even hundred, which would make more sense. In fact, I remember seeing some screenshots somewhere that aren't in the game...in one, Vexx was riding some kind of animal. Oh well.

Yes, when Acclaim announced that Vexx was being delayed, they also said they were cutting the number of levels and making them better. (Turok Evolution was criticized for too many levels, but lacking polish.) I don't know if that's the explanation for 81 hearts, but it's nine squared -- is there some significance to the number nine in Vexx? Maybe nine hearts over nine levels or something?

BTW, I bought Vexx for $19 recently for NGC, just haven't played it much. Seems decent enough.

[BioMechanic]

Yes, when Acclaim announced that Vexx was being delayed, they also said they were cutting the number of levels and making them better. (Turok Evolution was criticized for too many levels, but lacking polish.) I don't know if that's the explanation for 81 hearts, but it's nine squared -- is there some significance to the number nine in Vexx? Maybe nine hearts over nine levels or something?

OK, cool. Quality over quantity is always better, and who knows, more levels may have hurt the game's flow......although Tempest Peak Manor sticks out like a sore thumb.

I'm not aware of any significance of the number 9 - some levels have ten hearts, some nine, a couple have eight. However, there are nine levels in the game (with the final boss being the tenth), so maybe that's the reason....

Hope you like the game! I paid $30 for the XB version, and definitely got my money's worth.

[D_N_G]

I have been both enthralled and frustrated with this game, I bought it thanks to you guy's suggestion.

Pros:

Excellent platforming, great music, some very innovative levels, nice in-depth combat, no added "abilities" needed

Cons:

Semi-Terrible camera (sometimes it works great others it works against you), a couple of crappily designed levels, several "very very very frustrating hearts "

Currently I am at 80 Hearts, and I really dont feel like picking it up again, as like others here Yabu has made me spend more time than I intended and I feel like I have accomplished enough, maybe someday I'll pick it up again.

[Tyler_Durden]

Since this thread is kind of all over the place, I'll derail it a little. For all you platforming junkies, which is better: Voodoo Vince, Vexx, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, or Rayman 3? I've finished all the better platformers and I'm looking for something new. Thanks.