Over the past year, there
have been many platforming games released on multiple systems: Super Mario
Sunshine, Sly Cooper, Dr. Muto, and many more. Some of these gave something new
to the genre and helped expand upon its roots; while others followed the same
old mold with different characters. Acclaim wants to make Vexx stand out among
its competitors by doing something different, but did they really add anything
new, or it is the same old thing?
There is a terror in Astara, which began when the powerful forces of Shadowraith
Dark Yabu appeared without warning. They came in and cause general mayhem on the
villages of Overwood. Vargas, the guardian of Overwood, and his grandson, Vexx,
resisted the invasion, but they were eventually outnumbered and became enslaved.
As the days past, Vexx could not stand the conditions and rebelled against Yuba,
but he was quickly subdued. Yuba decided to make an example of Vexx by killing
him, but before he could carry out the execution, Vargas intervened, but he was
murdered for this. After witnessing this horrific act, Vexx escaped and vowed to
get his revenge upon Yabu. One night Vexx was about to obtain his revenge, when
he came across the legendary Astani War Talons, and he was infused with its
power. Now Vexx has a more important mission than revenge, he has to save the
entire world for the malevolent Dark Yabu!
Vexx is similar to many of the other platformers available out in the market
right now, including its mission structure. There is a hub world, and players go
into the other worlds to get a certain amount of hearts. Once players get at
least sixty they can face the final boss of the game. The gauntlets give this
game a really unique twist. Instead of the main character having the natural
ability to shoot fireballs, jump really high, or do anything that other
platformer characters do, players have to have the War Talons to do this (which
are acquired in the beginning of the game.) Vexx can slash enemies, blow a
firewall from the air to them, flying upper cut, and many other moves to help
him progress in the game, and help him come closer to his ultimate goal. Besides
the platforming elements and fighting, there are also many puzzles in the game
to solve, which helps give this game a refreshing twist, where it tries to be
different from other games out there.
Each world is extremely massive and contains a day and night cycle. This is a
really neat feature, but it is a shame that it is not fully exploited more. It
would seem like when it is night the enemies would be a lot harder to fight
against, and "darker" looking enemies would appear, but this is not the case.
All this function does is unveil a few hidden passages you can only access at
certain parts of the days; it is more of an eye candy feature than anything
else.
The game looks great on the Xbox! One of the best things this game offers it
that there is little to no loading time what so ever. Each of the world’s that
Vexx will transverse has a high polygonal count and nice crisp textures. Another
nice trend that many games are following, ever since Jak and Daxter did, is if
you see anything in the world, players can go there. For instance, if there is a
huge mountain in the distance, just take a few minutes and than you will be
there ready to climb it. This makes the game seem much more realistic, and gives
the players a sense of value in the game. Vexx character models, and all of the
enemies, are highly textured and contain a great polygonal count, which fits in
with the entire game. The game didn’t suffer from any slow down either, which is
a blessing, because nothing can be more annoying than fighting a horde of
enemies, than you die, because you didn’t see that some were right behind you
due to the fact that he game is going exceptionally slow.
The sound effects used here will not blow your socks off, but they get the job
done adequately from the enemy grunts to the waterfalls. The main problem is
that they get used a lot, so players will have to get used to hearing the same
"explosion sound" many times. The game does offer a few scenes with voice
acting, which is done surprisingly well. The music fits the game entirely; it
sets the tone for the game, and always brings the players into the state of mind
for each world they are in. The best thing about the Xbox game is that it
supports Dolby Digital 5.1. Anyone that has this setup, will love hearing this
game in surround sound, as it will immerse the player more into this deep game.
If you need help with completing any mission, Prima’s Official Strategy Guide
will be the thing the doctor ordered! This guide will tell you everything you
need to know about this game, and then some. It has a detailed description of
each character, enemy, and items. To make things even better it has an extremely
detailed walk through to help gamers out in any given situation! If you are
having problems getting past a certain boss, then this guide will show you what
you need to do, and how to do it!
Vexx is rated T for Teen
for violence. It supports Dolby Digital, and Progressive scan 480p.
Gameplay: 8.3
Vexx tries to put something new into the genre, but it really does not. All
it does is take many elements from a lot of platform games, and combines it into
one. This is not a bad thing, but this game could have used some innovation,
like the day and night cycle. The fighting engine for this game is well done,
and gives the players a lot of moves at their disposal to defeat all of the
enemies you will encounter.
Graphics: 8.5
The game looks extremely nice. All of the characters are highly detailed,
and the world’s environments are lush and teeming with life. There are a few
times when the frame rate drops, but it doesn’t occur enough to make it a
nuisance.
Sound: 8.1
Nothing can beat having the entire game in Dolby Digital 5.1! The main
problem with the sound is there isn’t much variety. Once you play the game for a
few hours, you will have heard everything, and it started getting mundane.
Difficulty: Medium
In the beginning, Vexx is extremely easy to play; there is nothing that is
extremely challenging to the players. This changes around halfway through the
game, when the newer and harder enemies appear. A few of the puzzles might prove
to be a brain bender, but it is nothing players can’t overcome.
Concept: 8.1
"Beg, Borrow, or do without." This is kind of the central theme in the
concept department. This game borrows many elements from all the platform games
currently available today. The problem is that it doesn’t really expand upon
these elements any further
Overall: 8.3
Vexx is a good platforming game for the Xbox, anyone who plays this game
will enjoy it. It is a shame that a little more time didn’t go into trying to
make the game unique. If you have any children, and need a good game for them,
check this out, as they will have a blast with it.
