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Vexx | 
 enlarge | From: Acclaim Entertainment Inc.
Category: Video Games
List Price: $17.99
Buy Used: $2.48
You Save: $15.51 (86%)
New (8) Used (19) from $2.48
Avg. Customer Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 6587
Platform: Playstation2
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Batteries Included: No
Age: 12 - 20 years
Operating System: Playstation 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.6
MPN: 23276
UPC: 021481232766
EAN: 0021481232766
ASIN: B00006IKB5
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| 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! |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In Vexx, you play a small slave out to do the impossible -- to stop the ultimate evil from destroying everything!
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
Amazon.com Product Description
Here's the deal: On the forsaken remains of what was once the proud planet called Astara, the villagers of Rockhaven led difficult but peaceful lives until the day the Shadowraith, Dark Yabu, and his minions swept down from the sky. With terrible ferocity and ruthless efficiency they descended upon the townsfolk, enslaving them to work deep in the caves that surrounded their village. Dark Yabu murdered the grandfather of the young Vexx, who managed to slip quietly aboard the enemy's windship. There, locked deep within Yabu's sanctum, was the last pair of Astani Battlegauntlets, which leapt from their chest onto Vexx's outstretched hands, bonding to his arms and giving him special powers. Prepared to meet his destiny, Vexx embarks upon a heroic quest through volcanic islands, desert temples, frozen citadels, and giants' castles, to confront Dark Yabu high atop the Landspire, save his people, and avenge the death of his grandfather. This action adventure features 18 levels, spanning treetop canopy villages, mysterious caves, desert temples, underwater cities, deadly volcanoes, and more. Hidden multiplayer party games are unlocked as players progress through the single-player world. Free-climbing mode allows players to climb uneven surfaces and dangle beneath overhangs, and each level's distinguishing landmark can be viewed from anywhere in the world in real time. There are day and night cycles with real-time lighting. Nighttime changes the landscape and characters: enemies become more aggressive, and the environments become more hostile. Ultraresponsive player controls react instantly to player inputs: gamers can cancel a move midway through and fire off extensive combo attacks. Hidden sundials allow players to change the time of day and gameplay, and advanced environment mapping creates beautiful reflections, glows, and highlights on characters, while clothes, hair, and trees respond dynamically to the environment.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...
 When Platformers Go Bad. September 5, 2008
STORY-
Vexx's people are suffering under a cruel oppressor by the name of Dark Yabu, who has enslaved the protagonist's race to do his bidding. Angered by his captivity, Vexx lashes out: but not without consequence. His grandfather takes the punishment for him, and dies in his place. Vexx manages to escape and find the Astani war talons, legendary weapons that fuse to his arms and allow him to fight. He then sets off to overthrow the Dark Yabu and avenge his grandfather's death. It's a fairly straightforward plot that leaves little to the imagination, but does its job as character motivation and a source of drive for the game. It's certainly not the most stunning, epic plot you'll encounter in a video game, but neither is it the worst to come across.
BATTLE SYSTEM-
Vexx's main attacks revolve around the Astani war talons, which give him a simple combo and a few other aerial attacks. There isn't much variety to be had here, but to be fair, the focus of the game is supposed to be the platforming, not the combat. The enemies are generally easy to take care of unless you get swarmed. Hacking and slashing your way through the levels generally proves to be a time-tested formula, and while it doesn't require a great deal of strategy, it's at least functional (what did you expect?).
GAMEPLAY-
From the last two paragraphs, any relatively competent reader will have assumed that although Vexx may not be the next huge breakthrough in platformers, it isn't 'bad'. Unfortunately, while the story and the combat may have been adequate, the gameplay mechanics fall flat. Vexx controls decently while running and jumping, but the controls are riddled with noticeable flaws. As has been stated before, the camera is abysmal. It frequently gets in your way and it makes simple tasks difficult beyond comprehension. People who say "all platformers have camera problems!" have no idea what they're talking about. I've seen games with perfect camera interfaces, and most platformers range from above average to outstanding - yet Vexx has some of the most broken, ridiculous camera issues I've encountered in a platformer since Dawn of Mana. My other main gripe is the swimming controls. I'm not new to video games, much less 3D platformers (Spyro was the first title for the PS1 I picked up), but Vexx simply flounders around while he's underwater, refusing to go where you want him to. When you fall from any height into water, Vexx will immediately go under. Why couldn't there have been a button to dive or submerge? Was that too much trouble? Getting out of water is almost as difficult as swimming in it. Vexx refuses to jump when he's floating on top of the water, for reasons unknown to me. Occasionally when you surface, Vexx will do a jump. Other times, he'll do nothing at all. I can put up with a lot from video games: half-baked stories, bad voice acting, little to no character development, etc. But one thing I can't stand is when a game forces those things on me as well as terrible controls and camera angles. It's almost as if Vexx is working against you to make sure you die as often as possible. After trying and failing to get to grips with the inept swimming controls, I put down Vexx and haven't played it since. This is one of the few games that I actually have difficulty playing, mainly because of the asinine controls and nothing else. I have a hard time expressing appreciation for games when I can't pick it up and play it without nearly snapping my controller in frustration. There are other things about Vexx that rub me the wrong way as well, like how if you collect a Wraith Heart the game will immediately send you to the Hub. By trying to micromanage the way in which you deposit the hearts, the game oversteps the boundary from `helpful' to `annoying'. Similarly, if you collect 99 shards and then pick up a Wraith Heart, your shard count will be reset to zero: meaning that the work you put into gathering them has now been essentially rendered wasted time. I also couldn't help but notice the lack of direction in the game. Linearity isn't always a bad thing, and I felt like Vexx was one of those games where a simple, clear-cut platforming style (e.g. Sly Cooper) might have been better. All in all, the game wasn't something I could pick up and play with no trouble whatsoever, and it wasn't something that engaged me deeply enough to WANT to play it, either.
VISUALS, CHARACTERS and AUDIO-
While the graphics are fine and the environments are fairly pleasing to look at, there was nothing that grabbed me in the game as being spectacular. There is a slight delay on Vexx's movements, but the animation is decent and the levels aren't completely generic. Vexx himself is a silent protagonist, much like Jak from the first game in the Jak and Daxter trilogy, but there isn't enough character interaction throughout the game to make you feel attached to anything or anybody. I like to be involved when I'm playing a video game, and part of that involvement comes from feeling some measure of fondness for the main character(s). I didn't get that from Vexx, and I didn't stick around long enough to see if there were any drastic changes in the way Vexx developed (although judging by other reviewers' comments, there weren't any). From what I could tell, the audio itself was rather soft, although I'm not sure if it was intentional. It's not a very noisy game in general, which is something I suppose one can appreciate every now and again.
OVERALL-
I was enthusiastic about Vexx at first, since I've had a hunger for platformers recently, but I was disappointed. The camera is terrible, the controls are delayed and unintuitive and the story itself lacks substance as well as character development of any kind. The combat is average, the sound is 'eh', and the general experience left me feeling distinctly unsatisfied. Whether you'll like this game depends mainly on your tolerance for the frustrating gameplay. If you're determined to give it a try (or if you're just masochistic), then give it a shot...but don't say I didn't warn you.
 A Sleeper Hit That Will Never See A Sequel March 27, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
VEXX is a great a game. It rivals any of the action/adventure platform mascots to Jak/Sly/ & Mario. Unfortunately this 4 year old game that came out back in 2002 didn't seem to receive the attention it deserved. No game is ever perfect and this game has its minor flaws. It's also beautifully constructed & there are other games that came out the same year & their visuals never looked as beautiful as this game. Give it a try. At this point it's most likely under 20 bucks and a few retailers still carry this title. It's such a shame and most likely Akklaim Studios won't be making a sequel to this game. Give it a try & you will love it as much as I do.
Good game October 25, 2003
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
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.
If you like platforms then you will love this one! October 10, 2003
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Ok, 3 months before this game came out I saw a playable demo of it. The sales person told me I had to check this out it was Mario meets Maximo but only darker. Of course, after seeing the demo I bought the game when it came out. Vexx is going to be a classic on the same level as the Crash Bandicoot series. Vexx actually looks a little like Sonic the HedgeHog but with razor sharp claws that makes him good for climbing walls.
The graphics are outstanding and you are in a true 3D environment. There is concern over the camera angles and movement but once you get use to the feel of it then it is really no big deal at all! There are about 10 level to the game but you have to collect all of the missing hearts to advance. There are about 10+ to each level. The really cool and helpful thing about this game is that it points you in the direction you need to go to collect the next heart you need. The one thing I cant stand is when a game just leaves you hanging in a 3D world and you have no clue which direction to head next. Vexx helps you out with signs and a little hint as to what is coming up next!
This game is really addicting and is good for kids, teens, and adults who love the platform genre of video games. I will continue to try and conquer this addition and wait for Vexx 2 to appear. As good as this first one is, there is no way they won't come back with a sequel!
Camera controls make life miserable September 6, 2003
I like platformers, which is why I got this game. I've played it off and on for a week now, only because I hate not finishing something I start. If it weren't for that fact, I'd never touch this game again. The graphics are good, but the camera controls are [bad]. I've died more than once because the game decided to adjust the camera angle while I was in the middle of crossing some tiny bridge or climbing a narrow ledge.
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