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Second tier

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: February 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I love platform games because I have young kids. Can't play blood and gore types like Dead To Rights while they're around. I got caught up in the hype for Vexx, and while it's lack of comparable titles on Xbox make it attractive, I have been underwhelmed with the game. Anyone who has played Ratchet & clank or Jak & Daxter on the PS2 will have trouble being impressed with Vexx.

Not that Vexx is a waste of money; it is entertaining, but it could be so much better. While the environments are beautiful, they are not detailed. I don't mean like color variations in the rocks, I mean like all the little plants, trash or whatever that would dot a landscape. My other major problem with Vexx is its lack of coherent structure. While free-roam is fun, structure is also neccessary to create an enveloping game. Vexx just feels like a random collection of mini games thrown into an environment full of collectibles.

I don't regret the purchase, and anyone who enjoys platformers will enjoy playing the game. The bottom line, though - there are much better titles out there. (The underappreciated Dr. Muto for example.)

I end with a plea to Xbox developers: give me something Ratchet & Clank quality in the platform genre.

Ugly Character, Gorgeous Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: July 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

OK, I admit it - Vexx is a severely ugly character, and the box art is some of the worst I've ever seen. However, beyond that, the game itself is the best next-gen platformer I've played yet. The combination of incredible levels, skill-based exploration and platforming, enjoyable combat, and addictive riddles are unmatched so far. And all this from Acclaim? Great job!

Vexx himself is an awful-looking character (although he is wonderfully animated), and the plot is disposable but the game itself is actually quite impressive. Combat doesn't get old, and is rarely required, but it can give you advantages. Vexx has a variety of moves that power up his Talons. The analog control is responsive and accurate, whether Vexx is jumping, climbing, or swimming. The levels themselves are probably the best thing about the game: they are huge, gorgeous, and packed with objectives, hidden areas, and secrets. Here's the thing: there is a series of warp gates to the different levels, powered by a rift device. The more Wraith Hearts you find and feed to the device, the more powerful it gets, and the more levels you can access. This makes the game rather non-linear, as netting five or so Hearts unlocks three entire levels to explore. You can switch between worlds whenever you want, or can try and locate every Heart in a certain level before moving to the next. Each level has ten or so hidden Hearts, clues to which are given to you in the form of a riddle.

The platforming is fun and inventive, and challenging. Navigating a certain tower's obstacles in the first world gave me more trouble than anything in Rayman 2 or Klonoa 2 - and not because of the camera. Certain sections of the game are really tough to get through, but are always worth the trouble by leading to a hidden Heart, extra life, or simply another section of the beautiful levels (one has you creeping along the backbone of a gigantic dragon skeleton; another has you trapped inside a giant's mansion, exploring along a huge piano). The camera is a little unpredictable, but you can re-center it, move it with the right stick, or place it over Vexx's shoulder, so finding the perfect angle isn't too difficult. Vexx doesn't really add moves as the game progresses, either - you're quite versatile from the beginning. This cuts down on backtracking, as you're not forced to revisit worlds after learning a new move later on. This keeps the game focused on exploration and platforming. The game is also long, with nine or so gigantic levels.

I think Vexx is really worth a look. It's not perfect, by any means. The camera's twitchy, and it sometimes takes a little extra work to see where you're going, but it's a small price to pay for how grand the rest of the game is. The soundtrack is also well-done and diverse, ranging from chorus-backed orchestra to jazz-rock fusion, believe it or not. It helps create a majestic mood to go along with the visuals - thankfully there's little techno. I'm constantly surprised by how versatile and inventive the levels are - it pays to explore every corner. Vexx reminds me a lot of Fur Fighters, in design, concept, and ingenuity.

As a side note, I don't think Acclaim quite deserves all the bashing it gets. The Burnout series, Aggressive Inline, and now Vexx are all well-done, enjoyable games - maybe not the most original or polished games on the planet, but each is fun on their own merit. I'm afraid that many people passed on Vexx due to Acclaim's perceived poor status - it's their loss, frankly. Despite its sometime-cliched content and slightly annoying tech issues, I am very surprised at how addicting and enjoyable Vexx is. Take a chance on the ugly lil guy, and I bet you'll agree.

What the platform? Why would I like this game?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I was surprised at how much I liked this game. The demo I played really kept drawing me back to it and now I'm glad that I went ahead and bought this.
Normally, I am not a fan of platformer type games (like Mario and Sonic), but the fighting and special moves and the story have all sort of immersed me like no other platformer was ever able to.
The action is fast, the animation and graphics are very smooth and easy to learn.
I would complain that the camera angles aren't always very helpful... even though you can control the camera it won't let you turn it certain ways which is really a hinderance to the gameplay, but I have managed to adjust.
As far as this type of game goes, I enjoy this one quite a bit. I highly reccomend this for any Xbox owners looking for an entertaining platformer (you're certainly not going to find it in Oddworld or Blinx, take my word for it).

Totally addictive

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: October 07, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I bought this one with my girlfriend in mind, but now I'm the one who's addicted! This game is so effective at creating an atmosphere all its own, and so open-ended in which objectives you try to achieve, it's practically an RPG with a pre-made character. Explore every corner of every world and you won't go unrewarded.

I love the combination of action and puzzle-solving; the rhyming clues get stuck in my head all day long as I try to decipher what each task requires. I'm amazed at the variety of tasks; there's a couple of basic ones that repeat themselves in each world, but as for the rest there's always something new to try. I'm trying to accomplish every objective in every world, and it's going to take a loooong time.

One of the few excellent platformers for xbox, far superior to Pac-Man World 2. NOTE: the unlockable multiplayer aspect was removed during design, so this is strictly a 1-player game. But it's almost as much fun watching someone else play as playing it yourself.

Bad Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 13
Date: April 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

If you want a challenging game where you get stuck all the time, being bored of a game because you can't find the hearts, and a game that goes absoulutely nowhere, then this will be the game for you. It has a bad story line, and it's just a plain bad game, so if you like bad games buy this!!!!!

A Sleeper Hit That Will Never See A Sequel

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

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.

Great Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game would get 5 *s if it wasn't so...hard! You see, there are 10 goals that need completed in each level, in any order, but they are by no means easy in any way. You can just do the easy ones at first, to get to the first couple boards. But then the goals just get difficult to the point where playing any longer becomes a horror. Plus, you have to start over from the very beginning every time you complete a goal. It is also tough to figure out what the goals actually ARE. They are stated in the form of 4-line "poems" that can be accessed at any time by pressing the BACK button.

This game is not racy in-and-of itself, but is rated "T" because of the extreme plot line. You are a young bat (stay with me) whose parents were killed by a king, so now you vow deadly revenge on the ruler, and I'm guessing that your quest is to kill him and take over as king.

It's a fun time, and a recommended title; if you are willing to devote a WHOLE lotta hours on it.

another reason to get a Xbox !

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 34
Date: August 18, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Xbox finally has another good title besides Halo!
move over mario, Vexx is taking over; fantastic game play, awesome graphics...

The Sleeper Hit you need to wake up to

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: February 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Ok. Let's start with the "official" game reviewers shall we? One reviewer said that Vexx aside from modest cresendo's has very little music in it. Ok, that is a laugh. The soundtrack alone is almost worth the price of admission (if you love enchanting flowing musical opus's that is).

Graphics. One reviewer said the graphics were about a 6/10 and are "fair". Ok, that's a laugh, at least on the Xbox. This game is just as incredible as any I've seen. Yes, I had Halo and got rid of it. Was it amazing? At times. Was it fun? No. Vexx is the most fun I have had this year, even more fun than Panzer Dragoon Orta which is also an amazing game.

Control. Ok, here they got it right. The control varies. The control is only as good as the camera lets it be, which isn't always everything you'd hoped it WOULD be. Big problem on narrow ledges. Be patient and you will be rewarded. You can work with the camera and I swear it does take some tweaking but you can almost always find the sweet spot. Trouble is YOU have to find it yourself, which is time consuming at times.

Character. Here's another area that is hit or miss. Vexx is cool, but doesn't say much ... or anything, so far. The story is "there" if you look, but since when do perilous platformers need to win Oscars? Not in my lifetime.

Summary. This game is fun, has a touch of humor, it is HUGE, and is worth every last nickel I paid for it. And those are the highest marks any game can achieve. Just rememeber, this platformer will give you a new reason to yell out a four letter word, just make sure when the camera fails you in your moment of need, that the four letter word is VEXX! :)

Difficult but Rewarding

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: December 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

If you do not have a Gamecube and love games like Mario, then Vexx is an awesome and possibly better alternative. I liked Vexx better than the new mario Sunshine. It is much harder than Mario at times, but after you have completed something, you feel like you have accomplished much more than you would with Mario.
First of all, one of the above reviews said that there are 10 objectives in each world. That is not true. There are anywhere from 8 to 10 in each world. Each world is also massive and the graphics are awesome. One of the best things about this game though is the sound. the sound will never get old and is way better than other games like this. It does not support the custom soundtrack but once you hear the music on this game you will realize why.
The controls on this game are also great. Combination attacks are way more fun than squirting water in Mario Sunshine. The enemies are also cool and about the right difficulty level. Most of the game you will be trying to get from one place to another by dodging things, jumping over stuf, climbing or any other way possible. This is one of the best things about this game. this is also the most aggrivating thing about the game though because a lot of times if you make a wrong move you will have to start completely over again.
It takes forever to get some of the Wraithhearts. (which are what you are getting the whole game) So far every single objective that I have played has been enjoyable with the exception of the ones where you have to find 100 shards. Those get old fast. There are only about 5 of those in the whole game though and you dont have to get any to beat the game. You need 60 Wraithhearts to go to the final stage and there are at least 70 total Wraithhearts so you will not need to get every one. I have 43 Wraithhearts right now and am still addicted to this game, which has taken me at least 20 hours so far. This game is well worth your money and will keep you entertained for a long time.
Well, as you can tell I highly recommend this game and so far I have enjoyed this as much as Halo and probably a little bit more. The only game that is better in my opinion is Splinter Cell but that is a totally different type of game.

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