This game sure generates feelings of fun and excitement! Only trouble is these feelings end all too soon . . .
From this game's main menu you have just four options, the first of which is called "New Game". This is what you choose when you first start playing Generator Rex. Upon doing so you are taken to the Providence, the large air ship that carries Rex and his forces of good around the world as they fight the Evos. You always begin in Rex's quarters, but on the Providence you can visit some other areas including the lab, where you can usually find the hot brainiac Dr. Holiday. You can also visit Agent Six's quarters, as well as Sit-Ops, where you can sometimes find Agent Six and Rex's brother, Caesar. A mission is usually launched from the Sit-Ops area, in total there are about seven game missions, including Mexico, Jungle, Hong Kong, Providence, Aquania, Pocket Dimension, and Abysus. You also mess around quite a bit on the Providence, so it actually seems like there is more than just seven game missions in total. When you meet up with Agent Six on the Providence you can sometimes partake in his "Agent Six Challenges" alternative game mode. In this mode you simply replay any of the previous missions you've beaten in the game, attempting to complete them within the given time limit. You don't really earn anything for completing this game mode, it's just for the fun of it. Anyhoo, take control of Rex, battle through these missions, destroy all the Evos, uncover the conspiracy . . . and you've beaten the game.
The second option on the main menu is called "Continue". Once you already have a game in progress this is where you go to pick up where you last left off.
Third we come to the "Options" option, which is divided up in to two sub-options. The first of these is called "Controls Layout" and is where you can view a detailed graphic of the Generator Rex control scheme. The other sub-option is "Sound", where you can adjust sliders that control the Sound Effects, Music, and Voice volumes heard in the game.
The fourth and final option on the main menu is "Credits", which you choose if you want to see a list of the great people who made this game for us.
Once you get in to the game and are traversing it's different environments, there are some things to watch out for. First of all are other people, especially on the Providence. A lot of the soldiers and your other allies can be interacted with, although the conversations are usually of no great significance. A very rare type of pickup that you'll find is an item from Rex's past. When he finds such an item he'll tell a story about it, and it will then show up in his quarters on the Providence from that point onwards, although said items can't be interacted with. One of the main pickups you'll need to be on the lookout for are green nanites. These nanites look like a tiny green cluster of stars that hover just about the ground. The occasional enemy will leave them behind, and they can also be found randomly placed throughout your environments as well. These green nanites help replenish your health bar and keep Rex alive. The other type of nanites you will run in to are blue nanites, which are dropped by every Evo you defeat in this game. These blue nanites replenish your Omega Energy gauge, which is what powers your special weapons in this game. Some Evos will drop samples as well, which basically look like a little floating, glowing DNA strand. These samples are used in Dr. Holiday's research so Rex grabs them and takes them back to the Providence with him. The last thing you need to watch out for are chests lying on the ground that you'll come across every so often. When you hit them they will open up, usually containing blue and sometimes green nanites.
The game screen for Generator Rex is pretty clean and simple. The top left corner of the screen holds the most vital information. There is an icon that displays which weapon Rex is currently equipped with, if any. To the right of this icon are two bars. The top one is coloured green and represents Rex's health in the game. If this bar runs out, Rex is dead and you must restart from the last save point. Just below this is a blue bar that represents your Omega Energy, which is used to power Rex's special weapons. A special weapon can be engaged once the bar is full and you can choose to use only a partial amount of energy in the bar, or use it until it runs out. Once it depletes you must refill it by gaining blue nanites. Just below this bar is an icon representing Rex's special weapons, when a + sign lights up beside it you then know you can engage your special weapon. Below this entire display, when you decide to switch weapons icons will pull up while you are doing so, helping you to visualize what you are selecting. Once you are done this display disappears. In the middle of the right side of the screen is a number that will grow as you fight through your mission, representing how many nanites you've collected in total. Just above this, when you are actually engaging Evos, a number will appear as you string consecutive hits together, representing your combo meter. In the Agent Six Challenges game mode the screen changes slightly. Everything mostly stays the same except that in the bottom right corner of the screen a counter appears. The numbers on top represent the elapsed time in your current mission, and the one below gives you the target time you are trying to complete the mission within.
As for the pause menu, there are two different versions to distinguish between. While actually out in the game the pause menu will give you five options, including Resume, Restart (from the last save point), Back to the Hub (go back to the Providence), Options (same as from the main menu), and Quit Game (go to the game's title screen). To the right of these options you'll see a list summarizing the Evo samples you've collected during your mission so far. The other pause menu is for when you are simply aboard the Providence between levels. Here you only have three options, including Resume, Options, and Quit Game.
The control scheme supporting play on this game seems like it's pretty complicated, a lot of different buttons are used, but it's deceptive as they are actually quite easy to grasp and use. The control stick is what moves Rex around his environments. It is also used to perform your attack maneuvers when equipped with one of Rex's special weapons. The C button performs a block/dash maneuver, while the Z button performs a heavy attack. The heavy attack does more damage, but it also takes longer to deliver and leaves Rex exposed to counter attack. The B button is what performs a light attack (hold down for Variety Move). These attacks don't inflict as much damage but you can perform them quickly and you won't take near as much damage from enemies while performing them. This button is also used to instigate interactions with other people, or with any applicable machinery/technology. As for the control pad, it is used to toggle between Rex's arsenal of weapons. The three regular weapons he uses (called Builds) are the Slam Cannon (a shoulder mounted grenade launcher type thing), Smack Hands (turns Rex's fists in to large, heavy cubes of destruction), and BFS (literally Big Fat Sword). Press Up on the control pad to get the Slam Cannon, Left to get Smack Hands, and Down to get the BFS. As for Right on the control pad, it is used to toggle through which special weapon (called Omega Builds) you want Rex to use, when you are eventually ready to press the + button and engage it. Rex's special weapons are the Blast Caster (like a large, heavy whip), Bad Axes (both hands become large axes), and Funchuks (Rex's hands become large round nunchuks that he swings about willy nilly). There are a couple of other Builds Rex uses throughout the game that you don't control, the game gives them to you in certain spots, such as his jetpack and his Punk Busters (a large pair of butt kicking metal boots!). The A button is used to jump, while the + button, as mentioned before, engages Rex's special weapons. To access the pause menu press the 1 button, and to access the Evolution menu press the 2 button. The Evolution menu is where you can purchase various upgrades, cashing in the collected nanites you obtain throughout your missions. On this menu you will be able to perform three levels of upgrades for both Rex's health bar and his Omega Energy bar. As for his weapons, there are three levels of upgrades available for all of them as well. For the Smack Hands and BFS weapons the upgrades are Variety Move, Extended Light Attack, and Extended Heavy Attack. And for the Slam Cannon the upgrades are Variety Move, Increased Rate of Fire, and Charged Shot.
The presentation behind this game is pretty good. It won't stun you by any means, but from the limited amount of Generator Rex I've watched on TV the game seems to represent it's origins reasonably well. Although there are some areas of the game, graphically, that could have been smoothed out a bit more, for the most part the game shows pretty well. Sound is great, both the sound effects and voice overs are done quite well. And the controls respond smooth and true also. On the whole this game was developed very nicely.
The pros and cons are a mixed bag for this title, but the pros certainly have the advantage. What I like about the game is that it seems to have stayed true to the Generator Rex TV show in all facets. Also, like I just went over, the execution behind it was very well carried out. There are a couple of in game things I really enjoyed. First of all, I like the diversity Rex shows, with his various sets of weapons and moves . . . no two fights are ever the same! I also like the diversity of the bosses you face in this game. They are all very memorable and fun to engage. As for cons, there are only two that I can think of. First of all, the game is pretty short. Although the seven missions are all medium to long in length, seven missions still isn't quite enough for a video game in this day and age. Also, I found the lack of any unlockable content or alternative game modes disturbing. With the game so short to begin with, throwing some of this stuff in would have gone a long way to improving it immeasurably.
With regards to tips and tricks I can offer those who may choose to partake in this game, I have just a couple. First of all, experiment with both Rex's primary and special weapons early on. Certain enemies succumb to different weapons more than others do, so knowing the fastest and easiest way to dispatch each type of Evo will certainly save you a lot of hassle throughout the game. Also, upgrade your health, Omega bar and weapons as soon as possible, as this too will save you trouble along the way. Other than that the game is pretty straightforward and easy to figure out.
In summary, Generator Rex: Agent of Providence is a game that I found in the bargain bin, and in all honesty that is probably where it belongs. Not because it's a bad game though, simply because it's a short one off title with nothing to really reel you back in to replaying it later on down the line. It certainly is fun while the ride lasts though!!