The Brain of Oz is the second boss of Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko and must be defeated in order to gain access to Funky Town. The location of this fight, most obviously, is within the Emerald City's castle from The Wizard of Oz (hence the pun in the level name). During the fight, Gex takes the form of the Tin Man.
Background[]
Not much is known as to the Brain of Oz's history, but he presumably served as Rez's right-hand after Mooshoo Pork's passing. In any case, he surrendered the Blue Boss Key upon his defeat. On the other hand, it can be presumed that, like his inspiration (see below), he was simply an illusion conjured up by Rez (as Rez' distinct laughter can be heard at the beginning of the fight).
Oddly enough, the Brain of Oz predates Deep Cover Gecko by a year. In the special ending of Enter the Gecko, one of the "Enemy Ideas" showed a design for what may have possibly been a prototype version of the boss which never made it into that game but has done in the third. The same concept design can be seen in the credits of the third game. Likewise, in the "Mazed and Confused" secret level of Enter the Gecko, a brain-like entity emerges from the Rez Tower once Gex destroys its outer casing.
Design and inspiration[]
He appears to be an alternate version of Oscar Diggs (who, as his alias of the Wizard, often used a projective hologram of himself in the Oz stories and their adaptations), albeit a malignant one, though his own appearance partly resembles that of the Martians from Mars Attacks!.
Involvement[]
The Brain of Oz, as stated above, serves as the game's second boss, with his boss channel "Lizard of Oz" becoming accessible once 22 remotes are obtained. Upon his defeat, Funky Town becomes accessible.
Strategy[]
You simply dodge the fireballs he spits out and any Rezlings that appear (the pre-battle hint says "Watch out for pesky Rezlings"). It's a little difficult considering that the fireballs home in on Gex and the Rezlings follow him. A cannon will appear in a random area of the stage and Gex needs to go on it and fire the cannonball on the Brain of Oz. Repeat until he is defeated.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In the series, Brain of Oz is one of two bosses that Gex kills without using his tail, other being Rez himself.
- He was originally intended to be a boss in Gex: Enter the Gecko.
- The "Blabbermouth Gex" cheat allows the player to hear several unused quotes that the Brain of Oz would have said, many of which were Oz references (such as Oscar Diggs' defiant order for Dorothy and her friends to avert their eyes when they discover him.)
| Characters in Gex (series) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Heroes | Gex | Agent Xtra | Alfred | Cuz | Rex | ||
| Villains | Rez | Morphina | The Flatulator | Sun Snake | Toxic Turtle | The Tiki Brothers | Mooshoo Pork | Mecharez | Rock Hard | Brain of Oz | ||
| Helpers | Paunch | Humps | Tank | Snowboard | Al Nino | Scales | Turtle Taxis | ||
| Minor characters | Uncle Charlie | Gex's Mother | ||