Oddworld-Inhabitants
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See Oddworld's Abe rendered in HD
We've seen mockups from the Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD makeover, and now Just Add Water has released HD renders of everyone's favorite Oddworld inhabitant, Abe, as he appears in Munch's Oddysee HD. The little downtrodden Mudokon has never looked better ... though he could probably do with a sandwich or something. Dude is skinny.
GOG adds Stranger's Wrath, discounts The Longest Journey
GOG is pointing a double-barreled crossbow of delight at us, with a deep discount on The Longest Journey and the addition of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath. Departing from the regular Oddworld expectations, Stranger's Wrath is a hybrid of third-person action and first-person shooter, seasoned with elements of the Spaghetti Western and Oddworld touches like the "live" critter ammo. The game is available now on GOG for $9.99. If you'd prefer a sweeping adventure, The Longest Journey is on sale for $3.99. Much like The Neverending Story, we can't vouch for the accuracy of game's title, but it does involve a very long journey, so you'll definitely get your money's worth in this classic point-and-click adventure.
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath inhabits PS3 this summer
Assuming the PlayStation Store is up and running by then, Oddworld Inhabitants plans to release the HD remake of the fantasy-themed third-person shooter Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath on PS3 this summer. Other platforms weren't explicitly mentioned in the latest press release, but developer Just Add Water has previously expressed interest in patching the existing PC version with the PS3 remake's improvements. Oddworld Inhabitants also re-confirmed its intention to release Munch's Oddysee on PSN in the fall. Last month, it pinpointed the PS3 release of the Xbox launch title for October.
Just Add Water reviving Oddworld: Hand of Odd, confirms HD remake of Munch's Oddysee
Back in the late '90s, Oddworld Inhabitants began work on a real-time strategy game taking place in the Oddworld universe titled Oddworld: Hand of Odd. Now developer Just Add Water is reviving the project for a slated 2012 launch, Eurogamer reports, making it one of many Oddworld titles currently in development at the studio. JAW is working with the original design document from Oddworld Inhabitants, yet plans to update the title for a more "casual rather than more intense" gameplay experience, JAW CEO Stewart Gilray confirmed. It will be fully 3D, and even though JAW is only "looking at" platforms right now, strong front-runners include iPad, Android tablets, Facebook, PC and Mac. Just don't expect it on PS3 and Xbox 360, as it works best with "touchscreen interfaces or mouse control direct." Additionally, the developer has confirmed that it's also undertaking an HD remake of Munch's Oddysee. The game will be available on PS3 this October, coinciding with a PS3 Oddboxx bundle promotion containing all four Oddworld titles. An Xbox 360 release is currently up in the air, but if it does happen, JAW is hoping the Xbox 360 version will launch a month after the PS3 title.
PSA: Oddboxx gets an even 50% discount for a week, available on more services
Those looking to nab The Oddboxx from a service other than Steam, now is your chance. Oddworld Inhabitants has announced that the compilation, which brings together Abe's Oddysey, Abe's Exoddus, Munch's Oddysee and Stranger's Wrath, is now available from several other distribution services. The press release notes that The Oddboxx should now be available via Direct2Drive, Amazon, GamersGate, Impulse and GoG.com. As of this posting, however, we've only seen it available via Direct2Drive and GamersGate. Also, as promised, The Oddboxx's price will be cut in half across all services (Steam included) for the next week. That's all four Oddworld games for just over twelve bucks. Not bad.
Just Add Water working on four Oddworld games for this year
After news surfaced last summer that Gravity Crash developer Just Add Water is working on multiple Oddworld projects, we wondered just what the UK-based dev had up its sleeves. And while we already heard about remakes of Stranger's Wrath headed for PlayStation 3 and Abe's Oddyseey for unknown platforms, a post on the company's official site meant to solicit new talent also revealed that said talent "would be working on various Oddworld Inhabitants-based projects, with four to be released THIS year [their emphasis]." Given that we know of two other Oddworld titles getting remakes -- notably the first and the last of the series -- it stands to reason that Abe's Exoddus and Munch's Oddysee are also getting the HD treatment. Just Add Water is staying mum for now, though, instead choosing to tantalize us with vague blog posts. That said, don't go getting your hopes up for that long awaited new entry in the Oddworld series -- last we heard, it was "on hold." And hey, if you're a programmer or artist in the UK with a penchant for working with strange creatures, Just Add Water's hiring!
Oddboxx coming to more online stores
Series fans were thrilled by last year's Steam release of The Oddboxx, a four-game Oddworld collection, but many were left in the cold. "I don't live anywhere near a Steam store, how am I supposed to get a copy?" has been the common refrain. But worry no more, because as of March 7 the game will be available at D2D, Stardock, Amazon, GamersGate locations across the globe. Surely, you'll have at least one of those nearby? As a bonus, those who venture to one of those stores will find Oddboxxes littered with 50%-off stickers; the game will be half-off its $25 asking price between March 7-14.
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee HD remake in development at Just Add Water
Though the studio is still hard at work on its HD renovation of one installment of the Oddworld Inhabitants franchise, Stranger's Wrath, it seems Just Add Water already has a second remake underway. EGM recently teased an interview (which will appear in its upcoming March 2011 issue) with series creator Lorne Lanning, in which he reveals, "Abe HD is going into production," later adding, "It's basically Abe's Oddysee being redone in a 3D physics engine as a 2D side-scrolling platformer." Though pickings are slim in the EGM preview, Lanning did mention that the studio is "not trying to reinvent any wheels. It's like, 'Can we make that experience in a new engine, with new tech, in the old way?'" We bet you can, if you really put your mind to it. We've got our fingers crossed that more details about the Odd remake will surface in the full interview, when the new EGM hits newsstands next month.
Stranger's Wrath HD dev will 'look to' bring PS3 update to PC for free
While we're no closer to learning if the HD update to the formerly Xbox-exclusive Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath will ever make it to Xbox Live Arcade – either it's got to shrink in size or Microsoft has to bump up that size limit ... again – developer Just Add Water is hinting at another platform that may see the "NOT PS3-exclusive" remake. JAW's Stewart Gilray took to the Steam forums to placate Oddboxx consumers angry about the inconsistency of the PC port of Stranger's Wrath. Porting the title from Xbox (and an Xbox-specific implementation of DirectX) to PC and OpenGL introduced a number of issues, which Gilray was eager to address. "From a personal note, to read these comments that the game is beyond broken hurts," he wrote in the forums. "I am always incredibly paranoid about that work I/we do and am always self-critical, so please help us fix these issues by providing as much positive feedback as you can with system specs and detailed descriptions." As users turned in (generally angry) bug reports, one asked the question everyone's been wondering: "Why can't the PC port be as good as the PS3 version?" Gilray responded simply, "Because the PS3 version is not completed yet," before adding, "As for the PS3 version, we will look to bring this to the PC as an update to the current PC version at a later date." While it's far from a promise, it is a reminder that the HD remake isn't contractually bound to remain a PS3-exclusive, and it's also a potential silver lining for anyone plagued by bugs in the current Oddboxx release. %Gallery-112128%[Thanks, BoogerA]
Oddboxx bundle priced at $24.99
Before the year ends, Oddworld Inhabitants will launch The Oddboxx, a collection of four games for the PC: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee and Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath. The latter two titles are being ported to the PC for the first time -- if you want to get your grubby Mudoken mitts on the game, you can pick it up for $24.99 at retail or through one of the more popular digital distribution channels out there, including Steam, Direct2Drive and Amazon.
The Oddboxx to launch in the '2010 Holiday Season' on Steam
As promised, Oddworld Inhabitants reports it will successfully launch The Oddboxx before the end of 2010. A collection of the studio's previous Oddworld games, The Oddboxx includes Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exoddus, as well as Munch's Oddysee and Stranger's Wrath -- the latter two games' first appearance on the PC platform. Launching on Steam during "the 2010 Holiday Season," gamers will be able to download each title individually or in a complete bundle. Expect "a few new additions and enhancements" to the games, which Oddworld Inhabitants says will be announced "in the run-up to its release date."
Lorne Lanning laments 'The Brutal Ballad of Fangus Klot' that never was
Game Informer has posted its recent print interview with Oddworld Inhabitants founder Lorne Lanning, a (five-years-later) followup to the magazine's April 2005 announcement of The Brutal Ballad of Fangus Klot, OWI's would-be effort to delve further into the "more hardcore" elements of the Oddworld ... world. After finding the situation with EA (which published OWI's Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath on Xbox in 2005) "unworkable," Lanning recounted, OWI turned to Majesco to fund and publish the Fangus project, another Xbox game built on Stranger's core framework. But only a month after the game's announcement, "the shenanigans started" and OWI shut down its development studio. "Sometimes developers get fired by publishers and sometimes developers fire publishers," Lanning said coyly, "and that's probably all I should say about it." Publisher "incompetence" aside, Fangus did sound like an odd pitch: A "close to the Earth" dog-man herdsman turned "pit fighting" slave -- to the Russian-like cat mafia -- who escapes his years-long imprisonment a hardened killer dead set on vengeance and the liberation of his people ("the timeless mythical battle between cats and dogs," in other words). Also, Fangus has terminal rabies and "would control a flock of ravenous sheep-like creatures to take down enemies and solve puzzles," according to GI's description. "We wanted it to be really hardcore," Lanning concluded.
Stranger's Wrath HD the first of six Oddworld projects from Just Add Water
The Oddworld franchise is making a comeback, starting with a remastered version of Stranger's Wrath created by a small team at Just Add Water. The developer's ambition encompasses six Oddworld projects in total -- that's an Oddworld Quintology plus one. "Well for one I'm a HUGE fan, and always have been, all the way back to 1997," said Stewart Gilray, managing director of Just Add Water. "Other members of the team are also fans, and as a company we all care deeply about the project, and will only sign off on it ourselves, when we are happy with it in every aspect." Talking to Joystiq via email, Gilray explained that his company's collaboration with Oddworld Inhabitants started when he was introduced to series creator Lorne Lanning, during the 2009 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Hello. Follow me. Isn't that how all these deals happen?
Oddworld games permanently marked down to $5.99 on GoG
In the market for some classic puzzle-platformer action? Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus have both been permanently marked down to $5.99 on the DRM-free digital distribution service, GoG.com. Frankly, we can't think of a better way to wind down the summer than by saving a bunch of Mudokons (and saving some cash). Follow us!
New Oddworld games in the works at Just Add Water
The long-dormant Oddworld franchise is ready to make its return. Just Add Water, developer of Gravity Crash, has been working with Oddworld Inhabitants on "multiple projects, across multiple platforms ... starring all of your favorite Oddworld characters." Just Add Water Managing Director Stewart Gilray has also revealed that franchise creator Lorne Lanning is involved in the new projects. While further details aren't yet available, a few more teases will be revealed on the PS Nation podcast tonight. To keep abreast of any breaking revelations, you can also follow AbeMudokon on Twitter.
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Exoddus hopping to PSN this Thursday
It's been a while since we were legitimately excited by an addition to the PSOne Classics storefront -- however, now we're waiting on bated breath for the PSN re-release of two timeless titles: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus. The pair of PlayStation platformers will say "hey-lo" to the PlayStation Store this Thursday, where they'll be sold for $9.99 a piece. We know we should be counting our blessings, but we're hoping the addition of these impossibly Odd titles is just a precursor to more PS1 platformers getting ported to the PSN. In simpler, less alliterative terms, we're gonna need someone to bring Heart of Darkness into the family of PSOne Classics. We're gonna need someone to do that immediately.
Born for Wii: Stranger's Wrath
After the dreary all-night study benders, frantic cramming, and endless writing that coalesce to produce the torturous period that is college finals, gamers around the country find time to kick back, relax, and play through the dreaded backlog that resulted from the flood of titles released during the holiday season. After playing through the wonderful Mirror's Edge, I set my sights on an older title I'd had sitting around for several months (thanks to the Xbox 360's spotty backwards compatibility). That game was Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath.Released towards the end of the Xbox's life cycle in 2005, Stranger's Wrath was also the last game created by Oddworld Inhabitants before the studio shifted focus to creating cinematic movies. And it's a shame, because Stranger's Wrath succeeds at everything it attempts. It's fun, inventive, and as full of life as every other Oddworld creation. Follow along with Stranger (in both first and third person!) as he tracks down bounties in the Odd version of the Old West in this week's Born for Wii. #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } NEXT >> %Gallery-39955% Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.
Oddworld elects ex-Brash CCO as new prez
Far from the dangers of Brash Entertainment, the battered publisher's former chief creative officer, Larry Shapiro, has found work serving Oddworld Inhabitants. As the studio's new president -- Sherry McKenna will remain CEO -- Shapiro has tasked himself with pushing Oddworld into "new frontiers," reports Variety. "We intend to break the model of where games are today in a unique and entertaining way," he told the site. What we think he means: Oddworld will be getting into episodic gaming a few "years" from now.At the very least, the Citizen Siege project has finally be cleared from the queue ... and shoveled into a shallow grave. [Update: Actually, Citizen Siege is "still in development," McKenna tells GamesIndustry.biz; just not with Vanguard.] We'd just as soon settle for the old Oddworld games with a lil' spit-shine applied, thank you very much. As for his former post at Brash, Shapiro had this to say: "I wanted to make Brash the Miramax or HBO of video games, but sales marketing and finance wanted it to be Majesco." Oh, BURN!
Lorne Lanning confirms he's on the new Oddworld
Recently confirmed by the head of Maxis and now effectively double-confirmed, the new Oddworld game will have involvement from the series' original creator. Previously thought to have left the World of Odd for aspirations in CG movie making, Lanning and his studio, Oddworld Inhabitants, are returning to the universe of their namesake with the next-gen Oddworld. While that game will still be under wraps for some time, it's good to know that the original creators are involved, even if they do have their hands full.
Another Oddworld title confirmed by creator
Co-founder of Inhabitants and one of the creators of the Oddworld universe, Lorne Lanning, has confirmed a new Oddworld title to be in development, but remains tight-lipped on any sort of details. the boss of Maxis, Jeff Braun, let this news slip last week in a speech, so it's nice to get a solid confirmation at last. There's not much else to say, really. There's a new game in development with graphics apparently comparable to an animated movie, the two guys are working together on it, but anything else is a complete mystery. We'll keep looking for more info, but until then, discuss what sort of collaboration could result from these two. Sim-Oddworld, perhaps?
