Oddworld-Strangers-Wrath
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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.
New Oddworld game in the works
Given that Munch's Odyssey was a launch title for the 360, and Stranger's Wrath was quite good, it's been surprising that the franchise has not yet seen a another entry. Until now that is, because a new Oddworld is on the way. Maxis co-founder Jeff Braun is involved with the game, and comments that the team is very talented and that he has faith in their ability to create great content. If the new one took insipration from Stranger and added more quirky humor and fun, we'll be all over this. Too bad Braun confirmed that it's still years away ....
Joystiq's 2005 game guide
2005 was what many would call the final push of the current console generation. Regardless of where the year ranks on your list of gaming annuals, many great titles hit store shelves, home consoles, portables, and PC's alike in 2005. Without further adu, let us introduce Joystiq's 2005 game guide as selected by our team of bloggers. Be sure to also check out our top hidden gems of this generation along with the greatest hits roundup for gamers on a budget. It's good to be a gamer.
Got any questions you'd want to ask Lorne Lanning?
Oddworld creator Lorne Lanning will be speaking at the meeting for the Chicago chapter of the IGDA (that is, the International Game Developers Association) on the evening of Tuesday, August 23rd (tomorrow night). He will be giving a multimedia presentation called "In a Wal-Mart world, Creative is a dirty word" concerning "the creative process, sources of inspiration, how Yoda saved his life, why the label of 'Creative' has become a liability, how game engines will change film making forever, ...why owning your own brand can be a handicap in today's marketplace, and how digital distribution is the great hope for creatives as we continue heading deeper into a brave new world of media." I will also be there, blogging the event. (If you were hoping to go, you may be sorry to learn that reservations were made for attendants well in advance. Sorry!) What this post is for, however, is to make a small request for question suggestions. I could read as many past interviews as I want, but that wouldn't give me as much insight into the machinima and digital distribution issues that I'd surely get from our dear Joystiq readers. If possible, I hope to ask Lorne a few questions (during the likely Question & Answer session if necessary), but nothing's set in stone. (The current Oddworld web site is a bit bereft of proper contact information right now, so if anyone can get me in touch with Mr. Lanning directly, I'd certainly appreciate it.) At any rate, a concise report should be up by Wednesday morning, with or without interview. Wish me luck! Update: Moving the report back to Wednesday evening or Thursday morning. Hopefully I'll have a good picture for you then! And, yes, I did get to ask Lorne a few of your questions. Should be fun.
Oddworld no more
Steve walks warily down the street, with his brim pulled way down low... Yep, another developer is no more. Though this time it's their own decision. In short, Lorne Lanning has seen where games are headed, said "No thanks!", and left for other pastures. Hollywood Reporter (?!) has a good interview with Lanning about his decision. Buh-bye, Oddworld. At least in games.
Oddworld keeps getting odder
Oddworld started off as a light-hearted world. Sure, it had a dark side of farts and spitting green slime, but for the most part it was a hopeful place. But that environment shifted to the dark side with the surprisingly good Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (average of 88% on GameRankings). It was a first person shooter that sprinted away from the platformer-feel of the original. Now comes word from IGN that the next installment will go even darker. You'll play a shepherd named Fangus who is slowly being driven mad by rabies. You have to save your herd from invading aliens while you still have your head on straight. It may be a departure for fans of the series, but if you consider the developer's track record there's probably no need to worry. [thanks Fady]
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath Reviews
The reviews are still pouring in, and while not as strong (on average) as yesterday, the numbers are sill impressive: Team Xbox - '91' IGN - '88' GameSpot - '85' 1Up - '80'
Stranger's Wrath is all good, for now
Due in stores tomorrow, the latest Oddworld adventure has garnered some early "universal acclaim" as evidenced by its '91' average over on Metacritic. So far, only 2 of the 7 reviews posted are accessible in full, with TotalGames.net going all out with a '95', while GameSpy chose a slightly more reserved score of '90'. It looks like the risk of converting the Oddworld standard from puzzle to action has paid off for Oddworld Inhabitants (developer), and gasp, EA! We'll keep you posted as more reviews roll in...
The week in zeros and ones
VE3D does their weekly round-up of digital media. The list includes DVDs, games, movies and the latest in pornographic paraphernalia. And sometimes you'll even get a pornographic DVD game in the same item. Take Playboy: The Mansion, for instance. It's finally hitting the shelves for PC, Playstation 2 and Xbox. How many 6.9/10 ratings do you figure it'll get from the mainstream gaming press? Unless it's good, of course, which is entirely possible. Also of some note is Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow DVD.
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath preview shows there are changes coming
If you're a fan of the Oddworld series, you may want to prepare for some changes in the next OW game. It looks like the puzzle-solving and happy jumping is turning into some hardcore action, of the videogame variety. The game, due out this month on Xbox, will allow you to explore the rich world you've grown to love, but this time you can do it from a third or first-person perspective. The same crazy touches are present, thankfully; fuzzy critters for ammunition, and health power-ups from, well, unlikely places.
