10/06 Update: Since we no longer write for the Edmond Sun, this section is temporarily housing our podcast links for our iTunes feed. All of the columns are in the archives menu if you feel like exploring.

These columns (as well as the 'releases') come from weekly content that we write for the Edmond Sun, out of Edmond, OK (though we live in Chicago). This page contains the archives for said column, many of which are in their pre-published, unedited state. Some titles and editing by Brendan Sinclair.

Column Archives:

Odd
Saturday, February 05, 2005

Oddworld Inhabitants have quite the relationship with Microsoft - their last game, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee was switched from a PS2 title to an Xbox launch title fairly late in it's development, something company president Lorne Lanning claims was due to the team wanting to work on the most powerful hardware possible. I still think it's fishy, but either way, the game was rushed for completion. While the final product was still fun and contained much of their exemplary humor, it lacked the polish and subtley brilliant game design the company had become known for after it's two Oddworld titles for the PS1. Oddworld have been slaving away since on a project known only as Stranger (which I will henceforth refer to it as), the game I'm quasi-reviewing here. Microsoft was all set to publish it again, until for whatever asinine reason, they dropped it (as well as the fantastic-looking Psychonauts, which will thankfully see release from Majesco this April) from their first-party lineup last spring. Maybe they were trying to quell an uprising of creativity, or maybe they're just idiots; point it, the game was suddenly without a publisher. In a rare act of awesomeness EA decided to pick up the duties where M$ left off, not only putting things back on track, but giving them a bit of marketing muscle and brand-name power, something the developer is certainly not known for. One renaming later, here we are, with one of the most unique and entertaining games released in the last couple of years.

The game starts you off in an old-west, vaguely industrial world, a literal Stranger in a town full of talking chicken-people. There are bounties out on several local villains, and you figure hunting them down is a good way to pay for an unspecified surgery you apparently need (you are half lion, half Clint Eastwood, after all, so the possibilities are understandable). From the town hub you adventure outwards through various deceptively linear levels, getting through whichever bad guys show up, to eventual face the bountied boss. I say the levels are deceptively linear because there's usually only one way to go, and certain things you HAVE to do to advance, but the game nudges you in those directions very gently and invitingly so it's not intrusive. The game is somewhat repetitive in that what I just described comprises the bulk of the gameplay, but every encounter is enjoyable, every area is entirely unique, and the game design is incredibly well thought-out.

While you can traverse levels more efficiently and quickly in third-person, most of your combat is done with your crossbow in first-person using "live ammo." It's not talking bullets (sorry Roger Rabbit fans), it's various living critters you'll capture, load up, and fire out of your bow. They all look hilarious, and they all have very different uses in battle. Chippunks talk crap until the enemy comes over to stomp the life out of them, Bolamites web them up so you can capture them more easily, and the much rarer Boombats blow them to bits. There are half a dozen more, but I'd rather you see them for yourself and not read my lame descriptions. The various critter combinations you can use all play very differently in battle, and usually having a full stock of ammo makes experimenting lots of fun. Enemies and bosses are worth more alive than dead, and subduing them without killing them is often another challenge entirely. Oh, and each area usually contains a cool environmental trap or two, such as an apple-juicing machine you can lure enemies under to, er, juice.

I hope by now we've established in this column that graphics aren't everything, but it must be mentioned that the art design in the Oddworld games is quite literally without peer. It's the defining trait of the company, and though this game is set in a somewhat different universe than the previous three, it's instantly recognizable as one of theirs. The characters are all instantly-memorable and alternately badass and hilarious, the stars of this particular game being the various ammo types. The enemies aren't quite as great as previous games for the most part, and there aren't enough different ones, but it's a picky complain in such an otherwise graphically varied game. The old western theme is strong throughout much of the game, with wonderfully broken-down towns, gorgeous dusty canyons, and stunning sunsets. The game has an amazingly long draw distance, and you'll often see areas a good ten minutes before you actually reach them. It's definitely getting the most out of the Xbox hardware, and will be on the short list of the best-looking games this generation. Technically and artistically, it's just a visual joy to behold in every respect.

There are a few things that hold the game back a bit, and while they don't take away from the experience for the most part, they're worth mentioning. The game starts out pretty slow, and you might not enjoy it as much as you're expecting until you start to get a hang of the unique game and combat mechanics, and get introduced to the real story (at which point it really picks up). While the dialogue in the game is all hilarious and well-written, all creatures of the same species, enemy or friend, have the same voice, which can get annoying. And finally, you'll sometimes find yourself exploring the intricacies of an odd area of a level, only to find later that you return there for a boss battle at which point everything makes sense. So no, the game isn't perfect, and will probably take people a couple of levels to really get into the swing of things. Once you get going though, it's a helluva lot of fun, and certainly one of the most unique gaming experiences you'll ever have. An obvious must-buy for any fans of the series despite the radically different gameplay, and a very high recommendation for any Xbox owner with a taste for something a little different.