Jump to content

Oddworld: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Gamecleanup|date=November 2008}}
{{Gamecleanup|date=November 2008}}
'''''Oddworld''''' is a comprehensive [[fictional universe]] presented in [[video game]] form, created by game developers [[Oddworld Inhabitants]] under the direction of [[Lorne Lanning]]. Throughout games set in the Oddworld universe, Oddworld's peaceful nature is in danger of being consumed by the industrial ambition of sadistic corporations. Oddworld, as a planet, is measured as seven times the size of [[Earth]], a fraction of which has been featured in the games. The main continent is Mudos.
'''''Oddworld''''' is a comprehensive [[fictional universe]] presented in [[video game]] form, created by game developers [[Oddworld Inhabitants]] under the direction of [[Lorne Lanning]]. Throughout games set in the Oddworld universe, Oddworld's peaceful nature is in danger of being consumed by the industrial ambition of sadistic corporations. Oddworld, as a planet, is measured as seven times the size of [[Earth]], a fraction of which has been featured in the games. The main continent is Mudos.

The series is assumed to be dead, as the website has not been updated since 2006 and still displays a "new site coming soon" banner.


==Games in the series==
==Games in the series==

Revision as of 04:47, 12 August 2009

Oddworld is a comprehensive fictional universe presented in video game form, created by game developers Oddworld Inhabitants under the direction of Lorne Lanning. Throughout games set in the Oddworld universe, Oddworld's peaceful nature is in danger of being consumed by the industrial ambition of sadistic corporations. Oddworld, as a planet, is measured as seven times the size of Earth, a fraction of which has been featured in the games. The main continent is Mudos.

The series is assumed to be dead, as the website has not been updated since 2006 and still displays a "new site coming soon" banner.

Games in the series

The developers originally stated that the Oddworld series would be a pentalogy, and that Abe's Exoddus, Stranger's Wrath, and the Oddworld Adventures games were bonus titles not counting toward the total of five. The pentalogy was halted after the first two games, when the company decided to redirect its efforts toward film production. There were also a few titles that were hinted at in interviews and press releases, but were never developed.

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee

At the beginning of this game, Abe is a happy, ignorant worker at RuptureFarms, a meat-packing plant.[1] Working late at RuptureFarms, Abe passes an advertisement billboard for the upcoming latest product in the Tasty Treats line of snacks, and eavesdrops the factory’s annual board meeting. Here, he learns that wildlife resources have become depleted, for which reason Abe's boss Molluck the Glukkon has decided to use the factory's Mudokon slaves as a ready source of meat.[2] After this epiphany (reminiscent of the end of the film Soylent Green),[3] Abe panics and escapes from his workplace. At the end of the game's introductory sequence-[1]which is a retrospective voiced-over by Abe [4]Abe runs for his life.[1] The Mudokons’ spiritual leader, the BigFace, appears to the unconscious Abe in a vision, revealing that the Mudokon race once lived freely with nature before they were enslaved by the Glukkons, and that their sacred animals were the very same ones being slaughtered and processed to manufacture 'Tasty Treats'. Prophecies have foretold of a Mudokon saviour whose worth would be tested by a journey to relight holy flames that were extinguished by the Glukkons. Abe does this with the aid of his pet Elum and then receives mystic tattoos. Abe infiltrates RuptureFarms, killing its entire board of executives before being captured and taken to a holding cell, where he has enough time to pour over the last day before facing execution. Abe's actions have impressed the holy Mudokons, who rescue Abe and transport him to safety, where he received a hero’s welcome from the Mudokons he rescued.

Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus

Abe's Oddysee was very popular, and the bonus game Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus was released the following year.[1] Abe's Exoddus begins where Abe's Oddysee ends.[5] Abe's abilities in this game were similar to his abilities in the first game,[6] with an expanded ability to communicate with other characters in the world using GameSpeak.[7] As he was celebrating his new celebrity status, ghosts of old Mudokons appeared before him[8] and told him that Necrum, a once sacred Mudokon burial ground, was being excavated by Glukkons, using blind Mudokons as slaves.[2] Abe again journeys to the Scrab and Paramite lands to find a cure to the sickness the SoulStorm brew created from the excavated bones. Curing his friends, he then travels to FeeCo Depot, the main hub for many productions. He travels to Bonewerkz and the Slig Barracks to board the train to the Soulstorm Brewery - and eventually blows it up. Abe teleports from the explosion just in time and is greeted by all his saved Mudokon friends.

Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee

A new character called Munch was added to this game.[6] Not long after the events of Abe's Exoddus, Abe helps Munch (the last living remnant of an amphibious race called the Gabbits) to destroy Vykerrs labs and save Gabbit eggs from destruction. They prevent the Gabbits from dying out completely. This increases status as a hero and also makes him very unpopular with the Glukkon queen, Lady Margaret.

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is an action-adventure game published for the Microsoft Xbox in 2005. The game's main character is a bounty hunter called Stranger. The game utilizes both third and first-person perspectives and is less puzzle oriented than the previous three Oddworld games.[9] The game has a Wild West setting. It received much critical acclaim.

Released titles

Title Year Platforms Developer Publisher Notes
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee 1997 PlayStation, Windows Oddworld Inhabitants GT Interactive[10] First pentalogy game.
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus 1998 PlayStation, Windows Oddworld Inhabitants GT Interactive[11] Bonus pentalogy game and a sequel to Abe's Oddysee.
Oddworld: Adventures 1998 Game Boy Saffire GT Interactive Software Corp.[12] Handheld version of Abe's Oddysee.
Oddworld: Adventures 2 2000 Game Boy Color Saffire GT Interactive Software Corp.[13] Handheld version of Abe's Exoddus.
Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee 2001 Xbox Oddworld Inhabitants Microsoft Game Studios[14] Second pentalogy game.
Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee 2003 Game Boy Advance Art Co. THQ Inc.[15] Handheld version of Xbox game.
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath 2005 Xbox Oddworld Inhabitants Electronic Arts[16] First-person shooter/Third-person platformer

Unreleased/Cancelled titles

  • "SligStorm". It would have followed the story of an albino Slig, born in a complex it must escape to avoid infanticide.
  • "Oddworld": "Munch's Exoddus". Expected to be a bonus game based on Munch's Oddysee.
  • "Oddworld": "Squeek's Oddysee". Expected third game in pentalogy.
  • "Oddworld": "Nod's Oddysee". This game was never planned, and Lorne confirmed this.
  • "Oddworld": "The Hand of Odd". A real-time strategy game planned to be online.

Future game

Template:Future game A future game has been confirmed by Maxis co-founder Jeff Braun. [17] Speaking at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, Braun said of the team, "They're such a talented group of people and I really trust their ability to create compelling content". He said that the upcoming game will have a cinematic quality on a "one to one scale" with CGI-based films.[18] He also noted however, that a slow production schedule could make it "years" before the game sees release. [19] In an interview with the series creator Lorne Lanning, he has reportedly said that in the next five years we will see one film made, one television series aired and two or more MMO-lite type experience networks and a lot of new game technology. [20]

Characters

Main article: Abe (Oddworld)

Abe is the strongly developed central character of the Oddworld series.[3] He can also use GameSpeak, a way of communicating with other characters in the game.[6] Along with Spyro the Dragon, Abe was one of the unofficial mascots of the PlayStation One.[21] Computer and Video Games described Abe as "a new platform hero"[22] and a "brilliant character."[23] Lanning, Oddworld's creator, has stated that its "characters are driven in a way that is fired by larger [moral] issues."[1]

GameSpeak

In the Oddworld games, the GameSpeak feature allows the player to interact with the non-playable characters (NPCs). Examples of GameSpeak commands in the original game, Abe's Oddysee, are "Hello," "Follow me," and "Wait," the latter of which would instruct a nearby friendly character to do exactly that. Rescuing Mudokons and opening certain doors are all achieved through Gamespeak. Enemies possessed by Abe can also use GameSpeak, and one can use Glukkons to order subservient Sligs around, or use Sligs to call their Slog pets to heel. GameSpeak also included less essential actions such as burps and farts, which were added with intent of a comical effect.

The GameSpeak feature was modified in Stranger's Wrath, with a single talk button that caused the Stranger to say something appropriate to the situation. For example, when the Stranger needed to cash in a bounty on an Outlaw, pressing the talk button would cause him to say, "Best be gettin' to the bounty store." This context-sensitive GameSpeak also worked for questioning the Clakker and Grubb townsfolk. This change made the talk button more comparable to a universal-action button in Stranger's Wrath.

"Oddworld: Hand of Odd"

Oddworld: Hand of Odd was rumored to be the fifth Oddworld game. It was to be a real-time strategy game and playable online. Originally announced in 1999, Hand of Odd was cancelled when Oddworld Inhabitants shut down in April 2005 to pursue the creation of motion pictures.[citation needed]

Awards

The Oddworld games have received more than 100 industry awards.[24] Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee received more than 24 awards and three nominations from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences over 1997 and 1998.[25]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Carr, Diane, David Buckingham, Andrew Burn, Gareth Schott, 2006, Computer Games: Text, Narrative and Play, Polity
  2. ^ a b White, Jason, Oddworld Adventures 2, All Game.
  3. ^ a b Carr, Diane, Andrew Burn, Gareth Schott, David Buckingham, Textuality in Video Games, Utrecht University and Digital Games Research Association
  4. ^ Clarke, Andy, Grethe Mitchell, 2007, Videogames and Art, Intellect Books.
  5. ^ Something strange is brewing in 'Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus', CNN.
  6. ^ a b c DeMaria, Rusel, Johnny L. Wilson, 2003, High Score! The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill Professional
  7. ^ Thomas, Maureen, François Penz, 2003, Architectures of Illusion: From Motion Pictures to Navigable Interactive Environments, Intellect Books
  8. ^ Abe biography, Official Oddworld Website.
  9. ^ Underneath It All, Substance Sells, New York Times.
  10. ^ Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Moby Games
  11. ^ Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, Moby Games
  12. ^ Oddworld: Adventures, Moby Games
  13. ^ Oddworld: Adventures 2, Moby Games
  14. ^ Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, Moby Games
  15. ^ Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, Moby Games
  16. ^ Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath, Moby Games
  17. ^ Maxis Co-Founder Confirms Oddworld Return
  18. ^ Jeff Braun helping out on Oddworld game
  19. ^ Maxis Co-Founder Reveals Oddworld Return
  20. ^ http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/321/
  21. ^ Lopez, Vincent, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee: Does Munch live up to Abe's legacy?, IGN.
  22. ^ Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
  23. ^ Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
  24. ^ Morris, Chris, Microsoft takes Oddworld, CNN Money
  25. ^ Barlow, Nove, This Week in Gaming History, The Escapist
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oddworld&oldid=307499203"