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"Excellent Game"

Man, oh, man. I loved the first Oddworld game(Abe's Oddysee) and going into this game I was expecting the same quality. Boy, did I get it. For those that don't know, the first 2 Oddworld games are 2D, side-scrolling, platformer action. Add in a truckload of puzzle elements and this is what you get. There's usually one set way to advance in these games. Basically, the game is pretty darn linear. But this doesn't really hamper the game at all.

Let's back up for a second, as we're getting ahead of ourselves. This specific game, is 2 discs deep, first of all. In both games you can but are not required to save Mudokons. These are your little friends who have been tooken control of by the enemy. It's your job to chant(we'll get to that soon) while standing near birds that fly in a circular manner. After you chant the birds turn into a portal, which the Mudokon jump in and are saved. Some portals can also be jumped into by Abe but not all portals. You'll constantly see running tabs of the Mudokons who have been saved and even killed. There's a total of 300 Mudokons to save, which is a jump from the previous Oddworld, where there were only 99.

This isn't your standard platformer. This game features no energy, infinite lives, and no bosses. It's a straight through experience with no real levels and only a beginning and an end. It keeps you on your toes the entire time. The game consists of single screen layouts for the action. There is no real scrolling. You move up, down, left, or right depending on the situation but never scrolling. It certainly brings something new to a cluttered genre. The gameplay is a mixed bag(not in a bad way) of jumping, sneaking through shadows, running feverishly from enemies, disarming bombs, detonating mines, among other things. There's only a few enemies throughout the entire game. But this doesn't bring the game down in the slightest. Most games feature a variety of enemies but with this game you feel a closer connection to the handful of good, well-written, funny enemies whom each have their own personality. You chant, once again, to control some of the enemies but not all. Then you can use the enemies to kill other enemies or perform certain tasks like turning valves, exploring, or pulling up elevators. Then, when their job is done you can explode them and go about your business. As previously mentioned not all of the enemies are able to be controlled. Some enemies, like the bulldog like creatures can only be distracted by meat and then you can run past them. Other enemies, only attack if you move within their red, radar like beam. The giant trash can security guards, as I'll call them, keep pacing and you have to move when you aren't in their site. The enemies are really quite clever and cute, in that badass sort of way.

Abe doesn't have a whole lot of offense. He can pick up meat and stones and chuck them to distract enemies. He can chuck grenades as well. But the one thing that is quite different(this reminds me of Boogerman for the SNES and Genesis) is that he can fart. In the beginning, his farts don't do anything but make his Mudokon friends laugh and back away. But later, he can drink some Soulstorm Brew and his farts becomes explosive. Also, he can then chant to control the farts and use them to explore and destory enemies. I'm usually not the type of person who finds anything redeeming about this sort of thing but it doesn't play an integral part in the game. You only use them in select areas. Atleast they went for something different here.

The gameplay is quite realistically responsive. But the movement seems a bit awkward. It does work for this game though. You might die due to the control a couple times but nothing to worry about. The difficulty is certainly there but it's nothing you can't get past without some patience and some brainpower. It's certainly not a game where you have to run-n-gun, so to speak. You have to plot out your moves. There is a nice quicksave feature that lets you use savestates at any time to help you out, which is an improvement over the previous game. Also, I forgot to mention gamespeak. This is a system where you communicate with the characters using the shoulder buttons in combination with face buttons. You can get Mudokons to pull levers for you, to follow you, and generally to work for you. You have to also hit some of them in order to snap them out of the stupors they sometimes get themselves in. All of these things combine for a worthwhile experience and a much improved response factor over Abe's Oddysee.

Now for the graphics. The backdrops are nice to look at and you actually get to travel into the backdrops to advance, at times. The variety of the backdrops/backgrounds are nice as well. No jungle settings like in Abe's Oddysee but still a decent variety. For a Playstation game, I must say that the graphics are quite nice and bring a bit of a ''2 and a half D'' feel. It's nice when a game has incredible gameplay that gives you the benefit of pretty visuals. A lot of games use the visuals as the foundation and I just don't feel this is the case for this game. The colors are rather muddy(olive) and really give a sense of the harsh conditions that the Mudokons have to go through. It doesn't feel like a light-hearted game with this atmosphere.

Sound is nice. Not a whole lot of background music. Just sound effects. Especially, when an enemy spots you. The effects will change up to be more faster paced, nervousness, much like in a lot of games. But this type of design fits with the type of game this is. The effects will give you that feeling of racing for your life to the next platform.

The bottom line here is that this game is a masterpiece. Everything(and I mean it) in the game feels like it belongs there. Most, if not all, of the platforms have some sort of use and it really feels like a well put together game. I felt the game was a bit long, but nothing to worry about. Remember it spans 2 discs. For a platformer, it can get to be a 5-10 hour game with no level boundaries or anything. It might just end up seeming long but it doesn't weigh the game down at all. I can honestly say that this game truly captivated me. It brought some definite improvements to the series and that's what can make or break a game with the public. I don't think this about too many games but I really feel that this game is a work of art. I would absolutely recommend it especially if you liked the orignal Oddworld.

GOOD SIDE
-Well Put Together
-Good Gameplay
-Nicely Written
-Improvements over Abe's Oddysee

BAD SIDE
-Although gameplay is good, movement and controls takes some getting used to
-Farting may turn off some people
-Nothing Else Really

OVERALL:10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/18/04