DAY 124 / GAME 124
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
So, I've always enjoyed the absolutely obscure and terrifically bizarre Oddworld games from developer Oddworld Inhabitants. (Who else?) But they had totally disappeared off my radar after their release of Munch's Oddysee for the original Xbox. During one of our many conversations about some of the finer games in life a friend of mine, Matt, had brought up the last game ever made in that series; Stranger's Wrath. I never knew it existed but it sounded fantastic. He told me it was an easy find at this point in the EB used games bin and low-and-behold I took a look and found a copy right away under $10.
Stranger's Wrath, although very similar to the older titles, is definitely a bit of a departure from them. The first couple Oddworld games were side-scrolling puzzle-slash-platformers not unlike Prince of Persia. Equally as difficult, but far more other-worldly. Munch's Oddysee took the game into three-dimensions by pushing the concept into a third-person perspective as you push around your buddy who is bound to a wheelchair. Stranger's Wrath moved the series into a full-on first-person perspective and did it with gusto.
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is the strangest first person shooter I've ever played. It's definitely the only FPS game where your ammunition is alive, in some cases even insults you. You fight strategically with your crossbow. Loading it with various ammunition you can either purchase at shops, or locate all over the fantastical world. This includes Stunkz (which stun), Boombats, Thudslugs and Bees. You can load either side of your crossbow with a different creature, making strategic assaults quicker.
The whole game follows the Stranger. A bounty hunter hired to hunt down the last of the Steef, a race of creatures thought to be extinct. Of course, in Stranger's Wrath, as with the rest of the Oddworld world, everyone is some kind of strange creature. As you enter town you hunt bounties and turn them in to help fund your long-term goal of getting a mysterious and life changing surgery. Part of your strategy as a player is attempting to capture your bounties alive for a higher payout.
Stranger's Wrath is actually a mix of FPS and Third-Person. There are platforming elements that require the pulled-back view and shooter elements that require the first-person view. The game actually takes a bit of a turn near the end which really pushes the need for the mix of a first and third person perspective.
Stranger's Wrath of course really shines when it comes to it's absolutely mental designs. From the world they created to the creatures within it, this game is like nothing else. Wandering around a western inspired town operated by aged and worn looking anthropomorphic chicken people, discussing a vital surgery with a vile and unsettling doctor who appears to be some kind of fleshy insect with toes for legs, discovering an ancient settlement full of nervous lizard people; Oddworld Inhabitants pushes to create the most bizarre setting imaginable and the results are extremely memorable.
I may have just muttered this time about a whole bunch of nonsense, I'm a little off game right now, what with just having had a new son a couple days ago. Point being, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is this fantastic, very playable, visually inventive game that features a gorgeous soundtrack, creepy whimsical design. Perfectly enough it was also recently released alongside the rest of the Oddworld series in gorgeous HD at a cheap price. So if you're interested in the least, be sure to try it out for PS3, Wii-U (Soon?) Xbox 360 or PC. There's not much else like it.
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
So, I've always enjoyed the absolutely obscure and terrifically bizarre Oddworld games from developer Oddworld Inhabitants. (Who else?) But they had totally disappeared off my radar after their release of Munch's Oddysee for the original Xbox. During one of our many conversations about some of the finer games in life a friend of mine, Matt, had brought up the last game ever made in that series; Stranger's Wrath. I never knew it existed but it sounded fantastic. He told me it was an easy find at this point in the EB used games bin and low-and-behold I took a look and found a copy right away under $10.
Stranger's Wrath, although very similar to the older titles, is definitely a bit of a departure from them. The first couple Oddworld games were side-scrolling puzzle-slash-platformers not unlike Prince of Persia. Equally as difficult, but far more other-worldly. Munch's Oddysee took the game into three-dimensions by pushing the concept into a third-person perspective as you push around your buddy who is bound to a wheelchair. Stranger's Wrath moved the series into a full-on first-person perspective and did it with gusto.
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is the strangest first person shooter I've ever played. It's definitely the only FPS game where your ammunition is alive, in some cases even insults you. You fight strategically with your crossbow. Loading it with various ammunition you can either purchase at shops, or locate all over the fantastical world. This includes Stunkz (which stun), Boombats, Thudslugs and Bees. You can load either side of your crossbow with a different creature, making strategic assaults quicker.
The whole game follows the Stranger. A bounty hunter hired to hunt down the last of the Steef, a race of creatures thought to be extinct. Of course, in Stranger's Wrath, as with the rest of the Oddworld world, everyone is some kind of strange creature. As you enter town you hunt bounties and turn them in to help fund your long-term goal of getting a mysterious and life changing surgery. Part of your strategy as a player is attempting to capture your bounties alive for a higher payout.
Stranger's Wrath is actually a mix of FPS and Third-Person. There are platforming elements that require the pulled-back view and shooter elements that require the first-person view. The game actually takes a bit of a turn near the end which really pushes the need for the mix of a first and third person perspective.
Stranger's Wrath of course really shines when it comes to it's absolutely mental designs. From the world they created to the creatures within it, this game is like nothing else. Wandering around a western inspired town operated by aged and worn looking anthropomorphic chicken people, discussing a vital surgery with a vile and unsettling doctor who appears to be some kind of fleshy insect with toes for legs, discovering an ancient settlement full of nervous lizard people; Oddworld Inhabitants pushes to create the most bizarre setting imaginable and the results are extremely memorable.
I may have just muttered this time about a whole bunch of nonsense, I'm a little off game right now, what with just having had a new son a couple days ago. Point being, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is this fantastic, very playable, visually inventive game that features a gorgeous soundtrack, creepy whimsical design. Perfectly enough it was also recently released alongside the rest of the Oddworld series in gorgeous HD at a cheap price. So if you're interested in the least, be sure to try it out for PS3, Wii-U (Soon?) Xbox 360 or PC. There's not much else like it.
Stranger's Wrath, although very similar to the older titles, is definitely a bit of a departure from them. The first couple Oddworld games were side-scrolling puzzle-slash-platformers not unlike Prince of Persia. Equally as difficult, but far more other-worldly. Munch's Oddysee took the game into three-dimensions by pushing the concept into a third-person perspective as you push around your buddy who is bound to a wheelchair. Stranger's Wrath moved the series into a full-on first-person perspective and did it with gusto.
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is the strangest first person shooter I've ever played. It's definitely the only FPS game where your ammunition is alive, in some cases even insults you. You fight strategically with your crossbow. Loading it with various ammunition you can either purchase at shops, or locate all over the fantastical world. This includes Stunkz (which stun), Boombats, Thudslugs and Bees. You can load either side of your crossbow with a different creature, making strategic assaults quicker.
Stranger's Wrath is actually a mix of FPS and Third-Person. There are platforming elements that require the pulled-back view and shooter elements that require the first-person view. The game actually takes a bit of a turn near the end which really pushes the need for the mix of a first and third person perspective.
Stranger's Wrath of course really shines when it comes to it's absolutely mental designs. From the world they created to the creatures within it, this game is like nothing else. Wandering around a western inspired town operated by aged and worn looking anthropomorphic chicken people, discussing a vital surgery with a vile and unsettling doctor who appears to be some kind of fleshy insect with toes for legs, discovering an ancient settlement full of nervous lizard people; Oddworld Inhabitants pushes to create the most bizarre setting imaginable and the results are extremely memorable.
I may have just muttered this time about a whole bunch of nonsense, I'm a little off game right now, what with just having had a new son a couple days ago. Point being, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath is this fantastic, very playable, visually inventive game that features a gorgeous soundtrack, creepy whimsical design. Perfectly enough it was also recently released alongside the rest of the Oddworld series in gorgeous HD at a cheap price. So if you're interested in the least, be sure to try it out for PS3, Wii-U (Soon?) Xbox 360 or PC. There's not much else like it.
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