A few weeks ago, I wrote about Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee and Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus hitting Sony’s PlayStation Network. These are two fantastic games from one of the most creative and imaginative developers in the business: Oddworld Inhabitants. I recently asked company co-founder Lorne Lanning what it was like reaching a whole new generation of gamers through PSN. He told me:
It’s a joy to see the fan mail from new players that have just discovered these games. A bit time machine’ish I should say. The feedback is fresh, it’s new to them, so there’s something that feels very much like it did when the games first came out. A lot of people got passionate about Abe. Now we’re seeing it again, and it’s the same vibe and reaction of newness, but a different generation. A bit Déjà to the last millenium.
When I see them write, “I remember my father used to play, but I was too young” it’s a serious testament to just how quickly time flies and how quickly the times change. We’re thrilled that the Abe games are finding a new audience, especially considering that we didn’t even foresee the future of digital distribution back when we originally built these games. I mean, most people still didn’t know what www.com meant back in ’94 when we started building Abe. Strange how different a world it already is today.
Strange? How about odd?!? Bwahahahahaha!!! Seriously though, this is just a snippet from my conversation with Lorne. He went over a wide variety of topics with me and his answers were most interesting (some of them even juicy!). Stay tuned for my full interview with Oddworld Inhabitants’ Lorne Lanning!
For now, I wanted to see if any of you have downloaded these Abe re-releases or if you’re planning to. Anyone digging the Oddworld universe more than a decade after it was revealed? Are you excited by the possibilities of more Oddworld games in the future?
until I’m passed out on my sofa. Maybe it’s because some of my game time has been logged while I’m loopy, but there are several things in DA that I find unintentionally hilarious.
in this video clip. He talks about how the team attempted to modernize the feel of Baldur’s Gate II and create “sword porn” for the game. All sorts of details on combat mechanics (accompanied by slick video) are shared by Laidlaw. Executive producer Mark Darrah, lead writer David Gaider, art director Dean Andersen, and lead character designer Shane Hawco bring their perspective to the mix too.
Ken Kutaragi, often called “The Father of the PlayStation”, has started Cyber AI Entertainment Inc., along with another former Sony executive. According to 
: the “15 Min Fight Scenes” trophy. It’s a pretty rad video that’s sure to leave you impressed.
— have additional content that’s available for purchase as soon as the game comes out. This stuff should be included on the disc or available as a free download.
training and breeding sessions in the air (does this mean my Pokemon are part of the mile-high club?). More recently, I’ve conquered the world again and again in Civilization Revolution for iPhone. From my GBA to GBA SP to PSP to DS Lite, portable gaming is just an enormous part of my in-flight experience.