Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
Studio	Oddworld Inhabitants
Publisher	GT Interactive Oddworld Inhabitants
Senior Developer	Lorne Lanning
Erstveröffent- lichung	September 19, 1997 (PlayStation) October 31, 1997 (MS-DOS)
platform	PlayStation , DOS , Windows , PS3 , PSP , PS Vita , Android
genre	Jump 'n' run
Game mode	Single player
control	Game controller , keyboard
system advantages preconditions	CPU : Pentium 120 MHz RAM : 16 MB Graphics card : SVGA Windows95 compatible sound card 4-way CD-ROM drive
medium	CD-ROM , download
language	German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese
Age rating	USK

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee is a platform game by the US computer game developer Oddworld Inhabitants and the first title in the Oddworld series. It was first published in 1997 by the US publisher GT Interactive for PlayStation and DOS . In it, the play figure Abe tries to escape from his captivity in a meat factory and to free his enslaved people. The game was adapted for Game Boy under the title Oddworld: Adventures . There were also several re-releases on other platforms. The title formed the prelude to a series of other games in the Oddworld game world.

action

Abe's Oddysee takes place on the continent Mudos of the fictional world Oddworld (German: weird world ). The action is told as a review by the eponymous character Abe. Abe is a being from the Mudokan people (English: Mudokons ) and actually an anti-hero. Like many of his people, he is a slave to the meat producer Molluck from the Glukkon people. As such, he is responsible for polishing the aisles in his RuptureFarms food factory (from English: to rupture = tear open). While on duty, Abe overheard a board meeting by accident. He learns that the company intends to bring a new food product called "New 'n' Tasty" (German: new and tasty ) onto the market in response to the almost extinct livestock population . The basis for this should be the meat of the Mudokans. Realizing this, Abe panics and tries to flee. He is discovered and pursued. Abe's goal is to flee the RuptureFarm and then shut it down to prevent the production of New 'n' Tasty from starting. In the course of the game, he comes across the traces of a prophecy, according to which he is chosen to free his people from slavery by the Glukkon. Another goal during the entire game is to rescue all 99 members of the same species that are distributed throughout the game. The outcome of the game depends on the success of the player, where a distinction is made between a good ending and a bad ending. There is also an extended variant of the good ending, provided that the player can free all 99 Mudokans. The good ending is canonical and is the basis for the successor title Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus .

Gameplay

The gameplay corresponds to the basic characteristics of the platformer genre . The player controls the character Abe directly with the help of the game controller or the keyboard. The game is presented from a side- scrolling perspective , the game world is made up of pre-rendered, two-dimensional backdrops. The transition between the scenes is animated or staged with the help of CGI cutscenes , so that the impression of a coherent game world and a filmic presentation is created. On the way through the game world, the character has to pass various skill exercises with the help of certain movement commands such as running, jumping, climbing or sneaking, which require precise control and careful timing by the player. A special feature of the game is the so-called ALIVE game engine (Aware Lifeforms In Virtual Entertainment), which determines the behavior of the game world inhabitants. The play figure Abe can communicate with them with the help of a dialogue system called GameSpeak. For example, this allows Abe to give simple commands like “Follow me” and “Wait”. This is used, for example, to rescue Abe's conspecifics, who have to be guided to defined vanishing points in this way through sometimes dangerous terrain. Furthermore, Abe can use the GameSpeak functions to take control of certain game characters, open connection portals to otherwise inaccessible play areas and solve melody-based tasks. This expands the usual genre principle with additional puzzle functions. The player's decisions are monitored using a routine called QARMA and affect the outcome of the game.

development

Abe's Oddysee was the first title of the development studio Oddworld Inhabitants, founded in October 1994. The founders Sherry McKenna and Lorne Lanning previously worked as specialists for visual effects for the company Rhythm & Hues in the film industry. Lanning's motivation for the industry change was the establishment of his own brand , over which he could retain full creative control in order to implement his own narrative ideas. After he saw no possibility in the film industry to produce his own story generated with the help of computer technology, Lanning decided to set up a development studio for computer games in order to gain a foothold in the emerging game industry. Development of the game began in January 1995 under the tentative title Soul Storm . On September 17, 1996, publisher GT Interactive acquired a 50% stake in Oddworld Inhabitants from Creative Programming and Technology Ventures, Inc., including the exclusive worldwide publishing rights. The company changed the title of the game to Epic and eventually to Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee .

The team consisted of 35 people and the development costs amounted to three million US dollars. The subject is influenced by the Soylent Green future dystopia . Lanning named Flashback as a playful role model in a retrospective . In contrast to later Oddworld titles, Abe's Oddysee still looked quite silly. Series creator Lanning described this as an orientation owed to the zeitgeist and the technical limitations. Accordingly, at the start of work, games for adults like Grand Theft Auto were not leading, but more family-friendly titles like Super Mario and Sonic . Due to the limited resolution and limited computing capacity, a comic-like look had to be used.

The PlayStation version of the game was released on September 19, 1997. The game was released through a $ 10 million global advertising campaign made up of print ads, TV spots, and online support. There was also cross-promotion with console manufacturer Sony and the music channel MTV .

synchronization

Apart from the gamespeak function, the cutscenes were also set to music. In the original and in the German version, all roles are spoken by one person. The original speaker of the game is Lorne Lanning , who is also a senior programmer . In the German version, the then unknown voice actor Monty Arnold took over the role. The German dubbing company was the highlight recording studio, Hamburg.

reception

Rating mirror

PlayStation
publication	Rating
Fun generation	10 of 10
Video games	87%
EGM	8.5 out of 10
GamePro (US)	4.5 out of 5
GameSpot	8.1 out of 10
Gaming Age	97%
IGN	7.5 out of 10
Official Playstation Magazine	80%
PSX Nation	94%
Meta-ratings
GameRankings	87.94%
Metacritic	85%
Windows
publication	Rating
GameStar	75%
PC action	80%
PC Games	79%
PC player	85%
Power play	80%
Computer Gaming World	3.5 out of 5
GameSpot	8.1 of 10
PC Gamer (UK)	72%
PC zone	81%
Meta-ratings
GameRankings	79.13%

Reviews

The PlayStation version of Abe's Oddysee received mostly positive reviews ( GameRankings : 87.94% / Metacritic : 85%). The PC version also received good, but on average lower ratings (GameRankings: 79.13%).

"You can tell that the Oddworldlers learned their craft in Hollywood: camera work, background music and characters are absolutely film-ready."

- Roland Austinat : Test report PC Play 01/1998

“As an editor, you can only experience every few years of jubilee as a new star rises and is born in the video game sky. Such a star landed on the Playstation with the arrival of Oddworld's gorgeous room beautician Abe, whom you can safely name in the same breath as Donald Duck, the Lemmings , EWJ [note: Earthworm Jim ] or Donkey [Kong] . "

- Dirk Sauer : Test report Video Games 09/1997

"Through the seamless cross-fading between 2D platforming and perfectly fitted 3D turns with an impressive depth effect, the game develops a breathtaking atmosphere that has never been experienced before."

- Gunter Glos, Götz Schmiedehausen : Test report Fun Generation 09/1997

“It's easy to fall in love with Abe's Oddysee , but don't go running off to get married without a second look. Yes, it's beautiful, funny, and full of personality, but be prepared to have to prove your worth over and over again before getting any privileges. "

“It's easy to fall in love with Abe's Oddysee , but don't run blindly to the altar without taking a second look. Yes, it is beautiful, funny and full of personality, but be prepared for the fact that you have to prove your worth over and over again before you receive any privileges. "

- Ken Brown : Test report Computer Gaming World

Abe's Oddysee represents one of the first successful meetings of Hollywood and Silicon Valley. It's basically a collection of puzzles combined flawlessly to form a cohesive and interesting story line.

“ Abe's Oddysee represents one of the first successful connections between Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Basically it is a collection of puzzles, perfectly combined to form a coherent and interesting guideline for action. "

- Greg Sewart : Gaming Age review

“Its been a while since a platformer has evolved into something more than your standard run and jump fare type game. Abe's Oddysee has taken the standard platformer and made it into a complete game. "

“It's been a while since a platformer evolved into more than just a racing and jumping game. Abe's Oddysee has taken the standard principle of a platform game and turned it into a completely new game. "

- Brian Gray : PSX Nation review

Sales figures and awards

On February 17, 1998 GT Interactive announced the sale of one million copies of the game as part of its quarterly report and rated the title as a great success. In total, Abe's Oddysee was first published 3.5 million times. As of August 2011, another 1.5 million copies of the game were sold via digital distribution .

Awards

• Best Director - CD-ROM / Game Platform World Animation Festival, 1997
• Wire Award for Games - Multimedia Wire, 1997
• 1997 Video Game Approval - Parent's Choice Foundation, 1997
• Silver Review Award - Electronic Gaming Monthly, 1997
• 1998 Best Voice Acting Award - Electronic Gaming Monthly, 1997
• Console Game of the Month - Nov. Escape UK, 1997

In 2011, Abe's Oddysee was one of the three PlayStation games proposed by the Smithsonian American Art Museum for its exhibition The Art of Video Games as examples of the artistic design of action games on this console. However, after a public vote it was defeated by Metal Gear Solid .

The character Abe

The game character Abe developed into an unofficial mascot of the Oddworld game world and the PlayStation console, which worked beyond the game.

On the occasion of the Oscar nominations in 1999, Oddworld Inhabitants released an almost 15-minute animated film entitled Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus: The Movie . It is made up of cut scenes from the follow-up title Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus and some scenes specially designed for the film. The film is the first computer game film to have been submitted as a possible candidate for Oscar nominations. In order to meet the necessary criteria, publisher GT Interactive had the film screened from October 27 to 29, 1998 in the Laemmle Theaters in Los Angeles.

On November 16, 1998, the German electro pop and dance music project Music Instructor published the piece Music Instructor feat. Abe - Get freaky , in which you can also hear a short vocal interlude by the character. Abe also appears in the accompanying video clip, which is located in the Oddworld game world. The single rose to number 5 in the German single charts on January 5, 1999 and received a platinum award from the Federal Music Industry Association . The song also reached chart positions in Austria and Switzerland.

In March 2002, the technology magazine Wired Abe chose the cover picture of its 10.03 issue on the topic of progress in the development of artificial intelligence .

Follow-up projects

Oddworld: Adventures

Oddworld: Adventures
Studio	Saffire
Publisher	GT Interactive
Erstveröffent- lichung	1998
platform	Game Boy
genre	Jump 'n' run
Game mode	Single player
medium	Cartridge
language	German English
Age rating	USK

Oddworld: Adventures is a version of Abe's Oddysee specially adapted for the Game Boy by the US development studio Saffire . It was released on December 4, 1998 and takes into account the lower performance of the handheld game console. The game was GT Interactive's first release for Nintendo's handheld game console.

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee - New 'n' Tasty

In 2010, Oddworld Inhabitants, in cooperation with the British development school Just Add Water, announced the revision and re-release of all previous Oddworld games. For the games Strangers Vergeltung and Munch's Oddysee , the resolution of textures and character models was increased. With the working title Abe HD , on January 31, 2011, the two companies announced a heavily revised remake in which the originally two-dimensional game world was to be converted into 3D graphics using the original templates. At the Eurogamer Expo in September 2012, the game with the title Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee - New 'n' Tasty was presented to the public for the first time. The game principle and the structure of the game should be retained - with slight adjustments. A change compared to the predecessor are the now connected level sections instead of permanent scene changes. Some actions that could be reset in the initial release by leaving the screen therefore had to be adapted to this new game world design.

Series creator Lanning told the press in March 2014 that a total of around five million US dollars had been invested in the game, of which an estimated two to three million US dollars fell on materials developed and recycled by Oddworld Inhabitants themselves, and only two Millions of fresh capital corresponded. Lanning also stated that for the payback of the project at a retail price of around 30 US dollars sold about 250,000 copies would be needed and comes together with some 500,000 copies sold enough money to get a new Oddworld to develop game.

Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus

→ Main article : Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus

Abe's Oddysee was planned as the first part of a five-part series around the game world Oddworld , the so-called Quintology , and each with different main characters. Due to the success of Abe's Oddysee , Oddworld Inhabitants and GT Interactive released the title Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus , again with the character Abe in the lead role, after just one year . The game continued the well-known principle of the first part without major changes. It was not until 2001 that the originally planned second part of Quintology appeared with Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee .

literature

• Cathy Johnson, Daniel Wade (Eds.): The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants: The First Ten Years 1994-2004 . Ballistic Media, Mylor, South Australia 2004, ISBN 1-921002-02-6 .

Web links

• Official Oddworld site (English)
• Abe's Oddysee at MobyGames (English)
• Oddworld: Adventures at MobyGames (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Roland Austinat: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee . (Article scan) In: PC Player . No. 01/1998, January 1998, pp. 38-41.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Peter Steinlechner: An alien as an escape helper: Oddworld . In: IDG (Ed.): GameStar . No. 01/1998, January 1998, p. 168.
3. ^ Morgan Ramsay: Gamers at Work: Stories Behind the Games People Play . Apress, New York City 2012, ISBN 978-1-4302-3351-0 .
4. ↑ GamePro 85 (August 1996): "One of the most dazzling games at E3, Soul Storm snuck out of nowhere with breathtaking graphics and a fresh approach to platform gaming. The graphics gleam with spectacular backgrounds and lifelike, humorous animations. Keep an eye out for this killer game. "
5. ↑ GT Interactive : GT Interactive enters agreement to acquire 50 percent of Offworld Entertainment; company to obtain exclusive global rights to Oddworld Inhabitants titles for all media. ( English ) In: Press release . The Free Library. September 17, 1996. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
6. ↑ GamePro 85 (August 1996)
7. ^ The Art of Oddworld, p. 99.
8. ↑ Gunter Glos: talking 'bout Abe . (Article scan) In: Fun Generation . No. 20, September 1997, p. 72. Note: The title of the film is incorrectly given as “Soiled Green”.
9. ↑ ^{a b} Colin Rigley: The Oddysee, Exoddus, and wrath of Oddworld Inhabitants . In: New Times. San Luis Obispo County's News & Entertainment Weekly . 26, No. 20, December 15, 2011. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
10. ↑ Ben Reeves: The Oddworld Game That Never Was: The Brutal Ballad of Fangus Klot ( English ) In: Game Informer . GameStop . November 19, 2010. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
11. ↑ GT Interactive : Molluck Vows: 'I Will Grind Him Where I Find Him' in 'Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee'. ( English ) In: Press release . The Free Library. September 16, 1997. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
12. ↑ GT Interactive : 'Odd Friday' Is Here! ( English ) In: Press release . The Free Library. September 18, 1997. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
13. ↑ http://215072.homepagemodules.de/t512059f11776733-Oddworld-Abe-s-Oddysee.html
14. ↑ ^{a b} Gunter Glos, Götz Schmiedehausen: Oddworld - Abe's Oddysee . (Article scan) In: Fun Generation . No. 20, September 1997, pp. 70-71.
15. ↑ ^{a b} Dirk Sauer: Tests: Odd World: Abe's Oddysee . (Article scan) In: Video Games . No. 09/1997, September 1997, pp. 86-87.
16. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly (January 2004), p. 188.
17. ↑ Air Hendrix: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee ( English ) In: GamePro (US) . IDG . Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved on December 24, 2012.
18. ↑ Joe Fielder: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee Review ( English ) In: GameSpot . CNET . October 15, 1997. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
19. ↑ ^{a b} Greg Sewart: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee ( English ) In: Gaming Age . Archived from the original on September 28, 2004. Retrieved on December 24, 2012.
20. ↑ IGN editors: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee ( English ) In: IGN . News Corp . September 22, 1997. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
21. ↑ ^{a b} Brian Gray: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee ( English ) In: PSX Nation . UGO entertainment . September 17, 1997. Archived from the original on February 11, 2005. Retrieved on December 24, 2012.
22. ↑ ^{a b} GameRankings : Average rating of the game , based on 18 ratings. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
23. ↑ ^{a b} Metacritic : Average rating of the game , based on 10 articles. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
24. ↑ ^{a b c} PC Games Database: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee - Press Review . Retrieved December 24, 2012
25. ↑ ^{a b} Ken Brown: The Odd Squad . (Article scan) In: Ziff Davis (Ed.): Computer Gaming World . No. 163, February 1998, pp. 146-147.
26. ↑ Joe Fielder: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee Review ( English ) In: GameSpot . CNET . December 8, 1997. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
27. ↑ ^{a b} GameRankings : Average rating of the game , based on 8 ratings. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
28. ^ GT Interactive : GT Interactive Reports Record Revenues For Fourth Quarter and Year. ( English ) In: Press release . The Free Library. February 17, 1998. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
29. ↑ Nathan interviews Lorne Lanning again ( English ) In: OddBlog . August 2011. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
30. ↑ The Art of Video Games Voting Result ( English , pdf; 1.0 MB) Smithsonian Institution . May 5, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
31. ↑ Kris Graft: Smithsonian Art Exhibit Recognizes Games From Pac-Man To Heavy Rain ( English ) In: Gamasutra . UBM plc. May 5, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
32. ↑ Kris Graft: Interview: Going Back To Oddworld ( English ) In: Gamasutra . UBM, plc . September 13, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
33. ^ GT Interactive : For First Time, Video Games And Film Converge As Software Developer Enters 'Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus' For Academy Award Consideration. ( English ) In: Press release . The Free Library. October 13, 1998. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
34. ↑ IGN editors: Oddworld Tries for Oscars ( English ) In: IGN . News Corp . October 15, 1998. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
35. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from May 11, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
36. ↑ Bundesverband Musikindustrie : Gold / Platinum Database (Music Instructor) , accessed on December 17, 2012.
37. ↑ http://austriancharts.at/search.asp?search=Music+Instructor&cat=s
38. ↑ http://hitparade.ch/search.asp?search=Music+Instructor&cat=s
39. ↑ 2002 Issues ( English ) In: Wired . Retrieved December 24, 2012.
40. ↑ GT Interactive : GT Interactive Introduces 'Oddworld Adventures' as First Game Boy Title ( English ) In: Press release . The Free Library. December 4, 1998. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
41. ^ Andrew Yoon: New Oddworld games in the works at Just Add Water ( English ) In: Joystiq . AOL . July 15, 2010. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 17, 2012. 
42. ↑ Kyle Orland: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee Getting HD Remake ( English ) In: Gamasutra . UBM, plc . January 31, 2011. Accessed March 24, 2014.
43. ↑ Wesley Yin-Poole: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee New N 'Tasty! revealed at Eurogamer Expo ( English ) In: Eurogamer.net . Eurogamer Network . September 30, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
44. ↑ Jeffrey Matulef: New 'n' Tasty needs to sell 500K to fund an original new Oddworld game ( English ) In: Eurogamer.net . Eurogamer Network . March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
45. ^ Greg Sewart: Interview with Lorne Lanning ( English ) In: Gaming Age . Archived from the original on January 29, 1999. Retrieved on December 24, 2012.
46. ↑ Mega Mirror: Odds-On Favorite . In: The Mirror . January 30, 1999.