The title says it all. How did you discover the Oddworld universe? (Doubtlessly, someone's asked this before, but that doesn't mean it can't be asked again! Mwuah!)
My oldest sister's former employer, naughty as he was, burned a copy of Abe's Oddysee and gave it to her. She let me and our other sibs play it on occasion. I could see, even then, that AO is not only brimming with some of the most gorgeous visuals to grace gamedom, but it's got a perfect blend of action and puzzle genres' best qualities. Beauty and brains in one compact package, along with some refreshingly twisted humor to top it all off; needless to say, I fell in love at first sight.
To make an already droll story short, the burned copy was destroyed and I snapped up Abe's Oddysee, Abe's Exoddus, and more recently, Munch's Oddysee -- all legally purchased, of course.
So, what's your excuse?