[seriouslyoddfan]

This is absolutely futile.

I agree. That said, I think this is a marketing problem that should have already been resolved. It seems clear enough to me that Lorne was railing against the term "HD remake" as indeed it conjures up the wrong connotation -- in spite of the fact that it is indeed in "HD" and it is indeed a "remake."

As others have touched on, it is not an "HD remake" as such, because -- while the plot is identical -- the story is being re-told within an entirely different framework and not just re-hashed with gussied up graphics and audio. A new engine and new assets have been combined with the old assets we know and love to engage we consumers in a novel way. They are trying to court not only fans of the original OI games, but to grow the fanbase so that they may continue to evolve the brand and share a damn important story.

Come to think of it, OI and JAW should be forcefully correcting all who interview them, or otherwise communicating, that their product is "New 'n' Tasty", which uniquely and succinctly describes their efforts to rebuild AO into a HD 2.5D platformer. If/when AE gets the same treatment, it should also be known as the "New 'n' Tasty" version/edition.

Most importantly of all, there is a new business model in force. One that calls for a tighter bond between fan and creator. One that acknowledges a previously unknown degree of leverage. This new business model exists because of the democratizing power of the internet and content delivery platforms such as the almighty Valve's Steam (and later Sony's, Microsoft's, Nintendo's, and -- dare I mention -- EA's analog content delivery platforms). As Lorne explained (quite colorfully) in the Sixth Axis podcast, these technologies have changed the landscape of the video game industry. I find it quite ironic that some of you who spend so much time on these fora -- and so are presumably "super fans" -- are missing the relevance of the paradigm shift in the developer-publisher-distributor model. It is a real life metaphor for the story of Abe. Like Abe's escape from Rupture Farms, OI/JAW (not to mention countless small developers everywhere) no longer have to play by the rules of unfeeling soulless corporatists; they are free to tell the story of Oddworld on their own terms.

As for the kerfuffle over Lorne using the word "fucking", I understand that some board members are just trolling and sad attention seekers. However, for the sake of the naive, I'll share my interpretation. First off -- relax. The word "fucking" here has zero semantic content: it merely serves to emphasize his anger over the potential confusion a term like "HD remake" might engender. Again, this is a marketing problem. Moreover, a word is only profane if you agree to play by the rules of the establishment.



SOF