I wonder what kind of game would actually require that many buttons ... some PC games perhaps??? Or maybe some really complex flight sim.
Anyway, back onto the subject... one thing I like about the Oddworld games is the uniquness. The gamespeak from the Abe games was unique to those games, and Munch bought in a new format of game speak. For a console I think that game speak needs to be kept very simple, and Oddworld achieved this with Munch's Oddysee. The gamespeak on the PS games took some getting used to, as you had to use different button combinations.
The only improvement I would like to see if a larger range of things for Abe/Munch and the Mudokons to say and how they say it. This could be based around the environment that they are in (i.e. they may sound more happy and enthusiastic if in a native environment, and may sound sad if they are slaves) or also the situation they are in (i.e. if they have just been freed). Oddworld did start a range of expressions in Munch, but as I said, to expand it a lot more would be a wonderful improvement.
Abe Babe...