I'm going to say what everyone's been saying... AO, because of its atmosphere. I can't really define that atmosphere, but there is something about it that attracts me more to AO than AE, even though AO was much more difficult.
For 'which is the better game,' I would say AE. It is a sequel that, bless OWI, did NOT try to 'fix what ain't broken' and only added more of what we wanted to see: more cutscenes, quiksaves, the ability to possess a wider range of species... That atmosphere that is so unique to AO is most likely due to the fact that it was Abe's first time and you couldn't possess wildlife and all that-- but how were we supposed to get a second game with that feeling? Admit it, you WANTED to be able to possess wildlife at some point.

There is more to 'enjoy' here, yet I personally like AO more because, for reasons even I can't explain, its atmosphere is just that important.
So, which is the better game, as in which would I recommend more to a non-oddworld fan and casual gamer? AE. Quiksaves are essential here because if I'm introducing a gaming friend to Oddworld I don't want them to be frustrated right away.
Which would I rather take with me to a deserted island? AO.
EDIT:
:
Agreed on AO quicksave being not a good idea. Exoddus was built to be hard even with instasave, by having long chase levels and timers. E.g. the Mudanchee Vault Ender. You're on the run for nearly the entire level, and the entirety of the last bit, so QS is useless. Oddysee wasn't built that way; hence QS would make the game ridiculously easy.
|
Seconded. (Thirded?) I played through AE recently and I kept thinking about just how ridiculously difficult the game would be without quiksaves (think about the harder drill areas...) They obviously had quiksaves in mind when they were designing everything.