N'n'T Box art

[Manco]

Oh, get back on-topic and beehave.

[Jordan]

Every single time this is mentioned at all in anything involving NnT, all I can wonder is what the fuck else do you expect? It's a remake of the first game, one of which the majority of us love dearly. Skepticism, pessimism, and the whole shebang are to be expected, especially after we've seen the direction Oddworld went after the Abe games.

Frankly, I'd be worried if this general attitude wasn't present. It would mean people just didn't give a fuck, and therefore anyone could pick up the games all willy nilly and butcher them without giving it a second glance.

Or there is the other half that does not give a shiny shite.

I have been in love with Oddworld from a very young age and it has always been one of my favourite games. I am just overjoyed that the series is getting some attention after all this time. Life is too short to pick at extremely small flaws and you will just set yourself up to dislike the game with negative attitudes like that. A lot of you seem to believe that a completely random company with absolutely no knowledge or passion for Oddworld has picked the game up and are just hacking at it, set out to ruin the game for "hardcore" fans. Just Add Water are known for being Oddworld fans, why the hell would they set out to change things in the game to upset fellow fans? Most of their decisions will have reasons behind them.

Chances are the game won't completely live up to the original. What remake ever does? The originals will always have a certain place in your heart which can never be replaced, even by an outstanding remake. Most of that will be nostalgia. If you expect every single feature to live up to your horrendous standards you will never fully enjoy the game. People need to lighten up.

[Nepsotic]

The renake could totally be better. I can think of loads of remakes that are better than the original. The original Resident Evil has a special place in my heart but I can still see that the remake is much better. Abe's Oddysee had it's flaws, and if the remake sorts them out whilst keeping the originals atmosphere and improving the graphics, than there's no reason why it shouldn't be better, even with nostalgia.

We aren't nitpicking here, we're picking out obvious design flaws which do make it look like JAW don't really understand the game.
You can be a fan of a series and still not know what you're doing with it, shit just look at the Silent Hill HD Collection, an example I bring up again and again. That wasn't even a remake, but the guy in charge was a so called "fan" and look what happened to it.
Now, I could be totally wrong and JAW could have the tmosphere nailed, but look at that poster again. Does that say 'Abe's Oddysee' to you?

[Phylum]

Yes?

[Nepsotic]

I'm not actually talking about the logo.

What he says here can be applied to what we've seen of the AO remake so far.

[Phylum]

Yeah but you did just specifically ask if we thought the poster felt like AO, which I think it does.

There are definitely flaws in the logo. We established that a long time ago. What else have we seen that hasn't been good?

[Nepsotic]

It's not that the poster and trailer aren't good, it's that they don't convey the atmosphere of AO, I've been over this before.

[Slog Bait]

I don't think good is necessarily the right word to be thinking of right now. Everything minus the logo has been "good". Fitting, on the other hand... not as much.

The gameplay we've seen so far and screenshots of the game itself give me high hopes for it, so I'm not too worried about the game itself, but the marketing is giving me war flashbacks to MO.

[Manco]

The marketing isn’t being designed to try and communicate the “atmosphere of the game”, it’s being designed to shout “Oddworld is back!” from the rooftops.

Look at the difference between the in-game assets we’ve seen — screenshots, trailers, etc — and the atmosphere they communicate. Now compare that to the marketing materials we’ve seen; the poster, the logo and the boxart.

The logo and poster are very obviously designed with the corny-ass Glukkon marketing schtick in mind – bright colors, bold typography, saccharine cartoon graphics (the poster is a direct remake of a poster we saw in-game, for christ’s sake).

Does that communicate the atmosphere of the game? Of course it doesn’t, but it’s recognizable to fans of the original games! They already know what the game’s atmosphere will be like, and the screenshots and trailers confirm that to them!

Now look at the boxart. We have the big ol’ colorful Glukkon-style logo up front, but in the background we see an environment much more evocative of the atmosphere we’re familiar with. This is because the boxart is both a marketing item and a game asset – it needs to do the work of both. They use the logo they already have because anyone who’s seen their marketing will already be familiar with it, and they include the atmospheric matte painting to communicate that yes, this is an Oddworld game just like the original Oddysee that people remember.

Yes, we’ve talked about how the logo isn’t perfect. Yes, it has a lot of problems in the finer details that let it down. Yes, seeing the flawed logo being used so much is disheartening. But for god’s sake, shut up about how the marketing doesn’t “communicate the atmosphere”, because that’s not its purpose. And I am so fucking sick of seeing people bitch over something that has no real effect on how the game will play.

[Connell]

But for god’s sake, shut up about how the marketing doesn’t “communicate the atmosphere”, because that’s not its purpose.

Manco's right. Who the fuck wants to get an actual sense and feel of the game they're about to purchase from a trailer? Trailers should just be pretty and brightly coloured.

I despair.

[Slog Bait]

I hate confusing and flashy marketing it gives me a hernia

[Henchman1028]

I wonder what a Abe's Exoddus remake (If they ever make one) would be called. New And Improved, maybe?

[Fuzzle Guy]

I wonder what a Abe's Exoddus remake (If they ever make one) would be called. New And Improved, maybe?

Wait till they've finished Brewing the first one!

[Manco]

Manco's right. Who the fuck wants to get an actual sense and feel of the game they're about to purchase from a trailer? Trailers should just be pretty and brightly coloured.

I despair.

Did you miss the part where I specifically referenced how the trailer and screenshots did communicate the actual in-game atmosphere, and that this separated them from other marketing materials? Or did you just skip over that?

I was talking about the logo and poster in the part you quoted. So uh, great use of misrepresenting what I said to advance your argument?

[Nepsotic]

I'm sorry, when I said poster I was actually talking about the boxart. It doesn't communicate the atmosphere at all. They seem to be completely obsessed with Scrabania and burnt orange colours.

Wait till they've finished Brewing the first one!

Jesus...

[Connell]

Did you miss the part where I specifically referenced how the trailer and screenshots did communicate the actual in-game atmosphere, and that this separated them from other marketing materials?

I didn't miss that bit, you're just wrong. I strongly feel it doesn't communicate the atmosphere. You must have had a different version of Abe's Oddysee to me.

Besides, I didn't misinterpret anything, you literally said:

for god’s sake, shut up about how the marketing doesn’t “communicate the atmosphere”, because that’s not its purpose.

You state you don't feel that marketing has the purpose of giving people a taster of the atmosphere of the game they're going to buy. That's weird, man.

[Slog Bait]

NnT is finally released

You're in Rupture Farms for 5 minutes and the entire rest of the game is Scrabania

New 'n' Tasty INDEED

E-SPEEDY SHIT

[El Dango AGAIN]

The marketing itself is not the problem here, it's the lack of it. Small issues become much bigger when there isn't much else to compare them to. I don't know why they haven't put out more than two short trailers so far, unless want to save up most of the marketing for the release, which might be a risky move. If we had gotten three different story trailers a this point (one focusing on Scrabania (which we got), one on Paramonia and one on Rupture Farms itself), slowly revealing the plot of the game, it would have been represented much better. I like to imagine that this was the original plan, and might still be, but they've waited for a long time, and this 'part 1' trailer still has to stand on its own.

[Manco]

I'm sorry, when I said poster I was actually talking about the boxart. It doesn't communicate the atmosphere at all. They seem to be completely obsessed with Scrabania and burnt orange colours.

When I look at that boxart and look past the logo, I see Abe’s face and I see a shot of Rupturefarms with a whole lot of implied detail and depth. For me as someone who is familiar with the original game, that tells me all I need to know about the game. I don’t know what exactly you’re expecting from boxart, but if they tried to cram on as many game details as possible it would look messy. Better to keep it simple, as they have done.

I didn't miss that bit, you're just wrong. I strongly feel it doesn't communicate the atmosphere. You must have had a different version of Abe's Oddysee to me.

Besides, I didn't misinterpret anything, you literally said:

You state you don't feel that marketing has the purpose of giving people a taster of the atmosphere of the game they're going to buy. That's weird, man.

No, you’re misinterpreting what I’ve said.

The promotional materials like the logo and the posters they’re producing are produced with a different marketing intent from the screenshots and the trailers. The logo and posters work in the context of “hey look it’s Oddworld! We’re Oddworld, there’s new Oddworld games being made, look at us!” They’re designed to be loud and proud, and they make use of the motifs seen in the Magog Cartel’s in-game marketing campaigns. At this point Oddworld is a very well-known brand in games and there are a lot of people with fond memories of the series. The marketing is aimed squarely at grabbing these peoples’ attention, and they need to do that as loudly and boldly as possible because the brand has been quiet for a long time.

However, screenshots and in-game footage from trailers serve a very different purpose. They are created from in-game assets and thus need to demonstrate the game’s personality much more than other promotional materials need to. Look at the screenshots and the video footage seen in the trailers and tell me they don’t remind you of the original games.

Marketing is not necessarily about communicating a game’s atmosphere. Building brand awareness, gaining publicity, holding people’s attention, reminding people they exist – these are all valid reasons to create marketing assets. Abe’s Oddysee has quite a low-key atmosphere throughout, and creating loud and bold marketing while staying true to that tone would be very difficult and likely very risky for them.

[MeechMunchie]

I'm sorry, when I said poster I was actually talking about the boxart. It doesn't communicate the atmosphere at all. They seem to be completely obsessed with Scrabania and burnt orange colours.

Do you even remember how much of the orginal Rupturefarms was orange? Most of it, as I recall.

[Slog Bait]

The interior of the first Zulag was orange. We never saw the outside of the factory during the day, but at night it was interesting because there was a gradation from muddied oranges, to pukey greens, to a very rich deep blue.

I'm going to blame the brightness of the box art on the logo, though. I think without it, the orange wouldn't seem so bright and overwhelming, and therefore subtracting from it's atmosphere.

[Job McYossie]

AO was very grey. Sure there was colour, but it was usually only one colour overtone at a time. It usually changes for each temple/zulag. One zulag would be very purple, while one later would be green. I think the orange works on the box, as some areas were orange, though I do feel it'd be better as something else, as orange was a huge colour used in AE

[Phylum]

Only being one colour at a time can probably be put down to technical reasons. All of the backgrounds had colour information stored in pallets to preserve space.

[Job McYossie]

Only being one colour at a time can probably be put down to technical reasons. All of the backgrounds had colour information stored in pallets to preserve space.

Granted, but regardless, that is how the atmosphere ended up in the game. And It'd nice to see that they are not changing that too much.

[Nepsotic]

Even with Rupture Farms on there all I see on the boxart is Abe's Exoddus, thats all I'm saying. Fair enough if the posters and marketing doesn't communicate AOs atmosphere but at least the boxart has to.

The boxart tells me the game is a cross between Die Hard and Abe's Exoddus. Need to throw a couple more explosions on there, guys.

And if they are aiming squarely at existing Oddworld fans then, isn't all this entirely pointless? I thought all this was to boost the companys image and get them known. What's the point if they're aiming at Oddworld fans. It makes it look like they don't know what they're marketing and who they're marketing it to.

[Phylum]

Abe was very popular back in the day. They can aim it at people who are familiar with Oddworld without specifically targeting fans.

Also, "more explosions"? Have you even looked at the picture? Are you just fucking around now?

e: Also Job, they should stick with one colour unless it makes sense to change it. Simple.

[Manco]

AO was very grey. Sure there was colour, but it was usually only one colour overtone at a time. It usually changes for each temple/zulag. One zulag would be very purple, while one later would be green. I think the orange works on the box, as some areas were orange, though I do feel it'd be better as something else, as orange was a huge colour used in AE

Even with Rupture Farms on there all I see on the boxart is Abe's Exoddus, thats all I'm saying. Fair enough if the posters and marketing doesn't communicate AOs atmosphere but at least the boxart has to.

Where exactly is orange used so prevalently in Exoddus, besides the opening cutscene in the desert? The mines were blue, old Necrum was yellow, Mudomo and Mudanchee were purple and red, Feeco and Bonewerkz were brown and grey, the Barracks were green and yellow, and SoulStorm brewery was everything from magenta to blue.

Orange was used much more in Oddysee, I think – Zulag 1 and 2, most of the Stockyards, Scrabania and the Scrabanian Temple. See for yourself.

The boxart tells me the game is a cross between Die Hard and Abe's Exoddus. Need to throw a couple more explosions on there, guys.

Now you’re honestly just making shit up. Nothing about the boxart looks like an action movie.

And if they are aiming squarely at existing Oddworld fans then, isn't all this entirely pointless? I thought all this was to boost the companys image and get them known. What's the point if they're aiming at Oddworld fans. It makes it look like they don't know what they're marketing and who they're marketing it to.

Abe was very popular back in the day. They can aim it at people who are familiar with Oddworld without specifically targeting fans.

What he said. Oddworld was a well-known game series around the PS1 era, so a lot of people will recognize the name when they see it. Their marketing is aimed squarely at getting the name out there as far as possible to call back to as many people who remember them as possible, whether they’re fans like us or not.

e: Also Job, they should stick with one colour unless it makes sense to change it. Simple.

This as well. It’s generally good from a design point of view to stick to a limited color palette – too many colors and you muddy the message.

[Vyrien]

Manco it's probably because of the original box arts which were predominantly orange.





Orange wasn't used much in the game itself though, like you said.

[Fuzzle Guy]

I do believe he's referring to Grading of Abe's Exoddus, not specific orange objects. AE overall had a much richer look and feel to it - stylistically, it was a much more positive game which reflected Abe's positivity towards saving Mudokon-kind.

The first game instead reflects the desolate, monotonous world Abe lives in. His voice is broken and void of hope. The environments look desaturated - there's not much contrast between colours. The greys of Rupture Farms mix with the Brown tinge of the foggy lighting. The Dark greens of Paramonia mix with the lime and matte greens of the skies. There's nothing in the colour scheme of Abe's Oddysee that clashes, jars, or seems out of place with it's environment.

Not to take away from the artwork of Exoddus, which I find equally beautiful, but for different reasons.

[Pirfsich]

I wonder what a Abe's Exoddus remake (If they ever make one) would be called. New And Improved, maybe?

It just needs to be "Oddworld: Twice Ze Flavour"
That is an awesome name, god damnit! >.<
It ist just true to some degrees, as Exoddus is much bigger in gameplay screens than Oddysee and it has different areas.