How will be the future of Oddworld ?

[Nepsotic]

JAW worked ridiculously hard on N'n'T, that's why at first I tried not to say much bad against it, and part of why I left OWF for a while, all the talk about N'n'T and I had nothing to say because I didn't want people to get all upset. In the end though N'n'T falls so short on so much for me, I really hope that JAW get's a lot of money for this so they can have their next projects be much more in their target.

That's stupid. How hard somebody's worked on something is irrelevant when critiquing the work itself. If you don't criticise, they won't improve. They're not going to cry if you say something bad about their game, I'm sure they welcome it if it's constructive.
For example, "the meat grinder burping was fucking dumb as shit. Bad, JAW! Bad!"

[Varrok]

If that helps you, I avoided ranting about NnT much on OWF despite the fact it simply failed on many levels both atmosphere- and gameplay-wise because I felt bad for JAW even though they fucked some of it up

[Vlam]

Yes, one can say everything against MO (because we knew OWI could largely improve the game) whereas New n tasty, it's like a "retard" person who is trying very hard (which is sad) to achieve something. In a nutshell, skills (not just money) are needed.

[Varrok]

Whoa, that's a bit of exaggeration, though. It wasn't *that* bad

[JennyGenesis]

The old meat grinder made a “splotch” noise.

I didn't think it was a belch, just the noise of Abe being churned up.

[SIADmander]

Seriously? You guys hated New n' Tasty that much? I just saw it as a great game with a few minor shortcomings.

[Vlam]

For starters, the controls aren't top-notch to say the least ; and you have to keep in mind it's suppose to be a remake of a 2D game made more than fifteen years ago. The excuse is "sorry guys, we don't have enough money". It's just a lack of skills. It's even worse than that : in Nnt you can easily throw rock at bombs without them exploding (because you have to follow the script). I go without a Elum and in the next scene I am, mysteriously, on the Elum again. Things that don't happen in AO.

Look at the new content, like the cutscenes : they are silly. The paramonia one, okay so we are watching sligs chasing a scrab. Aren't they suppose to be security guards ? Then the scrabania one : oh, look at the sligs in the trap. It's suppose to be scary whereas it's just silly.

So if JAW make the next real new game after AE's remake we can be worry : this time they won't even have the help of old games. In 3D. Good luck.

Ryuufox : yes, the idea is to make a real new game (so Squeek's) after AE's remake. Why going through all this if not ?

[Job McYossie]

Aren't they suppose to be security guards ?

I thought the sligs in the scrab and paramite areas were supposed to be catching them to bring to rupture farms.

[Nate]

Seriously? You guys hated New n' Tasty that much? I just saw it as a great game with a few minor shortcomings.

This is OWF. It's impossible for any of us to be happy about anything.

There was a lot that bugged me in a minor way about NnT, but I was prepared to forgive it a lot based on the fact that it was a new game with different intentions. It was only really the controls that I thought were properly an issue.

[Nepsotic]

There was a lot that bugged me in a minor way about NnT, but I was prepared to forgive it a lot based on the fact that it was a new game with different intentions.

What are these so called "different intentions"? As far as I could tell the only goal was to adapt Abe's Oddysee for a newer audience and modern systems.
I didn't see the need to completely flip the tone of the game upside down (I assume that's what you're referring to).

[Varrok]

This is OWF. It's impossible for any of us to be happy about anything.

It most definitely is, it's not our fault the game is like that.

[Xavier]

This is OWF. It's impossible for any of us to be happy about anything.

I know you say this to tease but I liked NnT and what it set out to achieve.

I had a big smile on my face during the whole playtrough.

[Crashpunk]

This is OWF. It's impossible for any of us to be happy about anything.

IT'S THE WRONG GREEN!

Seriously though, I'm with Xavier. NnT was fantastic.

[Phylum]

What are these so called "different intentions"? As far as I could tell the only goal was to adapt Abe's Oddysee for a newer audience and modern systems.
I didn't see the need to completely flip the tone of the game upside down (I assume that's what you're referring to).

It's pretty obvious their goal was more than just adapting it. They reworked elements of it to fit with the actual vision of Oddworld. Look at the RF redesign.

I like the game. I haven't finished it yet, and it's never going to be as captivating as AO because I'm not 5, but it's good. Different, but good.

[Shade667]

Just to throw in my 2 cents, I think NnT is the best oddworld game.



But I also lack the nostalgia from the original.


And I know all the problems with the controls, ive probably played it the most besides qwerku or sam.

[JennyGenesis]

I find the controls must better since the update, The Boardroom was a fucking nightmare before they patched the controls.

[Manco]

I sit somewhere between Nate and Xavier: I think it was a great game that set out to be faithful to but different from the original, and it accomplished that well. I have minor issues with some of the differences but they don’t stop me from enjoying it.

I also think y’all crying about it being awful are a bunch of babies who should probably go sign up to No Mutants Allowed.

[Nepsotic]

I find the controls must better since the update, The Boardroom was a fucking nightmare before they patched the controls.

This is true. The 360 deadzone issue was the reason I couldn't play through it initially, it was that bad. Luckily they patched it quickly.

I also think y’all crying about it being awful are a bunch of babies who should probably go sign up to No Mutants Allowed.

I don't think anybody is saying it's awful.

This is OWF. It's impossible for any of us to be happy about anything.

On the contrary, Oddworld fans are very easy to please, just make a good Oddworld game, that would please us very much.

NnT if of course good, I'm just exaggerating.

[RyuuFox]

Playing NnT felt off for me, it was missing a lot of the charm of AO and was very dense with the special effects, The original was very tame. Gameplay wise NnT defiantly surpasses AO imo, but it defiantly lacks the oddworld atmosphere. Which is something even OWI acknowledges.

So if JAW make the next real new game after AE's remake we can be worry : this time they won't even have the help of old games. In 3D. Good luck.

Ryuufox : yes, the idea is to make a real new game (so Squeek's) after AE's remake. Why going through all this if not ?

Yes that's the idea but its not squeeks oddysee, I'm pretty sure Lanning said he wanted to make Fangus Klot, but it will cost millions to make. Heck, they might even make another poll for their next game after AE so who really knows.

[Nepsotic]

but it defiantly lacks the oddworld atmosphere.

I don't think you can call it the "Oddworld" atmosphere anymore since it hasn't been present in the last 4 games, the majority of the series.

[Crashpunk]

I don't even know what you describe the "Oddworld atmosphere" as. For me it's always been about the characters and the environments. And that really hasn't changed.

It's more daft compared to AO yes, But Oddworld has always been silly yet dark. At least that's what I think.

[JennyGenesis]

I think the best way to sum it up would be that opening shot of Rupturefarms, in AO, it was bleak, very dark, all we had was that lit up sign, but the factory itself was just one colour and very dull, where as in NnT we see lots of colours, I think the scale of the factory looks much bigger which is good as "They say it's the biggest meat processing plant on Oddworld" but I think there are fat too many colours in the shots we see of the factory.

AO did paint Rupturefarms to be a hellhole to work in, just really made it all the more horrific when we find out the Mudokons are set to be the next product. It hammers in that you are playing the guy at the bottom of the chain, and seeing random blood splatters on walls and things only emphasized this. It made you want to help Abe, because of the dark reality he lived in, and only made you feel that bigger sense of achievement when you beat it all.

Whilst Exoddus was more "Colourful". There was still a horrific reality being showed, cmon, Mudokons having their eyelids stitched closed, and being electrocuted to extract tears! All for the Glukkons owns greed.

[RyuuFox]

I don't think you can call it the "Oddworld" atmosphere anymore since it hasn't been present in the last 4 games, the majority of the series.

I don't even know what you describe the "Oddworld atmosphere" as. For me it's always been about the characters and the environments. And that really hasn't changed.

It's more daft compared to AO yes, But Oddworld has always been silly yet dark. At least that's what I think.

I should have said it was lacking AO's atmosphere but still you have to admit, its nothing like the other oddworld games in terms of atmosphere with maybe the exception of MO.

[Crashpunk]

Yeah the dark and serious themes of Oddysee were lacking in NnT. But I feel it's impossible to recreate fully with modern games. The way the game was made back in the day. The FMV videos, level backgrounds and sprites is what gave Oddysee it's atmosphere. Same with AE.

Honestly I'd love to see what a new Oddworld game would look like with everything used from the past. Sprites could work and the detailed level background will only look even better nowadays.

NnT was a good effort. A very good effort. But yeah it was a bit too colourful and bright. In terms of gameplay though. It did the original justice, which I thought was a difficult task to do.
I mean copying the animation of sprites to 3D models must of been challenging.

[Nepsotic]

Yeah the dark and serious themes of Oddysee were lacking in NnT. But I feel it's impossible to recreate fully with modern games.

This is just not true. AO had the atmosphere it did through careful crafting of the environments, the visuals and especially the sound. I'd say sound is one of NnT's weakest areas.
Every step you take there's a 'hilarious' line from one of the slaves or Sligs.
I can at least understand it with the Sligs, it's all the more disturbing seeing the guards that are inflicting such pain are so used to it and don't care at all.
However, when you hear Mudokons talking about how much they want a Paramite Pie, it kind of takes away the effectiveness of the fact that they're scrubbing their friend's remains off the floor as they say it.

There's far too much of this, and that's just one reason why the tone is so much less effective than the original's.

One of the arguments I constantly see CP bringing up is the fact that "AO had it's silly moments too!"
Yes, it did, but it knew how to pace them, where to put them and how to use them. AE in my opinion still kept true to the fundamentals of what makes AO's tone what it is, but was able to pull off using silliness more, because again it used it correctly.

New 'n' Tasty goes with the Munch approach and lets the silliness take it over completely, because it doesn't know how to utilise both effectively.

I mean copying the animation of sprites to 3D models must of been challenging.

I can't imagine why it would be any more challenging than any other 3D character animation.

[Vlam]

So we are talking about a lack of skills. So, even if they had all the money they wanted, it isn't sure that they will know how to use it properly.

Isn't OWI just a empty shell today if basically it's just Lanning and his wife ?

[Connell]

We've all said our piece on N'n'T. If you search each of our names you can find our opinions. The game absolutely polarised the forum/forums (still not sure if that pluralization debate was settled) For me personally, and I'm sure a lot of other members of the forum, New and Tasty will never stack up to the original, no matter how much work JAW put into it.

For me, it's like someone trying to put my childhood memories into HD. It might look nice and shiny, but it will never feel as good as it did in the first place. Abe as a character will always be very very important to me, regardless of what happens to the franchise.

I said some pretty mean things about N'n'T when it came out, 50% because I was disappointed in the game itself, and 50% because the leaderboards were driving me insane with their non-functionality. I'm pretty sure JAWalex, (or whatever username he goes by now) hates me because of how blunt I was with my opinions. I apologised at the time for how pseudo-anonymity makes you feel invincible on the internet, and I appreciate all their efforts to make a good game, but I'm just one of the unreachables, I suppose.

I'm not a member of any other forum on the entire internet besides this one. And I never intend to be a member of another forum. This is the only franchise that means enough to me. I'm a hardcore gamer with a ridiculously large collection, but Oddworld will always be the series that calls me back.

But I digress. JAW tried. It really isn't that great at all. I played through it once, I don't think I ever will again, even though I made the effort to get it onto my PS3.

I have every single downloadable Oddworld title from PSN on my XMB. But I will still to this day get out my disc versions of Oddysee and Exoddus, regardless of what "intentions" JAW or OWI have. And I will still buy their products because OWI shaped my childhood. I went back to being a lurker because I just didn't want to be a sour grape.

This comment is in response to vlam PM'ing me requesting my opinion in this thread.



TL;DR
New 'n' Tasty was below O.K. I said mean things about it. I feel bad. Game will never be as good as Oddysee. Peace and love.

[Phylum]

I mean copying the animation of sprites to 3D models must of been challenging.

The original sprites were renders of 3D models.

[Nepsotic]

Connel, I disagree with you that NnT is below average. As a game, I'd give it a high 7/10, but in comparison to AO it doesn't stack up. It makes many gameplay improvements, but for every good gameplay decision there's a bad tonal decision.
Hopefully when they try remaking AE they'll stick more to the tone of the original, and in terms of gameplay, they should have learned from their mistakes on NnT.

[Job McYossie]

The FMV videos, level backgrounds and sprites is what gave Oddysee it's atmosphere.

I really dislike this argument and I've seen it a lot. While yes, I'm sure the muddy graphics of the low res AO might have accidentally helped it be supa edgy or whatever, it's not the only reason it had the fantastic atmosphere. The AO aesthetic was not made by it's tech limits, it's made by intentional design, and just because it's all on new tech doesn't mean they can't have a dirty atmos. I mean, look at the new fallout game, it's not seem to have lost it's theme or atmosphere.

Connel, I disagree with you that NnT is below average. As a game, I'd give it a high 7/10

It probably is a fine game on it's own, just not my type of game.