Congratulations, soldier: you survived another week. It's Friday afternoon, and instead of going out partying with your friends, you're anxious to get home, sit down at your computer, and play some new games. Sounds fun! Too bad you're broke. Lucky for you, PC gaming has an impressive library of classic games that are available online for cheap. Hang out with us every Friday so we can take you on a guided tour of some of the greatest bargains available throughout the many tubes of the Internet.
Welcome Big Download's Virtual Bargain Bin, the cure for your weekend gaming woes. This week's classics: Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exoddus.
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee* and Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus*
Availability: Good Old Games or Steam
Price: $9.99 each
How many of you have dreamed of standing up to your boss and telling him exactly where he can stick his 15-minute lunch breaks and unpaid overtime? Abe, the protagonist of Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, didn't have much of a choice to stand up and do just that -- it was rebel, or become part of a new snack manufactured by RuptureFarms, the largest meat-packing plant on the planet of Oddworld. This choice ended up being a wise one for players, who were able to guide Abe through a perilous yet pleasant journey through a colorful world of corrupt villains and moral decisions.
A deviation from the typical action-oriented fare of the time, the 1997 release of 2D platformer Abe's Oddysee on PlayStation and PC came as a surprise to an industry smitten with new-fangled 3D gaming. Rather than make use of the low-resolution 3D technology of the time, developer Oddworld Inhabitants made the decision to manifest their vision as a smoothly animated platformer inspired by the likes of Out of This World and Jordan Mechner's Prince of Persia. Fluid animation meshed perfectly with a moving score and thoughtful interactions with the Modokons, beings enslaved by the corporate Glukkons, the oppressive creatures who operate RuptureFarms.
After receiving critical and commercial success, a sequel to Abe's Oddysee was a gaurantee. Oddworld Inhabitants had always planned a follow-up, but 1998's Abe's Exoddus wasn't originally what the developer had in mind. Pressure from publisher GT Interactive led Oddworld Inhabitants to put the intended follow-up, Munch's Oddysee, on hold until 2001, when it debuted on Microsoft's Xbox console. With only nine months to develop a sequel, the developer decided to reuse Oddysee's technology, a decision that was well-received by both fans and press who hadn't yet grown tired of Abe's 2D adventures.
Exoddus once again pitted Abe against a scheme hatched by the Glukkons to convert Abe's race of Mudokons into edible items. Abe drew on abilities from his first outing such as transforming into the powerful Shrykull, a being capable of eradicating all enemies on the screen. Abe also holds the ability to possess his foes and compel them to do his will, which is his primary means of solving many puzzles.
Both Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exoddus provide satisfying 2D experiences in an age where 3D gaming rules the industry. For those looking for cheap and excellent entertainment, look no further than planet Oddworld.
* For more information on both Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exoddus, please refer to these GOG.com-hosted retrospectives written by Big Download's own David Craddock.
Availability: Good Old Games or Steam
Price: $9.99 each
A deviation from the typical action-oriented fare of the time, the 1997 release of 2D platformer Abe's Oddysee on PlayStation and PC came as a surprise to an industry smitten with new-fangled 3D gaming. Rather than make use of the low-resolution 3D technology of the time, developer Oddworld Inhabitants made the decision to manifest their vision as a smoothly animated platformer inspired by the likes of Out of This World and Jordan Mechner's Prince of Persia. Fluid animation meshed perfectly with a moving score and thoughtful interactions with the Modokons, beings enslaved by the corporate Glukkons, the oppressive creatures who operate RuptureFarms.
After receiving critical and commercial success, a sequel to Abe's Oddysee was a gaurantee. Oddworld Inhabitants had always planned a follow-up, but 1998's Abe's Exoddus wasn't originally what the developer had in mind. Pressure from publisher GT Interactive led Oddworld Inhabitants to put the intended follow-up, Munch's Oddysee, on hold until 2001, when it debuted on Microsoft's Xbox console. With only nine months to develop a sequel, the developer decided to reuse Oddysee's technology, a decision that was well-received by both fans and press who hadn't yet grown tired of Abe's 2D adventures.
Exoddus once again pitted Abe against a scheme hatched by the Glukkons to convert Abe's race of Mudokons into edible items. Abe drew on abilities from his first outing such as transforming into the powerful Shrykull, a being capable of eradicating all enemies on the screen. Abe also holds the ability to possess his foes and compel them to do his will, which is his primary means of solving many puzzles.
Both Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exoddus provide satisfying 2D experiences in an age where 3D gaming rules the industry. For those looking for cheap and excellent entertainment, look no further than planet Oddworld.
* For more information on both Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exoddus, please refer to these GOG.com-hosted retrospectives written by Big Download's own David Craddock.
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I loved Abe's Exoddus. Abe's Oddysee, not so much. I thought the puzzles and level design were much better in AE than AO.Posted at 3:01PM on Jan 2nd 2009 by Covarr