Channel Frederator Blog

With all the hype over the new consoles, Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3, a lot of people are talking about how good things are going to be in videogames.

I think things have been great for a long time now, if you know what games to look at.

Take a look at Abe’s Odyssee from 1997 for example. While this game was probably the most impressive thing in game animation at the time, it still holds up today as an entertaining and well animated game.

Created by Lorne Lanning’s Oddworld Inhabitants, this game was the first one to make me think that game animation could be every bit rewarding as feature film animation.

Selected by the fickle finger of fate, Abe, floor-waxer first class for RuptureFarms, was catapulted into a life of adventure when he overheard plans by his boss, Molluck the Glukkonª, to turn Abe and his fellow Mudokons into Tasty Treats as part of a last-ditch effort to rescue Molluck’s failing meat-packing empire.

During his escape from RuptureFarms, Abe received a vision from the mysterious Big Face, showing Abe that he must not only rescue his fellow Mudokons, but also protect all of Oddworld’s creatures from the predatory Magog Cartel.

After completing arduous Temple trials, and journeying across a wasteland with his faithful Elum, Abe was granted the awesome power of the Shrykull. Returning to RuptureFarms, Abe destroyed the foul slaughterhouse, rescued his buddies, and brought down some righteous lightning on top of Molluck’s pointy head.

There’s a great book available from Ballistic Publishing called”The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants: The First Ten Years”. If you are a fan of the games, or just great concept art, I highly reccommend it.

-Floyd Bishop