Combat plays out in first-person perspective, which makes it a snap to aim at and hit enemies. Simply clicking on the right thumbstick switches the game to a third person perspective, which you'll likely use for the majority of the game when not in combat. While in third person, Stranger can move faster or break into a down-on-all-fours gallop and perform two different melee attacks. Combining fists and shots is actually an important factor in the combat -- where several varieties of bullets will damage enemies to the point of killing them, melees are far more effective at delivering a quick knockout.The combat is so fun it's easy to overlook everything else the game does right. The health system is nearly perfect -- you can use Stranger's slowly-regenerating stamina to quickly heal any wounds, eliminating the need for restorative items and keeping the game's pace rolling quickly along. Stranger's Wrath also virtually eliminates backtracking. You'll never find yourself retreading the same ground, and each environment is genuinely distinct. Each of the game's towns serves as a hub, branching out to new areas that each conveniently hold a gnarly bounty head.
In fact, it's almost too convenient, but thankfully the Oddworld series is not one that strives for realism -- or needs to. The end result is simply great game design.
After all that fawning, it's about time to talk about why Stranger's Wrath would make a great Wii game. The main reason is that, for such an award-winning, critically acclaimed game, Stranger's Wrath sold poorly and was overlooked by far too many gamers. As a shooter, it rivals practically everything on the Wii, graphically and gameplay-wise.
It's almost criminal that the game's commercial failure drove Oddworld Inhabitants away from the gaming scene and future projects like the proposed Brutal Ballad of Fangus Klot. Stranger's Wrath was published by EA, who were often criticized in the past for milking franchises and buying out everything in their path. Still, more recently the megapublisher has been lauded for commissioning and publishing solid, original titles (an unfortunately costly move in slow economic times). But perhaps their new business model would give Stranger's Wrath another chance at life.
The Wii Remote and nunchuk offer the perfect balance for Stranger's first- and third-person combat. On the Xbox, the joysticks control motion and looking, while each trigger melees or fires a crossbow barrel. The A button jumps, B reloads, Y heals, and X interacts with objects. The moves list is rounded off by clicking the right thumbstick to change perspectives, swapping out ammo types with the D-pad, and pressing the Black button to zoom.
The controls for Stranger's Wrath on the Wii would be like a combination of Republic Commando and Metal Arms. Each trigger would fire a crossbow barrel, and the nunchuk would primarily take control during third-person gameplay, while the Wii Remote would be used for aiming in first-person.
Perhaps it's not quite old enough yet for people to look back on Stranger's Wrath and appreciate how truly novel an action experience it was. Oddworld Inhabitants got so much right with their creation that it stands with the best even at the tail end of 2008. The only real improvement the lengthy campaign could use is a New Game+ feature. Even a few additions like new costumes, a harder difficulty setting, or the ability to carry over upgraded weapons would make the game even more fun to play through a second time. It's almost criminal that Stranger's Wrath is relegated to be a lost Xbox title, unsupported by the 360's backwards compatibility. It deserves a fighting chance.
