Oddworld games coming to PSN, former console-exclusive entries coming to PC

by Ben Gilbert { Oct 9th 2009 at 1:10PM }

It's been a full four years since we last controlled any of Oddworld's strange inhabitants, with the most recent entry in the series dropping on Xbox. We'll get another chance soon, however, as an interview with Bitmob earlier this week with series creator Lorne Lanning announced the inking of a deal with Sony to release "the original Abe games" on PSN "very soon" -- something an ESRB rating at least partially hinted at early last month.

Furthermore, the entire series is getting packaged for digital re-release as The Oddbox (including Munch's Oddysee and Stranger's Wrath, previously console-exclusive games), available digitally "sometime this Winter." When pressed on a new game in the series though, Lanning kept mum, saying "We hope to have an announcement soon, but I've been saying that for a while now so I'll just shut up and hope for the best." Looks like we'll be mirroring Lanning's actions for now, unfortunately.

[Via Big Download]

Tags: bitmob, digital-distribution, lorne-lanning, munchs-oddysee, oddworld, pc, psn, strangers-wrath, the-oddbox

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Alton Brown [ XBL: LordToastington] @ Oct 9th 2009 1:14PM

Stranger's Wrath is a masterpiece.

LordChimp @ Oct 9th 2009 1:24PM

I loved every part of the game except the final moments. Not to
spoil anything but I thought it took away from the entire package.
Up until that point, the game was a masterpiece

cuteSAVAGE @ Oct 9th 2009 1:28PM

The plot twist provided some of the most epic moments in any action game. Even though they were of a completely different flavor from the first half of the game, they were designed perfectly. I loved Stranger's Wrath so much!

Reuben @ Oct 9th 2009 1:29PM

I enjoyed Stranger's Wrath very much, but I didn't feel that it compared well to the other games in the series. It was a great adventure, but I always felt like something was missing.

freaparn @ Oct 9th 2009 2:22PM

I'm on the same page as the Chimp when it comes to Stranger's Wrath. Great game, great plot, but that final fight... meh. Although for a "low point" in the series, Munch's Oddysee was likely as close as you could come to a disappointing Oddworld title. Felt like there were some interfering fingers in that particular pie, muddying up the vision.

Courtney @ Oct 9th 2009 2:35PM

I'm with Alton, it was a masterpiece from start to finish. It's one of the few Xbox games I've held onto.

hesit8 @ Oct 10th 2009 12:17PM

Oh hell yes, I've been wanting to play Stranger's Wrath forever, but I never owned the original xbox. Good thing I'm a multi-console owner now!

Drew -- PS360: uphillbothways @ Oct 9th 2009 1:15PM

Sweet! I never got a chance to play these.

taurus82 (HD ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, Please) @ Oct 9th 2009 4:20PM

So, are all the Oddworld games coming PS3 or just the first two.

Heavytoka @ Oct 9th 2009 1:16PM

Great News!

dabamf @ Oct 9th 2009 1:33PM

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dabamf @ Oct 9th 2009 7:32PM

Okay.

Captain Planet [Planeteer | Power of Captain Planet] @ Oct 9th 2009 1:19PM

Stranger's Wrath is one my favorite games of all time. This news is fantastical!

Reuben @ Oct 9th 2009 1:23PM

This is fantastic news! The Oddworld series is a personal favorite of mine. I hope that he meant all of the games packaged on the PSN. I might as well wait for it if that's the case.

I've always had a great amount of respect for Lanning, and Oddworld Inhabitants.

Reuben @ Oct 9th 2009 1:28PM

I take that back, seeing as I've just re-read the article :-). I'll be buying the first two on the PSN, and then booting my Mac into Windows to play the two later ones.

Maulok @ Oct 9th 2009 1:25PM

So excited for this, I never got to play Munch's Oddysee or Stranger's Wrath. The Abe games were awesome, and I can't wait to get my grubby hands on them again (lost my copies along with most of my PS1 games years ago during a move)

Ranus Studios @ Oct 9th 2009 1:30PM

I will gladly throw down full price to play Stranger's Wrath again. My Xbox is waaaay in another state.

Maverick Saturn (Igor) @ Oct 9th 2009 1:36PM

Long live oddworld :D Pixar haven't picked this up?

Demerge @ Oct 9th 2009 1:40PM

so... no change of munch's oddessy and strangers wrath comming to the 360's games on demand section then?

WPstart @ Oct 9th 2009 3:29PM

Microsoft have openly stated that they have no intention of releasing anymore Xbox Classics sadly ending with both Max Paynes. What's there already is all there'll ever be. :S

Ian @ Oct 10th 2009 8:14AM

I wish Munch worked on the 360 as advertised. The sound is all kinds of broken...so broken that Microsoft removed the forum on Xbox.com. That's pretty classy Microsoft. (Can't even get 1st/2nd party games working properly oh largest software company in the world? Pathetic!)

I'm down for The Oddbox on Steam. (will even gift the Abe games if I can as I bought them way back when for $4)

The Pirate @ Oct 9th 2009 1:44PM

....i believe the only thing to say here is.....FUCK YES! FUCK YES! FUCK YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!

Kombat @ Oct 10th 2009 2:07AM

Consider me the Oddball around here.. cuz for some reason or another.. iv NEVER played any of these games. I used to read bout them in EGM and other mags n such.. but i just never got around to touching any of these games. So to hear this is great news.. im definitely still interested in playing all of them. And maybe this time around it'll include trophys.. cant hurt right?

Haon @ Oct 9th 2009 1:59PM

Nice. I picked up the Oddworld Abes games on a steam sale a little while ago and cant wait for Strangers Wrath.

liquid @ Oct 9th 2009 2:16PM

Amazing news, I remember playing Abbe's Exodus years ago on my PC... it was a 15 hour playing session. Good times.

Snowblind @ Oct 9th 2009 2:21PM

I thought they were going up on the UK PSN last night, but they never appeared.

fbfiveohv3 @ Oct 9th 2009 2:24PM

Stranger's Wrath melted my brain. Such a quality game. I'm going to play it again ASAP.

Courtney @ Oct 9th 2009 2:34PM

This is the best gaming news I'm going to read today, maybe this week. The Oddworld series needs to stick around, and hopefully re-introducing all these on new platforms will give the boost needed to get the next project announced.

bry2an @ Oct 9th 2009 2:55PM

Do want Strangers Wrath on PSN. Man that game was very good just did not get the support it needed by EA.

marzz @ Oct 9th 2009 3:17PM

This is great news. I can't wait for this to happen- It'll be a day one purchase.

Question is- For the PC Version of Stranger, will they uncompress the sound? Cause... it was criminal how poor the voices and music were in the xbox version.

Covertaction @ Oct 9th 2009 3:40PM

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Satt @ Oct 9th 2009 3:47PM

I have been waiting for this since they came out on original xbox. This is amazing.

ryan_gliebe @ Oct 9th 2009 3:49PM

Sweeet. Stranger's Wrath always interested me, but there was never enough for me to warrant a purchase of an XBOX and I'm not a gamblin' man, so getting a 360 isn't a gamble I'd like to take.

I'll definitely be picking up these games, though, as I've never experienced the series, even when I had a PSone or PS2.

amnesiasoft @ Oct 11th 2009 12:25AM

An Xbox 360 wouldn't play Stranger's Wrath anyway. It's not on the backwards compatibility list.

{@} @ Oct 9th 2009 8:28PM

I've always wanted to play Stranger's Wrath. Really wish the PS2 version wasn't canceled.

Oh, and by the way, in case you didn't know, the Xbox version is incompatible with the Xbox 360. I didn't know this until after I picked up a used copy to play on my 360.

Finally, now you don't have to have an Xbox to play it.

ProgHead @ Oct 10th 2009 1:27AM

Actually {@} it wasnt only Stranger's Wrath that got cancelled on the ps2, Munch's oddysee was originally meant as a ps2 only game, then suddenly out of nowhere shifted to xbox. That must've cost him a lot of money, since the original fans of the franchise were all either on PC or in the ps2 bandwagon. Hell, the only friends I had that got the xbox never knew of the awesomeness of the original games, and they loved the next two iterations. Pitty Lorne sacrificed artistical vision, through fanbase. But hell, the games turned out bloody awesome as well, didnt they? And at the end of the day, isnt that the most important thing?

Mr.ESC @ Oct 9th 2009 4:26PM

Lurkero @ Oct 9th 2009 4:49PM

Question: Whatever happened to those supposed movies that the studio was shifting development toward?

Worsel @ Oct 9th 2009 5:03PM

Hell, I just want to be able to play this game on my 360 PERIOD. Im sitting here looking at my copy of the game right now... guess im gonna have to break down and buy it on my PS3.

Hiroken @ Oct 9th 2009 5:14PM

I absolutely LOVED the first two Oddworld games--I rescued every damn one of those little fellas.

The article is a little unclear--are all four Oddworld games coming to PSN, or only the first two, with the whole set coming to PC?

...maybe it is clear, and I just really, really want the whole set on PSN since I never got to play Munch's Oddysey or Stranger's Wrath

waynski1457 @ Oct 9th 2009 6:17PM

As far as the PSN versions go, I believe the mention of the "original Abe games" only applies to the PS1 games.

The Abe games are already available for PC and the Xbox exclusives are now coming out for it. I remember Lanning mentioning that if the Steam release of the Abe games did well enough, he'd release the other two for PC. So, I guess they did.

RKN @ Oct 9th 2009 5:21PM

Whoohoo PC release! Now if other developers could follow in their lead and release console-exclusive sequels to the PC. Fable 2, Gears of War 2, Microsoft..............

j.howlett @ Oct 9th 2009 5:52PM

i just had to chuckle at oddbox

Lucas @ Oct 9th 2009 8:25PM

This is great news!

I really enjoyed the first two games on PC. But never got an Original Xbox so I've yet to play Munch's and Stranger's games.

One thing I did try was playing Munch's on my Xbox 360 using Backward Compatibility.... So disappointing. While Microsoft says its backward compatible, the sound cuts out after the first level, making the game unplayable, to me at least.

ProgHead @ Oct 10th 2009 1:19AM

Fuck Yeah! Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exodus were some of my favorite games of all time period! I remember, I still hadn't a ps2, and they were already talking about Munch's Oddysee i development for ps2, way before, it ended up on the xbox. I remember being so let down and betrayed, since the original games were on the original playstation (and PC too) and then, for some strange reason (Lorne sayed it was because the xbox gave him the processing power or whatever to make the game he envisioned, and I never blamed him for that move) but somehow I knew the games he would develop on the xbox would be bloody great, but it would bomb saleswise as well. I bet that nowadays, he wouldnt have minded making them multiplatform as it would really have helped him staying in business.

However, I believe that this might mean that he will make that 4th Oddworld game (it was supposed to be a quintology, and ABe's Exodus wasnt considered a game of the quintology) and that it either will be ps3 only, or it will be multiplatform. For the sake of comercial sucess, I hpe its multiplatform. Then everyone will experience the underrated mind of Lorne Lanning!!!

ProgHead @ Oct 10th 2009 1:23AM

Actually, the fact that he's releasing the original ps1 games on psn, dont mean he might only do a next project only on the ps3, scratch that; if he makes the next game, it'll be multiplatform no doubt. More money, more possibility of awesome games! :p