Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee

"1 Abe + 1 Munch + Lots of Odd = 1 Hilarious Game"

Introduction:
I supposed I'm biased because I love the Oddworld series, but seriously, how can't you!? I'm gonna try to hold in my enthusiasm and tell you the bad with the good (although I can't think of much bad). This game is incredibly funny and, for the most part, is fun to play through from start to finish. None of the characters are forgettable, from Abe the Mudokon down to the little Meeps.

Gameplay: (9/10)
This game is always fun to play. Although the game is easy enough to learn, it takes a little bit of thinking and planning if you want to perfect the game. Nevertheless, all ages should find this humorous with flatulent gases, the loveable fuzzles, and of course the Almighty Raisen. If you think these things sound weird, remember the game is called ODDworld. The only downfall in the gameplay is it gets slightly repetitive towards the end. It isn't enough that you wish to stop but enough that you notice it isn't as much fun as earlier in the game. Also, as stated above, there isn't much of a learning curve. You learn the basics and use them to navigate through lots of puzzles, which usually have more than 1 solution to them. Overall, you'll thoroughly enjoy this game unless you have no imagination... correction, unless you are imagination-challenged (gotta be politically correct).

Story: (10/10)
This is where the game really shines. The story takes place on Oddworld, a gigantic planet that is crawling with greed and exploitation of nature. A species called ''glukkons'' rule the civilized (if you can call it that) world and all industrial/commercial aspects. These glukkons are pure evil, constantly searching for a quicker, yet always more damaging, way to make a buck... reminds you of somewhere else? Abe and Munch are ''terrorists'' to this world and lead a revolution to free the mudokons (Abe's race) from slavery and repopulate the world with gabbits (Munch's race almost driven to extinction). The plot lends itself to lots of comedic moments with these 2 freedom fighters getting back at the evil Vykkers Labs for it's wrongful testing on the defenseless fuzzles. You'll soon be enveloped in this new world and find a new sense of ''odd.''

Audio/Video: (9/10)
The mood is set perfectly with the breath-taking graphics that deliver Oddworld unlike any of the previous games in the series. Everything from the natural world that is being drained slowly to the offices of the glukkons with an ''Abe Sucks'' poster on the wall further enriches the game. The FMVs are done perfectly with a mix of laughter even in the most serious of moments (which are few and far between). The voice acting is top notch as in the previous games with Lorne Lanning, CEO of the Oddworld Inhabitants, playing the voice of Abe as well as many other characters in the game. The only part that gets somewhat annoying in the audio is the music, especially when you start shooting Slig guards and it gets all hyped up. It's great when it first starts, but after awhile it gets old, especially when sometimes it refuses to stop playing even after you've killed all of the enemies in the area... that's gets really annoying. Oh well, can't be perfect.

Replayability: (7/10)
The game has 2 different endings with a mixture of in-game differences on newspaper articles you read throughout depending on what you do in the game. If you didn't get the really good ''angelic'' ending the first time, you'll most likely play through again to get it, or play through to get the bad ending just to see what it is. After the second time through, it's debatable whether the differences are worth playing again. Bottom line, you'll play through this at least twice to get both ending movies.

Buy or Rent:
Buy! Go out now and buy it! Really... stop reading! This game is far too much fun and I am willing to bet you'll buy the other 2 games in the series afterwards, they are great too! If not, then you can send me hate mail about how I made you waste $20 (most likely less)... Ok stop reading and go buy it... now!

Final Thoughts:
You shouldn't be reading this, you should be out to your local store to buy the game, but if you are, I guess I'll sum everything up. This game is a great experience that is just plain fun. There is no intense system that requires a massive amount of time to beat like {insert any recent RPG here} or plot that involves you to keep track of all events and characters in fear of becoming lost. It's purely for entertainment and provides enough challenge to not frustrate you. If you aren't convinced to at least give it a try then I don't think you ever will be.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/18/02, Updated 09/19/02