"Not even Abe's mind control can make you like this game"

You can not say enough good things about the Oddworld series. When you look back at the humble beginnings of Abe, you can see that this game would not achieve star status. A cult favorite is what Oddworld is. Surprisingly fun gameplay and puzzles on the Playstation and PC, and of course the jump to 3-d on the Xbox with Munch's Oddysee. This is the bite sized version of the Xbox cult hit, but does it give justice to the original? The answer is simple. No.

GAMEPLAY
Oddworld has not really been known for the innovative controls but this is taking it too far. Everything is very buggy, not to mention confusing. Most of the commands such as ''Follow me'', or ''Stay here'' require the use of holding down the L Trigger and pressing another button. This can lead to some very bad situations where you need to think quickly, but cannot remember which combo sends your troops into battle.

The controls are also very specific. To pick up a fellow Mudokons, you have to be a certain distance away from him or her. Jumping around is also a battle with futility. There seems to be no real physics in this game, so you just fall straight down, and there's no ''Ooh!! I'm about to fall!!'' warning to tell you when to jump.

What Oddworld is known for, however, are the puzzles that are skillfully crafted. While the puzzles in this game are not terrible bad, they are not up to the standards of its predecessors. More then once I was stumped, but that is due to my intelligence rather then the developers. The puzzles do offer some light at the end of the tunnel. You must work together with Abe and Munch to succeed. This does make for some interesting puzzles, but overall, very lackluster.

GRAPHICS
Gameboy Advance is the kind of isometric perspective with games like Tony Hawk or Jet Grind Radio. There are also some games that are known for their top-down perspective, such as all the ports that the Gameboy Advance has gotten from the Super Nintendo. This view, in my opinion, is old and stale. While it does work for games like Link to the Past or Chrono Trigger, it does not work for Munch's Oddysee. I do not know if it is because of how the game is setup or if Chrono Trigger is just a vastly superior graphics, but I do not feel Munch was meant to be seen from the top-down.

There is some more bad news, folks. The environments in Munch's Oddysee are terrible. From the ugly, generic outdoor, to the ugly, generic indoor, this game falls flat on its face. That's not all, either. The animation is also terrible.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say this game is about as graphically intense as a snail walking around. Everything is very bland and uninspired. There's no real style, not to mention everything looks like a five year old drew it.

SOUND
Another disappointing aspect of this game, sound like this is games makes me cry myself to sleep. The worst part about it is that it skips! Yes, that's right, it skips. When you switch screens, or when you pick up Mudokons, the sound pauses and then restarts. Terrible, simply terrible. The music and sound effects are also so bad that I cannot continue anymore about the music, for I fear that more crying might ensue.

STORY
The story mirrors that of the Xbox original. Munch learns the truth about his capture and his species almost being destroyed because their lungs can be used as replacements for the Glukkons. Munch is outfitted with an electronic device that helps the Glukkons find more of the Gabbits (which is what Munch is). With the help of some furry little fellows, that have a bite bigger then their bark, Munch escapes the factory where he was being held. Your mission is to get the very last can of Gabbiar, Gabbit eggs, and return the Gabbits to their former glory of swimming under the sea.

This is the only good part about the entire game. I thought the story was very unique and well put together.

LASTING APPEAL
Besides getting different endings for the amounts of quarma you achieve, I do not see any other reason to why you should even start this game up a second time.

WRAP UP
I think my review speaks for itself. Not only is this game not worth buying, it's not worth borrowing from a friend, or even stealing from a store. Heck! It's not even worth downloading the ROM. This game is a disgrace and a slap in the face of every Oddworld fan out there that has been waiting the day when they could bring the Oddworld world on road trips. Shame on you Oddworld Inhabitants for letting such a bad developer port this game over, and shame on you THQ for releasing this game to the public. Shame on you all.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 10/17/03