Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath

The Good
A hell of a lot. Stranger's Wrath contains some of the best graphics seen this generation, coupled together with Oddworld Inhabitants' signature polish - great music, great acting, great script.

Despite this though, the game didn't hit me with greatness at the start, but rather built it up to an incredible crescendo. For once a game that builds on its opening and never stops getting better.

A compelling storyline is slowly drawn out of the game, masterfully increasing its scope as it goes along. To explain further would be to spoil its impact, so any readers are going to have to just trust me that things really change as the game goes on.

The gameplay itself is more than worthy - it's hard to believe that Oddworld Inhabitants had never before created an FPS (or, to be more precise, an FPS/Third Person Action Adventure hybrid), as they have created one of the finer titles within the genre. Utilising a relatively small but varied array of weapons, the game leaves the approach to fights up to the gamer - it's perfectly possible to hang back and lure out your enemies, knocking them out one by one, but it's equally possible to charge into their camp, blowing up everything in sight with your heavy weapons. Indeed, even charging into melee and using your fists and head to deal with your enemy is a perfectly viable tactic.

This is combined with something that any previous Oddworld gamers will expect - a good sense of humour. The enemies are an entertaining bunch, notable for their hilarious conversations, exclamations and retorts. The same goes for the neutral characters of the game, all of whom react with your character - Stranger - in a satisfying way.

The Bad
To be quite honest, nothing.

The only criticisms that I could see being leveled at the game are the following:

It has a slow start, taking a few hours of gameplay before things really start to kick off. I do get the feeling however that this was entirely necessary, as the player really needs time to get the hang of the controls, and a feel for Stranger and the universe he inhabits.

The enemy AI is fairly simple - though capable of being tricked, lured and surprised, the enemies never seem particularly intelligent - which makes perfect sense, as they aren't meant to be.

And that's it. I can think of no other flaws, and the two I mentioned barely bothered me - not at all, in the case of the second.

The Bottom Line
A gem of a game, Stranger's world needs to be visited. The most similar title I can think of - in terms of the way it made me feel - would have to be Beyond Good & Evil, another criminally underlooked game. Even though the basic mechanics seem completely dissimilar (BG&E's journalism and puzzling as opposed to Stranger's bounty hunting and action), the way both draw the gamer into a vibrant world - and more importantly their characters - is what makes both of them essential titles.