By Jim Rossignol on October 9th, 2009 at 8:00 am.
Thanks to everyone who sent in the link to this interview, in which Oddworld creator Lorne Lanning revealed: “all four of the major Oddworld games will be re-releasing this winter in a package called “The Oddbox.” This will be the Abe games, Munch, and Stranger as one package for Steam’s digital distribution network, as well as a few other digital distribution outlets.” That means we’ll get to see Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee and Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath on PC. No work on pricing yet, nor an exact release date, but it’s schedule for this winter.
09/10/2009 at 08:06 Glove says:
I just performed a fist pump so hard I learned doctorate-level biochemistry.
09/10/2009 at 08:12 TotalBiscuit says:
This is fantastic news. Strangers Wrath was great on the Xbox.
09/10/2009 at 08:22 poop says:
I have wanted to play strangers wrath for like 5 years yesssssssssssss
09/10/2009 at 08:23 SanguineAngel says:
This is pretty awsome news.
And Glove, that was pretty funny! 8/10 I rarely laugh out loud reading forums! bravo
09/10/2009 at 08:24 Lars Westergren says:
Sweet. Seems digital distribution has really rekindled industry interest in the PC. Played through quite a big portion of the first game many years ago until I reached a frustratingly difficult section and gave up. I’ll probably buy them again now and try again.
09/10/2009 at 08:34 Greg Wild says:
Holy shit! Fucking AWESOME news.
I was already just about to write an article on the series in fact, weird coincidence. :D
09/10/2009 at 08:44 Psychopomp says:
FUCK
YES
09/10/2009 at 08:45 12kill4 says:
just after I buy the Odyssey and Exodus…
09/10/2009 at 08:48 Hyetal says:
While that is fantastic news, it makes my purchase of the Abe games two days ago sorta god damn stupid in hindsight. Will this seriously only be available in a buy-all-package?
09/10/2009 at 08:48 Heliocentric says:
Yay for munch, don’t know how i feel about stranger yet. I will be buying them both however.
I guess this will help them judge whether there future titles should be pc. I rebought the abe games on steam and remembered why i spent so much time on them in the past and why they made me so angry, just a thought.
09/10/2009 at 08:49 Stupoider says:
Munch’s Oddysee! =D Wow, I haven’t seen that game is YEARS! Probably one of the first games I got for my Xbox. I’ve been thinking about the re-release of the Xbox-exclusive Oddworld games, now that it’s happening I’m pretty giddy! :D
09/10/2009 at 08:49 Hmm-Hmm. says:
Never heard about these before. From a cursory glance they appear to be adventure games? Or maybe consoley arcade-type games? The creators seem to be have the right idea, regardless.
09/10/2009 at 08:50 Heliocentric says:
Steam near always allows seperate purchases, probably will be cheaper to buy the pack than all the games seperately.
09/10/2009 at 08:53 Heliocentric says:
With the exception of stranger they are all puzzle platformer games, think another world, flashback or the non 3D prince of persia.
09/10/2009 at 08:55 Heliocentric says:
Stranger was a 3rd person action adventure/shooter, but still very much in the same world and logic.
09/10/2009 at 08:56 tKe says:
I'm with them too … Bought the Odyssey and Exodus pack not so long ago (already have them somewhere in a box – but wanted them on steam). Hopefully if I get the bundle I can gift the first two to someone in need.
09/10/2009 at 09:19 Fat says:
That’s crap, i just bought the first two games on Steam last weekend too. Only £3-something, but still… odd timing.
That said, the game doesn’t pick up my 360 contol pad and it’s a nightmare to play on the keyboard i find, so i kind of regret it anyway.
09/10/2009 at 09:23 Bhazor says:
Really?
I got the first two off GoG and they work great with PC controls. At least when you consider that the controls in the Oddworld games have always been pretty sluggish even on the original playstation.
09/10/2009 at 09:22 The Dark One says:
I picked up the first two when they went on sale for $4 on Steam, but I never got past the first level. I’m OCD enough to want to save everyone not not nearly good enough to actually manage it.
09/10/2009 at 09:35 Pemptus says:
The two Abe games are among my favorite games ever. Pure brilliance for perfectionists who want to rescue every. Single. Muddokon. In the. Game. And it’s great as a puzzle-platformer, too!
Two “new” Oddworld games! Gimme!
09/10/2009 at 09:55 gulag says:
For those of you who bought the two Abe games and find themselves rueing the thought of having to buy them again as part of a bundle, take note that you can gift parts of a bundle purchase to others, so spread the word. Oddworld for all!
09/10/2009 at 16:09 Blather Bob says:
No. You can gift duplicate copies of preorder bonuses, usually. But the only “bundle” you can gift duplicates from is The Orange Box and Left 4 Dead four-packs. Everything else you just have to pay for twice for your one copy. It’s one of the more annoying things about Steam, my disappeared duplicates are from the indie bundle that I already owned 4 of the games from.
09/10/2009 at 10:05 Kast says:
Munch and Stranger… I can possess you at last! Oh, happy day! Oh, joyous day! FINALLY the injustice that was done in keeping them Xbox exclusives has been undone. All is forgiven, Oddworld. Now, if we could perhaps have the next part of the promised Quintology? :)
09/10/2009 at 10:10 pkt-zer0 says:
This is really weird. Odd, even. Why would you release these games on PC now if you didn’t see fit to do so back when they came out? What has changed since?
09/10/2009 at 10:14 Tom says:
Oh man, that is awesome. Loved Abe’s Odysee.
09/10/2009 at 10:17 Jim Rossignol says:
pkt-zero: They were heavily tagged as “Xbox Only!” at the time, so i guess the agreement ran out on that. Not a hard conversion to do, so they might as well cash in.
09/10/2009 at 10:17 Captain Bland says:
Hurray! I really wish I hadn’t read the spoilers in that Stranger’s Wrath retrospective now,
09/10/2009 at 10:21 Radiant says:
I can not recommend Strangers Wrath highly enough.
Brilliant fun.
Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeff!
09/10/2009 at 10:33 GLOWi says:
Oh great.
I have bought the Oddworld combo on Steam and an xbox on Ebay recently only to play Much and Stranger games.
09/10/2009 at 10:35 Sunjammer says:
Strangers Wrath not being backwards compatible on the 360 is a huge shame, so these are excellent news! Will be picking it up for sure, i really miss it
09/10/2009 at 10:43 Vandelay says:
Incredible news! Abe-solutely loved the original games when I played them way back as a kid. I assumed that I would never get to play the XBox exclusive games, I now I finally will be able to. I’m glad I resisted the nostalgia and didn’t re-buy the originals this past weekend, even though I already own physical copies(and the fact that I’m only a week away from handing in a dissertation kind of helped there too).
For those that have bought them on the weekend deal, Steam will usually let you buy items separate from the package, as someone previously mentioned. I doubt you will be able to gift the originals though. If I recall correctly, that has only ever been on Valve games.
09/10/2009 at 10:50 Qeyleb says:
Being able to gift duplicates is not a given on Steam. According to their FAQ it is decided by the publisher. 2K Games had a great pack that I already owned half of, but I couldn’t give away the redundant copies.
Let’s hope Lanning does allow it.
09/10/2009 at 10:56 Psychopomp says:
The only thing wrong with Stranger – In the last few hours, in completely loses the western feel, and RPG aspects. *Completely*
09/10/2009 at 11:15 Psychopomp says:
Also, I can’t wait for the inevitable comment complaining that Stranger was dumbed down console crap.
09/10/2009 at 11:13 Choca says:
Nice
09/10/2009 at 11:57 TauQuebb says:
*happy dance!*
09/10/2009 at 12:22 Dot says:
Well, maybe it was dumbed down, but I’ll play it regardless, I’ve never had an XBox(not much of a console guy :P) but I’m in love with Oddworld’s aesthetics.
09/10/2009 at 12:37 Miles of the Machination says:
Some how I managed to miss all of these games back in the day because our technology seemed to strategically destroy itself in accordance with their releases, anyhow, I'll most probably grab this, I've had a lot of fun whenever I've played it in the past.
09/10/2009 at 12:53 NATO says:
This great news! Hopefully this re-release will help Oddworld Inhabitants get the cash it needs to in order to release some new stuff.
09/10/2009 at 13:00 Malibu Stacey says:
But will they ever get to make the 5th game to complete the story/collection?
Will be buying. Loved Oddysee & Exodus on the PSX & the chance to play through all 4 from start to finish = win++
09/10/2009 at 13:16 jameskond says:
Yes yes yes I wanna play those games I never could on PC ;D
09/10/2009 at 13:49 PHeMoX says:
Are Much’s Odyssey and Stranger’s Wrath confirmed for PC Steam release already??
09/10/2009 at 13:53 Cooper says:
I’ve been loving the first two Abe games I got via Steam.
Thing is, with old console ports like this, you’d think they’d adress the resolution. Games designed for CRT tvs invariably look awful on higher resolution PC screens. Maybe I’m a bit naive about what companies keep, but surely they’ve got the backgrund art in a higher resolution available somewhere?
09/10/2009 at 14:21 mattwombat says:
I must have bought Abe’s Oddysee way back in the late 90′s and I still have the CD in its original jewel case. When I played it back then I could never get out of the Rupture Farms levels, so when they came out on Steam last year I thought I’d give it another go. But I got stuck on one of the final puzzles and stopped playing.
I might get back to it now and try to complete it.
09/10/2009 at 16:02 HolyShitMatt says:
Hip Hip, Hooray!!!
09/10/2009 at 16:03 Buemba says:
That’s good news. If they announce support for widescreen resolutions it will be even better.
09/10/2009 at 16:44 Persus-9 says:
God damn it! 12 years! 12 god damn years I put off buying the first game thinking I’d eventually pick them all up in a bundle. Last week I finally give in and bought the first two in the latest Steam sale and now they annouce the last two are finally coming to PC in a god damn bundle with the first two I just bought.
09/10/2009 at 17:08 Ozzie says:
Oh man, I loved the first two, even if I never made it far, and I was very diappointed that the successors didn’t make their way to the PC. :(
So, I’m very happy to hear that they will finally be released on my favorite platform! :D
Just hope that the price won’t be too high…
09/10/2009 at 17:26 ChampionHyena says:
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
I think I chipped a tooth.
09/10/2009 at 17:40 Cedge says:
Amazing. I remember about a year ago, when Lanning first mentioned that they hoped to port Munch and Stranger to PC, if sales of the Abe games that at the time had just been re-released on Steam justified the investment. It was a nice idea, but I had sort of written it off as a pipe dream that would never actually happen.
I already have Munch and Stranger on the Xbox, but will absolutely be getting these, for high-res goodness. I don’t expect any graphical updates, as these are ports, not remakes, and are coming from a company that, last I heard, isn’t really even a game company anymore. The art direction and styling in Stranger is some of the best this past decade, so even a simple resolution boost should still result in a great-looking game.
The only significant additions I can hope for would be widescreen support, and for the FMV cinematics (some of the finest ever created for a videogame, especially in Stranger) to be remastered in HD, to match the rest of the high-resiness. If not, no foul. Still really looking forward to these.
09/10/2009 at 17:48 Man Raised By Puffins says:
Yays!
09/10/2009 at 17:53 Cedge says:
Also, of potentially major significance: In their press discussions regarding the upcoming Abe re-releases on the PlayStation 3′s PSN, Oddworld Inhabitants is apparently sending out the message “The factory at Rupture Farms is starting to turn on the lights. Can’t tell you what is up but it will be fun.”
I’m going to try and avoid coming up with any preconceived notions about what that means (or that whatever they’re referring to will show up anytime soon), but I can’t help but find that a terribly exciting couple of sentences.
09/10/2009 at 20:37 Crush says:
Strangers Wrath was fantastic a great title that was over-looked hopefully its release on PC will get it some much deserved attention.
09/10/2009 at 21:07 Online Casinos says:
My, My, My! I can’t wait for this!:D
09/10/2009 at 21:33 jeremy says:
yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
09/10/2009 at 21:44 Chizu says:
I was literally just the other day contemplating picking up the Abe games on steam the otherday, and wishing to myself the xballs only games were on PC. And then comes this. This is most fortuitous. I shall wait for the set.
09/10/2009 at 21:44 Yes/No says:
Oddworld is probably the greatest game world ever realised. It’s so different compared to everything else. Not a human in sight.
Good news =D
09/10/2009 at 23:39 Slam says:
The two Abe games have been my favourites for years now, but I’ve never played the two XBox games. This is very good news. :D
10/10/2009 at 00:21 Wooly says:
Same here! D:
10/10/2009 at 00:41 simplicio says:
Stranger’s Wrath was one of the three Xbox exclusives (also Panzer Dragoon and Jet Set Radio Future) I ever wanted to play, so that’s pretty neat.
10/10/2009 at 01:36 Luke says:
I’ve always been a fan of Oddworld – cant wait :D
10/10/2009 at 08:57 Benerhos says:
I can’t believe it. I’ve been waiting years for this.
11/10/2009 at 14:32 Dean says:
Great news, would be nice to get a little graphical polish on the old games too
11/10/2009 at 14:42 El Stevo says:
Great news (although I also bought the two Abe games on Steam recently). I was going to buy Stranger’s Wrath for Xbox recently, but I couldn’t find it for less than about £25 new!
14/12/2009 at 17:26 d says:
hope we can get them for ps3!!!!!!!
17/12/2009 at 10:40 Simplex says:
Any update about Oddbox? I bought first two games on impulse for 2,5$ each but I’d still buy oddbox if it ever comes out. Well, winter lasts until february/march so we still have time.
19/01/2010 at 21:00 Alojz says:
When….? I hope sooooon!
13/03/2010 at 23:02 Ash says:
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG
HOLY FUCK!!!! WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR OVER 8 YEARS ODDWORLD PEOPLE!!!! ( or creators or whatever )
XD
OMG hurry up and bring the OddBox out already!!!!!!!!! ( *COUGHVISTACOMPATABLEPLEASECOUGH* )
16/03/2010 at 00:22 Young dude says:
Yeah, I remember Playing Abe’s Exoddus when I was a little boy of seven. Mind you, I’m only thirteen now, but I look to these games as the coming of a new era. An era filled with good platformers like the Original Abe’s. Thank you, and I shall definitely buy this package. But hurry up, It’s already March. I desperately want to play the games on my computer.
16/03/2010 at 10:57 Magic H8 Ball says:
So two games everyone played already and two console ports released as one pack huh.
That’s a Valve-quality move right there.
16/03/2010 at 11:31 jsutcliffe says:
I’m not sure if that’s a Valve dig or not, but it sounds like it might be.
To clarify, it’s two much-beloved old games and their well-regarded 3D sequels that have never before been released on PC. That is a Valve-quality move.
23/03/2010 at 19:52 HexagonalBolts says:
What happened to this?
23/03/2010 at 20:10 jsutcliffe says:
@HexagonalBolts
Thankfully not dead, but taking longer than expected: http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1196005
I’ve been itching to replay the first two recently, and it’s taken some pretty strong willpower to resist picking them up from Steam or for my PSP. I love the idea of having Steam achievements for them all — I think that might be my incentive to hold off on getting them til they’re all re-released.
24/03/2010 at 13:03 Vandelay says:
Ah, I was wondering what happened to this. I’ve been putting off replaying the first two Oddworld games for this.
Sounds like they are really trying to make this a worthwhile package. I’m not usually one for achievements, but I can imagine them working pretty well on a game like this, particularly as it will encourage you to save those friends of yours even more. And the inclusion of the never before released to PC sequels is something I never thought I would see happen. Can’t wait.
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01/06/2010 at 08:19 cobra says:
Dude this like makes all of the time that i spent determined not to buy an xbox JUST to play munch’s oddysee worth it !!!
and god i love the exxoddus =)
26/06/2010 at 07:26 bendy says:
I almost fell off my seat with excitement when I read this (purely by chance).
Strangers Wrath was one of the best gaming experiences I’ve ever had. In case anyone is interested, they released the music as MP3 downloads http://www.oddworld.com/stranger/osw_downloads.shtml
The soundtrack for this game was superb
05/08/2010 at 14:29 João says:
My Munch’s Oddysee Disk is not very famous! So..
This is great news! :D
22/11/2010 at 08:03 Red Bull Hats says:
that is so fun