Oddworld kicks ass, and this game kicks ass. Very rarely does a sequel live up to the original, and Abe's Exoddus is one of the few shining examples that does. But for whatever reason, I'm not a huge fan of this game. Don't get me wrong; the name Oddworld is synonymous with humor, good controls, and well-designed levels, and this game is no exception. The cut scenes are actually quite good for the time they were released, with somewhat realistic animation on the CG models. The graphics are sharp and detailed, and the controls are just as good as the first game..that is to say, excellent. BUT, I think what bothers me about this game is that, to me, it lacks the character and originality of the first game. Sure, it's the same character, but I found that the story wasn't nearly as engrossing or fun as the original, and was trying a bit TOO hard to be funny at some points. Plus, while it DOES live up to the original, that works sort of against it as NOTHING is really different. It's almost more of an expansion pack than a standalone game. That being said, Abe's Exoddus is still a terrific game, albeit sort of a copy of the first. I still recommend it wholeheartedly.
It's not that Psychonauts is a bad game, but in all honesty, I didn't think it was nearly as great as people said it was. The humor was kind of lame, and the gameplay is pretty much identical to Banjo Tooie. I'm not saying the game is bad. Not at all. It's a decent-looking, decent-controlling, decetly-acted adventure. However, it is JUST decent. It's not as remarkable as everyone had told me, and I found it to be a slight disappointment, especially considering how short it is. I beat this game, no joke, in one day. For a Banjo Kazooie styled adventure, that's very very short. I will admit that the soundtrack is quite good, probably the best thing about this game.
I think the biggest selling point of the Serious Sam games is the engine they run on. The Serious Engine was remarkable for the time, and actually, still is. Instead of the relatively enclosed nature of some other games that came out at the time, Sam offered HUGE environments with dozens of relatively detailed enemies on the screen. In fact, if you keep in mind the release date for this game, it really did have some pretty remarkable graphics, particularly in the gore area. Blood splatters everywhere are you kill hundreds upon hundreds or monsters. You also have some pretty cool lighting effects; pretty fancy for 2001. The gameplay is standard, but not bad. You don't need to reload your weapons (a la Doom), and you work under the "if it moves, shoot it" mentality (a la quake). The game has around the same tone as Duke Nukem 3D. Is this game worth it now? I don't know exactly. I like it, but the HD remakes, which have even better graphics and require only a slightly more powerful computer, are available on available on Steam for only 15 dollars, which I think I'd recommend over this version. That being said, Serious Sam is not a bad game at all, and it would make a great addition to your collection.
Before GOG, I had only played "Return of the Incredible Machine: Contraptions", since I had received it as a gift from my parents when I was 11. I quickly become addicted to it. The game had a great balance between thinking and humor. I'll be the first to admit that these games are definitely targeted to kids. That being said, some of the puzzles are still very challenging, especially in the later levels. If you like games like "Crazy Machine" or "World of Goo", you owe it to yourself to see the parent of those games.
I love Earthworm Jim; it's my favorite game of all time. There isn't anything you can't love about it. The graphics are very detailed, the animation is smooth, the music is awesome, the sounds are humorous, the levels well designed, the gameplay is difficult, but not the point where I want to stop playing. Earthworm Jim truly is the greatest game ever made. However, the PC port is not the best version. The graphics are marginally better than the Genesis version, but not by a long shot. The music is much better, but it wasn't bad on the Genesis. The thing that cripples this version is simply the control. Certain keys are simply not allowed. Even if I wanted to use 'S' as part of the controls, I couldn't. I did try using a gamepad, but the configuration simply does not work, and I have the same problem. You can buy a Sega Genesis for thirteen bucks, and an Earthworm Jim cartridge for two, and I highly recommend that. If for some reason that's unfeasible, then buy this PC edition.
