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Oddworld Adventures 2

Score: 100%
ESRB: Everyone
Publisher: GT Interactive
Developer: Saffire
Media: Cartridge/1
Players: 1
Genre: Platformer/ Action


Graphics & Sound:

GT Interactive's Oddworld Adventures 2 brings the unique and mystical world of Oddworld to the Game Boy Color in all of its glory. The intro graphic sequence consists of stills from Abe's Exoddus (which shares the same storyline as Oddworld Adventures 2), nicely converted to the Game Boy Color's resolution and palette. Those of you familiar with the previous Abe games know about the unique gamespeak feature, and its importance to the gameplay. Well, believe it or not, it's been faithfully transported to Oddworld Adventures 2. You can hear Abe say all of his patent sayings as he interacts with his fellow Mudokons. In addition, the familiar overbearing commands shouted by the Glukkons and the ignorant buzzing of the Sligs are all present. Overall, the translation to the Game Boy Color is very well handled, with an excellent translation of the graphics and sound fans have come to expect of an Oddworld game.

Gameplay:

Imagine the glory of leading your captive brothers to freedom. Now imagine that you and all of your kind are a bit... slow. Not incredibly smart, and quite apt to end up slapping each other around in the process of trying to escape. Think "The Three Stooges Escape from Alcatraz." Scary thought? Good - now play the game. You'll have to manage to get your oafish countrymen to work with you if you're to lead them through a safe escape. Luckily you have the ability to posses the Glukkons, Sligs, even your own farts... and control them to do your bidding. You have some (limited) magic to aid you in your quest. Besides being able to possess enemies and bodily functions, you also have the ability to summon a magical gate (in certain areas) to teleport your friends to safety. But it will take some quick thinking, some smooth talking, and some covert action to get the job done.

Difficulty:

There are two difficulty settings in Oddworld Adventures 2 - Easy and Normal. In my opinion, these should have been named Hard and Very Hard. The individual tasks are not necessarily all that difficult to figure out, but Abe dies too easily. While this can be frustrating at times, it is fairly consistent with Abe's previous adventures. Abe is no 'Rambo'... so adjust. There are passwords, so it's possible to return to your game and pick up where you left off, but it takes a while to get far enough to be able to get a password.

Game Mechanics:

Oddworld Adventures 2 is an unbelievable translation to the Game Boy Color. The graphics and sound are excellent, and the gameplay, while difficult, is entertaining and creative, like the other games in the Oddworld series. Most surprisingly, Oddworld Adventures 2 suffers very little from the downgrade to GBC. The programmers of Oddworld Inhabitants obviously have an excellent handle on code optimization, and have mastered the ability to focus on those elements of a game which are most important to retain, although, to be honest, it seems as though it's all in there. An excellent game, and a must have for any GBC owners that enjoy a good side scroller.

-Geck0, GameVortex Communications
AKA Robert Perkins

GameBoy Color/Pocket Boarder Zone Sega Dreamcast Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense

 
Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated