Oddworld Stranger's Wrath

Play Magazine

This is the game that the industry should hold up as an example of what gaming can aspire to. [Feb 2005, p.56]

GameShark

Stranger's Wrath is insidious. Few games have so thoroughly hooked me and absolutely compelled me to play for way too many hours while neglecting all other responsibilities. It offers such a mix of modern game genres that pretty much everybody will find something to love and many, like myself, will find a lot to love.

Four Fat Chicks

An example of what a company can do when it takes an existing genre and reshapes it into something refreshing. If you want to experience a game with a great story, you like FPS games, and you have an open mind, then I highly recommend it.

Game Chronicles

One of the most original designs and interesting twists you can put on the FPS genre while maintaining an equal amount of classic platform and action gameplay.

Armchair Empire

The visual and storytelling satisfaction in gaming today across any platform doesn’t get much better than OSW.

MS Xbox World

There is only one word to describe this game – beautiful.

Xbox World Australia

A AAA single player experience that fans of shooters should not miss. The A.I is tough, maybe sometimes too tough, but OSW deserves a place in your game collection, because it's almost a game without fault.

DailyGame

One of the most original games in recent memory, and among the best Xbox games of this generation.

Talk Xbox

Quite possibly the best single player experience available on the Xbox. Outstripping even the mighty "Halo," it is fresh, unique, and unparalleled in its innovation of the genre.

Gaming Target

An excellent departure of this already great series and now you don’t have to worry about going to prison for throwing innocent animals anymore.

TotalGames.net

It feels so alive, so believable, and so utterly charming that the end credits will fill you with a sense of loss and longing rather than one of total relief, leaving you with little doubt that a sequel is begging to be made. More than anything, it sets a new benchmark in gaming.

Worth Playing

I only have a few complaints about it; camera movement and first person x and y speeds were a bit slow for my liking.

Pelit (Finland)

A weird combination of a 3D-shooter and a platform adventure. It is beautiful and works extremely well. The best Oddworld game so far. [Feb. 05]

Kombo

Incredibly different from anything else on the market, thanks to a great blend of gameplay styles and wonderful combat. Fairly linear however, and uneven difficulty can make some bosses frustrating.

Xbox Solution

For those of you who like action/adventure games, and want to see a great 3rd and 1st person integration, this is for you.

Gaming Age

I cannot wait to see what the Inhabitants team has up their sleeves for the next segment in the Oddworld franchise. This game is a must buy.

Gamezilla!

This title isn’t perfect, is a bit too short, and doesn’t always have the best controls.

TeamXbox

While Stranger’s Wrath doesn’t really break new ground it does present players with a much different Oddworld experience then we’ve become used to. The way in which the gameplay blurs the various genres it pulls from is a nice touch that keeps things from becoming too straight forward.

Xbox Evolved

The live ammo critters are filled with great texturing and visual genious. The live ammo actually blinks and interacts with the environment often found in the game.

GameZone

It is a great first-person shooter and third-player action game that really tones down the violence, unlike many other first-person shooter games, thanks to the use of the “live ammo” that Stranger prefers to use.

Next Level Gaming

Not only is it a breath of fresh air in to the Oddworld series, it is also a breath of fresh air in to the FPS genre.

GamerFeed

A game that takes first-person shooting action, third-person platforming adventure, and a little bit of tactics, throws it into a digital blender along with a fluid storyline and undoubtedly good presentation, and comes up a bona fide winner in the hunt for Game of the Year for 2005.

BonusStage

What we have here is one of those "high concept", innovative story driven shooters like "The Chronicles of Riddick" or the criminally underrated "Breakdown" that works perfectly as not only a video game, but a thrilling trip to a wonderfully fleshed out visual world that’s an absolute knockout to run around and do things in.

GamingTrend

To be honest, I was really surprised by how well this game turned out. Usually when a company drops publishing rights it isn't such good news, not so for this game.

NTSC-uk

All of this, along with an amusing and twist-laden story, delivered through beautifully choreographed FMVs and equally well-conceived in-game cutscenes, comes together in one of the most visually impressive games with some of the finest gaming moments that gamers are likely to experience during this generation of consoles.

games(TM)

We’d struggle to think of a developer that does better-quality FMV than Oddworld Inhabitants; we’ve seen tangible, real-life things that don’t look as convincing as some of the clips in this game. [Feb 2005, p.98]

Cheat Code Central

The attention to detail is painstaking with perfectly weather wood, rich rustic colors, dense and varied vegetation and of course the odd and highly imaginative creatures that make up Oddworld. The animation is smooth and fast.

Edge Magazine

A game world that keeps bettering itself, until some kind of disbelief sets in. This dazzling technical feat is mirrored by some terrifyingly fast loading times, with no in-game loading and restarts from any save point in the whole world taking around two seconds. [Feb 2005, p.72]

Yahoo! Games

Loading times are near-absent, the interface and controls have few flaws, and you're always kept clear on where to go next. Compelling, imaginative, and rewarding.

GamePro

A unique beast, a first-person "shooter" that emphasizes brains over blazing guns. It's great to see Lorne Lanning and the Oddworld Inhabitants back in fine form & even if it's not quite the form you would have expected.

Stuff

Wounded? Hit the Y button, and like a wet dog coming out of a lake, Stranger gets rid of his damage by shaking it off.

GameSpy

An outstanding game that successfully combines two genres while never feeling as though it's neglecting either of them. The missions are well thought out and fun to play, with the bizarre weapons only adding to that fun.

Xbox Nation Magazine

Developer Oddworld Inhabitants has done something quite remarkable in the creation of a first-and-third-person-shooter-cum-adventure combining guts, heart, brains, a sense of humor, and wondrous beauty. [Feb 2005, p.86]

Game Informer

As remarkable as the presentation is, the true star of this title is gameplay. I was blown away by the game's ability to seamlessly transition between frenzied FPS and harrowing third-person platforming. [Feb 2005, p.121]

GameBiz

The most entertaining and humorous game available.

Sydney Morning Herald

Few games are this fresh or entertaining.

AltGaming

An unmissable title. It’s been a very long time since I’ve enjoyed a videogame so much, and I feel that every gamer owes it to themselves to plough into Stranger's Odd adventure.

XGP Gaming

The graphics in Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath are breathtaking. The in-game graphics and especially the cutscene graphics are, honestly, the best graphics I've seen of any EA game that's been on the Xbox to date.

netjak

I have a soft spot for games that actually bring something new to the table in an otherwise overpopulated market of rehashed ideas and half-assed sequels. It's refreshing to see, and even more enjoyable to play.

eToychest

This is definitely the best game from Oddworld Inhabitants thus far. If not for a few technical issues—such as a dodgy camera and unreliable radar—it would be an unquestionably stellar title.

IGN

They've created a challenging and unique title with great game design as its bedrock and superb graphics to make it shine. There are a slew of solid features -- from the unique Live Ammo to the first- and third-person camera perspectives, to the surprise shift more than half-way through the game -- that make up for the few minor faults.

Gamer's Hell

Don’t let it fool you though; the game isn’t very child friendly at all. The later levels become extremely difficult and might require having to be replayed over and over which also helps extend the already lengthy playtime encountered.

My Gamer

Stranger’s Wrath does present a challenge, but is never mind-numbingly difficult.

Official Xbox Magazine

Despite a few missing links and annoyances, Stranger still emerges as a beautifully fun beast. [Feb 2005, p.71]

Inside Gamer Online

It's impossible to imagine someone not enjoying Stranger's Wrath, and while its innovations may seem superficial, all of the whimsical variations on the usual themes make for an exciting and eccentric game that must be experienced to be understood.

WHAM! Gaming

Blasting baddies with the Stranger's arsenal of freaky little critters is fun, but I kind of preferred Abe's sneaky, cerebral approach to problem-solving. Boombats or no Boombats... Anyway, it's really good.

Game Over Online

An incredible title. Humorous play, engaging action and an interesting plotline coupled with creative game mechanics combine to make a title that worthily upholds the Oddworld franchise.

Electric Playground

A real change from the rest of the Oddworld games, but a welcome one. Here's hoping the Stranger turns up in future Oddworld games.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Clever and unique, with more imagination in its weapons alone than other titles manage in their entirety, Stranger is a reminder of the importance of refinement and innovation in gaming. [Feb 2005, p.110]

GameSpot

A great game that brings together a few styles of gameplay startlingly well.

1UP

Working your way toward the end of each level, experimenting with mixtures of the different ammo types, is just too enjoyable to miss. The feeling of accomplishment when you manage to take every member of a gang alive is worth the pain of the more difficult boss showdowns and somewhat unfulfilling plot.

Maxim Online

This intentionally kooky bounty hunter simulator—playing it is like watching an episode of Cops while huffing bleach fumes—is easily the most original game we’ve played this year.

XboxAddict

About the only major flaws in Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath are the camera adjustment and angles can be down right awful at times.

G4 TV

A standout Xbox title that not only kicks butt in its own right, but gives the console a niche it was previously missing.

AceGamez

I enjoyed the early and later portions of the game the most, as the middle (before the dramatic plot twist) definitely began to drag a little.

Gamestyle

As an experiment into doing something a little different with shooters, it's certainly a very classy affair and well worth experiencing.

GameCritics

It adds a much-needed dose of the kind of quality that is not often seen in these days of safe sequels and formulaic products.

Boomtown

Fun though it is, the stalking, hunt-em-down-and-bring-em-in approach begins to wear thin – but just as it does, Stranger's Wrath...changes. It's not a twist, per se - it's pure Western convention – but it prompts a re-evaluation of the character and events of the game.

PALGN

Feels like a movie rather than a game.

Cincinnati Enquirer

Live ammunition is a cute concept that doesn't grow tiresome because you need to strategize about which critters work best in different bounty-hunting situations.

The New York Times

With its clever ideas and impressive graphics, Oddworld is tremendous fun for a while, although it lacks the depth and varied gameplay of recent action games like "Half-Life 2" and "Resident Evil 4."

Game Revolution

Capturing cute, fuzzy animals and hurling them at enemies is good fun, even though some of the action gets repetitive and the replay value is suspect.

Xequted

Though the tired ramblings of the characters and classic game plot aren’t the most original, it does faithfully honor its western theme.

Eurogamer

Stranger's Wrath simply isn't a better game for having first-person mode, and many of us would have maybe preferred the choice.

Gamer.tv

If you're gonna have odd features, make them essential... A good game, but a slightly wasted opportunity.