Game Stooge

Forgotten Heroes: Stranger and his Wrath

• Scribbled on August 5th, 2007 by Mitch Dyer
• Filed in Features, Microsoft Xbox

From here on out, every Sunday I’ll be running this column. What you’re reading is a sort of bio on a character from a game you’ve likely never played in an effort to pimp the game to those who likely never bought it. As such, I’ll likely stray quickly from the character in to their respective game and why it’s so great. I’ve not finalized anything yet, so please leave feedback to let me know how I can improve this every week. This game today is very near-and-dear to me, and is the sole reason I bought the original behemoth of an X-Box in 2005.

Shall we?

Oddworld was always a kind of ‘out-there’ developer. They’ve got a strange sense of humor, and it translates well in to really dark, hilarious games that are usually pretty unique. Abe’s Oddysee let players use psyschic powers to control enemies and had difficult and smart puzzles throughout. The universe stayed equally as weird up until Munch’s Oddysee, a less popular X-Box platformer. In an attempt to revive the franchise, Lorne Lanning (the series’ head honcho) created something very different from the rest of his Oddworld games, while retaining the bizarre ambiance of the universe. Originally planned for the PS2 (and PC, I think) as well as the X-Box, issues arose and this gem was only released on the big black X-Box… But what made it so different?

Considering Abe was a 2.5D sidescroller and Munch was a 3D platformer, Stranger took an interesting route. Using a wild-west theme, this Oddworld game was a shooter, both third, and first person. As Stranger, an unnamed scruffy looking, poncho wearing bounty hunter with an iffy past, you’ll be shootin’ some rootin’ tootin’ varmints for moolah, the local currency. The reason you’re hunting bounties is to make mad cash to afford a mysterious surgery (which when revealed, is an OMFG moment) that will save our buddy Stranger’s life. A variety of ammo (we’ll get in to that) is available for you to either take the target alive, or dead. Some are worth more when caught living as opposed to dead, while some enemies aren’t worth anything while alive; each hit is worth a different amount of moolah, which you can also use to upgrade Stanger’s ammo and skills, making future bounties easier and a lot less risky. Enemies you run in to on the battlefield, which is an expansive, open area both horizontally and vertically, can be reclaimed for a bit of cash here and there as well, which is a bonus considering the amount of pawns that are out there. This is all part of a more grand scheme, which lies entirely in the shooting mechanics of the game.

In this screenshot here, we see Stranger’s first-person perspective. He wields a “Double Barrel” crossbow which holds multiple types of “live ammo”. From Thudslugs (impact rounds) to Chippunks (enemy diverters) to the exploding bats seen here, there’s plenty of “live” ammunition, all upgradable, throughout the game. Some are lethal while others are strictly for incapacitation depending on your situation. This first person shooter mechanic bodes well for the gameplay, but it isn’t the only way to play. Instead of the dull traditional method of gameplay, Lanning decided to mix it up and let you explore the world in a third person mode. Stranger can run, jump, gallop on all-fours and climb as a few methods of getting around the extremely beautiful, open environment. The combination of these two methods of playing the adventure game is really well executed… If the action heats up and then you’ll switch from your third person perspective in to your first person mode and let the cannons loose; if you need to make a quick getaway, then switch out and haul ass. There are a ton of locales in the world that you can access at almost any time which makes it a little more seamless. The music is something worth a quick mention as well - it friggin’ ROCKS. It’s appropriate and fun, and the soudtrack is totally worth picking up.

Scoping out a vantage point…

The story in Stranger’s Wrath is something else, with a stunning climax and great final battle; all of the dark humor leading up to it makes the game feel great and fresh on top of the fantastic combat. The use of animals as ammo borders on animal cruelty, but if it lands you a big batch of cash for “Jo Momma” it all evens out, I’d say. It’s fun in a plastic disc but sadly, it’s not backwards compatable. WTF?! Stranger is one the most badass mother ****ers to ever exist… The mystery behind him as a character is really awesome, and it’s tragic that the open ending will never be expanded upon since the game sold like total ass. Nobody bought this game… Seriously, what’s up with you? It got HUGE press reviews, but 100% less sales, and you didn’t purchase it. The good news is that you can snag this one for less than 2000 pennies, and it’s still worth double that. A multiplayer mode would have been a blast, but it was a doomed game that really deserves a better life than it had. Too bad, really. This could have been the next-big-thing.

One of the later, more pretty levels… and ugly baddies!

Stranger’s Wrath Web Site

Well, what do you guys think? Give me some feedback in the comments section, let me know how to improve this for next week, and submit your favorite Forgotten Hero so they can get some pimpage.