That's exactly what I was thinking! What a wonderful soul and it was amazing to hear this story! Would live to see his vision finished and that of his world view. Really awesome! Someone I truly respect!
You have no idea how this game molded me as a kid into teen ages. The music, the visuals, the brutal style, the unknown yet is so niche. I really hope this game becomes a studying point in the future
I'm 33 now. I played this when I was around 8 to 11 or 12 years old. You're at a developmental stage in your life at that point. The story of Abe had a strong vibe that made the player feel empathy at every other corner and excitement in all the others. I'm sure this game had a positive impact on so many kids (young adults now)
This game is what fostered a revolutionary/anti-authoritarian streak in me at such a young age. It’s a core part of my personality and a lot of it is due to this game
I was a bit younger probably 6-7 and it stuck with me for years. I remember the first time I met someone else that knew the game (i was probably 16) I was very excited haha. This game was like a fever dream for me…
Lorne, I don't know if you will ever see this, but I was on the Acquisitions Board when you brought the game to Sega of America (looking, I guess, for that "three and a half million") almost thirty years ago. I remember being really excited, and telling everyone else on the board that this was it, this was the next big thing they were looking for, but, well, Suits, what can you do? I'm very happy for your success, and very glad I got to play the games eventually, major kudos to you for sticking to your convictions and getting the games made your way!
@@hihowareyou6629 He kinda explained in the video that apart from the first game, all the others were just kind of mess ups that other people forced them to do things with. The next game they are working on will be the more official second game in the series. So how much he stays on to his vision is yet to be seen.
Small things like that are what ended up making it a masterpiece. Small bits of character showing and building the personality and psychology of the naive, child-like Mudokons and the world around them. It's just... oddworldly? A special game indeed. Very happy to see a War Story about it.
@@arstechnica How do you make a documentary like this ? How much time does it take and above all, do you go visit every people around the USA to get the interviews
Yeah, like other episodes have been really good, but watching this was like reading the connection between "Dune" and "Star Wars". (Seriously, Google Star Wars Origins).
Many years ago I was on a LiveJournal community about video games. Someone created a post on there about what games you wished would make a comeback. I wrote this big spiel about the Oddworld series because it was a world I could escape to and I spent years of my life going back over and over to Oddworld. A day later I got a private message on LiveJournal from someone who actually was from Oddworld Inhabitants - apparently their kid was also a member of that gaming community. They then told me the lights were back on in their studio and they sent me some hi-res images of Abe and some CD keys for Steam. I felt like the happiest girl in the world that day and I've never forgotten that little act of kindness shown to a lifelong fan who, unbeknownst to them, was going through a really rough time. Thank you Lorne and thank you Oddworld Inhabitants.
I booted it from a demo disc when I was way too young to play it and it made the “creepy” background noise and this alien with a stitched mouth popped up in the middle of the screen and said hello to me. I screamed and ran out of the room 😂 I booted it up a few years later and couldn’t believe how much of the wrong end of the stick I got 😂😂😂
You know what so charming about him? He's masterfull in deception and mind control as stated in vid, that's because he's super-excelent master mason, just google his images, Oddworld games are about us, we are mudokon slaves mockered by mr Lorne Lanning
This was unexpectedly touching. A great story told in a great way. Also, the production around him sitting on the couch being so true to the game was doing the story justice.
I got Abe's Oddysee with the PSX for christmas 1997 from my dad. we played it together and each and every time I run Abe's Oddysee, it reminds me of that year's christmas and my dad.
Man I remember we got PS1 in Christmas 1997 or 1998 (I was 4 or 5 years old) and one of the games my dad had bought was Abe’s Oddysee. We played the game together with the whole family, or well my dad played and we watched and it was so exciting with the stories and the puzzles. We did the same with Exoddus, good memories! 🙂
Man, you can see how the world weighs on Lorne, even through his success he hasn't forgotten where he's been and uses it. I wish I could find that same inspiration in the darkness.
I was a small kid when we got Abes Oddysee for the playstation and although I could barely make it out of Rupture Farms, I played it so much because the style of art and character design gripped me so much. From there I went on to study art and illustration and I have a lot to thank Oddworld for where I am today. My gran still has a piece of art I did in primary school class of Abes face
It was the same for me. I was so young and so terrible but obsessed with playing as much as I could. I loved the style and now I love it even more after seeing this.
If anyone is interested I watched the entire hours long full interview on this channel and it’s absolutely incredible. I’ve seen quite a few of the short ones but his is the only full interview I watched all the way through in one shot. The way he describes everything and especially the parts about the movie industry really are spot on to what I experienced.
me too. I was mesmerised by it when I was a kid. I still play it to this day and I enjoy it every time. I hope the new one will be a hit, idk I found the trailer gameplay too cluttered but I will play it plus Lorne seems like a great guy
I was blown away when I first got Oddworld and quickly became addicted. I would hear "hello, follow me, wait" in my sleep. I hope it's remembered as the remarkable and wonderfully different game it is, I'll love it forever.
Money talks. These will be the only games that succeed if people weren't such idiot consumers throwing their money at trash, even before the games come out, and then buying loot boxes. It's not even about pushing forward now, we have gone in reverse. Instead of 25c for a turn on a game, you spend $10 on virtual hats.
@@paulthoresen8241 Business used to be a good thing, but now business has taken it too far, with only growth in mind business has become just like cancer. Maybe if the consequences for having bad luck in game sales weren't so dire then maybe business frame of mind people would calm down a bit.
@@cakebuu887 I don't know if business as a whole has ever been good, since profit tends to be the main factor. The best thing businesses do is create jobs, but now everything is being automated so business is just this entity that gets rid of jobs, hinders artists, makes serious medical treatment hard to obtain, puts a paywall in front of education, overworks employees, and puts a logo on every surface possible. It is very rare to find a company with a goal in mind outside of money, and of course you will never see the king on the battlefield.
@@paulthoresen8241 Farming to feed a family is the root of all business, that is a good business, a business with the well being of others in mind, compared to the guy in the office wanting a big slice of cake changing a few numbers on the screen to make a profit with out considering any of the consequences except the profit in the pocket. Abes Exodus yay!
Hate to be _that_ commenter, but "omg what you doing here?!", "I love your stuff!", and "I just got done watching **insert latest video**" (ik it was the shesez collab)
@@Keyecomposer I think a lot of that had to do with the PS1 in general. Most 3D games were muddy/grey - which worked to Abe's advantage perfectly. I still hold it as stylistically the best game on the PS1 - it still holds up today when 95% of PS1 games really look awful now.
I've loved Abe and his adventures since I first played the PC version when I was 8. It's an absolute treat to see Abe coming back in SoulStorm. Regardless of how the gameplay turns out, I think I'm just going to enjoy another adventure from Abe. Thanks for you and your team for putting your heart into this series, Lorne Lanning.
i'll never forget oddworld for as long as i live. i was five years old when i got the ps one for christmas and this was one of the first games we bought for the console. i watched my father play through it and had no idea how to play it myself. he loved it so much. when exoddus came out, i was finally able to comprehend the game and played through it with him. 3 years later my father passed away and videogames had become one of the most important aspects of my life. the passion my father had for truly great forms of media is ingrained in me, and without oddworld i don't think that connection would have been nearly as strong.
Thank you for sharing that with us. That us very moving. I have a 2 year old and I hope to leave lasting memories for my children as your father did for you. He sounds like he was a good guy.
I would rank this guy up there with brilliant gaming minds like Kojima. They basically pioneered gaming into a higher art form of storytelling that set the bar for the industry today.
@Bohdan Lav very true. Some big money companies can't even revive a classic even with resources available to them. Take a look at Blizzard right now with Warcraft 3. It's like they stopped caring.
Yeah, man, and coincidentally, MGS4 also has that "cutscene to gameplay" smooth transition that this guy pioneered! Wonder if Kojima was inspired by it.
Well said. I love the man, I wonder whether, if his games gained more mainstream recognition, we would have had more from him, with the spectacularity that comes from unlimited budget, or if his creations would have fallen more into the ordinary.
I think that 'pretty smart' is an understatement. His emotional intelligence, business acumen, and communication skills are incredible... this dude may be a true genius
@@dominicdelprincipe2583 Absolutely. Lorne is one of those people that's super well rounded. He isn't just smart... he's also perceptive, wise, and tuned in to other people.
@@dominicdelprincipe2583 I love how someone said something good about someone you worship but it wasn't enough, you have to correct him and give the guy you worship the genius status. And when someone agree with you you are happy you are in an echo chamber. :) Dude you are a lackey.
This guy is the most genuinely smart person i think i've ever seen. He has these concepts so perfectly worked out, and speaks so damn eloquently! This dude for president!
Probably doesn't have the time. He built something. " if you build it, he will come." - field of dreams. " if you build it, the woman will come." - tommy sotomayor.
I've noticed 2nd games in franchises are usually the best. Especially from this era. You have all the same devs with alot of scrapped content to repurpose and they have new insights on this project they did. 2nd games really benefit from that lightning in the bottle still captured. I'm mainly talking about same engine sequels, they usually come out like more complete games. Fallout 2 and doom 2 are what I usually think of as prime examples.
I find myself drawn back to this video again and again. It's so calm and comforting and hopefully. Currently I am going through a breakup and this fills me with hope
"I didn't want to make things that were just difficult to play and challenging to win, but i wanted something that you went away and remembered." A lot of modern studios could learn from this.
Lorne has a brilliant creative mind, he's a genius and I'm so glad that Soulstorm is going to get its day. I really want to see the Quintology completed in Lorne's lifetime!
This interview explains a lot, first and foremost how the 'movie' approach fleshed out the world and its inhabitants way more than most games bother. And the creativity and believability of the world is just something else, and together with brilliant graphic design and musical score it made it 100% real. Honestly, I'm a bit selfish in that I prefer the game format to the movies, it helped explore the world a lot more and become emotionally attached to it. I'll be getting goosebumps and a teary eye until the day I die whenever I remember this game(s). Stay Odd, Lorne and other Inhabitants
This game was the best graphics in the 90s I remember my grandfather watching me for hours playing this game. I loved the strategy thinking and art. Amazing to hear that the co founder was into art too
I remember when I was a kid my parents couldn’t afford complete games so we bought the demo dvds. Me and my brother would play this demo for hours on end. I’ll be picking up a copy 👍🏻
I'm a fairly accomplished PC gamer, and this game is still difficult for me. I never have finished despite starting it up several times. I really would like to finish the existing stories. :-/
Dude, ı played this game about 7-8 years old, and could'nt finished. And now I am 21, I barely finished the game yesterday, about 3 days. But the game is awesome.
These videos are so underrated (looking at the view count). I just remembered this videos exist, and it's exactly what I feel like watching now. Perfect blend of nostalgia and interesting background story.
I still remember the first time I played this. The intro animation was already like "am I watching a movie, wasn't this supposed to be a game" and when the camera pulled backwards I just stared at the screen for the longest time as my mind couldn't comprehend that it had seamlessly transitioned from the prerendered animation to gameplay. It was just mind-boggling. I replayed the beginning over and over and laughed in disbelief. I believe this was the first game I ever completed even though I had been a gamer since the early eighties. So captivating.
Watching this made me a better person. Thank God people like this are able to produce their work and influence others. I was floored when the first game came out. Tomorrow, I'm digging up the old PS1 and firing up the Oddysey for my daughter.
Beautiful story crafting and super inspiring. Glad you stuck to your guns Lorne, everyone who doesn’t understand the bigger idea will always try to shortcut it to get the work done. Your work on these was and is brilliant. I actually made a 3D sculpt of Abe before they announced New’n’Tasty, it was really cool that you liked it. It’s on my artstation for anyone who’s interested. Can’t wait for Soulstorm, my favorites were 1 and 2 (exoddus) I had no clue that Soulstorm is going back to your original vision. It looks beautiful and so dynamic. I noticed it's so colorful, it sounds weird but as a kid, I loved how drab, unsaturated, and depressing the industrial areas looked, they felt so real and cold. I’m looking forward to playing and working through the story of Soulstorm, great video and always inspiring.
Abe's Odddysee... I remember we got the demo with the PS1, I was 8 or 9. It scared me and literally stopped me from being able to sleep properly the next couple nights, but it was unforgettable and I couldn't stop going back. The full game was incredible. The parable, the themes of consumption, profit, spirit. The game's atmosphere was sooo oppressive, industrial and borderline disturbing, but at the same time had fart humour, and this mysticism, spirit, hope. When Abe sees the mudokon hand in the moon and holds his up to to it... whoa, chills. Whoever did the sound design did a great job too. Such a memorable game.
What a joy to find this on my front page. Lorne is a true maverick and artist of the videogame world. Thank you to all involved in making this video...
@@bassage13 I think it would be neat if Lorne introduced a third hero installment. He has Abe and Munch the slaves, Stranger the bounty hunter, what's next?
'"If we give him a gun, then he's gonna solve every problem with a gun" Very insightful for game design philosophy, among other things. Emphasizing that Abe saves more than he kills, and that he's rewarded for saving, also reminds me of Kojima's intention with Death Stranding, of making a game that emphasizes the "rope" more than the "stick"
Does anyone else want to give him a hug? Seriously though, he is inspirational and I entirely get his hope message. I love these games even more than I did before now.
hearing about that "just give him a gun" debate just... destroyed me a little inside. glad he didn't get a weapon, oddworld would probably exist as a single obscure game if it was just a platform shooter with puzzle elements
I like how Oddworld's inspiration comes from real world tragedy and events. It's a statement piece - but so well handled and fluid that it doesn't come across as "forced". Games and media back in the late 90s was an entirely different world from what it is today. I respect and admire the old ways - I wish media nowadays didn't feel so ham fisted or clumsy in their narratives or "voices"
Let's not forget nostalgia is also a part of why we loved these games so much back then but like in music and movies, games also became a product that does not need to be created with care to sell a lot. If you take music for example, most of the tracks in the top 40 all basically sound the same and you have these artists that bring the create the same track a few times with some slight changes but it sells, people still listen to it on Spotify. I once commented on a video like this here on TH-cam and all the 12-13 year olds started to swear at me ;) It's not like in the old times where people actually needed to be real artists to create a great song. The same goes for games. Great games like Fallout 2 and Little Big Adventure 2 sold around 200-300k units so the developers actually had to come up with something good. Nowadays a game has to be really terrible for it not to sell. People still defend a game like Fallout 76 or Anthem etc.
oh come on. It's Saturday morning cartoon levels of forced. The whole fun of it is how *in your face* it is about the eeeevil executives. The rose tinting is real with you.
@@Eunostos i think he means preaching and ruining the game and game play. like the guy in the interview said himself. they made funny death things as well. and stuff. they have their plot and narrative but arent acting like a lecture spanking you constantly for anything etc
So great to hear these stories about such a legendary game - I would've been 10 on its release, but can only really appreciate how ground breaking it was looking back today! It was the first game I bought for the PSX after playing the demo level on one of the Playstation magazines' free demo discs.
This is one of the games I remember most from my childhood. I never even owned the game, I could only play it at a family friend's house, but every time I went all I wanted to do was play this game. Proper masterpiece.
to this guys point, I have never forgotten this game through out the nearly 30 years of my life, and i took away the lesson it was trying to teach as a child, and its still one of my favorite titles of all time
This game world is, to this day, still one of the absolute best and most incredible. This is a game that my wife loves, who likes action platformers, and it's the first really dark/weird kind of game that she liked. This is a game I had my son play when he was old enough, and is the reason I still have a PS2 ready to go for my younger kids when they're old enough. It's so cool to hear details about a game that, honestly, I thought I'd never hear about again, along with reasons why certain delays and decisions were made. Great, great video, thanks!
I'll never forget the anxiety and horror of that opening scene with the camera going inside Paramonia's Temple. as a 12yo it was the most terrifying thing I've ever watched, now at almost 30 I remain deeply fascinated by those tall trees when I walk in Paramonia. You grow with the game, and you get deeply fond of these types of memories.
The Oddworld games seriously had a profound impact on me throughout my childhood. It's so cool to watch an interview with the guy who made them happen.
Abe's Oddysee and Exoddus were some of my favourite games as a child. So glad they are finally getting the chance to do the rest of the quintology how they wanted to.
I’m really glad I paid for new and tasty as soon as it dropped. He actually deserves to have had my money and that’s really rare in the game industry these days.
"Okay, but you have to time some of them so specifically if you don't throw it just right you might as well jump into that meat grinder and start that bit again" 😆
My man just did a TED talk from his couch.
True!
Much better than a TED talk...
i dont think so. ted talks try to bring in pedophilia as something normal!
adderall is a powerful drug
That's exactly what I was thinking! What a wonderful soul and it was amazing to hear this story! Would live to see his vision finished and that of his world view. Really awesome! Someone I truly respect!
You have no idea how this game molded me as a kid into teen ages. The music, the visuals, the brutal style, the unknown
yet is so niche. I really hope this game becomes a studying point in the future
One of the best games ever made
Also this guy REALLY knows how to tell a story
I have a problem with authority. But I would follow this guy into the sun, he is that compelling.
I see now how some New Englands can be so compelling, they've had it tougher than most especially in 80s New York.
exactly, it's a story.
this guy is lying, whether it be by omission or straight up fibs
".. and these mystical kung fu type guys, they understand this stuff..." -- this guy
Dexter Koula Alright, which parts do you believe Lorne is lying about?
I'm 33 now. I played this when I was around 8 to 11 or 12 years old. You're at a developmental stage in your life at that point. The story of Abe had a strong vibe that made the player feel empathy at every other corner and excitement in all the others. I'm sure this game had a positive impact on so many kids (young adults now)
This game is what fostered a revolutionary/anti-authoritarian streak in me at such a young age. It’s a core part of my personality and a lot of it is due to this game
I was a bit younger probably 6-7 and it stuck with me for years. I remember the first time I met someone else that knew the game (i was probably 16) I was very excited haha. This game was like a fever dream for me…
Lorne, I don't know if you will ever see this, but I was on the Acquisitions Board when you brought the game to Sega of America (looking, I guess, for that "three and a half million") almost thirty years ago. I remember being really excited, and telling everyone else on the board that this was it, this was the next big thing they were looking for, but, well, Suits, what can you do? I'm very happy for your success, and very glad I got to play the games eventually, major kudos to you for sticking to your convictions and getting the games made your way!
Lorne and Eric must have a reunion! Please!
Glad he stuck to his creative vision and didnt let people turn abe into a generic shoot'm up.
Ummm, stranger's wrath...
Also he gave Abe a flame thrower in oddworld Soulstorm, what happen...?
@@ioannismironenko6962 where? that wasn't abe
@@hihowareyou6629 He kinda explained in the video that apart from the first game, all the others were just kind of mess ups that other people forced them to do things with. The next game they are working on will be the more official second game in the series. So how much he stays on to his vision is yet to be seen.
@@Auirtozz really?! I didn't know soulstorm has a different protagonist, but still it goes against his first vision 16:16.
I like the little laugh Abe does after killing a possessed enemy.
Small things like that are what ended up making it a masterpiece. Small bits of character showing and building the personality and psychology of the naive, child-like Mudokons and the world around them. It's just... oddworldly? A special game indeed. Very happy to see a War Story about it.
"hehehe"
Did you ever notice his laugh changes after you complete paramonia and scrabania?
Also when he says 'oops' when he accidentally kills a mudokon who follows him.
Abe is a straight Psychopath. It's his source of capability in a landscape such as this!
This is by far your best "War Stories" episode yet. Seriously.
Thank you! We're not resting though. We have eps on two serious classics coming up.
@@arstechnica How do you make a documentary like this ? How much time does it take and above all, do you go visit every people around the USA to get the interviews
Yea, great talk from Gus Johnson.
Yeah, like other episodes have been really good, but watching this was like reading the connection between "Dune" and "Star Wars". (Seriously, Google Star Wars Origins).
Agree
"If we give him a gun, then hes gonna solve every problem with a gun"
That's hittin' hard this week.
‘Murica.
wow i never even thought about that - heavy
Doomguy, Gordon Freeman, Master Chief:*nervously sweats*
@Eric - he's smarter than the majority of people.
If only he knew just how many childhood memories he would he giving to people. Oddworld will forever have a special place in my heart.
Many years ago I was on a LiveJournal community about video games. Someone created a post on there about what games you wished would make a comeback. I wrote this big spiel about the Oddworld series because it was a world I could escape to and I spent years of my life going back over and over to Oddworld. A day later I got a private message on LiveJournal from someone who actually was from Oddworld Inhabitants - apparently their kid was also a member of that gaming community. They then told me the lights were back on in their studio and they sent me some hi-res images of Abe and some CD keys for Steam. I felt like the happiest girl in the world that day and I've never forgotten that little act of kindness shown to a lifelong fan who, unbeknownst to them, was going through a really rough time. Thank you Lorne and thank you Oddworld Inhabitants.
I love this, those little acts go a long ways :)
I booted it from a demo disc when I was way too young to play it and it made the “creepy” background noise and this alien with a stitched mouth popped up in the middle of the screen and said hello to me. I screamed and ran out of the room 😂 I booted it up a few years later and couldn’t believe how much of the wrong end of the stick I got 😂😂😂
@@asymmetricfuzion970 I laughed so hard that I couldn't breathe. 😂😂😂
This guy is immensely charming.
If I had any marketable industry skills I’d love to work for him.
same.
This guy... hard to find words.. so .
Coool... what to say..
Amazingly together hoopy frood!
I bet he knows where his towel is even at this moment.
What? I find this guy extremely uncharming.
You know what so charming about him? He's masterfull in deception and mind control as stated in vid, that's because he's super-excelent master mason, just google his images, Oddworld games are about us, we are mudokon slaves mockered by mr Lorne Lanning
@@squarecrusher wait what?? please go on..
The Legendary, Limitless, Luscious Lorne Lanning!
i was looking for this lol
ahhh a cultured fan of caddy i see
He still owes caddy two free diners
was almost heartbroken our bro didn't get a cameo
Welcome fellow Caddicarus fan!
Damn Lorne in '97 had those movie star looks.
Evolved into a silver fox 🙂
indeed
Would hit, and I'm straight as an arrow.
He's still got the looks, but now he'd be a dad rather than a main character
Aging sucks
I can’t be the only one who finds it extremely ironic that he created such an artistically dark and disturbed world while looking like that…
This was unexpectedly touching. A great story told in a great way. Also, the production around him sitting on the couch being so true to the game was doing the story justice.
I am fairly convinced that this man is a genius
I got Abe's Oddysee with the PSX for christmas 1997 from my dad. we played it together and each and every time I run Abe's Oddysee, it reminds me of that year's christmas and my dad.
Daymn, i got exactly the same story ! The nostalgia is just overwhelming !
Man I remember we got PS1 in Christmas 1997 or 1998 (I was 4 or 5 years old) and one of the games my dad had bought was Abe’s Oddysee. We played the game together with the whole family, or well my dad played and we watched and it was so exciting with the stories and the puzzles. We did the same with Exoddus, good memories! 🙂
@@GrungeFinland Abe's Oddysee was huge in Finland
I'm the exact same! My father loved this and the 2nd game, a nice memory I like thinking about.
Man, you can see how the world weighs on Lorne, even through his success he hasn't forgotten where he's been and uses it. I wish I could find that same inspiration in the darkness.
me too.
Things in the moment can seem insurmountable, it tends to just be ones own perspective, all that matters is how one chooses to deal with it.
You will
I was a small kid when we got Abes Oddysee for the playstation and although I could barely make it out of Rupture Farms, I played it so much because the style of art and character design gripped me so much.
From there I went on to study art and illustration and I have a lot to thank Oddworld for where I am today.
My gran still has a piece of art I did in primary school class of Abes face
It was the same for me. I was so young and so terrible but obsessed with playing as much as I could. I loved the style and now I love it even more after seeing this.
Haha same I was so bad. It gave me nightmares but I still played it
same
Beautiful story bro
If anyone is interested I watched the entire hours long full interview on this channel and it’s absolutely incredible. I’ve seen quite a few of the short ones but his is the only full interview I watched all the way through in one shot. The way he describes everything and especially the parts about the movie industry really are spot on to what I experienced.
I loved this game so much. I spent many hours during college playing, eating mac n cheese and not doing my homework. What a brilliant guy!
Abe will always have a special place in my heart
in my heart too.
Oddworld Abe's Oddysee on PS1 was one of the first cinematic platformers I played!
me too. I was mesmerised by it when I was a kid. I still play it to this day and I enjoy it every time. I hope the new one will be a hit, idk I found the trailer gameplay too cluttered but I will play it plus Lorne seems like a great guy
*fart, heh heh heh...
I was blown away when I first got Oddworld and quickly became addicted. I would hear "hello, follow me, wait" in my sleep. I hope it's remembered as the remarkable and wonderfully different game it is, I'll love it forever.
These are the kind of artistic passionate games we need to succeed.
Money talks. These will be the only games that succeed if people weren't such idiot consumers throwing their money at trash, even before the games come out, and then buying loot boxes. It's not even about pushing forward now, we have gone in reverse. Instead of 25c for a turn on a game, you spend $10 on virtual hats.
@@paulthoresen8241 Business used to be a good thing, but now business has taken it too far, with only growth in mind business has become just like cancer. Maybe if the consequences for having bad luck in game sales weren't so dire then maybe business frame of mind people would calm down a bit.
@@cakebuu887 I don't know if business as a whole has ever been good, since profit tends to be the main factor. The best thing businesses do is create jobs, but now everything is being automated so business is just this entity that gets rid of jobs, hinders artists, makes serious medical treatment hard to obtain, puts a paywall in front of education, overworks employees, and puts a logo on every surface possible.
It is very rare to find a company with a goal in mind outside of money, and of course you will never see the king on the battlefield.
@@paulthoresen8241 Farming to feed a family is the root of all business, that is a good business, a business with the well being of others in mind, compared to the guy in the office wanting a big slice of cake changing a few numbers on the screen to make a profit with out considering any of the consequences except the profit in the pocket.
Abes Exodus yay!
theres a few games that come to mind though that are still doing it, horizon zero dawn springs to mind
"the deaths have to be funny, in a black comedy way" my man, this game freaked me the hell out as a kid :D
disarming those mines gave me a damn heart attack.
yeahh... #_# pissed my pants...
still does
Hahaaa chummp
Same here! Yet I was always captivated by the atmosphere of the game, even though it disturbed me.
This guy made me feel comfortable. He spoke from the heart.
Fantastic interview.
Lorne has seen a lot. The eyes don't lie.
Jez what kind of lsd did those military Roland ragans give this dude
This is like my favorite series on youtube.
Its so entertaining!
Same!
Hate to be _that_ commenter, but "omg what you doing here?!", "I love your stuff!", and "I just got done watching **insert latest video**" (ik it was the shesez collab)
Oddheader!! Love the vids man, I know this is a year old comment but still good to notice people I've subbed to :D
is it 'like' your favourite series, but not 'actually'. :Learn how to speak ffs
Bring him back for 2 hours
cut nothing
His full interview was around 3 hours hahaha, it was painful to cut this down 🤣
Yes, Ars definitely needs to do more interviews with Lorne, he's so brilliant! :)
@@RabidArtists Please upload the whole recording...
@@RabidArtists Any chance for an unlisted version of the whole thing?
@@RabidArtists Seriously, we would all love to see the full interview! If there's any way, please try to make it happen!
Oddworld is one of my favorite series of all time. Cannot wait for Soulstorm in (fingers crossed) 2020.
This video was incredible, by the way.
The sad thing is that the new versions don't share the same perfect gritty artstyle that the original games had.
@chris ortiz Well you can see in the demo they did, it's very, uh... NEON. I like it, but it's definitely not good old grimey Oddworld.
@@Keyecomposer I think a lot of that had to do with the PS1 in general. Most 3D games were muddy/grey - which worked to Abe's advantage perfectly. I still hold it as stylistically the best game on the PS1 - it still holds up today when 95% of PS1 games really look awful now.
@@lemmingsplat5279 Thats the case with alot of older games, art direction born out of limitation.
I wouldn't mind the change in mood if it wasn't a remake. It's why Soulstorm doesn't bother me
I've loved Abe and his adventures since I first played the PC version when I was 8. It's an absolute treat to see Abe coming back in SoulStorm. Regardless of how the gameplay turns out, I think I'm just going to enjoy another adventure from Abe. Thanks for you and your team for putting your heart into this series, Lorne Lanning.
Hey Strider!
@@schmoop3660 Hiya Schmoop :)
@@phantomstrider hey, I used to watch your videos, keep up the good work! From a fellow Australian
Wow, this man sounds like the man I wanted to be and never managed to be.
Παύλος Κ that’s kind of sad
It's not too late.
Start now!
here here!
It's never too late until you're dead, bokay?
I really love how Abe voice comes through occasionally while Lorne is talking
I think Lorne voiced Abe?
@@UnrecycleRubdish he was indeed!
i'll never forget oddworld for as long as i live. i was five years old when i got the ps one for christmas and this was one of the first games we bought for the console. i watched my father play through it and had no idea how to play it myself. he loved it so much. when exoddus came out, i was finally able to comprehend the game and played through it with him. 3 years later my father passed away and videogames had become one of the most important aspects of my life. the passion my father had for truly great forms of media is ingrained in me, and without oddworld i don't think that connection would have been nearly as strong.
@Jay Arre Hmm, please stay in your kid's life. Is everything alright, or am I misinterpreting?
@@leomignonneau1765 well the dudes dad died its not like he had a choice
@@imjustaguy8232 I was replying to Jay Arre.
May he rest in peace
Thank you for sharing that with us. That us very moving. I have a 2 year old and I hope to leave lasting memories for my children as your father did for you. He sounds like he was a good guy.
I would rank this guy up there with brilliant gaming minds like Kojima. They basically pioneered gaming into a higher art form of storytelling that set the bar for the industry today.
So true
Great comment.
@Bohdan Lav very true. Some big money companies can't even revive a classic even with resources available to them. Take a look at Blizzard right now with Warcraft 3. It's like they stopped caring.
Yeah, man, and coincidentally, MGS4 also has that "cutscene to gameplay" smooth transition that this guy pioneered! Wonder if Kojima was inspired by it.
Uh. No?
This guy is pretty smart, and you can feel that he has a good soul. Kudos.
Well said. I love the man, I wonder whether, if his games gained more mainstream recognition, we would have had more from him, with the spectacularity that comes from unlimited budget, or if his creations would have fallen more into the ordinary.
I think that 'pretty smart' is an understatement. His emotional intelligence, business acumen, and communication skills are incredible... this dude may be a true genius
@@dominicdelprincipe2583 Absolutely. Lorne is one of those people that's super well rounded. He isn't just smart... he's also perceptive, wise, and tuned in to other people.
@@NuttyMongrel Totally. Glad to hear the agreement!
@@dominicdelprincipe2583 I love how someone said something good about someone you worship but it wasn't enough, you have to correct him and give the guy you worship the genius status. And when someone agree with you you are happy you are in an echo chamber. :)
Dude you are a lackey.
This guy is the most genuinely smart person i think i've ever seen. He has these concepts so perfectly worked out, and speaks so damn eloquently! This dude for president!
The president of video games
Abe for president!
This guy should record podcasts when he's bored and just wants to talk.
Lorne feels like a magic person.
Probably doesn't have the time. He built something. " if you build it, he will come." - field of dreams. " if you build it, the woman will come." - tommy sotomayor.
Got the perfect name: Oddworld
man Abes Exoddus was a masterpiece considering it was only a "bonus game".
I've noticed 2nd games in franchises are usually the best. Especially from this era. You have all the same devs with alot of scrapped content to repurpose and they have new insights on this project they did. 2nd games really benefit from that lightning in the bottle still captured. I'm mainly talking about same engine sequels, they usually come out like more complete games. Fallout 2 and doom 2 are what I usually think of as prime examples.
@@followingtheroe1952 Resident Evil 2
Timesplitters 2
Sonic 2
There is a lot of 2nd games that are the best for sure
Lorne Lanning: I want to work on Star Wars.
Lorne Lanning: *works on star wars*
Well, according to archive footage, he used to pilot the millenium falcon...
With the state of Star Wars today he's FAR better off. Long live Oddworld!
And almost worked on a slightly different Star Wars (Reagan's)
Everytime he quotes the game characters you just feel how much he loves this world, he is so amazing
I find myself drawn back to this video again and again. It's so calm and comforting and hopefully.
Currently I am going through a breakup and this fills me with hope
Lorne is a true genius and visionary. He is everything this industry needs.
This guy... hard to find words.. so .
Coool... what to say..
Amazingly together hoopy frood!
I bet he knows where his towel is even at this moment.
As a kid this really challenged my problem solving skills considering it isn't shoot and kill but think and conquer
"I didn't want to make things that were just difficult to play and challenging to win, but i wanted something that you went away and remembered." A lot of modern studios could learn from this.
search a game called Gris
Ja most of them are not out to be different or remembered. Just to be sold to make money. All have the same idea, kill or be killed.
This game aged so well and was so ahead of its time. This guy rules
Lorne has a brilliant creative mind, he's a genius and I'm so glad that Soulstorm is going to get its day.
I really want to see the Quintology completed in Lorne's lifetime!
One of my favorite games of all time. That "yo-yo-yo-yo-yo" still lives in my heart.
Yes!
i remember calling it "yoyo-ing" because i didnt know what hte action was acturally called
@@LiEnby Didn't the controls call it something? Did you read the controls?
@@TheHelper151 it does I think its called chanting. but I already had called it yoyoing for so long ..
@@LiEnby Yeah. And I called it the same thing you called it, until I hit my teens.
The sheer amount of thought that went into it is incredible. I could listen to Lorne talk about this stuff all day.
You’re in luck. The extended interview is absolutely amazing and on the channel that released this video.
This interview explains a lot, first and foremost how the 'movie' approach fleshed out the world and its inhabitants way more than most games bother. And the creativity and believability of the world is just something else, and together with brilliant graphic design and musical score it made it 100% real. Honestly, I'm a bit selfish in that I prefer the game format to the movies, it helped explore the world a lot more and become emotionally attached to it. I'll be getting goosebumps and a teary eye until the day I die whenever I remember this game(s). Stay Odd, Lorne and other Inhabitants
I can't get over his voice, I keep hearing Abe in it! That's the voice of my childhood!!
this guy as a kid said"my dad works for Coleco", no one believed him
This is criminally underviewed. Share with a friend.
Maybe i wll translate this for my language
The Oddworld series will never leave my heart.
This was such a delight to watch.
This was a 23 minute video and I didn't take my eyes off of it once. I could listen to Lorne talk all day.
This game was the best graphics in the 90s I remember my grandfather watching me for hours playing this game. I loved the strategy thinking and art. Amazing to hear that the co founder was into art too
This game....tekken....resident evil.....all absolute nostalgic classics.
This video has such high production quality 😍 Lorne is also a legend and abe’s oddysee is one of my favourite games
I remember when I was a kid my parents couldn’t afford complete games so we bought the demo dvds. Me and my brother would play this demo for hours on end. I’ll be picking up a copy 👍🏻
The same 🙂
I played this game a lot as a kid but never finished it because parts of it seemed very difficult. But I have nostalgia for it
It didn's seem difficult. It was and still is :D
@@NaoyaYami That's 80-90's gaming for you, they really want you to buy the dang hintbook
I'm a fairly accomplished PC gamer, and this game is still difficult for me. I never have finished despite starting it up several times. I really would like to finish the existing stories. :-/
Dude, ı played this game about 7-8 years old, and could'nt finished. And now I am 21, I barely finished the game yesterday, about 3 days. But the game is awesome.
me too.
These videos are so underrated (looking at the view count). I just remembered this videos exist, and it's exactly what I feel like watching now. Perfect blend of nostalgia and interesting background story.
I still remember the first time I played this. The intro animation was already like "am I watching a movie, wasn't this supposed to be a game" and when the camera pulled backwards I just stared at the screen for the longest time as my mind couldn't comprehend that it had seamlessly transitioned from the prerendered animation to gameplay. It was just mind-boggling. I replayed the beginning over and over and laughed in disbelief. I believe this was the first game I ever completed even though I had been a gamer since the early eighties. So captivating.
Watching this made me a better person. Thank God people like this are able to produce their work and influence others. I was floored when the first game came out. Tomorrow, I'm digging up the old PS1 and firing up the Oddysey for my daughter.
Beautiful story crafting and super inspiring. Glad you stuck to your guns Lorne, everyone who doesn’t understand the bigger idea will always try to shortcut it to get the work done. Your work on these was and is brilliant. I actually made a 3D sculpt of Abe before they announced New’n’Tasty, it was really cool that you liked it. It’s on my artstation for anyone who’s interested. Can’t wait for Soulstorm, my favorites were 1 and 2 (exoddus) I had no clue that Soulstorm is going back to your original vision. It looks beautiful and so dynamic. I noticed it's so colorful, it sounds weird but as a kid, I loved how drab, unsaturated, and depressing the industrial areas looked, they felt so real and cold. I’m looking forward to playing and working through the story of Soulstorm, great video and always inspiring.
That's amazing.
@@BBaaaaa Thank you!
I wish the inhabitants would make more games these days. I've always loved his games and felt he really understood what his audience wanted.
12:45 Hey, when i was a kid i was totally amazed on how quick this game loaded, btw. I did care and apreciated it.
Abe's Odddysee... I remember we got the demo with the PS1, I was 8 or 9. It scared me and literally stopped me from being able to sleep properly the next couple nights, but it was unforgettable and I couldn't stop going back.
The full game was incredible. The parable, the themes of consumption, profit, spirit. The game's atmosphere was sooo oppressive, industrial and borderline disturbing, but at the same time had fart humour, and this mysticism, spirit, hope. When Abe sees the mudokon hand in the moon and holds his up to to it... whoa, chills. Whoever did the sound design did a great job too. Such a memorable game.
What an absolute solid vision.
What a joy to find this on my front page. Lorne is a true maverick and artist of the videogame world. Thank you to all involved in making this video...
He thinks it's just a reflective story that's relatable.. Man, this was my childhood.
I’m 35 and never played these games - after this it’s time to change that.
Give Strangers Wrath a try.
I used to play all of these back on PS1 and XBOX. There's really nothing else like this series. I wish it would come back.
@@bassage13 I think it would be neat if Lorne introduced a third hero installment. He has Abe and Munch the slaves, Stranger the bounty hunter, what's next?
Munch’s odyssey is the best.
Enjoy! One of the all time greats.
'"If we give him a gun, then he's gonna solve every problem with a gun"
Very insightful for game design philosophy, among other things. Emphasizing that Abe saves more than he kills, and that he's rewarded for saving, also reminds me of Kojima's intention with Death Stranding, of making a game that emphasizes the "rope" more than the "stick"
congradulations on preserving the creative freedom of odd world, stranger's wrath was always my favorite
That classic intro line "This is Rupture Farms" still gives me goosebumps. It was so dark and atmospheric, amazing stuff.
Three sentences in and I already like this guy.
Oddworld, Soul Reaver, and Metal Gear Solid were my top 3 PS1 games as a kid ❤
Does anyone else want to give him a hug? Seriously though, he is inspirational and I entirely get his hope message. I love these games even more than I did before now.
I love the Oddworld games. I'm really looking forward to Soulstorm.
me too.
Because of this guy I can't wait any longer for a game I haven't been thinking about for 15 years.
hearing about that "just give him a gun" debate just... destroyed me a little inside. glad he didn't get a weapon, oddworld would probably exist as a single obscure game if it was just a platform shooter with puzzle elements
I like how Oddworld's inspiration comes from real world tragedy and events. It's a statement piece - but so well handled and fluid that it doesn't come across as "forced". Games and media back in the late 90s was an entirely different world from what it is today. I respect and admire the old ways - I wish media nowadays didn't feel so ham fisted or clumsy in their narratives or "voices"
Let's not forget nostalgia is also a part of why we loved these games so much back then but like in music and movies, games also became a product that does not need to be created with care to sell a lot.
If you take music for example, most of the tracks in the top 40 all basically sound the same and you have these artists that bring the create the same track a few times with some slight changes but it sells, people still listen to it on Spotify. I once commented on a video like this here on TH-cam and all the 12-13 year olds started to swear at me ;) It's not like in the old times where people actually needed to be real artists to create a great song.
The same goes for games. Great games like Fallout 2 and Little Big Adventure 2 sold around 200-300k units so the developers actually had to come up with something good. Nowadays a game has to be really terrible for it not to sell. People still defend a game like Fallout 76 or Anthem etc.
oh come on. It's Saturday morning cartoon levels of forced. The whole fun of it is how *in your face* it is about the eeeevil executives. The rose tinting is real with you.
Right! Oddworld was my fav game as a kid, and now that I know that it was based off real world tragedies, it's even more fantastic of a game.
@@Eunostos i think he means preaching and ruining the game and game play. like the guy in the interview said himself. they made funny death things as well. and stuff. they have their plot and narrative but arent acting like a lecture spanking you constantly for anything etc
thankfully indie games take up the mantle
So great to hear these stories about such a legendary game - I would've been 10 on its release, but can only really appreciate how ground breaking it was looking back today! It was the first game I bought for the PSX after playing the demo level on one of the Playstation magazines' free demo discs.
What a genius man i cant wait to eventually (hopefully) see squeeks odyssey someday as oddworld means the world to me and has since i was a kid
This is one of the games I remember most from my childhood. I never even owned the game, I could only play it at a family friend's house, but every time I went all I wanted to do was play this game. Proper masterpiece.
I met him in an elevator at Google, super cool friendly guy.
Holy shit I hadn't heard about the new game. This is exciting.
Found my new mentor... deep dude... i forgot about that game. You and Crash Bandicoot is the reason why I love Sony so much.
to this guys point, I have never forgotten this game through out the nearly 30 years of my life, and i took away the lesson it was trying to teach as a child, and its still one of my favorite titles of all time
This game world is, to this day, still one of the absolute best and most incredible. This is a game that my wife loves, who likes action platformers, and it's the first really dark/weird kind of game that she liked. This is a game I had my son play when he was old enough, and is the reason I still have a PS2 ready to go for my younger kids when they're old enough. It's so cool to hear details about a game that, honestly, I thought I'd never hear about again, along with reasons why certain delays and decisions were made. Great, great video, thanks!
Jesus soul-storm is the sequel... you know what that means boys! We still got three more oddworld games to go🤙🏼🤙🏼
munch oddysse is canon i think
From when I was 5 and still playing Oddworld games, a franchise of a lifetime.
Hell yeah Pimp!!!
My childhood revolved around Munch's odyssey for so long. Halo and Oddworld really got me into games. Glad to see it hasn't vanished without a trace
The intro for the PS1 version of Abe`s Oddysee is great to this day
I'll never forget the anxiety and horror of that opening scene with the camera going inside Paramonia's Temple. as a 12yo it was the most terrifying thing I've ever watched, now at almost 30 I remain deeply fascinated by those tall trees when I walk in Paramonia. You grow with the game, and you get deeply fond of these types of memories.
This tickled my nostalgia. Glad it was recommended.
The Oddworld games seriously had a profound impact on me throughout my childhood. It's so cool to watch an interview with the guy who made them happen.
Abe's Oddysee and Exoddus were some of my favourite games as a child. So glad they are finally getting the chance to do the rest of the quintology how they wanted to.
I still play Oddysee up to this day.. Thank you for this wonderful game.. Truly unique and lovable,,
I’m really glad I paid for new and tasty as soon as it dropped. He actually deserves to have had my money and that’s really rare in the game industry these days.
I remember getting Abe's Odyssey when I was a teenager and the concept of unlimited lives/tries was foreign af.
It was specifically advertised on the cover art/jewel case wasn't it?
I thought Exodus was an awesome game. So Soulstorm will be even more awesome
You are in my boat then.
It is.
@@VALDYVERSE its definitely NOT in the slightest
he ruined oddysee with new and tasty, and clearly learned nothing
@@TM-pi2rn Have you played Soulstorm?
Lorne: Abe can't hold a gun.
Developers: What about hand grenades?
Lorne: Bokay!
So I'm not the only one that hears it as "Bokay" too?
Hahaha
"Okay, but you have to time some of them so specifically if you don't throw it just right you might as well jump into that meat grinder and start that bit again" 😆
Loved this game so much as a kid. Fun and challenging.
We are all grateful to you for those wonderful stories about Abe!