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volume 1, issue 9

Today in loonygames:

New!! The Archives have been cleaned up, fead links fixed, and printable versions restored! Also, don't miss the new comments on the front page!

Livin' With The Sims: theAntiELVIS explores the wild and wacky world that is Will Wright's The Sims, asking the inevitable quesiton, "is The Sims the first step toward a virtual life where everyone is Swedish?"

Pixel Obscura: Josh Vasquez on Omikron: The Nomad Soul.

Real Life: Check out our newest comic strip, Real Life! Updated daily!

User Friendly: Updated daily!

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The Bargain Bin: Reviews of games you can actually afford to buy.

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From the Mouth of Madness:
It's an Odd, Odd World

By Jason "loonyboi" Bergman

What's up this week in loonygames? Ask our editor.

n my never-published review of the original Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, I said the following:

"Despite its technological shortcomings, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee is quite possibly one of the most fun, and overall best damn games ever made. The fact that many people will be turned off from the game based upon the fact that it is 2D is a crime, and one that should be prosecuted. To the death."

I meant it then, and I mean it now.

This week's interview, "Gettin' Odd with the loonies" is one that I set out to do the minute I heard the rumor that the fine folks at Oddworld Inhabitants had licensed the Unreal engine for their next game, Munch's Oddysee.

Yet another Unreal license may not sound like much to many people, but when you consider just who these guys are, you're likely to be pretty damn psyched by the possibilities. I certainly was (and remain so).

You see, while many of the Unreal engine games coming out in the next few years are likely to be the same old first person shooter type game, (and there's certainly nothing wrong with that) I have literally no idea what those Oddballs are cooking up. But after conducting that interview, I'm dying to know more. Here's hoping we get some info about this game...and fast. ;)

Since my review of the first game was never published (it remains on my hard drive, however...perhaps I'll run it as a sidebar when I write my review of their newest concoction: Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus) I never got to publicly state just how much I loved the first game. So I'll do so here.

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee is one of the most unique games I've ever played. It's a side-scroller, yes...and it has a sort of puzzle-based gameplay, but that's just about where all existing concepts end. The game is completely unique...its sense of storytelling, the characters, the incredible speech system, all of these things come together to form a cohesive whole that is unlike anything else out there. If you haven't played the game, do yourself a favor and do so. Now. Or I'll be forced to hunt you down like so many unfortunate Mukudons. ;)

What else is on tap here at loonygames this week? We've got some great stuff for your reading pleasure...including the premiere of "Graphic Content", our brand new column by Chris Buecheler, the author of our recent article, "DRAW, Pardner!". Chris' new column is a 2D art tutorial series, and he kicks things off with a stylin' texture tutorial. Be sure to drop by on Wednesday to check it out.

You may notice some minor changes around here in the next few days...that little pulldown menu being the most obvious. What do you think? I've been adding one of those to each column (most have it, the rest should be getting it soon). Is it a godsend? Is it horrible? Drop us a line and let us know.

Also, please let me know what else you'd like to see here at loonygames. What would you like to see? We've got some exciting things a brewin', but we can't do it right unless we know what the readers want from a gaming magazine.

Lastly, this week, I wanted to take a minute and mention last week's Big, Big, News. Yes, we have joined the Blue's News "Network" (if there really is such a thing). Blue and I have been friends for a while, and when he suggested that, I felt that we really fit together in a way no two hosted sites really do. Think about it: we've got all articles, and no news. Blue's News has all news, and rarely (if any) any articles. Seems like a perfect fit, huh? I certainly thought so. What did you think? Drop a line to feedback with your thoughts.

Well kids, that's it for this week...as usual, we've got lots of stuff coming...stay tuned!

This Week in loonygames:

Monday: Interview: Gettin' Odd with the loonies!

Tuesday: Thinking Outside the Box, Pixel Obscura

Wednesday: Code on the Cob, Graphic Content (new!)

Thursday: The Bargain Bin, Guest Editorial ("Rowan 'Sumaleth' Crawford")

Friday: Community Profile, The MailBag

- Jason "loonyboi" Bergman is the editor-in-chief of loonygames.

Credits: From the Mouth of Madness logo illustrated by and is © 1998 Dan Zalkus. From the Mouth of Madness is © 1998 Jason Bergman. All other content is © 1998 loonyboi productions. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited, you naughty boy, you.