Good Idea Bad Idea: Resident Evil

I've been wanting to discuss for the longest time two of my favorite horror series of all time. Resident Evil is the lesser of the two, but by no means any less fun to play or talk about. I want to tackle the mid-ground for the series though: we're not talking about the iconic classics of the Playstation era, or the abominable flops of the Gameboy Color and PS2 era (looking at YOU Dead Aim). Instead, I want to focus on the one that got a sequel it deserved, but not the attention.

Just look at that image. Such a fitting cover for the survival theme of this game.

Back when Capcom first decided to innovate the wheel that was survival horror for their series, they didn't go Over-The-Shoulder with Leon Kennedy; instead in 2003, they decided they wanted to release a game that had dynamic camera angles similar to Resident Evil: Code Veronica, a large, 8 character roster to choose from with their own distinct advantages and disadvantages in speed, health, infection rate and personal items, 40 extra characters that further change the stats and items of the original 8...tons of unlockables, from concept art to BGM music, extra modes and cut scenes...individual characters getting special cut scenes in certain chapters...

I even bought a collection of RE soundtracks just to find this one among many other tracks.

With every difficulty adding throwing something different into each chapter item-wise, this list goes on and on and ON. It's abundantly clear that the team at Capcom put their whole into this game, but they didn't stop there. Someone got REALLY ambitious, and decided that this Survival Horror game should go one step further in being unique, and utilize the HDD add-on for the PS2 (a story for another day) for something Resident Evil had not touched yet: "Online Play".

Outbreak was the first multiplayer Resident Evil game of the series, let alone online multiplayer. Now, take into account all the different characters available and 4 total spots for people to play in, and your gaming experience has tons of depth that prior games in the series couldn't hope to capture. While running a 4-Player game sounds like it'd ruin the tension, it doesn't. Once difficulty hits Hard or Very Hard, the ammo gets scarce and enemies get tougher, making teamwork all the more important. And when the health and ammo run out, and your virus gauge starts dipping into the red, it becomes a race to survive, desperately tackling past zombies and monsters alike to try to make it to the end before everyone dies.

Sounds great, right?

My face when I see the reviews.

Critical reviews would indicate otherwise. The majority of reviewers gave it scores around the B to C range, some even going so far to give it an F grade. Currently, the averages work out to 70%, 71% on Metacritic. Even if I'm being absolutely unbiased, I couldn't go lower than a B. The only thing keeping this game from an A-grade rely on two factors: The finicky behavior of the AI, and the complete inability to communicate with your team once you start playing.

That second part is the biggest problem. I get why it exists, but it shows why Outbreak is both a brilliant game and yet, one that couldn't work given the theme the creators were going for. They didn't want the tension to break under the weight of coordinated communication, which is the strongest asset a group of survivors could ever have. "You go with X to get Y and I'll go with Z to get J for door F....I have # of bullets, you have # of healing items, I have # of melee weapons, lets shuffle them around real fast..."

The ability to quickly communicate and organize items can kill any tension fast. However...the exchange for this was the communication wheel of commands. The right analog stick with or without L2 shouted a series of commands to generally address people. "Go, Wait, Come, Help, Name 1-2-3, Thanks". This did not add to the fear, it just gave us unrelenting frustration. We yelled commands that people might not have understood, implying things they might not do once an objective was reached.

Given the circumstances of easier difficulties, the fear is undercut already by ease of obtaining weapons and ammunition to survive with. Tension comes not from a lack of communication but figuring out the level before you die. On harder difficulties, where precise teamwork is necessary, the players already KNOW the game well enough to not feel fear, just the tension of survival in a minimalistic environment. You don't NEED the artificial difficulty of using a chat wheel.

You want to know how you could've alleviated this problem? Allowing the keyboard to be used to type out messages. That way, you could at least had the option to type things out. Even if you were REALLY being adamant about communication being non-negotiable, then just allow it to be used only in "safe" rooms, the rooms where typewriters normally are in single-player. That way, you allow players to regroup and understand what the situation is among fellow players.  This is a game where if someone failed to go to one room a hell-of-a-long way away to get x or y items, you could be sidetracked a good twenty minutes.

Worse, imagine if they died with a key item. Imagine they died with a key item on very hard mode. Do you understand the ramifications of this in games where the maps can be fairly large? You now have to:

A: Complete the objective you were supposed to along the way.
B: Backtrack to where the other objective is.
B2: If the objective is an item AND the player took it, find him and save him.
C: Survive with limited ammunition/health BACK to where you were supposed to do this in the first place.
D: Not chew your own face off with severe loading times taking 6~8 seconds per screen transition....this adds up. A lot.
E: Continue on and hope this doesn't happen a second time...and hopefully you have the ability to still win with what supplies you managed to keep.

Be reasonable: you know survivors in a situation like this are likely to have SOME form of communication. Kevin and Mark are more than likely to have a radio, maybe even Jim. David has the handy-man skills to fix a SHOTGUN, don't tell me he couldn't fix up a radio or two for the group. Worse, when you die, you aren't allowed to even watch the rest of the game. You died, here's your game over screen.

Outbreak is great in the fact that its got depth. But one simple design choice killed its multiplayer twice over...and realistically speaking, it shouldn't have at all. How many Youtube Gamers have filmed themselves using multi-chat programs? Even back in 2003 Ventrilo existed...it was an unnecessary handicap then and it shouldn't ever have reared its ugly head in the sequel.

This franchise ended with File #2, which wrapped up all the loose ends of the Raccoon City game (I'm not even going to dignify Operation Raccoon City). It showed how the information about Umbrella was leaked and what sparked the events of Resident Evil 4 (yes Outbreak had the bad Yoko/Alyssa ending but I'm counting the good Yoko ending from #2). I could bitch about ORC, but I'm dropping it.

Good Idea: Take Resident Evil and throw it online, and add tons of depth to characters, weapons, costumes etc.

Bad Idea: Not take into account the limitations of the technology, and impose a terrible communication system for "fake" fear and tension.


Outbreak was a game ahead of its time...which is a shame. The PS3 would've solved any lingering online issues. It doesn't matter these days; in early 2007, the official servers were closed. Word on the web is that people have tried to emulate the servers themselves, but I haven't found anything concrete. Maybe in the future, the ability to emulate off of a console or PC will become possible, and people may be able to enjoy this game free of the inhibitions of poor load times and communication flaws. Until then, its a solid single-player game, and worth picking up. Both are easy to buy at prices for $10 or less. So for the die-hard Resident Evil fan, or a casual Survival Horror gamer, its well worth a look.

3D Syndrome OR "How 3D Killed Franchises" (Part 2)

Following Ecco the Dolphin's success, we get a sequel that does what every sequel should: build upon the original. Everything about Ecco was tweaked in some form or another; the levels were better designed, many involving unique aspects to them, such as the addition of darkness, "sky tubes", or relative gravity. The controls were improved mildly, and further allowed Ecco to jump off rocks, which were the #1 source of frustrating jumps in Ecco The Dolphin.

Not counting the awesome ice sliding, which is strangely gone from Tides of Time.

The graphics received the biggest improvement, with Ecco getting a makeover along with a lot of the other sprites. It also features some truly stylistic level design both under the water and above. Words can't describe it, so have a couple more screenshots.

Yeah. For a Genesis game, its absolutely gorgeous.

The auto-scrolling levels are used more, most notably in "travel scenes" to replace and replicate the level of "Open Ocean" from Ecco 1. At the same time, each travel level introduces a new obstacle, to keep them from being too repetitive. Does it work? Not exactly. But I'm not going to fault the game too hard for them, since some of them are fun and challenging, notably the one that takes place at night. And thankfully, they included a mini "Not as Dickish" Welcome To The Machine level.

In all its H. R. Geiger glory...

Intriguingly, there exists files of the game where there was supposed to be an extra level, possibly cut to meet deadlines or keeping with certain themes of the game. I say the latter because it appears to be an internal level, fitting in with the vortex future...however, it could've been a good opener to the vortex future levels. There were unique, unused sprites in it as well, including a metal spear and a robotic dolphin.

What is it with Ecco and Sonic having these parallels? All Ecco needed was a two-finned sidekick and a dreadlock-wearing octopus pal to round everything up...

This game holds a special place in my childhood, because,

1. Ecco the Dolphin scarred my fragile mind as a kid, and has left me with a phobia of oceans to this very day
2. Had some of the best music ever (See below, with one of my favorites to start. But almost any song will do. As a bonus, I've also included a prototype song.)
3. Had some of the coolest graphics ever (already QED)
4. Was one of the most unique experiences the console had to offer.

Tides of Time was also slated to have a sequel, and even had a password given to use in it; however, Ecco 3 never saw the light of day. And Ecco fell to the wayside for the most part, only being seen on the Sega CD (with an improved soundtrack) partly forgotten in the next generation of consoles (the PSX N64 era). I used to think as a kid, that Ecco would totally kick ass on a 3D platform, being able to explore gorgeous, underwater scenery...a spin through a sunken city of Atlantis, or high in the Vortex Future skies...down in the deep freeze of the icy north...You name any level from the Ecco series, it could have been amazing in a 3D setting. Yes, even Welcome To The Machine.

It wouldn't be till the PS2 that Ecco would resurface in his 3D debut...

3D Syndrome OR "How 3D Killed Franchises" (Part 1)

Ah, the Genesis.

A simpler time. 16 bits and all the Blast Processing you'd ever want.

Lets get one thing straight; the SNES is better, but the Genesis will always remain my favorite. Not for lack of trying mind you; the SNES had plenty of good games, from the Mega Man X series to Final Fantasy 6, Chrono Trigger, F-Zero...it did a lot of things right and pushed the envelope of how far you can take a game. And I'll give it the better sound quality as well. But Genesis was no slouch either. It had plenty of great games, plenty of silly games, plenty of "damn, thats pretty cool" games.

Hell yeah.

 But that's not why I'm writing this.

This was a time when 2D reigned supreme. And some franchises understood this: Mega Man has kept the 2D straight into the X series, 8, 9, 10...from the NES to the PS2, it knew what worked and kept it.

And a couple games...well.

Lets just say one blue skinned, sound-named entity didn't get quite such a good treatment...the transition from 2D to 3D was rough, making the fight against a technologically advanced enemy all the harder with tough controls, less-fluid gameplay and generally, an inferior product from what it used to be.

I'm talking of course about Ecco the Dolphin.

You poor blue bastard...

 Who? Sonic? Oh him. Yeah he's down here too. But Sonic fared much better than Ecco. He survived Sonic 06', Sonic Unleashed and Shadow the Hedgehog. Ecco? Ecco got the shaft during his 3D transition.

Lets wind the clocks back about twenty years. Ecco just hit store shelves on a warm July in 1993, and not too long after that, came to be in the possession of our family. It was a quirky 2D game no doubt, as he was probably the first dolphin hero to be created for a video game. Between him and the hyperactive hedgehog, the Genesis touted quite a few unorthodox blue-themed animal heroes.

Right down to an opossum in blue armor that had a friggin jetpack. I mean REALLY.

But Ecco was different. It was a game that had a wicked awesome plot, delving into the depths of the ocean to proceed on toward your goal of finding out what happened to your family that was sucked up by a hurricane that happened every 500 years...you find the origins of life on the earth, hit up the lost city of Atlantis, travel back in time, and get kidnapped by aliens.

Tell me that isn't a batshit awesome concept. A time-traveling, alien-fighting dolphin...who also happened to yell at his ancestors on land to come into the water in the first place.

Genesis did what NintenDIDN'T...gave your kid mental scarring for entering NNNNNNNN as a password.

So good of a concept, it got a sequel

A GOOD sequel.

NES - Conveyance? (Part 1)

While wandering the halls of Youtube again, I re-watched Egoraptor's Sequelitis in regards to Mega Man and Mega Man X, which also touched upon the poor conveyance that Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde had in "what the hell is going on". And on that same train of thought, I realized that the advent of roms and emulators have exacerbated that same problem of conveyance.

Granted, the Internet has since fixed "poor conveyance" like a boss. Even Pumpkinhead.

But lets say for the sake of the hypothetical, you're a kid pre-Internet craze, and you buy or trade a game off one of your friends or from a garage sale. Its just the cartridge, straight up. You pop it in your NES console, not knowing squat about anything. The obvious disadvantage has existed since the days of Atari:

What the fuck IS all this?

Yeah. Almost always, the issue is the visuals. Not always controls, since its four directions and four buttons; I'm sure even a hyperactive kid can figure out "jump", "shoot" and "run" for Super Mario. But visuals usually pertained to power ups, hazards, and enemies...however, if you lacked a game booklet, you wouldn't know who or what something is.. Some games got around that; Ghosts and Goblins had clear indications. Knight statues gave you points, weapons were weapons. There weren't obvious traps except the wizard that popped up. But even then, most games made clear indications that "he's a bad guy" or "you shouldn't pick that up". See Super Mario Bros. : The Lost Levels for their "poison mushroom".

X-men for the NES, on the other hand...had a power down that wasn't clear in the slightest, froze you, and didn't tell you squat why. Nothing on screen told you, and that's....fine. It was the NES, I say its the console not catering to you due to its limitations at the time.

But you want to know what the freakiest thing is?

LJN...I have to say. Their games may suck, but take ONE look at their booklet. Just...its AMAZING.

All booklets I post here are from Digital Press Library.

Go ahead, load that image up. Its credit where credit is due. I'm giving credit to LJN. I'm playing devil's advocate and you CAN'T STOP ME. 

Okay credit over.

The game is terrible, but the "conveyance" of the NES years? It was typically in the booklets. Good or bad games, both had the same thing going. Legend of Zelda is virtually a game guide that avoids spoiling the "secrets", like destructible walls and movable rocks. But items, weapons, enemies, plot? All in there, same as LJN's Uncanny X-Men. Granted, Legend of Zelda has better mechanics, graphics, sound and overall execution...but if we're going by the booklet, LJN put forth everything you needed to know, right down to the awkward style of their power-ups.

To properly convey Uncanny X-men: "Its a shitty game with a pretty book."

It's unbelievably hilarious to me. Bad games have good conveyance outside of them. Deadly Towers? It alludes to the parallel zones, and their entrances being invisible. Dirty Harry? Bosses are described, and hints that people will help you (though jumping and eating to chili dogs to "talk" to them might've been helpful to know). Milon's Secret Castle tells you to shoot to find hidden objects. Predator is an ugly-looking game, but it tells you about its power-ups, "big mode", and how the game works. Winter Games? It tells you how to do tricks and stunts by holding down certain directions for certain tricks.

Even...I can't believe I'm saying this. Even Action 52. Action 52 had the..."decency"... to cover each of the 52 games, even though its simply the controls and the plot in a sentence or two...translated six times over.

You now know the plot of these shitty games in SIX LANGUAGES. 312 different ways!

Though, to counteract this, its really kind of funny they ask $2 a pop for game guides per game. Hey I just dropped $200 on this, you really ought to give me the manual. Could you imagine an Action 52 Deluxe Edition? For only $300, you get a complete game manual to all these games! And a cheap-o Cheetahmen action figure I suppose, just to entice the kiddies.

Now why did I bother writing this article? It can be viewed as an addendum to my Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde defense; the booklet held the answers, though not all of the ones you may ask for Dr. Jekyll's side of the game. But the lightning, most of the enemies overall...it was in the booklet. And really, that's the other way to view it. It's been the first and last line of conveyance for players since the start, and has continued to be within new games. 

In the best of games? In the booklet. In the shittiest of games? In the booklet.

Though good conveyance doesn't FIX a bad game per se...

All the conveyance in the world ain't saving this game.

Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde (NES) - How Good Design Goes Bad

Wait. Go back and re-read that title.

Y'do so?

Good.

Now put down the pitchfork. And the chainsaw.

He likes something that the AVGN called shit! GET HIM!

Actually, the AVGN is right. Again, go back and re-read that. Whether or not James himself was aware of it, the AVGN is right on both fronts (here's a Refresher in case you need it). The booklet itself affirms this.

The game was designed like this. It seriously was. Dr. Jekyll, being non-confrontational but constantly annoyed, being pushed to the edges of human patience, eventually transforming into Hyde, who tears the world around him a new one. Hence, why Dr. Jekyll is frustrating to play as if you treat it like any other 2D platformer or adventure game.

He's only human. He has to abide by the law, take the rude shoves and childish slingshots in stride, the accidents that would ruin his clothes (it IS his wedding day), avoid the murderous intent of some (the mad bomber)...it is intentionally designed to be frustrating. Really, think of it as the most rudimentary form of survival horror.

Okay, maybe not THAT rudimentary...

Its also why Hyde is much more like a game, since he's allowed the freedom to do whatever he wants. No more rules of society, unbound evil allowed to rampage and tear (inner) demons a new one. He's catharsis for what you put up with on a day to day basis, and when you play him, you feel better than when you play as Jekyll. But alas, all good evil things come to an end... and you must become good to maintain societal norms, calmed down from the annoyances of the everyday nonsense.

And perhaps that's why the good ending is the way it is. You have to maintain a constant balance between venting and tolerating. Venting too much evil, and undeniably society will strike you down (like lightning, electric chair style). Tolerating too much, and the subconscious is just waiting to snap. You have to have the catharsis to maintain your good nature, without letting it interfere with your life.

The last level is the only time Hyde can surpass Jekyll, taking to the rooftops. Symbolic of a different path, the fork in the road that one takes when marriage is looming a few blocks ahead, the penultimate capstone in your life...everything changes. Responsibilities are added. Children are added to the mix. You become something new, and if you have any past baggage hounding you, chances are it'll ruin your marriage at the end of it all.

And chances are you'll wind up indecisive and meandering, with meaningless relationships. Hey, lets make a game out of that idea! Forget Symbolism, lets go with Dualism!

Forgive the pun, but sometimes...you gotta face your inner demons head on.

The most epic of final bosses. A face.

If I'm being disgustingly honest, I like this game. I'm the kind of person who likes a challenge, and Dr. Jekyll is, at its core, fundamentally solid. Its just the design that would put most people off. Nobody wants to be a human with no means to defend himself, forcibly having to avoid common annoyances like the plague. They feel like they SHOULD have the option to use the cane on everything, or have a machine gun with infinite ammo, or a sword to cut away the enemies that lay before them. Games are supposed to be "fun" like that.

I SHOULD BE ABLE TO THROW FIRE AND GO DOWN PIPES TO SKIP LEVELS.

But Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde doesn't cater to you. Its like the Demon's Souls of its time, letting you figure out the best way to navigate through all the obstacles given your limitations. That can put a lot of people off, especially children who were expecting a game where they played a scary monster who threw around psycho waves.

Again, at its core, I don't feel like Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde for the NES is flawed. There are games that are much more flawed at their core: nearly anything related to LJN, for example. I respect the gamble that they took; honestly, who would make a game out of such an idea? Its not like Frankenstein or Dracula where you're, by default, a monster. This is a human and a monster in constant struggle for dominance, and they played with the idea. I respect that kind of innovation, especially for an NES game.

Its not perfect. But its not a "shitty fuckin' game".

Oddworld Then And Now: How Design Choices Can Affect a Game (Part 2)

So, that brings us to 2013. Roughly sixteen years since the release of Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, we're receiving an HD remake that does one key thing different.

Well, okay, ASIDE from having some really kick ass graphics.

The rooms are all connected. That was one of the key defining aspects of PSX Oddworld games, and clearly some of the rooms were designed around that gap stalling the Sligs from shooting you, stopping you from possessing them, or making you react to snap decisions. Exoddus' flaws came from the addition of mechanics that weren't necessary. New 'n' Tasty gives me the impression that how the game plays could be radically different.

Lets take the most basic obstacle of Oddysee: Pits.

I IMMEDIATELY REGRET THIS DECISIOOOOooooon.........

Did I say "obstacle"? I meant "integral mechanic". Pits were dual function in Oddworld: they hid secrets and they also made you do snap decisions as the screen transitioned, running for your life from a Paramite or Scrab...

One way or the other, one of these two beasts would tear into you... 

or you would make one false step and go plummeting to your doom...

But the false step only occurred from not knowing what lay ahead. With all the rooms seamless, you now have the foresight to see whats coming up. Those pit obstacles lose a lot of oomph because of this. The "secrets" may get away with this, as the camera can be focused higher up than the room itself. But what about secret ledges?

How about a different obstacle: the Sligs.

FREEZE!

"What about them?" You may ask. Well...Abe has the ability to possess them. And he could only possess them while they were on screen. Sometimes, you couldn't, as they would run off-screen. But now there is a much bigger distance to "off-screen". How far can they be for me to possess them? How close must they be before they shoot you on sight?

 We talking "sight about as good as a genome soldier" or...?

What about the security orbs, that stopped Abe from chanting? Will they have a range?

Range of your shots? Because you sometimes had to warn mudokons of your shots before you opened fire on another slig.

Remember, this is ONE dynamic being changed, and it has caused a ripple effect throughout the entire design of the original game. The limitations of the console meant that the game had to be built around loading transitions, but now that you've removed it you have to completely redesign the obstacles that Abe faced.

Now, this isn't to say that New 'n' Tasty will be bad. It probably did cross the minds of the people working on the game to update the challenges somewhat to reflect the lack of transitions.

I'm just hoping that they keep the design tight and localized to certain areas in much the same way as the original. We'll have to wait and see come the holiday season.

Oddworld Then And Now: How Design Choices Can Affect a Game (Part 1)

Back in 1997, a quirky puzzle platformer was released onto the Playstation. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee was a 2D game that revolved around your character Abe, a Mudokon who worked in a meat-processing plant called Rupture Farms, finding out that Mudokons would be the next product up for sale. It was up to you and your wits to roll, jump, sneak, possess and blow up anything that got in your way, while simultaneously saving 99 of your Mudokon friends from the meat grinders.

Or not. Collateral damage with the Sligs wielding machine guns and whatnot.

It was a well-made, immersive puzzle game that had everything in the right amounts. It added new mechanics at set intervals throughout the game, incorporating the older elements to keep the challenges fresh and engaging. It was naturally a bit of a hit, so a sequel came out in 1999, Abe's Exoddus.

With the remake of this game coming up soon, I figure its a good time to analyze what the trailer implies in comparison to its older PSX version. The issue of game mechanics also applies to the sequel... so lets cover Exoddus first.

 Not helping is the game wants you to get drunk before playing.

I don't like Exoddus as much as Oddysee. The reason being is that Exoddus strains the fun of the mechanics, and doesn't do as much to change the dynamics. It does add a few new tricks, but some are pointless. However, the biggest flaw of the game is the change to the mudokon count: over triple the number to save. 300 mudokons  to save increases the amount of secrets to find, and it also increases the tedious nature of the game.

Imagine playing this game without a guide, trying to go for a perfect run of all 300 mudokons. Even though the factory areas give you signs that indicate how many you've saved, killed, or have yet to find. it is an extremely tedious game to hunt out 300, let alone 99. Miss just one and you have to start all over. 98 may be a heartbreak, but Oddysee is much shorter in this regard. Imagine getting 299 and losing out at the end, and not having the slightest clue which one you missed amid the areas you've been to.

At best, its tedium, using a guide to figure out the when where and how. At worst, its utter frustration, even more directionless than you would've been in the previous game; you would've saved 28 of the 100 in the first area alone.

 The game also tells you that it'll kill them off, incentive for exploring the first area thoroughly.

You would've saved 40 before you even got to the first two temples. Rupture Farms 1, The Stockyard, nothing in the hub for Paramonia and Scrabania...or even in the two outer areas. A few in the temples themselves, and the bigger bulk in all the Zulags at the end when you've mastered the majority of obstacles. It was the right size and the right amount of areas. Not too long, but not too short or easy. Stretching the same level of difficulty over a longer length with semi-pointless mechanics is just draining.

Some of the mudokon "moods" and conditions are redundant, if not pointless. Blind mudokons were interesting at least, forcing you to keep track of their positioning and commanding them more to avoid hazards. Angry and Sad mudokons are virtually the same (except for one difference, more on that in a second), requiring Abe to just pat them on the shoulder to cooperate. Cooperate. With the guy trying to rescue them. From torture and death.

Oh...he was trying to free me from a lifetime of hardship. Whoops.

Mudokons are kind of bizarre like that. Its not like they shouldn't know him, since the game makes it well known that Abe is a wanted "terrorist", freeing all the employees. This is on top of the fact that he's been blessed with the sacred powers of the Shrykull. Which is nothing terribly important...except being kind of a deity to them. But I digress.

UNLIMITED POWER!!!!

At least the laughing gas had the excuse of drugging them, and making their actions as risky as blind mudokons, but at the same time, it was only an issue sometimes. Sick was just an extension of the mechanic which required Abe to find a shaman to give him a song from the previous game. Not terribly necessary, but at least sensible hindrances to a guy trying to save you. Lets face it, a hangover makes everyone a touch cranky.

The biggest kicker is that most if not all of these conditions do not prevent mudokons from jumping into bird portals to escape. They only force you to slow down and apologize/slap them, which makes the game LONGER. Its an artificial mechanic, all fluff and mostly pointless. Angry and blind were some of the only necessary ones, adding sick just for the sake of plot. I do remember one puzzle where angry mudokons puts you on a time limit, since they are shown to manipulate levers (which operate obstacles) and hit other mudokons when mad (to the point where they will kill each other eventually). But had the "emotions" been kept more focused, or made more unique, the puzzles could've followed suit, such as creating time limits that weren't always slow-moving bone saws.

Its not like all the mechanics are bad. New forms of motion sensors, a new variant on the guards that fly, the ability to possess more wildlife (and more wildlife in general)...the best additions were a quicksave and the ability to command all the mudokons at once. Had they not done so, moving 300 individuals one at a time would've been absolutely dull. 

Its not a bad game, and it kept building upon the Oddworld universe (which, thankfully, isn't entirely dead). It had more cut scenes, and it innovated just enough to keep it good. It just lacked the tight design that the original had.