Once Upon a Time in Oddworld
By Hardcore
Howdy, pardner. You done moseyed yourself over to the Hardcorner, where we're mangling purt-near every dang-blasted cowboy cliché we can scrape off our boots, and we just can't seem to stop. We're like them things with the horns that all start running at the same time, a stampede or whatever. Tarnation, y'all! Little doggie and so forth …
Oddworld Inhabitants is a development house after Hardcore's own heart. They could have been content to make one of the most original, best-looking games on Xbox® (or any other system for that matter) with the Xbox-exclusive Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath™. They could have ramped the difficulty down a bit, gone easy on you, and let you get to the game's shocker of a plot twist without facing boss after merciless boss, each one tougher than the last. But, if they had, it wouldn't have beenOddworld—and it definitely wouldn't be so utterly hardcore.
Stranger stays out of sight.
Hardcore's All-Purpose Boss Tips
Oddworld Stranger's Wrath is one tough hombre of a challenge throughout, not counting the tutorial level. That's going to be the last time this game goes easy on you, and the last boss that's going to fall for something as simple as Bolomites. Each boss requires a unique strategy, but no matter which bounty you're bringin' in, here are a few things to keep in mind.
This Ain't Impossible
Keep telling yourself that, buddy. There is a way to get past this sucker. You've just got to find it. After the first few bounties, plan on a reload or two. On your first attempt, keep an eye out for environmental hazards like fan blades or open flames that can help you take down the bad guys.
It's the Stamina, Stupid
Nobody likes dead bounties. They stink up the jail, and they're just plain messy. Bring 'em back alive, Boxleitner-style, by wearing down their stamina. Don't worry so much about their health. When the stamina's gone, it's time to bounty!
Stock Up on Ammo
Better yet, set some ammo aside for future use. Most boss fights take place near a few clusters of free-range ammunition that you're probably going to need, but if you're busy zapping new ammo instead of evading and fighting the enemy, you've already lost. Instead, cut loose and shoot all the ammo you can find while you're still out of sight of the boss. It'll stay on the ground for you to pick it up—probably while you're running away.
Fan blades can cut you and your bounty in half.
Upping the Ante
So, Stranger's Wrath still isn't hard enough for you, you challenge-hungry gamer, you? No problem. One of the beautiful things about the design of the latestOddworld is that you have a lot of leeway in how you accomplish just about anything. To name a simple example, you can shoot the exploding barrels from a distance and make them explode, or you can punch them with a melee attack and blow yourself to kingdom come. Same basic action, very different results. If you're breezing through the game, then A) you probably designed it and B) consider throwing in the following challenges:
Wanted Alive or Alive
Killing is the coward's way out, or so I've heard. In this game, killing is also the poor man's way out. Live captures are always the way to go, though they're never easy (except that first one). Bringing in a dead bounty is robbing money out of your own pocket. Besides, any old body can blow up the bad guy. It takes a hardcore gamer to take live prisoners.
Stealth, Stealth, Stealth
Between bosses, Stranger runs into more than his fair share of rascals and low-lives that want to turn him into Stranger stew. Often an aggressive, crossbow blazing approach is enough to take most grunts (and even mobs of grunts) out of the picture—violating the previous "live capture" rule, for that matter. The wise, well-paid bounty hunter makes use of cover, Chippunks, and well-placed Fuzzle traps to pick enemies off one at a time.
Live bounties mean more moolah for the store.
Nothin' but Zappflies
The one ammo that will never run (or fly or roll) out on you isn't particularly strong, but has many uses other than simple barrel-igniting and trigger-switching. It's also an effective, long-range club. If you can make it through even the first town without ever switching out the Zappers (we'll go easy on you and let you change ammo on the second trigger), you should probably be writing this column. You can't, but you should. Perhaps …
That's all the 'core that's fit to hard for this installment. Next time: Hardcore fights an actual buffalo in a Texas-style cage match! For the children!
