Fan of the Month 06

Fan of the Month

This month we honor Sydney, the young Australian mastermind behind www.oddworldian.com. Check out his indepth interview, then check out his site -- it rivals our own for content and accuracy in all things Odd!

Q: What do you do in Australia?
SA: I'm a High School student in Sydney. Outside of gaming, my interests include art and design, tennis, pool and snooker. I'm also an "amatuer" animal rights activist.

Q: Who is your favorite Character?
SA: Abe because he's funny and goofy. He likes to think he's in control but he is not.

Q: What's your Favorite Environment?
SA Paramonia, I like the whole alpine feel to it, it feels like you are really there while playing.

Q: Who is your favorite "bad" guy?
SA: Molluck the Glukkon. He had a lot of mystery to him, he seemed more intelligent than other Glukkons.

Q: Did you finish Abe's Exoddus?
SA: I completed Abe's Exoddus but didn't manage to save all of the Mudokons. I did replay the game to see the alternate endings and it took about a week, playing a bit each day.

Q: What first attracted you to Oddworld games?
SA: Initially it was the visuals, the television advertisement showed weird and insane creatures that were beautifully designed. It looked like an interesting game, with the cover showing a frank-looking smiling alien face. I was curious, so I bought it.

Q: Why is it that Oddworld has stuck with you, more so than most (all?) other games? All of you have an interest in Oddworld that extends beyond the games themselves. Why is it that you're still so interested in Oddworld, when there hasn't been a new game released for the series in nearly two years?

SA: Oddworld stuck with me because it was more than just a game. The previous two have given us glimpses of a strange and beautiful world, it's obvious that the adventures of Abe were just the tip of the iceberg and Oddworld held so many untold stories that would be unbelievably entertaining to immerse yourself in. The gameplay was awesome. Platform games carried the misconception of being a "thing of the past," Oddworld completely destroyed this misconception with Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exoddus, the games are fun to play. The whole Oddworld mythology is great for escapism, you can get lost in the complexity of everything regarding these games. Oddworld is more like an entire seperate world - the games were just one way to express Oddworld and its many faucets.

Q: What does your family/friends/pets etc. think of your fascination with Oddworld?

SA: My family thinks Oddworld is cool, my parents will often use GameSpeak to communicate with me while I play. My friends also like Oddworld, although most of them are more into racing and sports games. My cat will often touch the screen with his paw as Abe walks across the television screen.

Q: What's the most interesting/fun thing about having an Oddworld site?

SA: Always being on top of the news, knowing what's going on in the world of your favorite game! On average I spend about four to six hours a week, which includes maintaining an Oddworld fan site and co-administrating Oddworld Forums (http://pub10.ezboard.com/boddworldian), as well as scouring the net and sifting through a lot of garbage in an effort to find a snippet of information concerning Oddworld! It often depends on how loud the community is humming at the time. I originally decided to create Oddworldian after browsing the web for Oddworld fan sites. The only one I could find was The Ultimate Guide to Oddworld (which has since closed down), so I started work on what would one day be known as Oddworldian. The site is now in its second stage of existence, having been in operation since February 2000.

Q: If Oddworld's games and company culture could be said to convey a message, what would you say that message is?

SA: Oddworld reflects society in a lot of ways. Abe is the average guy, nothing extremely special about him, he's just a happy floor waxer. We are shown the extent of greed and corporate evil, how entire races are enslaved for the sake of moolah and consumerism. We are also shown that the rebellion of that one average guy can make a huge difference for the better.

Q: Where do you see Oddworld in the future? Finally, how would you like to see the Oddworld saga end?

SA: It is going to get much more popular after Munch, but as a planet I think there will always be dilemmas happening of some sort.
End? I never want it to end in the sense of a storyline. It's a shame when a good television series finishes with all loose ends tied up and the characters live happily ever after. Even when the games stop being produced, I want the essence of adventure within Oddworld to remain alive, the struggle between consumerism and mysticism to continue despite Oddworld as a franchise being finished.
Other Favs:
Favorite film: Edward Scissorhands
Favorite food: Black Licorice
Favorite game: Any Oddworld Game!