E3 2011: Oddworld coming to Vita

Oddworld is getting a new lease on life. Developer Just Add Water announced on its Twitter feed today that Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee and Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath--already planned for release on the PlayStation 3--are coming to the Vita as well. At one time, Stranger's Wrath was set to launch on the PS2. "Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee and Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath coming to PS Vita this holiday season, with cross platform cloud saves," the studio posted. An Xbox launch title in 2001, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee was an action platformer and the series' first foray into the world of 3D. For the 2005 release of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath, original developer Oddworld Inhabitants took the series in a new direction. A spin-off from the franchise's core "quintology," Stranger's Wrath combined first-person shooter and third-person shooter mechanics in an Old West-inspired setting. The Oddworld series was first launched in 1997 and is best known for its juvenile sense of humor, socially conscious themes, and platforming gameplay. Two games were released on the PlayStation, and in 2000, the studio signed a deal with Microsoft to publish titles exclusively for the Xbox. While Munch's Oddysee made it to market under the Microsoft banner, the partnership with the console maker dissolved before Stranger's Wrath was finished. Electronic Arts picked the game up in 2004 as part of its EA Partners program. At the time, EA had announced the game for release on the PlayStation 2 as well, though that version never materialized. Oddworld Inhabitants confirmed its withdrawal from game development soon thereafter.