New details on next Oddworld game

The recent Discovery Channel documentary X-Factor: Inside Microsoft's Xbox gave viewers a glimpse of a few games currently in development for Microsoft's console. One of the games featured was Oddworld Inhabitants' upcoming Oddworld game, which appears to be taking a distinctly different approach from its predecessors. The relatively weak and bumbling protagonists of the previous Oddworld games have been replaced by an enormous and powerful beast--or actually a mixture of beasts, including a gorilla, a lion, and Clint Eastwood--named Steef, who happens to be a crossbow-equipped bounty hunter. In addition, the structure of the gameplay has apparently changed from being a puzzle-oriented game to a faster-paced mixture of first-person and third-person action.

Interestingly, we contacted Oddworld Inhabitants to find out if the footage featured in the documentary provided an accurate picture of the direction the game's development is headed, and a company representative said that the next Oddworld game is still officially under wraps and that the developer is letting the documentary footage stand for itself. In addition, the company doesn't want to comment on whether the approach the development team appears to be taking will change at all before the game is announced.

We'll post more details as they become available.