PS3 Stranger's Wrath set for summer

The HD revamp of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath was originally set to hit the PlayStation Network for Easter, but the second coming of the 2005 Xbox shooter missed that window. However, those looking forward to the Western-themed spin-off's return won't have to wait too much longer, as Oddworld Inhabitants confirmed on its Facebook page that the remake is now set to launch this summer.

When it launches, the biggest change for the remake will be the addition of 720p high-definition graphics. The PlayStation 3 edition of Stranger's Wrath will also incorporate PlayStation Move support, visual bells and whistles like normal mapping and self-shadowing, and "remastered dialogue." The technical quality of the voice samples in the original game was a point of criticism in GameSpot's original review for the title.

The HD changes will also be added into the PC edition of Stranger's Wrath, which is already available. As for an Xbox 360 version, Oddworld Inhabitants has said it is trying to get Microsoft to accept the project for publication on its console, but the final decision is out of its hands.

Stranger's Wrath is the first Oddworld project from UK-based developer Just Add Water, but it won't be the last. In July, the studio announced that it would be working on multiple Oddworld projects for multiple platforms. Oddworld Inhabitants has also said it plans to have a pair of PSN releases this year. Earlier this year, Oddworld Inhabitants' cofounder Lorne Lanning announced that an HD version of the series' first installment, Abe's Oddysee, was in production.

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. Oddworld produced the 3D platformer Munch's Oddysee as a launch title, but 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 and launched it the next year, but Oddworld Inhabitants confirmed its withdrawal from game development soon thereafter.