and on November 13, 2013, in Japan. An Onlive version was also released in 2011. Reception Upon its release in 1997, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee received mostly positive reviews. Edge described the game as "a tight 2D platformer that's packed with great innovative touches and some great character design". GameSpot called it "the ideal platformer, balancing its action and puzzle elements perfectly to make the game intelligent, engaging, and, best yet, fun". Animation World Magazine applauded multiple aspects of the game, saying it "features some of the best graphics and animation we've ever seen" and commenting on the "sophisticated gameplay". GamePro gave it a perfect 5.0 out of 5 for graphics and sound and a 4.5 out of 5 for control and funfactor, asserting that it "bursts onto the scene with the kind of unique gameplay and killer graphics that will rocket it straight into the PlayStation hall of fame." PC Gamer said that "[the] charming and innovative Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee reminds us that any genre can be revived if you put enough care and creativity into it." The graphics struck many reviewers as being excellent. PC Zone remarked that "the developers have created an outstanding visual environment for Abe to leap around in." However, the imaginative AI and visual designs of the assorted creatures drew more extensive praise. GameSpot found the AI "goes a long way towards making you feel as if you're interacting with an actual world and its inhabitants." The game's difficulty, agreed upon to be extremely high, was its most controversial aspect. Some reviewers lauded the intelligent nature of the challenge and said the frequent checkpoints and unlimited lives keep the game from becoming too frustrating. Next Generation, for example, commented that "Action gamers are likely to be disappointed by the occasionally slow pace, but speed is traded for a considerably more cerebral set of challenges that require a great amount of persistence, observation, and thought." However, others found that flaws such as sensitive controls, slowdown, and trial-and-error level designs make the difficulty frequently annoying. Though GameSpot reported that the PlayStation and PC versions of the game are "virtually identical", most reviews for the PC version directed criticism at the lack of an ability to save at any point, since this was a standard feature in PC games. Edge said that "Oddworld demands a certain level of commitment to progress", while Science Fiction Weekly claimed the game's