Posting my inquiry again to hopefully get this thread back on track :]
Can anyone give input as to the apparent appeal with this game from character to environment. From the YOUTUBE videos I perused, the mood seems dreary and the characters look like frogs and other unknown creatures that have gone through a high school dissection class and then stitched up again.
I have enjoyed most adventure as well as Doom/Quake/Unreal/Thief/Duke 3D/Serious Sam/ plus all the original greats in classic adventuring, etc. that all have their share of weirdness, but what is the appeal with this game?
Would love to hear some input and chatter about this game (ie. opposed to ongoing Steam versus GOG stuff) so I can decide whether or not to purchase it or not. (albeit, it's not a huge investment, but don't want to waste $ either).
Best.

(disclaimer: I've only played the first one)
Since you say you've searched it on YT, you've most likely already seen the intro to Abe's Oddysee... Yeah - it is definitely set in a dark and hostile world. That's probably the reason I recalled the game so vividly after all these years. For me - that's the game's selling point, since I like to dabble with things you might describe as "disturbing".
Still - the game plays as a puzzle platformer, you hop around, free your kinsmen, defuse bombs, throw rocks, possess guards... the works. Checkpoints are plentiful, so the game is relatively easy once you figure our what you're supposed to do (YMMV).
It certainly doesn't FEEL like the classic FPS' - most of the time you not only don't feel (are) heroic but vulnerable and afraid - almost EVERYTHING is out to get you and most of the time you have no means of self-defense.
If what you've read so far doesn't turn you off - just give the first game a try and then decide whether to buy the other one. Even if you decide that you didn't like it after all - it will still be a pretty unique experience. "Odd", if you will.
Oh - you might also want to browse the 42 reviews already posted ;P.

Now that you mentioned Thief, I just realized that the Oddworld games have some similarities with that game. There is a significant amount of stealth needed in this game: Hiding in shadows/higher platform to avoid guard patrols, sneaking behind their back with precise timing, and throw rocks/meats or making sounds to distract or lure them to deadly traps. Plus, you can possess many of those guards (and some creatures in the second game) and use their bodies (plus weapons) to go on rampage, set off traps/mines, or solve puzzles in hostile areas without putting your own body in danger. I guess that's one of the appeals for me.

I just played Abe's Oddissee some years ago, so I can't talk about the others. This game's appeal is that there is no other game like this. It's only comparable to Another World, Flashback, Prince of Persia (I) or Heart of Darkness, but the aesthetics and the gameplay are really unique. You play a disarmed guy. A guy that is ugly but has a good heart. He is saving its specie from oppression while trying to escape. With little resources he must advance through armed guys, tramps and other dangers and needs to solve puzzles, some of them quite hard and needing to use a few screens and characters to solve them.
The puzzles are maybe what make this game so great. When you advance through the game into a new screen you constantly find yourself in strange situations, where there is an armed guard, a lever, a lift, a moving bomb, etc. and you must figure out what to do. You can't go up to the guard level because he will see and kill you; you must walk quietly to not disturb a sleeping enemy; you can use a stone to mislead a bad guy; you can "possess" other characters and make them do anything you want (like killing another enemy or push an inaccessible button); you must prepare everything before you open a dangerous door to make things explode when an enemy (and not you) cross it; you will need reflexes and good skills to overcome some situations; you can "talk" to other characters; you can whistle and make sounds in a particular order to open things (like Simon says); you can ride an animal to jump over cliffs...
The possibilities are infinite and, most importantly, they are masterfully done. This game is a constant challenge. You'll never get bored, because every puzzle is something different and will make you use all your senses. I didn't finished it some years ago, so I remember it as long. I'm wishing to play it again.
The characters are not so ugly, I would call them just funny, and the animations are fantastic. There are not lives or ammo, so the screen is always clean, but you must think twice how to use you resources and you must avoid any enemy contact, because one shot means dead. It's not a shooter, it's another kind of game in which you make progress by thinking and acting quickly and you feel fulfilled every time you achieve a new goal.
Try this game. Really. There are lots of good games, but only some of them were needed to be done, and Abe's Oddissee is one of them. It's the creative result of some people thinking and trying to do something different to what everyone does, what's always very welcome, and they got it!

In the interview linked in the announcement, the lead designer says "for our heroes we wanted faces only a mother could love". And that is exactly what they are. The world is quite unpleasant and dirty, but that actually is a huge part of the appeal -- it is a world of oppression, a cruel and unforgiving world, and your poor little ugly and unloved hero has decided to finally do something about it.
To put it simply, it is the ultimate story of an underdog winning against impossible odds (pun not really intended). Because Abe is one of the most pitiful underdogs I have ever seen, the lowliest of the low, and that's why his heroism is so moving.

Vestin, Catshade, ivant, and bazilisek, WOW, thanks so, so much for your input and great commentary on Oddworld. You all gave fantastic insight and description... my proverbial cold feet have warmed up to toasty hot ~ definately SOLD!
So, I'm off to explore another weird (perhaps the weirdest) world of adventure with no more hesitation..... thanks again. :)

I hope you'll share your impressions with us ASAP :3.

I'd think that GOG's setting themselves up to offer the original versions of the first two games, in comparison to the upgraded versions Steam will (hopefully...*lazily eyes the developers*) be using.
Think of it as a similar parallel between Steam's Serious Sam HD games and GOG's recent release(s) of the old version(s).

Vestin, yes.... I did purchase the Oddworld games the other night and downloaded the first one just last night. Can already see the offbeat wit & charm, intrigue and intelligence enmeshed within and believe I will, indeed, be liking this series enormously. The character is already engaging and endearing opposed to my initial impression... in fact, an entirely different impression than I had with the YouTube trailer I saw. I'm needing to finish my current GOG game (a rerun experience/almost finished) and look forward to emersing myself in the first Oddworld installment more completely (hopefully not entirely, haha). This one will definately NOT remain on my GOG shelf to collect virtual dust! Grateful for all your input and really glad I bought!! Thanks again! :)

Indeed, it's a nice comparison with the Serious Sam dilemma. I prefer the originals, but in Oddworld's case I would like to play in a higher resolution and that's it, don't know if it's even possible... I don't care about achievements.
We don't have enough news of The Oddbox, so can't be sure how GOG would handle it.
If it would sell a pack with the 4 games (and with new price points, like $23.96) and still maintaining the older versions available for purchase; or if it would split The Oddbox into 4 games for the $5.99 price and update the two older titles with the new versions. Just two examples of doing it, of course there are others; and we will only know about it if and when the collection lands here.