Review: Toe Jam & Earl (Wii Virtual Console)
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I was never fortunate enough to play Toe Jam & Earl on the Sega Megadrive when it was first released, but I did get to play the wonderful sequel - TJ & Earl: Panic on Funkotron, a game that I loved dearly. So I was very excited when Sega released the original TJ & Earl game on the Wii’s Virtual Console.
The immediate imrpession I got was “What the hell?” The game isn’t anything like I was expecting. The sequel is more of a typical platformer (though so funny and unusual it was better than the norm) yet the original is a top down- (almost) isometric view in a similar way to Jurassic Park on the Snes.
For those that don’t know the general gist of the game is that Toe Jam and Earl are two music loving aliens and they are out and about in space, when their ship crash lands on Earth. It is now up to them to go about the planet finding the missing peices of ship and avoiding/ killing these humans.
Sounds kind of lame huh? Well I’m not going to lie. It is.
I can see how the game was fun back in the early 90’s, but there are tons of better games from the Megadrive/ Snes era and those games are still fun to play today. Toe Jam and Earl is not much fun these days.
The graphics are ok- for an early Megadrive game. The levels are fairly large and open….. and barren. Its hard to explain without you seeing the levels but they are pretty much all green, with patches of water around and maybe one or two trees- for a whole level. The levels are like big flat grass areas- but with huge holes in them and are floating in space.
The one good thing about the levels that I liked, was how if you fall down a hole or off the edge of the world you don’t die. You just fall to a lower level. Although this can be annnoying too. Because the general idea of the game is to find pieces of your ship and also find elevators which take you up to the next level. Falling down a hole will take you back to the last level. And if you fall down just before you get to an elevator - you then have to find the elevator on the previous level and go all the way through the level you just fell off again. Very frustrating.
The animation in the game is quite poor. And characters seem to most at a snail pace- unless you pick up rocket shoes of ‘HiTops’ trainers.
The items you find in the levels are really what makes the game any fun at all. You find helpful items and completely useless items. Some helpful items would be like the Catapult- used to kill enemies. Or |Rocket Shoes which allow you to move around very fast, and go over water and ‘jump’ to random islands in the sky. Less useful ones would be items like the book- which causes your character to fall asleep. And you have to do some serious button bashing to wake them up.
Most reviews I read of the game said it was hilarious. No. Sorry. I found parts humerous. Like when a crazy scientist starts chasing you or a giant hamster in a ball squashes you. But overall I hardly smirked. In fact for the most part I was bored stupid. The levels are so open and plain with few enemies- that are just so easy to avoid it makes most of them pointless.
Another great annoyance was how slow they characters move. Like I said you can pick up items to help, but when you don’t have these items, the game is painful- I mean physically painful! My thumb was starting to ache after the first few levels.
The game does shine slightly with the two player co-op mode. In which you go around with a friend- one playing Toe Jam the other Earl (what a suprise) This can be fun- simply because it makes the game go quicker. You can either walk around together- so its all on one screen. Or you can split up (the screen splits in twain) and go searching for items and the missing ship pieces seperately.
Another annoying thing- but one that is necessary, is how you don’t know where the exit to the level is or the missing pieces. Not every level has the missing items you see- otherwise it’d be over far too quickly. On earlier levels it tells you when a level has a missing piece. Now this is annoying but (as I said) it is needed. If we knew where to go the game would be far too easy. But its annoying because the game is so slow and the levels are boring.
 I really can’t think of much else to say about the game. I got bored very quickly- the only reason I continued to play was to get a good enough impression to write this review.
Perhaps if you enjoyed the game back when it was first out, you should download this- just for nostalgia. As I said I can see how the game was fun 15 years ago- but these days it really isn’t. Its ok with two people, but not worth the 800 Wii points it cost me. There are cheaper Virtual Console games out there that are better.
Summary:Â
I just wish Sega bought out Toe Jam & Earl: Panic on Funkotron - that is one game that still holds up after all these years. It’s more fun, better co-op mode, better levels, better story and is actually a very funny game- a game that shows sequels can be better.
As for Toe Jam & Earl, unless you originally enjoyed it all those years ago or have a compulsive need to own all the Virtual Console games, or indeed if you are a true Sega nut (bless your little cotton heart), don’t buy it.
4/10
~G~
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POSTED IN: Nintendo Wii, Retro, Review, Virtual Console
12 opinions for Review: Toe Jam & Earl (Wii Virtual Console)
Warren
Dec 31, 2006 at 10:59 pm
I don’t fully agree, but yeah the original Toejam and Earl was completely different then the second. I think they are both great games in their own right, I actually prefer the first one, but I can see how you would think it’s boring since it’s basicly one long key hunt after another.
I don’t know if you played it but Toejam and Earl 3 for Xbox’s Gameplay was sort of a combination of both games, maybe you’d like that one more then the original…sadly you could probably pick it up for cheaper then the Virtual Console version of the first.
G
Jan 1, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Yeah- I can sort of see how people would like the game- especially if they played it all those years ago. But I just couldn’t enjoy it. It was way to boring for me.
I REALLY want to get the 3rd game. I think I’ll try and pick it up soon. It looked a lot of fun.
radjago
Jan 2, 2007 at 9:31 pm
While I see your points, I respectfully disagree.
First of all, the game is much better in co-op, both because you can work together with your partner and cover more ground or work together to overcome enemies or obstacles. There are subtle differences between the characters, such as Toe Jam being faster and Earl having more health. Your health builds with each promotion. You can help out your partner by running into him and giving him a high five to equalize your health.
The best part of the game is exploring the environments. Contrary to what you said in your review, the level designs do change in later levels. You can also choose to have the levels randomly generated, which provide greater challenge and replayability. Perhaps you should finish the game before you posted the review. I don’t mind if you would have posted it as a first impression or a preview, but being a review, it implies that the author has explored everything the game has to offer. I’d bet that you haven’t explored Level 0.
And you’re writing on a site called Sega Nerds. Those “true Sega nuts” are your audience.
Warren
Jan 3, 2007 at 1:04 am
G, if you don’t like the original Toejam and Earl, thats fine. This site’s aim isn’t to give every game Sega makes a 9/10 butt-kiss fest review even if the author didn’t like the title. I’d rather see your honest opinion then the collective opinion of Sega Fans. I don’t like the acclaimed Vectorman, so I would give that a similar review to yours.
Plus I would never expect some one that didn’t like a game to have to sit and play through the entire thing. It’s not like “professional” reviewers do so.
I remember on Xplay’s review of Maximum Chase for Xbox they said that a helicopter was chasing and shooting at you the entire game, which made it impossible to backtrack when you missed a turn. This isn’t true however, the helicopter only chases you in the first level. They just didn’t enjoy the game so they didn’t feel like they had to play it any longer then one level. I think it got a 1/5. Was it fair? Yeah sure, a review is one persons opinion.
I’ve enjoyed games that I haven’t completed, so I don’t think it’s out of the ordinary for people to dislike a game they haven’t completed either. It’s likely even more common. So, I think it’s fine to post a review without completing the game. Movie critics some times walk out of films they think are bad, then review it in the paper the next day, so why should it be any different for Game Critics? What about games that can’t be completed like MMORPG’s or Puzzle games? When is it ok to review them?
I don’t think Toejam and Earl deserves a 4/10, but it’s a good review; It’s honest.
G
Jan 3, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Yeah I’m not going to lie. I did not finish the game. And personally I wouldn’t want to.
I did play for quite a while though and went up through many levels- not sure how many- but really if a game can’t grab me in the first few areas then I start to loose patience with it. Even if it were a small thing I found endearing, I would happily sit through it. But with Toe Jam I just couldn’t find it.
I was geniunely bored and my thumbs were starting to hurt- and I was using both the Wiimote and Cube controller. Perhaps I was pressing too hard.
Yeah the game is more fun with two people- as I did mention in my review. But Toe Jam and Earl 2 is a hell of a lot more fun in both single and two player mode.
I think my trouble is that I played TJ & Earl 2 to death and loved every second of it- long before I played the first one. The first game just isn’t as much fun.
But great for you if you enjoyed it. As I said in my review- if you played the game when it was originally out- you will most likely still enjoy it. As Warren said above it is my opinion and I’m sticking to it.
I will play the game again in the near future and if my opinion changes I will retract my review- or post up a new one. But I don’t expect it to change really.
Sorry.
radjago
Jan 3, 2007 at 5:17 pm
You don’t have to apologize. As you’ve said, it’s your review, so I’d expect your opinion of the game to be reflected in it. I just like to see a game given a fair chance. Like Warren said, I don’t expect ass kissing of everything Sega has touched. God knows they’re not the company they used to be.
By the way, many professional review sources do have guidelines about finishing games for review, but they vary from genre to genre and on a case-by-case basis.
G
Jan 3, 2007 at 7:06 pm
I would also like - and I do try - to give games a fair chance before I review them or at least give some form of opinion on them.
The trouble is we don’t get paid to play these games, or get them for free. If we were, we would no doubt try and play them for longer and maybe complete them before we review. But as it is I cannot justify trying to complete this game just for a review, especially as I found it so boring.
Chris
Jan 4, 2007 at 11:57 am
While it would be nice to complete every game for every review, sometimes that’s just not totally realistic for us. However, I do think it’s very important for any reviewer to play a game long enough until he can write an intelligent piece and have enough supportive information to justify any review he writes.
G, you are fired.
Better yet, you’re next assignment is to review Tetris. I want you to play it until you beat it!!!!
Muahahahahahaha!
Dave scaro
Jul 28, 2007 at 12:01 am
I Disagree with the review 100% (not that i had a problem with the review just a different opinon). I thought that ToeJam and Earl was a great game
with a lot of great humor, but i never played it on my own. I can almost garentee that it would be boring as hell. you need both Toejam and Earl side by side. it adds a whole knew element to the game. I love how you can work together and share your presents when you share the screen. and the high five thing was pretty clever. The dialog between the two was pretty funny. and since it can be time consuming u need someone to chat with. if you leave one character on vacation it ruins the whole experience. I liked the second one too but not as much. I think you do need to play the first game first or i could see how it would be different from what u expected. But i personlly loved ToeJam and Earl. I still play it with people who never heard of it and they get hooked fast.
Find+Ur+Husband
Aug 24, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Thanks your post is funny. I like your blog.. thank you again
Andy Wilkinson
Dec 14, 2007 at 9:08 am
The game is class! Loved it back in the arly nineties! It was one of the only games that i always remembered! It was great then and is great now! It original to hell, there has been no other game quite lie it! If you dony like it, you have no soul!!!
Wes Hood
Mar 25, 2008 at 5:06 am
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