ToeJam & Earl

"My first game ever...and still of my favorite to play."

Toe Jam and Earl is a masterpiece. Nothing hared about it, it just a good game. It started my love of video games, and I still love to play it now, 10 years when my parents bought it. From the beginning of the ship falling, till you walk down the golden road of Funkatron, it's a great game. It's impossible to get tired of it. At least I think so.

Gameplay-you are two funky aliens, plainly named, Toe Jam and Earl, who have crashed landed on Earth, and there ship has been scattered all around. There are only differences between the two funky aliens, Toe Jam runs faster, and Earl seems to hold his breath underwater longer. Oh, and Earl only wears boxers and sunglasses and Toe Jam a big gold necklace. To get all the ship pieces, you must explore many different parts of the world. To get to the different worlds you must find an elevator to take you there. Something very different from most games is that you could fall off a level, bring you back down to find the elevator again. Sometimes you could fall of numerous level at the same time and wind up back at level one. You can play two player, and if you do, you hear funny commentary from Toe Jam and Earl when moving up to each level. Though it seems simple enough, you have weird psycho dentists and mailboxes running after you, depleting your life bar. To help you get rid of the lumberjacks and mothers with shopping carts, you have a barrage of items to make you run away from them, like super hi-tops or rocket shoes, you could fight back with tomatoes. All presents help or hinder you, like the book, which makes you fall asleep, to the boom box, which wakes you up. You also have levels to help you have more lives, like ''dufus'' or ''pointexter''. There is also money scattered around, which you use to buy from Santa, Opera singers, or carrots.

Graphics-The graphics are very good for a Genesis game, and Toe Jam, Earl, and all the enemys look well defined. The backgrounds are still just a blackish-purplish mess filled with white dots, but it goes with the game. When the level sometimes has something important off on an island in the middle of nowhere (that has happened to me several times) a game makes a small pathway to get there, but don't be fooled, they could lead to nowhere. The only problem is when Tow Jam and Earl separate, the game sometimes gets a litle fuzzy because of too many things on screen. Otherwise, everything can be some of the best graphics for a early Genesis game.

Music and Sound-The music blends well with the game, bringing in a funky tech-pop beat for the game, which it what you would expect Toe Jam and Earl to listen to. After playing the game in 6 to 7 hour stints, however, it does get repetitive. The sound is very funny but you never hear what Toe Jam and Earl say, except when the fall of a level. From the dentists laugh ''I had nightmares about that laugh'',the hordes of chickens coming to kill you, the Jaws theme every time you see a shark when you are in the water, and Hula dancers pleas to get you into the hot tub, it all fits well into the game.

Replay value-since all of the levels except for level 1 and 0 ''try to find level 0 for yourself!'' all of the games levels are randomly generated, except for which enemies are there, you can rest assured that it will take you awhile till you get bored with it.

Buy or Rent?-since I don't know where, you could buy this game anymore, I suggest you buy it. It should only be a couple of buck at your local flea-market.

Gameplay-10
Graphics-10
Music and Sound-10
Replay-10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/30/01, Updated 12/30/01