ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth

"DO NOT listen to so-called professional editors, this game is as hilarious as it is amazing"

The graphics for one are excellent really. They're next-gen graphics but the art style from the previous games are still intact. The game runs at a smooth 60fps, even in two player. The music is also very good. There are quite a few tracks from both TJ and E games.

Unlike most 2-D to 3D translations, everything from the first game has been brought over (though I haven't yet seen the slingshot yet). You are now given several ways to funkify earthlings instead of cycling through presents to find the right item. You have funk fu and funkify notes, as well as the funk rhythm, laugh blaster, and more. This makes the gameplay deeper, along with the RPG elements leveling up with experience points. The further you get the more freedom you have to either battle a boss, change zones, or unlock a stage. Money also appears more often (thank god), and you can actually sell presents you don't want.

Another aspect I love about the game which editors bash is that Toejam, Earl, and Latisha's vibe and vocabulary is a mix between old school and modern hip-hop slang. They use modern terms like ''Bling, bling'', ''Wha'sup'', ''You look fine'', ''Put it on me, Latisha'', etc. While the character select screen features old school style of rapp, quite hilarious. But not nearly as hilarious as the Earthling personalities. The Arnold impersonator Xbox live promoter is HILARIOUS. As well as, the cheerleaders, the sharks, rabbit ninja, cowboys, dentists, santa funk's helper, and the baker. The jokes are well thought out, and the earthlings responses differ depending on the chosen playable character. So basically it's worth it to go through the game as a different character just to how the earthlings respond. Also the playable characters interact and joke with each other(by pressing the Talk button) which is really a first that I've seen in video games. Just another cool feature in the game.

Editors have also called these hilariously entertaining characters ''stereotypical'', but just interpret that judgement as an example of letting their hypersensitivety toward race issues cloud their vision enough to keep from enjoying an excellent game. Anyone who plays this game will know that that type of ignorance has no part in this gameplay experience. Especially since those same editors give 10s to Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City. Which are arguably the most offensive games on the planet? (though I do like them both, it's the truth.)

The thing that's great about ToeJam and Earl is that it can't really be categorized properly. It's not really a platformer because the gameplay isn't centered around jumping. It's really in a class of it's own. It's also one of the only games to even feature hiphop culture (old school or new school), so for that it deserves an award. Also the game is a blast with 2-players.

Anyways, if your a Toejam and Earl fan you'll love this game and thank the developers it's on the Xbox (you wouldn't want this masterpiece tampered with). But if you're not a fan of the series I still can't see how the game can't be appreciated for it's original style, charm, and gameplay. You just have to be open-minded.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/10/03, Updated 01/10/03