ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth

"TJ&E holds true to the TJ&E license"

Toejam and Earl 3: Mission to Earth is the third in the line of Toejam and Earl games. The original two were released for the Sega Genesis and luckily, the third game follows the original two's precident faithfully.

After spending some time in development for Sega's very own now defunct Dreamcast system, Toejam and Earl 3 was ported over to the mighty Xbox. The games graphics show this transition, however, TJ&E3 does indeed, use some of the Xbox's graphical touches.

So how does TJ&E3 play?

During it's development, many fans of the TJ&E license prayed for a faithful sequel, and in this humble reviewers opinion, TJ&E3 delivers the goods.

TJ&E3 is played in the third-person perspective with a fully rotatable camera that also allows the player to zoom in on the action, though the zoom is only held for the length the right analog is held in the upward position. Players have access to Funk-Fu (the games attack style), a
jump button, funkify notes (which are shot out like a gun would be), and the use of various ''presents''.

Like all past TJ&E games, presents are obtained by simply collecting them throughout the various levels and hold a vast range of uses such as, Icarus Wings for flying, Spring shoes, Stupid Hiding, Food to restore life, and much more. In all, there are a surprisingly large number of presents to collect in the game. Usually, the more important
presents must be unlocked in later levels or obtained in hard to reach places.

The game is divided into hubs with various levels in each hub. At first, the player is only allowed to walk around the first hub. Once the player collects the keys on the first hub, the levels of the first hub become available to enter. As the player progresses and collects more keys,
more levels are opened up to be fully explored. There are also mics to collect. When a set number of mics are collected, the player is able to participate in a challenge that once beaten, opens up another hub. In total, there are several hubs and many many levels. Each hub has a different theme such as, a desert, a snowland, an island, etc. Also,
the developers have added an in-game downloadable option that allows Xbox Live users to download new hubs and levels. Currently, I believe they have produced two more hubs already.

TJ&E3 is at its core, an adventure game. You must use the presents to reach various places to collect all the keys, mics, and albums (which is what the story is focused around, similar to the second game of the series). Battling foes is as simple as funkifying them and converting them to the ways of the funk by using presents on them, funk-fu, or funkify notes. There is also a level-up system placed in
the game that allows for increased health, reach, stronger funk-fu, etc, that can be obtained by gaining points. Points are gotten for various things such as, funkifying foes, collecting presents, clearing objectives, etc. All in all, this system makes the player want to play ''just one more level'', similar to many addictive puzzle game styles.

TJ&E3 pulls out the old TJ&E1 two player mode, by implementing co-operative play that uses a unique camera system originally produced in the first game. This system consists of a single full screen while both players are in the same area and gets divided in real time as players wander from each other. A wonderful and brilliant system.
Players can start a game alone and allow another users to join in without having to start over. Also, players may leave a two player game and allow a single player to carry on without having to restart as well. A convenience not normally found in co-op games.

Players are allowed to choose from Toejam, Earl, and Latisha to play as. Each character has his/her own strengths and weaknesses. Earl can eat bad foods and not be affected, Toejam's speed is far superior to Earls, and Latisha can jump the highest amongst other things.

Gameplay: 8/10

TJ&E plays just fine for what it is. An adventure game. While it's actual controls are nothing special and seem limited at first, with the addition of countless presents, TJ&E3 becomes quite fun to play.

Pros - Various presents, level up system, responsive controls.
Cons - Frustrating camera makes movement tough at times

Sound: 9/10

Call me a sucker for the old TJ&E theme which is not only present, by touched up. The voice work is great and the plot is humorous. Sound effects are adequate yet slightly disappointing. Both foes and friends alike talk during the in-game action and all of it is very amusing.

Pros - Excellent voice work + humorous lines= great combo, groovy music tunes
Cons - Dim sound effects, repetitive one-liners

Story: 8/10

Rather humorous and consisting of great voice work, TJ&E has a very cute, ''makes you feel good'' air to it. Nothing deep or supremely moving here however.

Pros - Original, creative story
Cons - Perhaps a simi-low story-to-gameplay ratio, some may not get TJ&E's sense of humor

Graphics: 6/10

TJ&E looks like a Dreamcast game, and rightfully so, however since most DC games are still decent-average by today's standards, TJ&E gets good marks. It does make use of some of the Xbox's power just not enough to classify it as ''pretty'' or ''breath taking''.

Pros - Sharp character models, bright colorful worlds
Cons - Grainy floral textures, plain backgrounds

Replayability: 7/10

Fans of TJ&E will want to play through the game as all three characters to fully immerse themselves, and with downloadable content, TJ&E packs some replayability. The game itself is anything but short in length. Sadly, the story remains the same regardless of which character is used.

Pros - Many many levels, long length, 3 characters, downloadable content
Cons - Story never changes, not much in terms of unlockables

Overall, Toejam and Earl 3, is a worthy successor to the TJ&E series and a breath of fresh air into a stale and repetitive adventure genre. TJ&E3 has the classic TJ&E sense of 80's hip-hop humor that makes the game extremely funny and entertaining to play. Its ''one more key''
gameplay makes players get lost in all concepts of time. Let's all hope there is a Toejam and Earl 4.

Final Score - 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/19/03, Updated 01/19/03