"Cold Lampin' with ToeJam and Earl!"

TOEJAM AND EARL

If you owned a Genesis in the early 90s, chances are you've heard of ToeJam and Earl. Next to Sega's now-floundering hedgehog mascot, these two were in line to represent what the company had to offer over a decade ago. At the time, this game was an oddity -- it wasn't a sidescroller, it featured almost zero weapons, and its main characters were the baddest alien rappers in the galaxy. Sure enough, this bizarre combination proved successful, and ToeJam and Earl remains one of the most engaging games from the Genesis. Now that it's available on the Virtual Console, a whole new generation can enjoy it -- but is it for everyone? Perhaps not.

Judging by comments about the game on popular gaming message boards, newer gamers may not enjoy TJ&E as much as those who played it on the Genesis do. I am hesitant to say this is due to nostalgia reasons -- the game holds up as well as ever. However, it just might not be what modern gamers are looking for, which is a shame. The gameplay is very simple, yet nuanced. Essentially, ToeJam, Earl, or both (in the game's split-screen multiplayer mode, a rarity in that age) must search around the Earth for the parts of their spaceship. While doing so, they'll be attacked by the Earth's odd inhabitants. By picking up presents, the duo can defend themselves by means of thrown tomatoes, rocket boots, and other goofy items. This forms the basis of the game, making it somewhat slower paced than more traditional platformer games. In general though, this gameplay style is very entertaining, especially while playing with a friend.

Perhaps though, it is not the gameplay but the aesthetic qualities of the game that modern aficionados find unpleasing. I hardly see how this could be the case. TJ&E features colourful graphics that were great in their day and still work well. Animations are the highlight of the graphics department -- everything from sneaking around past dangerous foes to falling off the edge of the world in a hilarious manner look awesome. But really, the music outshines all of that. Featuring funk-inspired beats, the soundtrack complements the game in a way that is seldom done. Furthermore, the funk mode in the game's main menu lets you simply groove to these beats, which have been known to reach "mad" levels. All this is evidence that this game is something different, something special.

Having reviewed all these qualities, it's difficult to see why more people aren't jumping at this game on the Wii's Virtual Console. Perhaps it doesn't have enough bloodshed, enough speed, or enough techno music. Whatever the case, gamers looking for something different out of the Virtual Console would be wise to consider ToeJam and Earl. Funkotron lives!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/12/07