Earthworm Jim 2

Review

by Colin Williamson

After the amazing success of Earthworm Jim, gamers were skeptical if Shiny Entertainment could top the first game with the sequel. Fear not -- Earthworm Jim 2 is just as funny, charming, and fun to play as the original - and then some.

Psy-crow has kidnapped Princess Whats-her-name, and Jim has set out on a quest to get her back. With added abilities, including new guns and a "snott swing," Jim will blast through underground tunnels, surreal dreamscapes, and other just-plain-weird locations that defy description. Several object-based puzzles are worked into the mix, such as a sequence where Jim must strategically place enormous pigs to raise a platform.

A handful of mini-games pop up here and there, including "Puppy Love," where Psy-crow throws baby puppies out of a window, and Jim must bounce them to safety with a pillow (a similar concept to the rather morbid shareware game Bouncin' Babies). Some of the mini-games are exceptionally done, but others contain spotty control, and should have been axed from the beginning.

The first Earthworm Jim excelled in the fields of animation and humor, and the sequel can do no wrong. The frame rate on the characters is considerably higher, and the game's atmosphere remains goofy and unpredictable (instead of a long, drawn-out fight with the first level boss, Jim simply eats him). The only downside is the music - instead of original tracks, a good selection of the score is recycled classical music (Moonlight Sonata may be good, but not when your playing a game).

Sonic niggles aside, Earthworm Jim 2 is a wonderfully done run-and-jump side-scroller, and belongs in every Genesis user's collection.