GoNintendo 'End of day' thoughts - Welcome back, Earthworm Jim

You know what I need to do…I need to get into Okami. I picked up a copy last week, and I haven’t had any time to play. Just today, I got a review copy from Capcom. That means I need to do a review…which should motivate me a bit more! Is there any way to add a few more hours to the day?! Either that, or I could learn to play while I sleep. Speaking of sleeping, that’s the next thing on my checklist. I will catch you guys in a few hours…have a fantastic morning. Halfway through the week guys…the weekend is sneaking up quick!

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I just want to start this off by saying that we have no idea what platform(s) Earthworm Jim 4 will be heading to. I am hoping that he ends up on the Wii or DS.

Silence…years of it. We haven’t really heard anything about EWJ for a long time now. Yes, there was a revival project in the works for the DS and PSP, but that was canned. That little glimmer of hope only lasted a few months, and we never actually saw anything of the DS version. It was like a stab to my heart. I thought for sure that that would be the end of EWJ. I am so happy to see that I was wrong. We’ve had two days full of EWJ news. Not only do we get the original titles via the VC, EWJ4 is in the works. Oh yeah, and there is going to be another cartoon series…and a feature film. Are you kidding me, Interplay? This sounds all too good to be true. That’s what makes me believe that it’s really going to happen. Interplay really wants to revive their old bread-and-butter franchises, and what better one to tackle first than EWJ.

I have no problem admitting that I am an EWJ whore. I love the games, the soundtracks, and I’ve seen every episode of the cartoon a few times over. I couldn’t get enough of the wacky humor that first spawned in the games, and was actually kept intact for the cartoon series. The problem was, our time with Jim was short. The two games came out pretty quickly, the TV series only lasted two seasons…and that was that. It seems like Interplay’s money issues put a very early end to the series. Now things are about to start up yet again. They even have franchise creator Doug TenNapel on-board for all aspects of EWJ’s return..albeit in varying roles. Still, with his presence, I feel that the series has a great chance of returning to greatness. Now…how to go about getting back to that greatness.

I have just a few tips for Interplay that I think would make for a great return to the world of gaming. Start off with what you know, and make it prettier. Keep EWJ in 2d, but feel free to make character models and backgrounds 3d. This is actually what the PSP project looked like, before it was squashed. 2d gaming is seeing a bit of a renaissance. Of course, the DS sees more than its fair share of 2d titles, but now the online avenues for games are being flooded with 2d/3d games. Bionic Command: Rearmed is a perfect example of a game that retains its classic 2d view, but has some extremely updated visuals. EWJ is a series that could benefit from this in a big way.

I also can’t stress enough just how important the humor is in this upcoming game. EWJ needs its humor…it’s one of the staples of the series. EWJ 1 and 2 were such a mix of oddball, off-the-wall humor…but it worked. Sometimes brash, sometimes childish, often rude and gross…but all fantastic. Humor is a hard thing to nail in the video game industry, but EWJ made it work. I don’t know that you can pin down the style of humor found in the series, but it’s definitely distinct. I don’t think that Interplay will have any trouble continuing on with the wackiness that we’ve seen in the past.

Other than that, I just want EWJ to show the world that 2d platforming is not dead. Make all the new gamers realize that there is still plenty of fun and adventure to be found in a classic gameplay style. Platformers are my absolute favorite genre, and I think there is so much left undone from a 2d perspective. EWJ 1 and 2 are rooted deeply in the platforming realm, and I would hope that the next entry stays that way. Give me new locations, enemies, and even vehicles. Explore a side of gaming that most developers are scared to innovate in.

As I said in the beginning of this article…no one knows what platform(s) this game is going to come out on. Will it be portables only…all three next-gen platforms as a retail release, or will it be a XBLA/PS3/WiiWare game? I am hoping…really hoping, that Interplay is hinting at a Wii release for the new title by re-releasing the old ones via the VC. Interplay is looking to make money, and do so in a low-cost manner. It is definitely much cheaper to develop for the Wii than it is 360 or PS3. In my mind, that plays a big factor in EWJ’s return. I also believe that Wii owners would be more receptive to a new EWJ than PS3 or 360 owners would be…but I could be wrong.

Where is EWJ4 heading? What will Interplay do with the series? What do you want to see happen with this game. Please, feel free to leave any and all feedback.