The Fail Tracer
The Universal Cosmic Tracer
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Against the Majority, episode one (probably the only one, as well)!
This is a unique sort of review, where my friend, Brad, and I debate over how much praise a certain video game deserves. In this case, the game is Earthworm Jim 3D. Brad will be representing the internet, where many, many people have complained about EWJ3D. I, on the other hand, will be the lonely person defending the game.
Also, if a Sonic fan reads this review, please don't think that I am bashing/dislike Sonic. I'm only using that game to gain leverage, I guess you could say, in Brad's argument. I haven't played Sonic enough to truly know a lot about it, so please correct me if I'm wrong about something.
In that respect, also feel free to try to give me a little bit of constructive criticism if I've made mistakes anywhere.
Off we go!
Earthworm Jim, for one thing, introduces a new gameplay style for pretty much every level throughout the two games. Though I agree that the Sonic series introduces new elements as well, it only seems to vary from sequel to sequel in this aspect. Little is introduced besides running, defeating enemies, and reaching the goal here. Don't get me wrong: I don't have a single problem with this! It's just that this explanation really helps in Earthworm Jim's case, in the event that someone does argue about Sonic being better.
The gameplay is not all, though. Sonic the Hedgehog is kind of lacking in the story department (at least, compared to EWJ). Not only that, but Sonic is almost without emotion (again, compared to EWJ, in which you will always find a very humorous moment).
There. I was courageous enough to say all that. Like I said, though, I don't have a problem with Sonic; I just find Earthworm Jim better.
With all that said, I bet you all are wondering about Earthworm Jim 3D, and if I am actually forgetting about that game. Well, fear not, for all of the previous Sonic vs. Jim babbling was just the beginning.
For one, I agree that EWJ3D would have been much more entertaining had it introduced fresh, new ideas with the progression of the game. However, that doesn't mean that the gameplay is in any way boring or stale. The new ideas that keep us occupied with this game after every stage is the ever-rising difficulty level.
While it IS argued that the game is unbearably hard, I beg to differ. Some moments were extremely nerve-wracking in this game, yes, and some moments were overly challenging. Yes. That's no excuse! I mean, look at how terribly hard the Tube Race in stage three was, which Brad mentioned! Then, Earthworm Jim 2 was just plain difficult all the way around! That's really not a bad thing. Actually, it keeps people wanting to play more and more, just like how an arcade game would receive more and more money because people wanted to see the games through to the end!
Moving on, the artwork is acceptable, in my opinion. Saying that it looks as bad as an MS Paint project is kind of harsh, but I can actually see why someone would complain about the graphics. After all, we've been completely spoiled by the positively beautiful graphics we see in present-day video games. Although, you could go back to ANY old game and compare it to a newer one, not just Earthworm Jim 3D. Then again, this particular title is even comparable to titles that came out in the same Nintendo 64 era. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, for example, IS much more graphically advanced than EWJ3D. Even with all this being said, I can still enjoy the simplicity of EWJ3D's artwork. You have to understand that this game is of a much more cartoony, comedic style than others. It is possible that the artwork is actually supposed to be like that, for the sake of staying loyal to the style of the game itself.
Now, let's get the soundtrack out of the way. I agree with Brad about some songs being better than others in different installments, but it's all a matter of preference and opinion. Some songs are a bit more pleasing to the ears in Earthworm Jim 3D than the past two titles, and vice-versa. Either way, I'd be fine with having any of the three different soundtracks on my iPod, personally.
Finally, I can concur that losing what you've earned because of dying in a level is a troublesome thing to go through, but Banjo-Kazooie had the exact same problem, and people love that game! EWJ3D is definitely not the first or only game to have this issue.
This is a unique sort of review, where my friend, Brad, and I debate over how much praise a certain video game deserves. In this case, the game is Earthworm Jim 3D. Brad will be representing the internet, where many, many people have complained about EWJ3D. I, on the other hand, will be the lonely person defending the game.
Also, if a Sonic fan reads this review, please don't think that I am bashing/dislike Sonic. I'm only using that game to gain leverage, I guess you could say, in Brad's argument. I haven't played Sonic enough to truly know a lot about it, so please correct me if I'm wrong about something.
In that respect, also feel free to try to give me a little bit of constructive criticism if I've made mistakes anywhere.
Off we go!
Introduction
Brad: The first two Earthworm Jim installments really were my favorite games made for the Sega Genesis. I can hear people in the back of my head arguing that the "Sonic the Hedgehog" series was the best, or even other series. However, I was never a big Sega player to begin with, so I wouldn't know about many other titles. Also, yes, the Sonic franchise was quite good, but there is just too much about Earthworm Jim 1 and 2 that I find more enjoyable than Sonic. Allow me to explain myself:Earthworm Jim, for one thing, introduces a new gameplay style for pretty much every level throughout the two games. Though I agree that the Sonic series introduces new elements as well, it only seems to vary from sequel to sequel in this aspect. Little is introduced besides running, defeating enemies, and reaching the goal here. Don't get me wrong: I don't have a single problem with this! It's just that this explanation really helps in Earthworm Jim's case, in the event that someone does argue about Sonic being better.
The gameplay is not all, though. Sonic the Hedgehog is kind of lacking in the story department (at least, compared to EWJ). Not only that, but Sonic is almost without emotion (again, compared to EWJ, in which you will always find a very humorous moment).
There. I was courageous enough to say all that. Like I said, though, I don't have a problem with Sonic; I just find Earthworm Jim better.
With all that said, I bet you all are wondering about Earthworm Jim 3D, and if I am actually forgetting about that game. Well, fear not, for all of the previous Sonic vs. Jim babbling was just the beginning.
The Internet's Argument
Brad: You see, the very first point I explained during my introduction was how great the gameplay was in Earthworm Jim 1 and 2. The designers added new gameplay elements to almost every level throughout the series, to keep the gamer wanting to play through to the end. They wanted to let the players have fun by changing everything up every so often, and that slight switch in the pace added to what was already an honest challenge in itself... In levels one and two, you had your basic skills and weaponry, but in level one, it was mostly a tutorial. After getting used to the basics, level two presented a slow progression in difficulty.
Inbetween levels, you had to race against Psycrow whilst collecting as many marbles as you could.
In world three, you were forced to hop inside an underwater capsule made of glass, and to propel yourself through the level without letting it break against the walls.
The whole list of things that keep you entertained whilst playing these games just goes on and on, but what does Earthworm Jim 3D have to offer after every level? Pretty much nothing. No new elements, no new... anything! Everything that is introduced in the first level repeats itself throughout the game, not only becoming stale in the process, but also offering too much of a challenge at times.
Everything that happens to come back from the first two installments, comes back as a failed homage. For example, when you must protect Elvis from being shot at by alien fry-cooks, it kind of IS a bit like the "For Pete's Sake" level back in the original EWJ, but it is just overwhelming in difficulty. There are some shots you HAVE to jump in front of here, while back in EWJ1, you didn't need to do that! You could just blast all your enemies to smithereens!
But that's not all. The artwork and the music have both suffered since the Sega Genesis era. The art style looks like it was all done in MS Paint, and the music, while still kind of enjoyable, leaves a lot to be desired compared to EWJ3D's Genesis counterparts.
Finally, losing everything that you had earned throughout levels after dying and then having to collect them again is a miserable experience due to poor game design.
I rest my case.
Damien's (Sly Fox's) Rebuttal
Damien: Let me start off by saying that there may be some points Brad has stated that I agree with, but that doesn't keep me from enjoying this game as a whole!
For one, I agree that EWJ3D would have been much more entertaining had it introduced fresh, new ideas with the progression of the game. However, that doesn't mean that the gameplay is in any way boring or stale. The new ideas that keep us occupied with this game after every stage is the ever-rising difficulty level.
While it IS argued that the game is unbearably hard, I beg to differ. Some moments were extremely nerve-wracking in this game, yes, and some moments were overly challenging. Yes. That's no excuse! I mean, look at how terribly hard the Tube Race in stage three was, which Brad mentioned! Then, Earthworm Jim 2 was just plain difficult all the way around! That's really not a bad thing. Actually, it keeps people wanting to play more and more, just like how an arcade game would receive more and more money because people wanted to see the games through to the end!
Moving on, the artwork is acceptable, in my opinion. Saying that it looks as bad as an MS Paint project is kind of harsh, but I can actually see why someone would complain about the graphics. After all, we've been completely spoiled by the positively beautiful graphics we see in present-day video games. Although, you could go back to ANY old game and compare it to a newer one, not just Earthworm Jim 3D. Then again, this particular title is even comparable to titles that came out in the same Nintendo 64 era. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, for example, IS much more graphically advanced than EWJ3D. Even with all this being said, I can still enjoy the simplicity of EWJ3D's artwork. You have to understand that this game is of a much more cartoony, comedic style than others. It is possible that the artwork is actually supposed to be like that, for the sake of staying loyal to the style of the game itself.
Now, let's get the soundtrack out of the way. I agree with Brad about some songs being better than others in different installments, but it's all a matter of preference and opinion. Some songs are a bit more pleasing to the ears in Earthworm Jim 3D than the past two titles, and vice-versa. Either way, I'd be fine with having any of the three different soundtracks on my iPod, personally.
Finally, I can concur that losing what you've earned because of dying in a level is a troublesome thing to go through, but Banjo-Kazooie had the exact same problem, and people love that game! EWJ3D is definitely not the first or only game to have this issue.
Conclusion
Damien: I think the reason people find this game terrible is because they expected more from the third game... Or maybe they didn't expect much at all, since people weren't ready for three-dimensional adaptions for games in general anyway. It was either a big let-down, or people were skeptical and made up their minds not to enjoy it, resulting in negativity. That's just how I see things, though. I know that there could have been more added to Earthworm Jim's three-dimensional debut, but for what it is, I think EWJ3D was a good game. It had humor, challenge, and atmosphere. That's why I give it at LEAST a 7.5/10 score. Damien out.
...Whew! Hopefully that was as good as I tried to make it.
So, who won the debate as far you're concerned? Please post your opinion, or give constructive criticism!