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ToeJam & Earl 
Release date: 12 Mar 1992
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Mygamer review
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ToeJam & Earl
Crash landing on Sega's Genesis is the story of two hip aliens named ToeJam and Earl from the planet Funkotron. While they're out cruising the galaxy and blasting beats from their Rapmaster Rocket Ship's enormous speakers, ToeJam foolishly allows Earl to take the wheel for a spell. As his first executive decision, Earl smashes into an asteroid, which subsequently leaves the duo stranded on - of all places - Earth. Landing on this most insane of planets is strictly forbidden by the AAAAA Traveler's Inter-Galactic Pocket Guidebook. So, with a rescue out of the question, ToeJam and Earl must fend for themselves and reassemble the ten missing pieces of their busted ride, which, of course, are scattered across our vast planet.
After selecting a character, the player(s) can either start the game or enter Jam Out mode on the main menu. This places both ToeJam and Earl against ever-changing psychedelic backgrounds with one of six game songs playing. Each person's controller makes their respective character bust different dance moves accompanied by either a sound effect or an MC saying things like "Jammin'" or "Big Earl." This free styling is fun for a little while but doesn't serve much purpose without two players.
ToeJam has three legs and moves a little faster than Earl, who makes up for his lack of speed and dim wits with his larger life bar. The player can choose to enter gameplay in a fixed world, which is always the same, or a random world where, each time you play, the levels are completely randomized. With such a robust option, I'm not sure why the fixed world was even included. The game levels appear in an isometric view and ToeJam & Earl are free to explore each environment as they please. The map is accessed with the ‘C' button and always starts out by showing only the location of our heroes. As additional portions of the level are explored they become visible on the map. ‘B' accesses the presents list. As ToeJam & Earl wander about the levels they'll discover a huge variety of items, weapons, and goodies neatly gift wrapped - complete with pretty bows - just waiting to be nabbed. You can even drop presents that you don't want; an invaluable ability in multiplayer because your buddy can pick up whatever you don't need.
Action items are used with the ‘A' button and include Super High-Tops for quick getaways, Icarus Wings for hard to reach areas, Inner Tubes for safely crossing bodies of water, and a Slingshot (complete with tomatoes) for going on the offensive. However, these items only last for a brief period of time and, when it runs out, the ‘A' button is suddenly necessary for sneaking past sleeping enemies. If action items are opened while both characters are on the same screen then they'll both receive them - share the love, or the pain!
ToeJam & Earl progress from level to level by entering a magic elevator that travels through similar funky backgrounds to those seen in the Jam Out. These scenes keep the loading times well hidden and allow the characters to bicker entertainingly between themselves. The levels and the enemies become progressively more challenging, and ToeJam & Earl will frequently find themselves knocked off the edge of a level and sent plummeting back to the previous one. While extremely inconvenient there's no loss of life incurred from the fall, and the elevator is waiting for you in the same location as before…if you can manage to get to it. Falling back to a prior level can even be done purposely if you're looking for an item that you've missed; you can even return to the first level no matter how far you've progressed. To help our lumbering friends along in their quest, tons of zany items and tasty treats are scattered throughout the levels. Earthlings can't resist dancing to the Boom Box's funky beats, and while they're busy they'll ignore you completely. Not all items are there to help you, though; the School Book puts you to sleep and the Rain Cloud repeatedly strikes you with lightning. The foods you'll find range from Wow (fudge cake) to Gross (moldy cheese) so be careful what you eat! You'll also find cash during your travels, which can be spent on in-game mail-order presents and even a healing wizard.
Opening presents and map tiles, by exploring the levels, earns you points, and more points earn you a better game rank. ToeJam & Earl start out as lowly ‘Wieners' but can progress all the way to the lofty heights of ‘Funklords'. Ascending in rank is always accompanied by an increase to the life bar, so it is not only fun to open a present; it also helps when it comes to earning points.
Cooperative multiplayer is where ToeJam & Earl truly shines. Players can either stick together as they explore the maps (a smart idea during later levels when it comes to sharing action presents and life by high-fiving each other), or they can go their separate ways via the split-screen. This is the best approach for covering the most ground quickly during the easy levels. The only disadvantage to multiplayer is that if one player falls off the level, the other can't progress until both are back in the elevator together. When one player runs out of lives, the other can even cough one up for his resurrection.
ToeJam & Earl is not only a riot to play, its clever animation and use of color makes it enjoyable to look at as well. From the characters' constant dance animations, even when idle, to the cut scene intros showing their spaceship crashing on Earth, the presentation is impressive and the silly hip-hop theme carries well for all portions of the game - including its soundtrack.
ToeJam & Earl is a completely different experience each time you play, thanks to the game's random levels. Not only do the levels themselves change but also the food, items, presents, enemies, ship pieces and elevator locations, too. When ToeJam & Earl go their separate ways and then return to the same screen they even greet each other. Over the course of the game you'll find them belching, singing, fleeing tomato rain, chasing down Santa Claus, sleeping, hula dancing and even enjoying the occasional Jacuzzi as they stumble across the Earth reassembling their ride. ToeJam & Earl's randomization, open-ended gameplay, and light-hearted sense of humor (that doesn't quit) perfectly embodies that which most games sadly lack.
Review by Dave Kaplan on 1 Oct 2004
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