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Platform: Xbox Genre: Adventure/Platformer Publisher: Sega Developer: Toejam & Earl Prod. ESRB: T (Teen) Released: October 2002 Support AE! Buy Games Here:
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ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to EarthScore: 8.0 / 10 |
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Pros: - Some of the old-fashioned Toejam & Earl flavor - Great looking game - Loads of old and new presents - Solid two-player action - Can change characters in the middle of the game - High replay factor with Random mode
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Cons: - Camera can’t keep up most of the time - Don’t try to blackmail me! - Almost too many presents - Some enemies attack too relentlessly
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Related Links: Review: Blinx: The Time Sweeper (XBox)
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"While it can never re-capture the magic of the original, it’s still a blast to play..."
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The original ToeJam & Earl on the16-bit Genesis brought the ToeJam & Earl duo to the videogame world with a splash – random levels, tons of sampled sound effects, and an interesting take on planet Earth made for an experience not easily forgotten by anyone who played it. And that is why I found writing this review incredibly difficult.
I have fond memories of the original – sweet nostalgia practically drips out my ears when I think of those Saturday mornings spent running from maniacal dentists and trying to achieve the rank of Dude. ToeJam &Eearl III: Mission to Earth (TJ&EIII) has a legacy to live up to and for the most part it succeeds in matching the qualities of the original. But thanks to the new technology, there are some problems. The biggest problem being the camera that drifts way too much. Granted, the right stick controls the camera well and the right trigger centers it behind your character but it’s too easy to forget these in the heat of battle. When you’re just running around, it doesn’t even try to match your movements meaning you have to do plenty of control adjustment. And when you’re facing off against some of the zaniest Earthlings – that attack from all angles, sometimes relentlessly – it’s easy to slip into soft cursing.
Many of the Earthlings that appeared in the original appear in TJ&EIII, including the Bogey Man, the Man in the Carrot Suit, the cackling dentist, Cupid, and the nerds (this time packing hardware). New characters crop up all over the place and most are clever, especially the ghostly apparition of a cow (that can possess characters) and the country singer, while others, like the baby that randomizes your presents, are just plain annoying. And familiar obstacles return as well, including the tornado and water hazards. All this adds up to a challenge trying to find the Funkopotomus’s stolen Vinly Collection (the reason ToeJam, Earl and Latisha have been sent to Earth) and track down the Anti-Funk.
Presents also return in a big way. Everything from the classic hi-tops (that increase your speed) to the coveted Icarus wings and the hard-to-control rocket skates harken back to the good old days of the original. The new presents all have their uses, but I found myself sticking with the core goodies, like the spring shoes. One of the new elements of using the presents is the danger that they’ll backfire or malfunction. Presents marked “risky” carry an element of danger about them. Sometimes the effects are benign but other times they’ll send you careening around the level out of control. (There are tons of different presents to unlock and acquire – almost too many.) And on that very topic – control – TJ&EIII is a breeze to come to grips with. Managing presents, performing Funk-fu moves, etc. is quite easy to learn. As mentioned, the camera needs to be constantly tweaked so you don’t get hammered by enemies just off-screen, but other than that, I don’t have any complaints. So, in short TJ&EIII has all the elements of the original. The major difference is that TJ&EIII throws Funk-fu and Funkify Notes into the mix so you don’t have to turn tail every time you come across an Earthling. These forms of attack work well for the most part – your Funk-fu skills increase as you earn higher ranks – but the drifting camera can hamstring their effectiveness. But just what the hell is going on in the game? Not a whole lot. You explore levels; collect keys and presents, convert Earthlings to the Ways of Funk any way you can, and take part in a variety of mini-challenges and Boss battles. But therein lies a problem. Even with the variety of objectives it all feels the same: Collect the mic, convert the Earthlings, proceed to the next area. Obviously, this isn’t true of the entire game – sometimes you get to man vehicles – otherwise I would have put down the controller and walked away from it. Plus, there’s an indefinable “feel good” factor about the game. I have nothing but praise for the production values! TJ&EIII is one fine-looking and sounding game – funktacular, if I may. Load screens? What load screens? All the load screens are deftly hidden in the brief cutscenes as each area loads up. These cutscenes mostly center on a trio of Gospel singers who sing a brief message or the big-eyed Funkopotomus – usually to explain the objective of the area you’re going to. Occasionally, one of the Hawaiian dancers or the Man in the Carrot Suit shows up spouting off some hilarious snippets. The graphics are entirely slick and the small touches are front and center. Just watch ToeJam (the one with three legs) traverse ice. The worlds are bright and full of color and a complete joy to explore (although backtracking can be a bit of a pain). Audio has also received full attention – many, many tunes, tributes to the original sound effects (just take a swig of rootbeer), and lots of character dialogue. It’s definitely audio-centric as you search out the Vinyls. Two player games are great. While it can never re-capture the magic of the original, it’s still a blast to play as long as you've got some time on your hands to play as a team. The original game could be completed in about an hour making for faster games, but, alas, not here.
Extra content can be downloaded via Xbox Live but if you don’t have Xbox Live it makes you wonder what you’re missing. And the game constantly reminds you that you could be missing out by not having it. I’m not sure if this classifies as in-game advertising, but it grated on me anyway. ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth manages to be a good game but just misses the magic of the original because it’s a sequel. It’s a good experience even if you have to cope with the camera and constant Xbox Live plugs. It’s got enough style, attitude, and feel good vibes (with relaxed action to make it accessible and therapeutic after a long day) that it’s still worth playing. - Omni (November 9, 2002)
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