toejam and earl
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Nintendo brings five more Sega Genesis games to Switch Online Expansion Pack
The additions include 'Altered Beast' and 'ToeJam & Earl.'
‘ToeJam & Earl’ is more Diet Coke than fine wine
When I was young -- and I mean young, around six or seven -- my extended family would get together at my grandmother's house nearly every Sunday. And often on those days, for at least an hour or two, my cousin and I would play on her Sega Mega Drive (aka Genesis) together. Our go-to game was ToeJam & Earl, I think mostly because we needn't fight over one controller and it was co-operative, rather than competitive. Though my memories of the game are fond, the sequels released over the following decade completely passed me by. That's why I've had my eye on ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove -- an homage to the '90s classic that secured initial funding on Kickstarter in 2015. As it turns out, though, some memories are better being just that.
Meet Macaulay Culkin, retro video game nerd
Macaulay Culkin is roughly 10 years behind when it comes to video games. The most up-to-date console he owns is an Xbox 360, which he plugs in mostly to beat Mass Effect 2 again or blast through swarms of zombies in Left 4 Dead with his younger brother. The most modern game in his rotation right now is 2014's South Park: The Stick of Truth, which he's about 15 percent of the way through. "I play more old-school kind of things," Culkin said. "I play a lot more Nintendo and Super Nintendo games than I do probably anything else."
Adult Swim is publishing 'ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove'
Adult Swim Games is stepping in to publish an all-new ToeJam and Earl game 25 years after the original made its Sega Genesis debut.
ToeJam & Earl 3 beta brings funk to the Dreamcast 12 years too late
Thanks to one fan's lucky eBay find, the long-lost Dreamcast incarnation of ToeJam & Earl 3 is now available for public download. Though it would eventually appear on Microsoft's first-generation Xbox, ToeJam & Earl 3 was initially planned as a first-party exclusive for Sega's ill-fated, final console. Unfortunately, the Dreamcast was discontinued in 2001, leaving the then-in-development ToeJam & Earl 3 to vanish for more than a decade. Fast forward to 2013, when a member of the Assembler Games forums calling his or herself "ZakhooiTM" ordered a Dreamcast development kit from eBay. Unexpectedly, the kit contained code that, with a minimum of effort, would be compiled into a playable beta of the Dreamcast ToeJam & Earl 3. ZakhooiTM claims that the game becomes increasingly buggy as you move further into it, but also that at least twelve of the game's stages are functional. Gameplay in ToeJam & Earl 3 is described as unlike the eventual Xbox release, and more akin to the earlier Genesis games, except in full 3D. If you'd like to test the beta for yourself, you can find everything you need to get it up and running (with the exception of a functional Dreamcast) on the Assembler Games forums. In lieu of seeking money for this release, ZakhooiTM asks grateful fans to make donations to the Mardan School. If that still feels too close to piracy for comfort, the video above contains more than 30 minutes of footage captured by ZakhooiTM while exploring the beta. Nobody's going to sue you for watching the clip, we promise.
On Sega's continued commitment to retro games, even Toejam & Earl
Welcome to Living in the Past, a weekly column about what's new in old games. Now get off our lawn. Just a couple of weeks ago, I used this column as a platform to praise Sega's handling of an obscure retro game, and to urge you all to buy said game. I guess that's going to be a regular thing now!The latest Sega release to go above and beyond is Sega Vintage Collection: Toejam & Earl (and the two Toejam & Earl games on PSN, sold separately). While previously I would have said that the best case scenario for such a release would be an unaltered ROM dump – and the worst, a poorly performing ROM dump – Sega went one step beyond and added online co-op.
PSA: Pid and Pool Nation hit XBLA Oct. 31, Karateka and ToeJam & Earl Nov. 7
Major Nelson's latest Xbox Live Marketplace update confirms a few dates for us. Pid and Pool Nation drop tomorrow, while the ToeJam & Earl Collection and Karateka are beating towards November 7 releases. Jordan Mechner's beat-em-up was orignally set for a week later, but the Major says otherwise. Each game costs 800 MSP.There's also some noteworthy DLC on the way. Assassin's Creed 3 and WWE '13 get season passes today for 2400 and 1600 MSP respectively, while Sleeping Dogs can now explore the 'Nightmare in North Point' for 560 MSP. When Halo 4 comes out on November 6 the succinct 'War Games Map Pass Season One' should be ready and willing for 2000 MSP. Finally, the similarly concise Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 gets 'Deck Pack 1' on November 7 for 240 MSP.
ToeJam & Earl and Panic on Funkotron hit PSN/XBLA November 6/7
ToeJam & Earl and ToeJam and Earl in Panic on Funkotron are funking onto PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade on November 6/7 for North America. Sega tells us the two games are being released separately on PSN for $4.99, while on the Xbox Marketplace they'll be packaged together as Sega Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl for 800 MSP.The games' achievements showed up under the Vintage Collection tag in August, which suggested more Sega classics were on the way. Yesterday, ratings for three Sega old-school fighters were found on software regulator USK's site, but they've since been delisted.
Toejam & Earl achievements pop up, Sega Vintage Collection 4 imminent
Achievements for the Genesis Rogue-like ToeJam & Earl have popped up over at Xbox360Achievements under the tag of Sega Vintage Collection. That suggests that not only is Toejam and Earl imminent on XBLM, but that it's part of the next bundle of Sega classics for both XBLA and PSN.The last Sega Vintage Collection (Numero 3) came in May, bringing old-timers like Super-Hang On, The Revenge of Shinobi, and Alex Kidd in Miracle World to 360s and PS3s. What the next collection may offer is anyone's guess - beyond ToeJam and Earl, that is.There remains no official Sega announcement on an XBLA or PSN release of ToeJam and Earl. However, back in July the creators of the game confirmed to XBLAFans that the publisher is planning to release it on XBLM and PSN. We've reached out to Sega for confirmation.
ToeJam & Earl dev hiring for new Sony game
HumaNature Studios, the creator of ToeJam & Earl, appears to be working on a Sony-exclusive title, posts on Tech-Artists and the Gamasutra jobs board suggest. HumaNature is working on a title "directly for Sony," studio co-founder Greg Johnson writes in a head-hunting post on Tech-Artists.Johnson describes the title as "cute and filled with quirky personality. It's also super innovative in the area of emotional AI and personality simulation. It's designed for both male and female players, and will be marketed in the US and in Japan." Whew -- finally a video game for male and female players. We were getting tired of all these games marketed to "people."The Gamasutra job listing doesn't mention Sony specifically, but does provide more context for the game itself: "You should love games that create charming and believable, emotionally compelling simulated worlds; games like ICO, Beyond Good and Evil, Animal Crossing, Scribblenauts, LittleBigPlanet, and others."HumaNature stresses the importance of creativity and innovation with this title, and we can't help but picture a Vita game coming out of all this creative ... stuff.[Thanks, Jonah.]
More Sega Genesis classics added to Steam
Are you just a few marks short of achieving your dream of being able to play Gunstar Heroes on every gaming platform known to mankind? You can go ahead and check "PC" off your list -- the game, alongside other classics like Alien Soldier, Landstalker, Light Crusader, Shining Force, Shining Force II, Shining in the Darkness, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic and Knuckles, Streets of Rage, Streets of Rage 2, ToeJam and Earl, ToeJam and Earl in Panic on Funkotron, and Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair have all arrived on Steam as part of the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive Classics Collection 4. You can grab each of these gems (well, some of them are gems, anyways) for $2.99 a pop. You could also grab a bundle featuring 10 of the games above for $7.50 -- though this collection is missing both ToeJam and Earl games, so like, what's the point?
Sega discounting select Virtual Console titles for the holidays
Sega and Nintendo have teamed up to offer players a few holiday VC deals, announcing on Sega's UK blog that select Virtual Console titles will be discounted for a limited time. From December 24, 2009, until January 6, 2010, select titles will be reduced to 500 Wii Points each from down from 800 Wii Points. Titles getting the 40% off treatment include such Genesis classics as ToeJam & Earl, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Gunstar Heroes, Puyo Puyo 2, Golden Axe, Shining Force and Streets of Rage. Also, for the lump of coal types, Sega has discounted the "admit it, it stinks" brawler, Altered Beast. It's a great offer for new Wii owners, or those looking to relive their lost youth.
ToeJam & Earl creator says XBLA port not so certain; future games in franchise still a possibility
Greg Johnson has been in the game industry for a long time. Having designed 16-bit Sega icons ToeJam & Earl way back in the early 90s and now running Humanature Studios, he's seen his creation rise to fame and subsequently slip into gaming history as the years ticked by. But last summer, when Sega created a poll tasking fans with selecting the next Genesis title to get the XBLA treatment, ToeJam & Earl popped back up on our industry's collective radar by taking the gold. But it's not so simple! Johnson says Sega may have "got ahead of themselves a little bit" with that announcement "and didn't realize that they don't have the rights to the property." Apparently, Johnson assures us, "it's an easy mistake to make." This same shortcoming is also the reason why the characters will not be appearing in the upcoming Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, though showing up as DLC is still a possibility. "TJ&E will not be included ... and the option for including them as downloadable content is still open," Johnson said. "Sega said they're not ready to talk about that yet because they haven't started making any definite plans, but they promised to give me a shout when they get there – so hopefully we'll be able to work something out." More interesting yet, it seems that Mr. Johnson shopped around the idea for a Nintendo DS multiplayer ToeJam & Earl game – though his pitch unfortunately met with deaf ears at "pretty much all of [the game publishers]." Check out some images of what could have been in the gallery below and continue past the break for more from our conversation with Greg Johnson. %Gallery-77824%
Sega wants your vote for the next Genesis XBLA game
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Genesis, Sega is asking you, The Internet, to pick the next Genesis game to arrive on Xbox Live Arcade. It doesn't look like an easy choice either, as the list of candidates has some of the console's best games. All told, you can cast your vote for: Earthworm Jim Streets of Rage Golden Axe II Toejam & Earl Shining Force Revenge of Shinobi Wonderboy in Monster World Sega is accepting votes until August 21, so head over to genesispoll.com and vote. We'd be remiss not to mention that all of these games are available on Virtual Console already, but XBLA is guaranteed to add a few extra features, like game saving, Achievements and online multiplayer. Keep that in mind when casting your vote.
Top 5: Christmastime in Gaming
Ahh, Christmastime. Every year, we look forward to cherished traditions such as fighting traffic, stressing out over finding gifts, and even the occasional Black Friday trampling. Yet one would be surprised to learn that December 25th has a history which shares very little with frivolous lawsuits and Bill O'Reilly frothing at the mouth. Indeed, aside from its litigatious and hostile depiction on the news, Christmas is largely an excuse to shower our loved ones with food, presents, and joy. It's also an easy inspiration for a stressed columnist trying to finish his Christmas shopping to create a Top 5 list. As such examples of religious-based holidays are rare in gaming, this list will not be Nintendo-specific. For those who celebrate the date, I wish you a Merry Christmas. For those who don't, I wish you well just the same. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.
Three titles join Zelda II's Virtual Console celebration
After approximately 325 different and generally inappropriate permutations, we finally concluded that the above and dreadfully straightforward headline would be best suited to conveying the arrival of today's four new old Virtual Console games. "Zelda Moons Midori on Funkotron" was certainly a viable option, but it simply inspired the wrong sort of mental image. We actually want you to envision these four games arriving on the Wii's Virtual Console service at 9AM PST today: Milon's Secret Castle (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Though it's not much of a secret castle if the title gives it away, it certainly is one that adheres to video game tradition. Expect to rescue a princess and several valuable items -- musical instruments in this case -- within its recesses. ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron (Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): Video game tradition is given the boot here, with amusingly mismatched aliens, Toejam & Earl, saving their planet by ridding it of a human scourge. Dead Moon (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): Alright, now we're back to protecting the Earth from alien invasion. It's why we have side-scrolling shooters like this one. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Everyone's favorite pointy-eared protagonist returns to Hyrule in the Virtual Console's 100th release. Aid Link in his battle against the forces of evil, Zelda's newfound narcoleptic tendencies and an endless wave of best Zelda ever / worst Zelda ever controversy.
ESRB shows seven Sega games for Wii
While PS2 and PSP users won't be getting the under-appreciated classic Toe Jam and Earl as part of a recently announced Genesis collection, it looks like Wii owners might get the game on their virtual consoles. The ESRB lists these seven classics when you search for Sega games for Nintendo's upcoming system: Altered Beast Columns Ecco the Dolphin Golden Axe Ristar Sonic the Hedgehog Toe Jam & Earl Each game got an E rating, with descriptors for comic mischief, animated violence and animated blood thrown in for good measure. While this isn't an official confirmation that the games are Wii-bound, it does seem to confirm that they have at least been submitted for ESRB rating, a logical first step. We can only hope that we'll be able to spend hundreds of dollars on new hardware just to relive the joy that is the Toe Jam rap.[Thanks, SuicidalMuskrat]
