Earthworm Jim
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Earthworm Jim 4 announced, platform unknown
While many gamers of the 360 generation will not know of the antics of Earthworm Jim, those more ancient gamers will recall Princess What's-Her-Name, Psy-Crow, and others. When the rumors began that there would be a continuation of the franchise, we were admittedly excited. Now, we discover that Earthworm Jim 4 will happen and that the original creator, Douglas TenNapel, is back on the series as a creative consultant (he's also working on a cartoon and movie based on the property.) There were no other details announced (not even a platform), but given the changes in the industry since the series' heyday, we'd love to see Earthworm Jim 4 take some sort of alternative to the usual "reinventions" of franchises. Perhaps a 2D side-scroller/platformer with 3d character models, released on XBLA (maybe even with episodic content?). Yeah, that's a nice dream.
Earthworm Jim, Clayfighter coming to Virtual Console
Four classic Interplay Sega Genesis games are en route to the Wii's Virtual Console. Dave Perry's classic platformers Earthworm Jim and Earthworm Jim 2 will both be gracing the download service, along with the campy claymation action of Clayfighter, and the gross-out humor of Boogerman.According to the press release, all four titles will be the Sega Genesis versions of the games, despite having appeared on both Genesis and SNES. No word yet on when these titles we be released (but we're guessing it'll be on a Monday).
Earthworm Jim, other Interplay games coming to Virtual Console
Groovy! One of the most-requested Virtual Console games is now officially on the way, thanks to Interplay. And it's bringing friends! Earthworm Jim, Shiny's platform/shooting adventure about a worm in a space suit, will be released on the Virtual Console "later this year," joined by its sequel, as well as the Claymation SF2-alike Clayfighter (developed by Visual Concepts) and Boogerman (full title: Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure).According to Gamasutra, these will be the Genesis versions of the games, which means that Earthworm Jim will include the extra "Intestinal Distress" level that was exclusive to that version. Hey, Interplay had the rights to Out of this World at some point. Maybe they still do!
Interplay revived, could Earthworm Jim follow?
Earthworm Jim was getting a PSP sequel ... until Atari had the project canned. Interplay, the original owners of the IP, has managed to come back to financial life due to the sale of the Fallout license to Bethesda Software. According to bit-tech.net, "Interplay is recruiting new developers and working to become entirely in-house and self-contained. The developer is hoping to start work on sequels for the Earthworm Jim, MDK, Descent and Dark Alliance franchises in the near future."With Interplay back in business, could the long-forgotten Earthworm Jim PSP project come back to life? We hope so.[Via P3F]
Interplay back in business, planning long-awaited sequels
It seems the formerly-financially-disabled company Interplay got quite a bit of cash for leaving Fallout 3 in the command of Bethesda Softworks, because they've officially gone back into business. Their plans? Sequels galore! Their first order of business, probably to keep funds rolling in, is to get a Fallout MMO out into the market. This should work, since the world of Fallout simply begs for an MMO-inspired tale. With the money gained from that, they plan to get cracking on established brands we haven't heard of since the original PlayStation -- like the MDK series. They were hard, but so very fun. Other very exciting projects would be Earthworm Jim, Descent, and Dark Alliance. We're very excited to have Interplay back and look forward to seeing what the future holds for them!
Sequel alert: Earthworm Jim, MDK and Dark Alliance
Earthworm Jim, MDK, Dark Alliance and Descent fanboys perk up your ears, because we have promising news for each franchise. Today, Interplay confirmed that all four of these franchises are prime targets for future sequels after their company recorded rather nice profits last year. We'd be fools if we thought we could speculate to how, when or in what form these franchises will receive the sequel treatment, though we hope that the Interplay gods give us Earthworm Jim on the Xbox 360. In retail form or XBLA form, we'd be satisfied getting Jim either way.
Foundation 9 melts together Collective and Shiny into Double Helix
Whatever last remnants of identity clung to by both Shiny and The Collective were lost today as the duo were merged together by owner Foundation 9, creating a new, wholly unfamiliar entity known as Double Helix. Studio head Michael Saxs Persson calls the new name and logo, which were chosen from a pool of employee submissions, a "perfect" match for the company, adding that "making games is in our DNA." The founding follows the initial merger, announced last October, and according to Foundation 9 creates a studio "that is now able to build upon its previous experience to gain new heights in quality and efficiency." And all it cost us was our fond memories of a simpler time spent playing the likes of MDK and Earthworm Jim. While the company remains coy regarding what it's up to currently, today's announcement notes that Double Helix is developing a trio of multi-platform licensed games, one of which we assume to be the already announced Silent Hill V.
Interplay resurrection report: new website
Well, calling it a "website" might be a bit of a stretch. It's more of a digital poster really. Still, it looks like the rebirth of Interplay is officially underway. Fastidious X3F readers will recall that the company submitted an SEC filing late last year that detailed plans to return to the video game development business, largely in thanks to the profits made in the sale of the Fallout IP to Bethesda. Said plans included the revival of several of Interplay's well-known franchises including Earthworm Jim, MDK, and Baldur's Gate. It seems that Interplay is moving forward with its plans, as the new website will attest. Consisting solely of the image seen above, Interplay.com clearly references all three of the franchises mentioned above as well as Fallout (most likely the MMO Interplay has been talking about since 2006). Let's hope we see some details sooner rather than later.[Thanks, Boff]
Dave Perry honored by Queen's University Belfast
Outspoken developer and former Shiny founder Dave Perry has found himself on the receiving end of an honorary degree by the UK's Queen's University Belfast, to be awarded as part of the school's centenary year celebration this July. While the degree would be equally served for recognizing Perry's unceremonious commentary on the Wii's questionable longevity when compared to the competition, the architect behind MDK and others has instead received a diploma in science engineering for distinction in computer game development and design. Perry shares the honorary spotlight with some distinguished company as well, with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Taioseach Bertie Ahern, actors Joanna Lumley and James Ellis and others filling out the university's honorary graduate list, though we doubt any of those can boast having breathed live into a gun-toting earthworm.
David Perry talks free MMOs in Gama interview
Over the holidays the indomitable Gamasutra caught up with David Perry, the man behind such great games as Earthworm Jim and such utter flops as Enter the Matrix, to talk with him about his current projects, of which he has nearly too many to list. The ones that were of interest to us were his work in bringing over such... unorthodox titles as Dance! Online based on the game's popularity in Korea. He also hinted that he was working with Acclaim on some new free MMOs, one of which was a "music" game and the other a "sports" game, as well as localizing 2moons.After reading the interview, I'm not sure exactly what wavelength Perry is operating on, because his priorities seem a little out of whack to me. Not only does he express a good deal of confidence that games based on item sales instead of subscription fees are the wave of the future in the U.S., but he also expresses a certain admiration for business models (such as the ones used by EA and in certain Korean studios) that treat developers like expendable wage slaves. Some might wonder whether it's even worth listening to Perry's views except as an homage to his past success. It's a good point, but we're still curious about Acclaim's new-found interest in MMOs, so we'll continue to keep tabs on him.
Interplay's Fallout profit to revive Earthworm Jim, MDK
Having made a hefty chunk of change by selling the Fallout name to Bethesda, Interplay is looking to resurrect some of its long dead franchises. First and foremost among many gamers are the Earthworm Jim and MDK franchises. Frankly, we like the idea of seeing more of both, but without the development talents of Shiny (we promise, they made great games before The Matrix came out) and BioWare in the case of MDK2, we have our doubts. Other franchises being considered for a reboot are Baldur's Gate (please, please, please) and Descent.The information comes from an SEC filing stating that Interplay is looking to reinvigorate in-house development (they used to make good games too). While no specifics have been released, we can only hope that any games to emerge from Interplay's redoubled efforts will wind up on Xbox 360 (360 owners actually buy games, after all). Here's hoping the games are actually good.
Fallout sale to help fund Earthworm Jim, Descent comebacks
With help from money it gleaned from selling the Fallout franchise to Bethesda, Interplay intends to revitalize its in-house game development studio and "has hired a veteran game developer," according to an SEC filing. Interplay also noted that, should it be able to obtain further financing, the developer intends to "develop sequels to some of the most successful games, including Earthworm Jim, Dark Alliance, Descent and MDK." The developer also plans to continue work on a Fallout MMO. The connection to Interplay's former post-apocalyptic franchise doesn't end there; it's as interwoven into this story as the characters from LOST are to each other. The "veteran game developer," as it turns out, is former Fallout designer Jason Anderson, who worked on the first and second games before leaving with fellow Fallout devs Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky to form Troika games. Anderson is reportedly working on an MMO for Interplay unrelated to Fallout. [Via Gamasutra]
Perry: If Nintendo sees you as a threat, they'll wipe you out
David Perry, who should sound familiar to you Earthworm Jim fans out there, sat down with GamesIndustry.biz to conduct a nice little interview. GI grilled him on all of the current consoles on the market, eventually coming to Nintendo's newest console, the Wii. What Perry had to say, however, might not be what we all wanted to hear.In regards to the competition of Nintendo's first-party titles, Perry states "You have to allow for that. You can't assume it is going to be like the other platforms, because you are going to have Nintendo taking most of the sales. And if Nintendo really sees you as a threat, they will take the moves to wipe you out. They are not going to let you win." Kind of makes Nintendo sound like the mafia or something, wouldn't you say?Perry also talks about Nintendo's new winning attitude, stating that the ease of use of the Wii is what is bringing them all of this new fortune. Perry compares them to Apple, saying "What matters is the fact that things are easy to play. Hopefully, everyone heeded the Nintendo message. Easy to play is very important in this industry. Does anyone get that yet? You can go back to Apple, who taught us the same thing. Time after time after time they put out a new iPod with the same controls. Why? Because adding ten more buttons, which would have been very tempting and very easy to do, would have made it more complex. Keeping that system, that round dial that does everything magically, is part of the proof that making things easier sells."
PSP's Earthworm Jim gets the bird, goes 'on hold'
Earthworm Jim for PSP has been put "on hold" as Atari focuses on other projects. Sister site PSPFanboy reveals that the game they thought was coming along fine with "sharp graphics, and awesome 2D gameplay potential" is no longer in the works, but an Atari spokesperson says it "may be revisited in the future."Optimistically, there's still 60 reasons to own a PSP. Maybe some information will shake out at Min-E3 over why Earthworm Jim got the bird. Atari still has other titles coming out for the PSP, but a lot of their energy (and money) is currently going into upcoming potential hits like the return of Alone in the Dark.
Earthworm Jim put "on hold"
Earthworm Jim for PSP was looking good: it had sharp graphics, and awesome 2D gameplay potential. Unfortunately, it appears that the game is canned ... for now. We contacted Alissa Bell from Atari, who commented: "I believe EWJ is off the roster. May be revisited in the future, but the title is, as I hear it, on hold." Hopefully, this isn't the end of Earthworm Jim on PSP.Atari's upcoming support for PSP includes Dungeons & Dragons Tactics and HOT PIXEL. However, it doesn't appear that PSP fans can expect too much more in the upcoming future. Talking about their E3 plans, Alissa told us that "I don't believe Atari will be focusing on PSP titles at E3."
Virtually Overlooked poll: Five games enter, one game leaves
You've seen everyone's picks, sure, but of all the games listed, which one do you most want on the Virtual Console? Each member of the Wii Fanboy staff has selected one of their top five VC picks -- now you get to decide which game is the most desired of all those featured during Virtually Overlooked week (it's totally StarTropics). But what if the game you most wanted isn't listed here? Then let us know about your real pick in the comments, but go ahead and vote (for StarTropics), because, hey -- we need to be ranked by you. It fulfills us (especially if you vote for StarTropics).No subliminal messages were harmed in the writing of this poll. Which fanboy pick do you want to see on the Virtual Console? Star Tropics Earthworm Jim River City Ransom Seiken Densetsu 3 Saturn Bomberman These are all such great games that I could never choose!
Earthworm Jim finally coming back? Groovy.
Probably some of the most inventive, off-the-wall crap to come out on the SNES were the Earthworm Jim titles. Nothing could give the sense of high-octane shootin' action as well as some of the most insane humor found in video games of their day. Well, in another interview with former Shiny boss Dave Perry, it seems the worm-in-a-suit will be coming back for more.Perry said the entire team behind the games had reformed: "We reformed the (Earthworm Jim) team and they were all into it. Trust me, all the original Earthworm Jim guys are still very interested in the whole idea; just know that it'll happen eventually." Eventually, indeed. The last one to grace consoles on the N64 was delayed so many times people thought that was actually the game -- waiting. We don't know anything else. No consoles declared, no details... just that it'll happen eventually. Groovy.
PSP gets its Golden Compass
Fans of book to movie to game adaptations, are you going to wet your pants when you hear this news! Sega has let everyone know that they are releasing a game based on The Golden Compass film adaptation. The game is being developed by Shiny Entertainment (who are also working on the Earthworm Jim PSP title) and will feature the likenesses of the film's cast. You'll play as Lyra and her animal friends Pan and lorek Byrnison. The gameplay consists of using special items and sneakiness when playing Lyra and more head-on physical attacks with lorek. The game will span 13 environments based on areas from the movie as well as some areas that aren't featured in the film. I really have no idea what to expect of this title, but I used to love Shiny's games back in the day, so I can only hope this and Earthworm Jim are good fun. We'll find out for sure when The Golden Compass game is released this fall. [Via Gamespot ]
What Dave Perry wants from a PSP redesign
Dave Perry, the respected creator of games like Earthworm Jim, recently went on record to SPOnG about what he'd like in a potential PSP redesign. He starts by describing the system as "a great little machine, but the price is a major barrier. The American public like $149 to $99 for handhelds." Lowering the price would be substantial in getting more PSPs out there. Mr. Perry has a lot of ideas, some great, and some not-so-much: He proclaims Sony should "make the PSP with a clamshell design, to protect that lovely screen, and they should have made the screen at least DVD resolution." A screen that's 480p would certainly be far pricier to manufacture than Sony's current screen, no? "I would also kill off the UMD disc, remove it entirely and shrink the device size." But that would get rid of compatibility with old PSP games. Maybe for PSP2? Mr. Perry gets a boner for digital distribution, and for good reason: "Embracing digital distribution... would bring movies and games back to the PSP in a sensible way. Then I can buy movies or games for less (ZERO cost of goods), keeping the library safely stored on my PC, picking the ones I want to watch next, and all I have to do is sync. If they wanted to be forward thinking, they could offer modern features like game demos, trial music from new artists, item sales, vast customization of items, characters and in-game objects from databases too vast to store on the PSP." As seen by the popularity of downloadable demos, it's clear that PSP owners want to download games to boot from Memory Stick. The eventual popularity of PSone game downloads may lead Sony to start thinking about offering full PSP titles digitally, saving gamers from UMD costs, and UMD loading times. Homebrew can actually help Sony, according to Mr. Perry: "Did user-created content hurt YouTube? Why not open the PSP? Welcome indie games, welcome development, get the users promoting the device... I bet Sony tries to tell you it doesn't matter. Well, if you type "Sony PSP hack" into Google, there are now 8.6 MILLION pages dedicated to the subject." I completely agree that Sony should be supporting homebrew developers on the platform. In fact, embracing the development community might've prevented the popularity of illegal emulators and ISO programs. Sony could've kept a watchful eye, instead of dividing the community between those that actually play new games, and those that pirate games. One of the greatest attributes of the PSP is that it can connect to a PC, and you can move files between them both. Digital distribution of more demos and games will be key for all PSP owners, and I hope Sony gets working on it.[Via kikizo]
First-ever Earthworm Jim video delights
The Atari love continues today, as impressions and videos from their "Atari Spotlight" slowly trickle in. Another PSP game featured at the event was Earthworm Jim. While the screenshots we've seen so far have looked really good so far, seeing the game in motion has elevated its desirability to an even greater level. Like Ultimate Ghouls 'n Goblins on the PSP and New Super Mario Bros. on the DS, 3D graphics have been really changing the look and feel of 2D games... for the good. Our pal Jim looks to animate quick brilliantly. The platforming looks absolutely spectacular, with Jim have access to a plethora of moves, including a super-charged jump aided by his suit. While the combat and hit detection appear to be lacking right now, this very early demonstration of Earthworm Jim shows a lot of promise.Download - Gamespot's VideoRead - Gamespot's Hands-OnRead - AMN's Hands-On
