I'M NOT A DOCTOR, I'M A SUPERHERO EARTHWORM!
A Review of Earth Worm Jim
by Mark W. Frantz
I must admit, I had my doubts. After all, who would put stock in a game
who starred a sentient earth worm. But 20 levels and a heckuva lot of good
clean fun, I'm a changed man. Of course, I'm talking about Earth Worm Jim,
Activision's port of the popular video game of the same name. So let's step
into our Ultra High Tech Super Space Suit and take a hop around the galaxy,
bringing an end to injustice and general bad stuff all over the universe.
First things first. Unless you've already paid Bill, you won't be able to run EWJ. It's a Windows95 only game, and is one of the new breed of animated games using Win95's new DirectDraw system. This game runs a lot like Pitfall : The Mayan Adventure. Considering the fact that Win95 requires a hefty machine to run, if you have it, EWJ will run pretty well on your system.
The graphics are stellar. In a multimedia enthused gaming industry, the
animation offers a nice break from the latest interactive movies. Each
character is very well rendered, and Jim's got plenty of moves that he can
make. The animation is superb, and very fluid. If you saw Pitfall, it
looks a lot like it. Sound is good as well, with the appropriate sound
effects for certain events, like the thwack of the whip and the boing of a
bungee cord. The weirdest sound is when Jim gets hit, where he screams
"Ow", and it sounds like that Ernest guy from all those movies. Strange, eh,
Vern?
There are several different devices available to control Jim. You can choose among keyboard, joystick, or four button keypad. I personally prefer the keyboard, but all three devices work equally well. Also among the options is the ability to change difficulty levels, screen resolution and system priority settings. This makes the game much more customizable to your system and style of play.
The story is typical of these adventures. You're a worm, namely Jim, who
comes across a Super Space Suit, which you crawl into and become...Earth
Worm Jim, Super Hero. Jim sets out on a quest to save Princess What's -Her -
Name, fighting his way through hoards of devious enemies for finally
battling Queen Slug-for-a-Butt. You know, standard fare.
At Jim's disposal are two weapons, a whip and his trusty Plasma Blaster. The whip, we later learn, happens to be Jim himself. (He IS a worm) He uses his whiplike self to destroy enemies, grab hooks and fling himself around, and as a method to get chicks. (Well, wormchicks)
The play is fast and furious, as you battle through twenty levels, each
more fiendish than the rest. Included within the twenty are some levels
that don't follow the standard linear board. For example, in one level you
and Snot A Problem are bungeeing off a cliff, and you both attempt to bash
the other into the wall and cause his bungee to break. In another level,
you have to keep a tiny little dog from falling into pits, lest he become
VERY angry and carry you back to the beginning. These interesting levels
add some variety and uniqueness to an otherwise standard arcade game.
So what's the final verdict? EWJ is a solid arcade game, adding a large chunk of humor and wackiness into a, at times, fiendishly difficult game. Its animations are well rendered, the sounds are great, and how can you not love an earthworm hero?
Gamer's Zone Scorecard
| Product: |
Earth Worm Jim |
| Company: |
Activison
|
| Cost: |
$49.95 |
System Requirements:
Windows 95, 486/33, SVGA, 2x CD-Rom, sound card,
video card and mouse.
Breakdown:
Fun Factor 5
Graphics 5
Sound 4
Interface 4
Replayability 4
Overall Score:
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