Earthworm Jim 2

Earthworm Jim 2

released on Nov 15, 1995

Earthworm Jim 2

released on Nov 15, 1995

From Evil the Cat’s’Circus of the Scars’ to the planet of Meat, join Jim on a madcap chase across the galaxy. Saving cows, thwarting lawyers and outsmarting Psy-Crow are all in a day’s work for Jim. Are you up to the challenge? Can you handle the awesome new weapons? Excellent! Then stop reading this. Try it now! Trust no one, play it yourself.. or EAT DIRT!


Also in series

Earthworm Jim HD
Earthworm Jim HD
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Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy
Earthworm Jim 3D
Earthworm Jim 3D
Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim

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Earthworm Jim 2 is pure 90s weirdness at its best! It's hilarious, challenging, and the art style is totally off-the-wall. The levels are creative and surprising – one second you're launching cows, the next you're in a game show hosted by a talking fish... seriously! While not the most polished game (those controls can be rough), Earthworm Jim 2 is a total blast from the past and a reminder that sometimes, games just need to be completely bonkers and a whole lot of fun.

I’m not even gonna give a long length paragraph here, the GBA version of this game is atrocious. I played the SNES version a couple of years ago and it was good even if it has some crappy levels but this port is just something. If you thought the port of the first EWJ is bad then you need to play this.

First off the controls are similar to the console versions. You can jump and shoot with the face buttons which is simple enough. Select switches weapons which is good because I think the MD version lacked swapping. The whip attack is on R and then there’s this shield that protects you from hits if you hold L, though it’s inconsistent. Was this in the SNES version? I’ve never seen it before but I forgot it was there anyway. I’m gonna make it clear that I will probably get some stuff wrong about comparisons. So let’s talk about the actual issues.

The controls are terrible. The jump just feels so fast and you move fast doing it too. The whip feels terrible too, you have to not only hold it but you lose any movement in the air doing it. I swear I don’t remember that being the case in the SNES version. The collision for things is also inconsistent and doesn’t feel matched up a lot of the time. In the 2nd level, the collision felt so buggy that I grabbed onto the soil and I went to the top of that section immediately. At least the gunplay is fine but that is the only playable feeling thing this has.

The levels aren’t fun either because of the issues. The Villi People level was surprisingly terrible in this version. The collision on the walls is just broken like they don’t even sometimes come close to matching what the graphics show. The bumpers also just have inconsistent physics to them. They don’t even play the game show music in this version. You will be sick of hearing Moonlight Sonata because every song in this version sounds really bad. If you thought Puppy Love was the worst part of the game before, well prepare to hate it here. The screen crunch actually screwed me over once and I swear it’s impossible to rescue them all. The Flyin’ King level is also so painful with the screen crunch and it’s so easy to screw up and the final part of this level pisses me off.

Then, tragedy struck. After beating The Flyin’ King, the well done screen showed up and after that…black screen. It just never loaded anything. Even after using rewind to try again, black screen. I’m sorry for doing this but that’s where it ends for me. I can’t tell you why it happened. Should I feel thankful I didn’t have to suffer more? I don’t know. There are passwords but I felt kind of demotivated by then and plus they’re buggy. One of the passwords on Gamefaqs takes you to level 2 but you instantly die because it starts you with 0% health. How does that even happen? In fact almost all of the passwords start you with like 1 or 2 percent health. I’ve read the passwords can also take you to a null level that instantly kills you but I couldn’t figure out how to see it. I don’t even know how you get passwords in general and that goes for any version.

I could go on about issues like the brightness of this port or how one of Jim’s voice samples is pitched down for no reason or even the wrong timing on some sound effects like the according in the opening scene. It’s all just terrible, how did this happen? I guess it’s still beatable unless it crashes for you too but I don’t know why anyone would want to play this outside of massive curiosity. It’s fascinating that it even got released or even approved. I’m not sure if it’s the worst port on the system but it is down there. Avoid this version like you probably have been doing to begin with. No one should have to deal with a game like this. The worst sin of them all though is the cow in the back of the level complete scene doesn't smile anymore, shame on you. Still wish I could have beaten it though…

I played it, then remembered how long it took me to complete the first entry and put the controller down for another time. Yet to be completed.

The good levels are better than EWJ1, but the bad levels are so bad that I think someone should actually be punished for them. Whoever came up with Puppy Love and determined it needed 3 rounds? I want that guy killed, clean shot. Level Ate consantly bombarding you with enemies and salt shakers? The Iron Maiden. The sick fucking monster who brought in the Flyin' King? The Baptist Hell. Suffer endlessly.

I want to rate this higher than Earthworm Jim 1 because there is stuff I love here: the animation is even better and more expressive, the game actually makes me laugh pretty consistently, it's pretty funny! The good levels like Udderly Abducted, Tangerines, Lorenzo's Soil, and Jim Is A Blind Cave Salamander are actually FUN and have INTERESTING GIMMICKS. But the rotten is like a limb blackened by frostbite, functionless and chipping off before your very eyes, and the only thing we need to do is get it to a hospital so amputation can happen.

A game that would gain more stars if content was actively REMOVED. Puppy Love is T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E. I cannot stand by For Pete's Sake being slandered while this nightmare is given a slap on the wrist. The fucking marshmallow you have to bounce the puppies off of has the most inconsistent hitbox in a game loaded with them by a company who is bad at them. It is a level so bad that I actively encourage cheating. If something fucking stinks: cheat. Don't feel bad about it, if it sucks, skip it. Under no circumstance should you beat Puppy Love how they actually intended, because they intended you to be a gaming God who can nail frame precise movements like you are fucking Simple Flips. You are not. I am not. Skip the shitty level.

Love this music though! It's known that Tommy Tallarico did not compose any actual music in his fucking life, and he especially didn't come up with any of the really great original music here. I highly doubt he even had the inspired choice to put Moonlight Sonata in the Salamnder level. It's a very fun soundtrack that once again has its name attached to a ding dong. Can't win with this franchise!

What I suggest is attributing every bad decision to Doug, notorious shithead. Puppy Love? His idea. Flyin' King? He programmed all of it! Level Ate? He wanted MORE Salt shakers! The game goes down so much easier once you do this.

I like this one a little more than the first game. It's a bit more gimmicky, but it's funnier and has more added mechanics. My biggest complaint, like the first game, is the repetitive ass levels. First game it's chasing Psy-Crow, here it's saving Peter Puppy's puppies. Just gets annoying. Still like both of these games tho and I also grew up watching the cartoon a little bit.

The bomb level in this game gives me PTSD tho. That shit was always so tedious. Even as an adult I struggle.

I hate the gameplay but everything else kicks so much ass that it’s almost okay