Earthworm Jim: Special Edition
released on Mar 15, 1995
An expanded game of Earthworm Jim
The game's Special Edition was released for the Sega Genesis add-on, the Sega CD. It was based on the Genesis version, contained all of its levels, plus some extended section to the levels and a single completely new level, titled "Big Bruty", a new remixed CD audio soundtrack, as well as around 1,000 more frames of in-game animation. These versions were also the only ones to contain alternate endings when winning on the "Easy" or "Difficult" difficulties, in which a narrator rambles on about many (false) facts about worms or congratulates the player in a similar absurd manner respectively. The Special Edition was later ported to Windows 95 by Activision.
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This version of the game is really interesting to me for historical purposes only.
The extra level Big Bruty is kind of neat and brings more of the strange horror aspect that you find in Intestinal Distress, the extra section of New Junk City is serviceable, the CD quality BGM is yet another interesting take on these really solid tracks, and the extra frames of animation are neat when you notice them.
What I think makes this worth playing in addition to the SNES or Genesis versions is the alternate history perspective you can find in it. Considering that this game is released about a year later and with tons of extra storage space you can make some (bold) assumptions about what the boys at Shiny really valued. This is an unintentional developer commentary on the original Earthworm Jim.
The fact that there's only one all-new level makes that single level speak to the developers ideas about what the original game should have had more of, and their answer is... Puzzle-oriented platforming with an invincible pursuer that forces you into hiding. They wanted EWJ to have more survival horror. That's wacky to me, and makes Intestinal Distress way less of an anomaly.
The new hummingbird enemy's alien appearance and slightly shifted art style would look more at home in EWJ2's more surreal, high-contrast creature design and it makes me think that the artists were already making a mental shift towards that aesthetic. The new humina humina awooga animation during the ending depicts Jim in a slightly different line weight than he has for the rest of the game, which once again makes it look like the artist's sensibilities have already started to shift to the EWJ2 style.
But what's most interesting to me is the extra quips that they included for Jim. He talks WAY more in this version and his little references and observations make him feel way less like the serious and incompetent buffoon that you see in the cartoon show and more... Bubsy, Gex, Deadpool. It makes me wonder if the extra quips are something they just decided on when they saw what extra disc space they had left over or if they always wanted Jim to talk this much. Imagine if EWJ was first released on DVD, would he be just as inane as the cast in Sonic Boom? I shudder to think.
Do yourself a favor and play the game in Easy or Difficult, not Normal. Either one rewards you with an extended ending sequence where Douglas TenNaple rambles in a weirdly personable way and cracks a bunch of jokes you feel like only him and Shiny would get. It goes on just long enough to develop a parasocial relationship with the guy.
Yeah, Doug. I am the best. Thanks man.
The extra level Big Bruty is kind of neat and brings more of the strange horror aspect that you find in Intestinal Distress, the extra section of New Junk City is serviceable, the CD quality BGM is yet another interesting take on these really solid tracks, and the extra frames of animation are neat when you notice them.
What I think makes this worth playing in addition to the SNES or Genesis versions is the alternate history perspective you can find in it. Considering that this game is released about a year later and with tons of extra storage space you can make some (bold) assumptions about what the boys at Shiny really valued. This is an unintentional developer commentary on the original Earthworm Jim.
The fact that there's only one all-new level makes that single level speak to the developers ideas about what the original game should have had more of, and their answer is... Puzzle-oriented platforming with an invincible pursuer that forces you into hiding. They wanted EWJ to have more survival horror. That's wacky to me, and makes Intestinal Distress way less of an anomaly.
The new hummingbird enemy's alien appearance and slightly shifted art style would look more at home in EWJ2's more surreal, high-contrast creature design and it makes me think that the artists were already making a mental shift towards that aesthetic. The new humina humina awooga animation during the ending depicts Jim in a slightly different line weight than he has for the rest of the game, which once again makes it look like the artist's sensibilities have already started to shift to the EWJ2 style.
But what's most interesting to me is the extra quips that they included for Jim. He talks WAY more in this version and his little references and observations make him feel way less like the serious and incompetent buffoon that you see in the cartoon show and more... Bubsy, Gex, Deadpool. It makes me wonder if the extra quips are something they just decided on when they saw what extra disc space they had left over or if they always wanted Jim to talk this much. Imagine if EWJ was first released on DVD, would he be just as inane as the cast in Sonic Boom? I shudder to think.
Do yourself a favor and play the game in Easy or Difficult, not Normal. Either one rewards you with an extended ending sequence where Douglas TenNaple rambles in a weirdly personable way and cracks a bunch of jokes you feel like only him and Shiny would get. It goes on just long enough to develop a parasocial relationship with the guy.
Yeah, Doug. I am the best. Thanks man.
Just a better version of EWJ1. You could say the pacing is a bit off with the new content but I think it's fine. It made this version stand out to me and it's different music.