SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
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Tenlo
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SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
GrahamOfTheDead Mon Nov 12, 2012 3:29 pm
Developer: M2
Publisher: SEGA
Price: 800MSP
Ahh...the 90's. They have a lot to answer for. Colour-changing t-shirts. MC Hammer. Mr Blobby. But one of the highlights was the 16-bit gaming era. This was the time when Sega were at their peak and the Mega Drive (Genesis to our transatlantic cousins) was the console of choice for a lot of gamers.
While they may be out of the hardware game now, Sega are still around and of late they have been revisiting their glory days with the Sega Vintage Collection releases. The latest of which is ToeJam & Earl, a bundle of the two games Sega put out in the early 90's.
It has taken a while for these games to make it to Xbox Live. A couple of years ago Sega held a survey about which classic game people would like to see re-released on XBLA and ToeJam & Earl was a resounding winner. So...what exactly are these games all about then?
From 1991, the original game follows the exploits of the titular alien rappers (yup!) after they crash their ship on Earth. What follows is what can only be described as one of the most surreal moments in gaming. At it's heart, ToeJam & Earl is a top-down 'dungeon crawler'. Each level begins completely undiscovered and has you exploring for the elevator to the next level and the missing ship parts. However there are obstacles in your way in the form of the bad guys....from groups of nerds, gophers, mailboxes. It seems everything on Earth is out to get you.
You're not entirely defenceless though. There are various presents scattered around the play area which all have a different effect on you. From rocket skates, tomatoes to throw, wings and extra health to bad things like tomato rain and insta-death. To begin with as well, these things are all unlabelled so you never know what you're going to get. As the game progresses the enemies become more aggressive and the bad power-ups begin to appear more frequently.
In the sequel 'Panic on Funkotron', originally released in 1993, ToeJam & Earl are back on their home planet, but some sneaky earthlings have stowed away on their ship and are now running riot. Gameplay-wise, this game is totally different. Instead of the top-down exploring we now get some side-scrolling platforming as the protagonists attempt to round up all the stowaways.
So, have these games aged well? For the most part they have. The original game still stands out as something unique in terms of gameplay and tone. The sequel however doesn't fare as well. It plays like an average 16-bit platformer, but thankfully retaining the same sense of surreal humour gives it a bit more of an edge over the competition.
For it's time, the graphics and audio were no doubt top notch, however as with all retro re-releases neither is the selling point here. Unsurprisingly, the sequel is the better looking of the two and the overall look still holds up. The funk/hip-hop soundtrack is also still pretty decent and never sounds old.
Longevity is another plus for this collection. While Panic on Funkotron may not have much in the way of replay value, the original has it in spades thanks to the fact that it has a random mode, meaning no two games will be the same. Both games also offer co-op both online and offline.
If you're looking for achievements, then this for the most part is another easy list from Sega. You will stumble upon most of the achievements by simply playing through both games, with only a couple requiring you to go out of your way to perform special tasks. In terms of general difficulty, the games aren't exceptionally difficult on their own, but you are free to save your game whenever you like which means you can replay sections over and over if you need to.
In conclusion, this package offers great value for money. Two of the best remembered games of a generation available in one package. One may not have held up as well as the other, but in terms of design and character they are streets ahead of most and prove that old cliche. They don't make 'em like that any more!
8/10
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Re: SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
KENT HAMMER Mon Nov 12, 2012 3:37 pm
Good review mate.
I actually tried to play this the other day, but had no clue what I was meant to do!
Do you just run to the elevator each time?
Or do I need to collect stuff to progress?
I actually tried to play this the other day, but had no clue what I was meant to do!
Do you just run to the elevator each time?
Or do I need to collect stuff to progress?
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Re: SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
GrahamOfTheDead Mon Nov 12, 2012 3:40 pm
KENT HAMMER wrote:Good review mate.
I actually tried to play this the other day, but had no clue what I was meant to do!
Do you just run to the elevator each time?
Or do I need to collect stuff to progress?
You need to collect ship parts. Whenever you exit the elevator it'll tell you if there's a part to find on that level.
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Re: SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
Slayer1189 Mon Nov 12, 2012 4:52 pm
Good review. I'll probably pick these up in an inevitable sale. I know these games are highly regarded, but for me it's the vintage collection I wanted least. I find Panic on Funkotron decent but the first game bores me. Maybe i'll think differently 15 years later though! 
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Re: SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
TreeMunky Mon Nov 12, 2012 5:18 pm
Great review GOTD. Never played T&E back in the day and with too much to play this will probably be a DOTW purchase. Look forward to the next review mate
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Re: SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
Guest Mon Nov 12, 2012 5:57 pm
Good review GOTD defo getting this when I am through my backlog of single player stuff. One to try with my lad on co op.
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Re: SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
monders Mon Nov 12, 2012 7:31 pm
NEED.
I've got it on Megadrive, but my Megadrive doesn't work anymore
I've got it on Megadrive, but my Megadrive doesn't work anymore
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Re: SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
TheTCD Mon Nov 12, 2012 10:22 pm
Nice review sir.
I remember renting this way back and being so utterly confused and frustrated, taking it right back again. It to me was annoyingly vague and I've never liked games that aren't clear in what they expect you to do. Maybe it was just my inpatient adolescent brain refusing to understand the game, but I have always wanted to give it another shot. I think however, it'll be a DOTW purchase for me. As revered as it is, there are better Sega franchises I'd have preferred to see. Like Shenmue.
I remember renting this way back and being so utterly confused and frustrated, taking it right back again. It to me was annoyingly vague and I've never liked games that aren't clear in what they expect you to do. Maybe it was just my inpatient adolescent brain refusing to understand the game, but I have always wanted to give it another shot. I think however, it'll be a DOTW purchase for me. As revered as it is, there are better Sega franchises I'd have preferred to see. Like Shenmue.
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Re: SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
Sh00t3rmcgavin2 Tue Nov 13, 2012 12:35 am
Nice review mate
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Re: SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
Tenlo Tue Nov 13, 2012 10:28 am
Great review mate, I played the first recently again on my PC and its a quirky little game, its scary to see how different games are now compared to back then it's like a completely different age.
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Re: SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
Ba5sett Tue Nov 13, 2012 11:10 am
Good review mate, I remember playing this on my megadrive a long long time ago! 
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Re: SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
FoxyBoy89 Tue Nov 13, 2012 11:11 am
What a fantastic game! from what i remember anyway!!! Great review mate and i am getting this ASAP!!!
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Re: SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
GrahamOfTheDead Tue Nov 13, 2012 11:18 am
Tenlo wrote:Great review mate, I played the first recently again on my PC and its a quirky little game, its scary to see how different games are now compared to back then it's like a completely different age.
Yeah.....it just blows my mind when you compare the top games 20 years ago to the top games now. When you're limited by the hardware, I guess you have to do things differently to stand out.
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Re: SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
Colne Crusader Tue Nov 13, 2012 5:40 pm
Good review Graham!
I was never into Toe Jam and Earl even first time round. It seemed ugly and Jerky to me! I wouldn't mind trying it out again though to see If I can finally get into it, as I do like these Sega Vintage collections and all (most) things retro!!
Enjoyed your review though chap.
I was never into Toe Jam and Earl even first time round. It seemed ugly and Jerky to me! I wouldn't mind trying it out again though to see If I can finally get into it, as I do like these Sega Vintage collections and all (most) things retro!!
Enjoyed your review though chap.
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Re: SEGA Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl - Official Review
dazzamann Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:03 am
OMG can tell i have been offline for a while, i didn't know this had been released - off to get some MS points at lunch.....i love this game
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