Червь Джим: История одной игры

the 1994 video game

Earthworm Jim is a 1994 run and gun platform game developed by Shiny Entertainment, featuring an earthworm named Jim, who wears a robotic suit and battles the forces of evil. The game was released for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, before being subsequently ported to a number of other video game consoles. It was well received by critics, and received a sequel, Earthworm Jim 2, in 1995. In 2009, Gameloft developed and released a remake for mobile phones and Nintendo DSi which was later ported to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as Earthworm Jim HD. In February 2018, Gameloft's contract with Interplay ended and all of the ports developed by Gameloft were removed from digital stores.

The game plays as a 2D sidescrolling platformer with elements of a run and gun game as well. The player controls Jim and must maneuver him through the level while avoiding obstacles and enemies. The player can use Jim's gun as a method of shooting enemies, or his worm body as a whip for whipping enemies. The whip move also allows the player to grab hold of, and swing from, certain hooks in the game. Some levels have additional requirements beyond merely getting to the end of the level. For example, the level "For Pete's Sake", involves making sure the computer controlled Peter Puppy character gets through the level unharmed, which is accomplished by whipping him to make him jump over pits, and defeating enemies before they can damage him. Failure to do so results in Peter lashing out at Jim, taking away from his health. Levels commonly culminate with a boss battle. The game incorporates a large variety of villains in the boss battles, including Hickboy, Psy Crow, Queen Slug for a Butt, Evil the Cat, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Major Mucus and Professor Monkey for a Head exclusive Robotic Chicken. Two villains made their only appearance in this game: Chuck, a junkyard man with a tendency to vomit bizarre objects; and Doc Duodenum, a crazed organ of a giant alien. In between most levels, a racing level called "Andy Asteroids" is played. Unlike the rest of the game, it places the viewpoint behind Jim. The player must direct Jim on his rocket, in a race against Psy Crow, through a tube like structure while collecting items and boosts and avoiding asteroids. If the player wins, the next level is started instantly. If the player loses, a boss fight against Psy Crow must be won in order to progress to the next level. Other variations in gameplay occur over the course of the game as well, such as a competitive bungee jumping and fighting level, and an underwater maze that must be traversed both within a timelimit and without crashing too many times.

Jim is a normal earthworm, until a special "super suit" falls from the sky and allows him to operate much like a human, with his worm body acting as a head and the suit acting as a body. Jim now must evade the game's many antagonists, who want the suit back. The game plays out with Jim succeeding in his quest of meeting Princess What's Her Name. However, she is crushed by a cow that Jim launched into space at the beginning of the game. Impressed, programmer David Perry and the rest of Shiny bought the rights to Earthworm Jim from TenNapel, and started developing the game. The game was developed simultaneously for the Genesis and Super NES using a "custom heterogeneous programming language" developed by Shiny Entertainment. Almost all levels were first programmed by Dave Perry on the Genesis and then converted to the Super NES by Nick Jones. "For Pete's Sake" was coded simultaneously on both platforms by Andy Astor; and "Andy Asteroids" and "Snot a Problem" were originally programmed on the Super NES by Nick Jones and then converted to the Genesis. The game's unique atmosphere, world, and characters was due to the fact that the company had previously always been restricted to doing licensed games, like 7up's Cool Spot, where they had to conform to the other company's preset limitations. The game was released in Japan physically only on Super Famicom on June 23, 1995, published by Takara, while the Japanese Mega Drive version was available exclusively via the Sega Channel service on December 1, 1995. The game's Genesis release was promoted with a television commercial in which an elderly woman tells a bedtime story about Earthworm Jim while eating live earthworms (actually plastic props). The networks airing the commercial received so many complaints from nauseated viewers that the commercial was pulled in some markets, including stations in Portland, Spokane, and Sacramento. 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 Red Book CD audio soundtrack, as well as around 1,000 more frames of in game animation. Eurocom ported a compressed and scaled down version for the Game Boy. It was hindered by the lack of color, lack of graphical detail due to both processor and small screen size, choppy animations, and a lack of buttons, which made it hard to control. The game also had a MS DOS port released in a package titled Earthworm Jim 1 & 2: The Whole Can 'O Worms (along with the MS DOS port of Earthworm Jim 2) with redrawn graphics and missing the level "Intestinal Distress". The game was ported by Rainbow Arts. In 2001 Game Titan ported the Super NES version to the Game Boy Advance. Despite the extra power of the Game Boy Advance, this version still ran very poorly, with poor animation, missing details, and was widely criticized. in North America on October 27, 2008 and in Japan on December 16, 2008. The Genesis version was also re released on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on September 15, 2022. The MS DOS version was re released through DOSbox emulation on GOG. com on October 7, 2008 and on Steam on November 4, 2009. Earthworm Jim is included in the Sega Genesis Mini console.

In 2009 Gameloft released digitally an updated remake of the game on a number of mobile/handheld platforms. The remake was made entirely from scratch, without using the original game's code, and featured overhauled and smoothed graphics, a remixed soundtrack, re recorded voice of Jim and touchscreen controls. Completely new, computer themed levels were added; however, some previous features were lost. While the extended version of the "New Junk City" level from the "Special Edition" is included, "Big Bruty" ("Special Edition" new level) and "Who Turned Out the Lights?" (secret level from the original release) are not present. It was later released as a download for the Nintendo DSi as DSiWare, which is also downloadable on the Nintendo 3DS system. The only new addition for the DSiWare version was an extra minigame that involved the player using the system's camera on their own face, in order to mimic the same faces Jim would make on screen. The Gameloft remake was also later released digitally on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network as "Earthworm Jim HD". It featured a comic book like introduction, three new computer themed bonus levels, and a 4 player multiplayer mode with special levels based on already existing ones.

The game received a positive reception upon release. Earthworm Jim was awarded Best Genesis Game of 1994 by Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro gave the Genesis version a perfect score, and Famicom Tsūshin scored the Super Famicom version of the game a 30 out of 40. The game has been noted for its fluid animation, featuring a hand drawn style that was unusual for 16 bit releases. GamePro argued that the game has "the most innovative game play since Sonic first raced onto the Genesis", backing up the point by noting "In the first level, New Junk City, Jim leaps off old tires, climbs strange crevices and cliffs, swings from chains, and creeps through a maze of garbage and that's the most traditional level in the game!" With regard to the game's overall appeal, a review from GameZone stated "Back when platformers were the king of genres, Earthworm Jim made its presence known as the 'cool kid on the block' by appealing to many demographics. Obtaining a moderate difficulty level and establishing itself with stylish humor, Earthworm Jim was a financial and critical success for Interplay and Shiny Entertainment. Even though I feel the sequel is the best of the series, the original still is able to stand out on its own." The review also went on to praise the soundtrack from Mark Miller as well. The Sega CD enhanced port was also well received. GamePro and Electronic Gaming Monthly remarked that whereas most Sega CD ports simply add enhanced music, Earthworm Jim included a number of worthwhile additions such as new animations, new levels, and the new homing missile weapon. Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewed that the Game Gear version has impressive graphics by portable standards but is crippled by the Game Gear's limited two button control, frequent screen blurring, and frustrating difficulty. GamePro also felt the two button control to be a serious problem, but concluded the Game Gear version to be "Overall fine for fans who want to take their EWJ show on the road." Reviewing the Windows 95 version, Maximum claimed "it's not only a damn fine platform game, it's probably the best the PC has seen to date." They particularly praised the non frustrating challenge and the strong personality of the graphics. Computer Game Review remarked, "If you found Pitfall, The Mayan Adventure entertaining, you'll want to check this one out." Next Generation reviewed the Sega CD version of Earthworm Jim: Special Edition, and stated that "While a prepackaged, presold character, who's as cynically calculated for hip success as Earthworm Jim does rub us the wrong way, we admit there was a cracking good game to back him up, and this new CD version is even better." Entertainment Weekly gave the game an A and wrote that the game is too similar to the Genesis and Super NES versions to warrant a new purchase. However, later Gameloft remakes of the games received mixed reviews. Reception for the 2010 remake, Earthworm Jim HD, was less positive. IGN and GameSpot both felt that the surreal art style and animation stood the test of time, but felt that some gameplay aspects and controls felt dated in comparison to modern platformers. Next Generation reviewed the Game Boy Advance version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Luckily, aside from some cheap hits, missed dodges, and blind jumps, everything else is pretty fun."

Earthworm Jim was rated the 114th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power's Top 200 Games list. EGM gave it their "Game of the Month" award, In 2018, Complex rated the game 54th on their The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time writing: "Earthworm Jim was unlike any other game out there at the time, and it’s still quite original today. Its weird, surreal storyline was only made all the better by the solid platforming and shooting that went on here. We still love Earthworm Jim. Ga roo vy!" In 2017, Gamesradar ranked the game 19th on their "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time." They felt the game's free form shooting and platforming kept the game fresh and relevant and called the game "a jolly side scrolling adventure". IGN listed Earthworm Jim 57th in their "Top 100 SNES Games of All Time." In 1995, Total! ranked the game 14th in its Top 100 SNES Games summarizing: "The game reeks of quality, plays like a dream, is hilariously funny and is packed with more original touches then anyone would have thought possible." In the same year, Flux magazine placed Earthworm Jim 7th on its Top 100 Video Games. They praised the game writing: "Intensely great gameplay. Wiggy, hilarious animation. Complex, richly rendered backgrounds."

A sequel, Earthworm Jim 2, was released in 1995. It was released in the same manner as the original; first on the Sega Genesis, and then ported to many other systems. It too was generally well received. Two further games, Earthworm Jim 3D for the Nintendo 64 and PC, and Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy for the Game Boy Color, were produced in 1999. However, they were developed without the involvement of Shiny Entertainment and were mostly met with negative reviews. An enhanced remake, Earthworm Jim PSP, by Atari was planned for a 2007 release for the PlayStation Portable, but was ultimately cancelled. The game also inspired non video game products, such as the Earthworm Jim television series, a comic book series, and a line of action figures. Earthworm Jim is playable as a standard character in ClayFighter 63⅓, and as a secret character in the "Sculptor's Cut" version of that game.