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Toejam & Earl Vintage Collection incoming

TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
edited August 2012 in Games and Technology
Sega, master of secrets, has yet again let another unannounced game slip by: Toejam & Earl Vintage Collection. Achievements listed here: http://exophase.com/game/svc-toejam-earl-xbox-360/achievements/

For those too young to have ever played Toejam & Earl, you're in for a treat. The original remains one of the most unique games ever to grace a console. Toejam & Earl was a 90's-influenced funk-themed roguelike for the sega genesis with an outrageous sense of humor. Featuring endless randomized worlds, it hit a peak that I feel none of the sequels ever came close to approaching.

220px-ToeJam_%26_Earl.png

Toejam & Earl 2 changed things up drastically, moving the game from a randomized rougelike to a platform game that, while extremely high quality and very fun, wasn't quite up to the standard of the first.

Toe_Jam_And_Earl_In_Panic_On_Funkotron_GEN_ScreenShot2.jpg

The third Toejam & Earl game was Ready, Aim, Tomatoes!, a menacer lightgun game that took place on the Earth of Toejam & Earl 1. Nearly all the enemies from the original game returned, including my favorites, the boogey man and the mad dentist.

278927-menacer-6-game-cartridge-genesis-screenshot-ready-aim-tomatoes.png

Many years after Ready, Aim, Tomatoes was released, a fourth TJ&E game, confusingly named Toejam & Earl III, was released for the Xbox. It largely replaced Funk with Hip-Hop, and wasn't nearly as good as the rest of the series, but I still have a soft sport in my heart for it.

The Toejam & Earl games had an incredibly heavy focus on multiplayer, more so than most games at the time. They're all co-op affairs, and a good portion of each game's features aren't available to you unless you're playing with a friend. For example, in Toejam & Earl 1, you could gain exp by donating portions of your life to your partner by highfiving them.

The Toejam & Earl collection will without a doubt contain Toejam & Earl 1 and 2, and perhaps Ready, Aim, Tomatoes (which is, sadly, largely forgotten). I wouldn't count on TJ&E3 being included. However, the bigger piece to take away from this is that Sega apparently has some sort of deal with TJ&E Inc in place - Sega doesn't own Toejam & Earl. If Sega has been dealing with TJ&E Inc lately.... perhaps they're in Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed? Dare to dream.

TheSonicRetard on
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  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
  • BuddiesBuddies Registered User regular
    *BEEP BEEP*

    OH SHIT! Open Rocket Boots Present and GTFO!


    My brother and I had so much fun with this game growing up.

  • carmofincarmofin Registered User regular
    Toe Jam and Earl 1 was just groundbreaking. Many of it's mechanics still live on into modern games of today. That being said, I actually think Tj&E2 has aged MUCH better into this age. It is what I consider a timeless classic and even though back then I was sad it wasn't anything like the first game, today it's something I absolutely love playing still.
    TJ&E3 I never got to play, since it was only released on an inferior system that I did not want to own for that one game alone. I really wish they would rerelease that one.

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  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    edited August 2012
    Buddies wrote: »
    *BEEP BEEP*

    OH SHIT! Open Rocket Boots Present and GTFO!


    My brother and I had so much fun with this game growing up.

    I hated when you'd be late in the game, and have most presents identified, and you'd get one you didn't recognize and OH SHIT. It's the presents randomizer.... now you have no idea what your inventory -- or any present for that matter -- was.

    Did anybody else ever find the hidden level 0 in the first toejam & earl? You had to either go to a higher world and drop down on the lower left hand corner of the map for level 1, or you could get some rocket boots or Icarus wings and either shoot over in that direction or fly over there. It was this tiny map with a hot tub and a bunch of girls in bikinis, and going there leveled you up a few times and replenished all your health.

    I LOVED the first TJ&E. It was the first Genesis game I got after Sonic the Hedgehog, Columns, and Thunderforce, which I all got with the Genesis. It was the most stylish game of that entire generation IMO. The humor was the best part... I loved the chatter between toejam & earl between levels, yet another feature you don't get if you're playing solo.

    EDIT: Also, Sega is in the habit of going the extra mile in their DD packages, be it full HD upgrades, translating games never released in the US, or whatever. Maybe, MAYBE if we're reeeeeeaaaallllyyyyyy lucky, this'll have online play.

    TheSonicRetard on
  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    carmofin wrote: »
    Toe Jam and Earl 1 was just groundbreaking. Many of it's mechanics still live on into modern games of today. That being said, I actually think Tj&E2 has aged MUCH better into this age. It is what I consider a timeless classic and even though back then I was sad it wasn't anything like the first game, today it's something I absolutely love playing still.
    TJ&E3 I never got to play, since it was only released on an inferior system that I did not want to own for that one game alone. I really wish they would rerelease that one.

    Almost every mechanic from Toejam & Earl was taken from Rogue. It's a prototypical roguelike, probably the highest profile roguelike release ever to hit a console, but it's still a roguelike. What separates it from, say, nethack, however, is that it's extremely accessible and inviting, and it has a great theme and setting.

    I can appreciate games like nethack today thanks to the hours I put into toejam & earl back in the day.

  • LA:LA: United StatesRegistered User regular
    I spent so much of my childhood playing these games with my older brother, especially the original. Just exploring the random levels, finding Level 0, sneaking up on Santa Claus, running from tornadoes, or even jamming out to the game's music. So many good memories...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLGq-3tSveQ

    I lurk. That's it.
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  • Gigazombie CybermageGigazombie Cybermage Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    Toe-Jam! Toe-Jam! T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-oe-Jam! Big Earl, Big Earl!

  • SteevSteev What can I do for you? Registered User regular
    Yeah, loved the first game. My friends and I were surprised by it when we rented it...did not expect to enjoy it at all. I don't think we ever beat it on the original Genesis. A few years ago I bought it on the Virtual Console, and then, finally, I completed the game in single player mode.
    Did anybody else ever find the hidden level 0 in the first toejam & earl? You had to either go to a higher world and drop down on the lower left hand corner of the map for level 1, or you could get some rocket boots or Icarus wings and either shoot over in that direction or fly over there. It was this tiny map with a hot tub and a bunch of girls in bikinis, and going there leveled you up a few times and replenished all your health.

    A classic moment. Also where I learned the word "titter" exists.

  • DonnictonDonnicton Registered User regular
    Toejam and Earl was damn near the only game that I did not get upset(or surprised) at paying Blockbuster late fees over.

  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    SteevL wrote: »
    Yeah, loved the first game. My friends and I were surprised by it when we rented it...did not expect to enjoy it at all. I don't think we ever beat it on the original Genesis. A few years ago I bought it on the Virtual Console, and then, finally, I completed the game in single player mode.
    Did anybody else ever find the hidden level 0 in the first toejam & earl? You had to either go to a higher world and drop down on the lower left hand corner of the map for level 1, or you could get some rocket boots or Icarus wings and either shoot over in that direction or fly over there. It was this tiny map with a hot tub and a bunch of girls in bikinis, and going there leveled you up a few times and replenished all your health.

    A classic moment. Also where I learned the word "titter" exists.

    Picture-1.gif

    There are so many things in the game which make you laugh, or at least grin. Those hula girls were my most hated enemy, yet I simultaneously loved them because both Toejam and Earl's dance when they came near them made me laugh.

    Also, nostalgia overload:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_m_7bBUqaM

  • BuddiesBuddies Registered User regular
    Anyone else ever actively try to get their brother/friend killed?

    I remember we'd sometimes open a randomizer on purpose if we saw the other person battling with a Mob, Dentist, Ice Cream Truck or any of the other many dangerous foes. It was always hilarious as they frantically tried to get away, and we'd laugh hard when it was a close call. However we could also get into a wrestling match if it did end in their demise.

  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    Buddies wrote: »
    Anyone else ever actively try to get their brother/friend killed?

    I remember we'd sometimes open a randomizer on purpose if we saw the other person battling with a Mob, Dentist, Ice Cream Truck or any of the other many dangerous foes. It was always hilarious as they frantically tried to get away, and we'd laugh hard when it was a close call. However we could also get into a wrestling match if it did end in their demise.

    When I wanted to be a dick, I'd use the rose bushes to push my friend back towards a cliff, and eventually knock him off. Sometimes I'd get lucky and he'd fall like 6 or 7 levels, and he'd be PISSED. Such a fun game.

  • NightslyrNightslyr Registered User regular
    !!

    I loved the shit out of the first game. Played it a ton in high-school.

  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    Did anybody else ever find the hidden level 0 in the first toejam & earl? You had to either go to a higher world and drop down on the lower left hand corner of the map for level 1, or you could get some rocket boots or Icarus wings and either shoot over in that direction or fly over there. It was this tiny map with a hot tub and a bunch of girls in bikinis, and going there leveled you up a few times and replenished all your health.

    Actually, going down to level 1 always deposited you onto the tiny island in the middle, so you had to make a special trip to the lower left hand corner with boots, wings, or an innertube (safest route). There's also a small island in the top right corner covered with presents, but it's usually not worth the trip in my experience. It can be difficult to get back to the central island unless you have more travel items or a doorway (which also always deposits you on the central island).

    I played this game so much. My parents loved it too. My mom and I always explored as much as possible (because more presents and XP!) and my dad and sister always just wanted to beat the game. Exploration was risky though, especially on sandy levels.

    We had sneaking up on Santa down to a science.

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  • Erin The RedErin The Red The Name's Erin! Woman, Podcaster, Dungeon Master, IT nerd, Parent, Trans. AMA Baton Rouge, LARegistered User regular
    Oh my god oh my god oh my god. I need to own these/this. T&E was a game @Kaplar and I played ALL THE TIME back in the day. So many memories.

  • FleebFleeb has all of the fleeb juice Registered User regular
    HYPERFUNK ZONE

  • WydrionWydrion Registered User regular
    Oh hell yes I'm getting this, just for the first game. I really didn't like the direction they went for the third game, they turned Toejam and Earl from being wannabe poser wangsta funky goofy aliens into... just straight up black caricatures.

    Elevator banter was the greatest thing ever.

  • Captain TragedyCaptain Tragedy Registered User regular
    It's not highly regarded, but I really liked the 2nd game. I thought it was a pretty well designed, fun platformer (though I haven't played it in years - maybe it's just nostalgia).

  • Mmmm... Cocks...Mmmm... Cocks... Registered User regular
    My friend and I just busted the first game out last week.
    We've gotten as close as one piece when we were kids, but my mom arrived to pick me up.

    Now a days I just suck at the game. One day... one day..

  • LavaKnightLavaKnight Registered User regular
    Imagine the risk involved in making a game this inventive and different in theme today. I mean, a funk-themed roguelike? Nobody would greenlight that now!

    The Genesis (and 32bit era in general I guess) was a great time for games.

  • Kai_SanKai_San Commonly known as Klineshrike! Registered User regular
    edited August 2012
    The first two games has so much effing personality even in that time. They are simply amazing.

    Also i feel like I'm the only human being alive who liked panic on funkotron more than the first. And i loved the first one. But panic was easily one of my favorite platformers of all time. I really really enjoyed it.

    Hyperfunk zone indeed.

    Oh and i remember reading up on the games history and apparently there was plenty enough risk making it back then. I know i read there was a lot of doubt in the direction the game was going.

    Kai_San on
  • CantidoCantido Registered User regular
    Kai_San wrote: »
    The first two games has so much effing personality even in that time. They are simply amazing.

    Also i feel like I'm the only human being alive who liked panic on funkotron more than the first. And i loved the first one. But panic was easily one of my favorite platformers of all time. I really really enjoyed it.

    Hyperfunk zone indeed.

    Oh and i remember reading up on the games history and apparently there was plenty enough risk making it back then. I know i read there was a lot of doubt in the direction the game was going.

    I only beat the second game, the original was too much for me in my youth. Shit, beating the second was no small task either. Ill be delighted to try my hand at the first once again.

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  • milk ducksmilk ducks High Mucky Muck Big Tits TownRegistered User regular
    Oh, man. These were two of my favorite games when I was a kid.

    This is going to be totally rad; totally rad to the max, poindexter.

  • Kai_SanKai_San Commonly known as Klineshrike! Registered User regular
    I never finished the second one the right way but still loved it.

    Finished the first though. One badass gaming night as a kid with my friend.

  • CamuiCamui Sogekidan Registered User regular
    I never owned a Genesis as a kid, but this is the only single game that made me wish I had one. Nothing else. It was a coop experience never seen before at the time.

  • KaplarKaplar On Google MapsRegistered User regular
    edited August 2012
    Oh my god oh my god oh my god. I need to own these/this. T&E was a game @Kaplar and I played ALL THE TIME back in the day. So many memories.

    Oh man.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vloYvK2sK1g

    The sound at 1:17 is burned into my brain. See an enemy that'll probably kill you and go into ohfuckohfuckohfuck mode.

    Also, I don't think we ever beat it.
    Camui wrote: »
    I never owned a Genesis as a kid, but this is the only single game that made me wish I had one. Nothing else. It was a coop experience never seen before at the time.

    This and herzog zwei were two of the best multiplayer games.

    Kaplar on
  • Apothe0sisApothe0sis Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality? Registered User regular
    The greatest thing about TJ&E was the manuals.

    I read the manuals over and over again for the enemy descriptions. I found them profoundly amusing.

  • Local H JayLocal H Jay Registered User regular
    this was one of the reasons i always wanted to go to my childhood friend's house

    he always made me play as tails in sonic 2, so when he got this game instead i was elated to actually play a real 2-player game

  • MechMantisMechMantis Registered User regular
    BOOGIE BOOGIE BOOGIE BOOGIE

    This game is just...

    yeah. I can't believe I didn't make the connection with roguelikes until this thread, though.


    I was just holding my head for a few minutes, stunned at the revelation.

  • darklite_xdarklite_x I'm not an r-tard... Registered User regular
    The first and second games were amazing. You better believe I sunk some hours into them. Until now, though, I've never heard of the 3rd and 4th games.

    Steam ID: darklite_x Xbox Gamertag: Darklite 37 PSN:Rage_Kage_37 Battle.Net:darklite#2197
  • milk ducksmilk ducks High Mucky Muck Big Tits TownRegistered User regular
  • astronautcowboy3astronautcowboy3 Registered User regular
    The third game TSR mentioned is more of a side game.

    The JRPG Club: Video game reviews, vocabulary lists and other resources for Japanese learners.
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  • Erin The RedErin The Red The Name's Erin! Woman, Podcaster, Dungeon Master, IT nerd, Parent, Trans. AMA Baton Rouge, LARegistered User regular
    MechMantis wrote: »
    BOOGIE BOOGIE BOOGIE BOOGIE

    This game is just...

    yeah. I can't believe I didn't make the connection with roguelikes until this thread, though.


    I was just holding my head for a few minutes, stunned at the revelation.

    Yeah you aren't the only one. Someone mentioned it in here and I was like OH HEY!
    If these games come out on steam or something and have online play, oh god

  • Ragnar DragonfyreRagnar Dragonfyre Registered User regular
    Toe-Jam! Toe-Jam! T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-oe-Jam! Big Earl, Big Earl!

    Rap, rap!

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  • DietarySupplementDietarySupplement Still not approved by the FDA Dublin, OHRegistered User regular
    edited August 2012
    Think we'll just get something akin to the Sega collections where the games are largely in-tact visually and mechanics wise, or a straight-up face-lift a la Tecmo Bowl?

    I'm fine with either one.

    DietarySupplement on
  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    Think we'll just get something akin to the Sega collections where the games are largely in-tact visually and mechanics wise, or a straight-up face-lift a la Tecmo Bowl?

    I'm fine with either one.

    This is a Sega Vintage Collection, meaning emulation handled by M2.

  • DasUberEdwardDasUberEdward Registered User regular
    I could never figure this game out when I was younger.

    We just knew it was cool as heck but then frustration set in. . .

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  • KitsunaKitsuna Registered User regular
    Looks like the guys are crash-landing on the 6th of November.

    Other news is that you can grab the games individually or as a bundle and online co-op is featured.

    Definitely going to snag the first game. I had it back when I was a kid and I loved it.

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  • urahonkyurahonky Cynical Old Man Registered User regular
    I personally enjoyed the 2nd one much more than the first.

  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    urahonky wrote: »
    I personally enjoyed the 2nd one much more than the first.

    For shame. And you're even a Diablo/Torchlight fan.

    This is the original Diablo!

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