Earthworm Jim 2

Pros • Music and SFX • Slick computer generated backgrounds	Cons • Plays identically to the 16 ports
Bottom Line The game is a collection of slick computer rendered backgrounds with a bunch of new weapons that doesn't stray too far from the winning formula the game had on the SNES or Genny, but it has been tightened up and enhanced in a number of areas. Earthworm Jim 2 on the Saturn doesn't stray too far from the winning formula the game had on the SNES or Genny but it has been tightened up and enhanced in a number of areas, not the least of which is Tommy's amazing soundtrack. If they already own the 16 bit title, Saturn owners should be encouraged to at least give the game a rental. Players new to the EWJ saga should definitely make room on their credit card for this puppy, er, annelid. I guarantee you will not be disappointed by the slimy swami of silly.

I know what Tommy Tallarico's talking about now. He's gone on record saying how much he's terribly unimpressed by Nintendo's decisions to avoid CD-ROM as a storage medium. Tommy Tallarico is the best musician working in videogames today. This man cares passionately about the sounds of game play and he is very tired of being forced to have his blood, sweat and tears compressed into measly 8, 16 and 32 Meg cartridges. Tommy Tallarico loves CDs. If you need clarification, I suggest you compare the Genesis and Saturn versions of Earthworm Jim 2.

At first glance, you'd probably say something smart like, "These look remarkably similar, don't they?" To which I'd respond, "Okay, now close your eyes."

I suspect the next sound out of your mouth would be something like "Wow!" or "Oh, God!" (depending how loud I had the volume).

Earthworm Jim 2 on the Saturn doesn't stray too far from the winning formula the game had on the SNES or Genny but it has been tightened up and enhanced in a number of areas, not the least of which is Tommy's amazing soundtrack. If they already own the 16 bit title, Saturn owners should be encouraged to at least give the game a rental. Players new to the EWJ saga should definitely make room on their credit card for this puppy, er, annelid. I guarantee you will not be disappointed by the slimy swami of silly.

By now, with the cartoons, comic books , action figures, lunch boxes and lunch meat endorsements attached to this character (I'm kidding about one of those), you should all be familiar with the story. But for those unfamiliar with the worm, I'll recap:

Jim's girlfriend, Princess What's-Her-Name (her real name) has been kidnapped by the evil Psy-Crow and you must save her. You have a bunch of neat weapons, you have to kill a lot of bad cartoon hench-creatures and you have to throw away any and all preconceived ideas about sane, straight ahead platform action. EWJ's world is nutso.

New to the Saturn version of the game is a collection of slick computer rendered backgrounds and a bunch of new weapons. For all intents and purposes though, this EWJ2 plays identically to the 16 bit ports. Nothing wrong with that, considering how much goofy fun is packed onto the disc. Still, this reviewer is looking forward to a true 32-bit (or 64-bit) upgraded worm. How 'bout it, Shiny?

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