Earthworm Jim 2

1995 · Run and Gun · Genesis

About Earthworm Jim 2

Earthworm Jim 2 (1995) is Shiny Entertainment's sequel for the Genesis and SNES, which keeps the run-and-gun core but fills its levels with game shows, inflated heads and exploding sheep.

Earthworm Jim 2 in Depth

Jim again sets out to save Princess What's-Her-Name from Psy-Crow, but the levels vary far more than in the first game. Some, like the opening "Anything but Tangerines" and "Level Ate", play much like the original with more moves and guns, such as an auto-aiming gun and the "Barn Blaster", which wipes out every enemy on screen. A chip butty boosts Jim's suit power to 200%, and his friend Snott travels with him, letting him swing from slimy green surfaces or use Snott as a parachute.

Others break the mould. In "Villi People", Jim, disguised as a blind cave salamander, is guided through intestinal passages avoiding exploding sheep, before the level turns into a game show of nonsensical multiple-choice questions. "Inflated Head" has Jim floating upwards with a balloon for a head, dodging sharp objects and Evil the Cat. "The Flyin' King" is an isometric shooter in which Jim on his pocket rocket escorts a balloon-borne bomb to defeat Major Mucus. The finale is a race against Psy-Crow to the Princess, and in the end all three turn out to be cows in disguise.

Making Earthworm Jim 2

Like the first game, Earthworm Jim 2 was developed for the Genesis and ported to the SNES, and released in late 1995 and early 1996 depending on region and system; Screaming Pink later made Saturn and PlayStation versions. Reviews were very positive, and IGN and GameZone later judged it better than the original. GamePro wrote that it "manages to exceed the lofty standards of the first game", praising its new levels, varied soundtrack and animation, while one of EGM's four reviewers complained that "where the first had technique, this one just gets cheap". Sega Saturn Magazine gave the Genesis version 94%, but called the Saturn version "a great game – a year ago. On a different console." It was nominated for the Video Software Dealers Association's game of the year in 1995, losing to Donkey Kong Country 2. Later sequels, Earthworm Jim 3D and Menace 2 the Galaxy, were made by other developers and poorly received.

Earthworm Jim 2 Trivia

The Genesis and SNES versions came out almost simultaneously; the SNES version has different backgrounds and lets players switch weapons.
In Japan the Genesis version was available only through the Sega Channel.
The MS-DOS version, packaged as The Whole Can 'O Worms, added CD audio and more voices but lacked the "Lorenzen's Soil" level.
David Perry said in 1994 that Shiny was considering a Jaguar version, which never appeared.
GameSpot nominated the 2002 Game Boy Advance port for worst Game Boy Advance game of the year, calling it "unplayable".