Earthworm Jim 3D (Nintendo 64) review on HonestGamers

Systems > Nintendo 64 > E > Earthworm Jim 3D > Staff Review

Sign into your user account to view or leave feedback for this review. Don't have an account yet? You can click here to open one. It only takes a minute, and it's free!

Review by R. W.
June 17, 2005

To the interested parent/guardian of Earthworm Jim:

I am very concerned with the progress, or, more specifically, the lack thereof, your child has been making in his schooling. He was once a very bright young man, very close to the head of the class, but he has been slacking off as of late, especially in Earthworm Jim 3D. I ask for your cooperation in this ordeal, as I believe we both want the best for Jim, but I cannot lie and tell you that there is nothing wrong with him -- my educational principles just won’t stand for it! He is very much in danger of failing, if you can believe it. Based upon his two previous outings that saw release on both the Genesis and SNES, we both should expect much more from Jim than what he has shown in his latest adventure, although it is fairly understandable that the transition to 3D wouldn’t be as fluent for him as it was for Mario (now there’s a valedictorian in the making!). Still, I expect better of him. Attached is a briefing on Jim’s academic performances in the game, compiled by his teachers. Please cooperate so we can get Jim back on the right track.

Language Arts:
Jim has such a youthful and active mind, but I wouldn’t necessarily call this a good thing. You see, in his latest narrative writing, Jim says that he was minding his own business, when all of a sudden a cow falls out of the sky and strikes him directly in the temple! This sends Jim into a deep coma, and the only way for him to awake from this daze is to save himself from his own mind. To borrow a line from Dave Barry, I am not making this up. Now, I’m not quite sure whether there is a deeper meaning to this that is beyond me or if Jim forgot this assignment was due and whipped it up on the bus ride to school. Either way, I’m very confused, although it’s what I’ve come to expect from Jim’s twisted mind. – Mrs. Starbuck

P.S. Did you know most doctors now prescribe Ritalin without even having to bring the bugger in for a check up? It’s been working wonders on my William!

Geography:
Earthworm Jim 3D has a grand total of four levels, far less than most of the better platform games I’ve seen on the Nintendo 64. While small in number and only moderate in size, Jim makes up for his lack of work ethic with the uniqueness that only he can toss into the pot. The four levels he has come up with are really sections of his mind, a bizarre twist that actually goes along with the story if you’d believe it! The levels are then divided into lobes. You open up a lobe when you collect enough of Jim’s lost marbles that are scattered about in the usual fashion. When you break it down its typical platform material, but the levels are very unique, and will have you leaping over streams of nacho cheese and herding grandmothers, giving the game a comical and enjoyable touch. One of the few faults is that there is constant backtracking to areas already visited, a la Donkey Kong 64, although this is overlookable. I’ve been more than satisfied with his performance here. – Mr. You

Physical Education:
For an earthworm, Jim is rather nimble, but he still does not possess the wide range of moves most characters boast. Obviously, someone in as fine shape as myself would whoop him bad! Sure he can execute the necessities, such as run, jump, and climb, but aside from being able to inflate or whip his head as he sees fit, there isn’t much that separates Jim from the pack. Of course there’s always Jim’s basic ray gun which ends up being his main option when disposing enemies, and he’ll also find other guns that will do bizarre things, such as the “Gnoming Missile” (take a guess). There manages to be enough variety to what Jim does to keep his game from getting old, and there’s certainly not a bazillion useless moves (Banjo-Tooie style) to worry about forgetting, but it ends up feeling like there’s something missing from the experience. – Mr. Jacques Killstow (temporary substitute for Mr. Mandelbaum)

Physics:
For all the bizarre surroundings and characters Earthworm Jim 3D throws at the player, once you look past its comical disguise it all boils down to typical 3D platform game action – I didn’t need to be Einstein to figure this one out. Pressing switches, collecting items, reaching hard to reach places, and holding off enemies are what you can expect, as Jim doesn’t try to experiment with the genre in any way (despite all the time we put into labs! Frankly, I’m disgusted). Sure the humor in the game can probably make these primitive objectives easier to swallow, but it’s nothing truly out of the ordinary. Scientific minds such as myself will see right through his flimsy guises. – Mr. H.G. Pennypacker

Visual Arts:
Earthworm Jim 3D uses strong eye-catching colors to steal your attention and then lulls you to sleep with its humorous settings and charming atmosphere. Objects are sharp and distinct and Jim’s movement is typically fluent. The overall variety to the areas that need to be explored and the originality of the enemies you’ll meet up with are more than satisfying, and helps save this game from the doom of the fault I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention: the view of the action is horrible and makes manipulating Jim far more difficult than it should be. As the camera shifts back and forth, behind walls and directly in front of Jim on occasion, you’ll find that doing the most common tasks, such as a mere jump into the unknown, become more difficult than they should be. Not everyone is an artist, but he should be putting more time into the finer aspects of his work. – Miss Monie

Marching Band:
Jim must have been brushing up on his music in his spare time, and it shows. While no prodigy, he has managed to set a playful and zany mood with his musical selection that ends up fitting the game very well. Unfortunately though, the music in the game tends to get repetitive, and while the upbeat sounds are delightful at first, they can grow old quickly. The sound effects also fit the mood, but the music smothers them at times. – Mr. Tooreal, Grand Master of the Philharmonic

Closing Comments:
I’ve decided to give Jim a passing grade for now, although it’s questionable whether he deserves it. The unique humor in the game is unmatched by any other on the Nintendo 64, with the exception of Conker’s Bad Fur Day, and the oddball settings stand alone. While the objectives to complete are dull, the humor livens them up to a playable standard. In fact, this game would fall well above average if the camera that follows Jim wasn’t so active, but it is, and at times the game can almost become unplayable due to its jerky nature. It was a good effort by Jim, but he really should do more to refine his games in the future, else I may not be so lenient about passing him in the future.

Sincerely,
Mr. Krull – Jim’s Principal

Rating
6	Good For the most part, this is a good game. It has its share of flaws, but you should find it above average overall.
Read more about the review rating scale...

Staff reviews represent the opinion of the individual staff member that wrote them and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the site staff as a whole. If you disagree with the contents of this review, you may click to leave feedback on our dedicated forum. Thank you!

HG 2009 Fundraising Progress: $348 / $2500 (14%)

Click to learn about the Fundometer or to advertise.

Game Profile & Content

All

Staff Score (Avg): N/A User Score (Avg): 6.0 Press Score (Avg): N/A
Reviews: 1 Guides: 0 Cheats: 0 Ratings: 0	High Scores: 0 Screenshots: 0 Videos: 0

Title: Earthworm Jim 3D
Genre: Action (Platformer)
Publisher: Interplay
Developer: VIS Entertainment
Release Date: October, 1999
Platforms: PC, N64

Do you own this game? Register for a free account to track it and other games in your collection!

Voice Your Opinion...

Average User Rating (0 ratings)

Only registered users can rate this game!

Nintendo 64 discussion forums

While you're here...

Super Mario 64 is another Nintendo 64 game in the Action genre that has been attracting activity lately, so you might want to check it out and see what all of the fuss is about!