Earthworm Jim is sort of an anomaly. It's been 13 years since he last starred in a good game, but people still call out for his return. If Kid Icarus had been a good game, he'd be the Pit of the annelid world. Now, after breaking our hearts with the 2007 cancellation of his PSP game, it seems that Jim is finally poised to make his return. Interplay has announced a new deal with original creator Douglas TenNapel to revive Jim.
So far, plans reportedly include "an animated series and feature film to expand the well known brand" and, most importantly, Earthworm Jim 4 for unspecified consoles (which we sort of knew about already). As much as we'd like to be excited, after being strung along on Jim's hook for more than a decade, "cautiously optimistic" is the best we can muster.
Kid Icarus makes you work your ass off for upgrades then laughs in your face by not activating them until the next world. And then those stupid goblin things steal them each time they hit you. And then Eggplant Wizards.
People always credit NES games as some of the most difficult, citing Mega Man and Ninja Gaiden. Those games were fun because they made you develop skill and get better so that winning was satisfying. Kid Icarus is an excellent example of an NES game that is hard in all the wrong ways. You play levels over and over again, just praying not to slip up at those one or two "YOU SUCK" moments.
Ninja Gaiden is the perfect example of a game that's cheap and hard in all the wrong ways. It has crappy level design and cheap, cheap enemy placement. How many times in that game do you try to jump on a ledge only to have an enemy jump out at you at the last second and when you retreat, they go back off-screen so you can't hit them? THAT is the definition of cheap.
Kid Icarus is hard in the sense that Ikaruga is hard. You pretty much just have to memorize the levels and know when to shoot.
The way to play Ninja Gaiden is not to stop. The same way you play Mario. If you wait before every jump and look, stuff is going to screw you. It's NOT like Ikaruga, it's like shooters that are actually good. You need twitch skill.
Sounds really arrogant and self-congratulatory, but whatever. I hate memorization games.
And to answer MceElroy's comment, I played Kid Icarus as recently as last week and had no trouble beating it.
How is it that people can have an opinion about this game and not say squat about the original Legend Of Zelda? You try going into THAT game without a strategy guide or manual and you'll be LOST! LOOOOST!
Not that I'm saying Zelda's a bad game, either. But you can't complain about the challenge of one game without complaining about about the challenge of the other. LOOOOOOOST!
Anyone hyping Clayfighters needs to go back and play it. It had the art gimmick and, well, that was it. Because the hit detection was shit, combo system was ass, and it played just like every other "me too" fighting game from back then.
SSB isn't a traditional fighter, but it's still a fighter. You pick a character and you fight, how much more do you want to go into detail into what actually constitutes a fighting game?
The EWJ cartoon was possibly the only Saturday morning video game tie-in that was any good, and I contribute that to he set of characters the game had (I mean it's hard to go wrong with "Professor monkey-for-a-head")and anyone who remembers the first games still pine for them for the same reasons.
God I loved that game when I was a teen lad. It was actually what started me on the path to computer art. I still have a few sketchbooks filled with nothing but Jim expressions...
Hey, I've got notebooks from junior high full of Jim expressions. I've doodled his face during just about every class I've ever taken since he was created. I've never been good at drawing his suit though.
I've never been inspired to go any farther than just doodling though.
I have that issue as well. Getting the dramatic upper body with the barely existant lower body was a bitch. All the other characters, including the Queen, was much easier to do than Jim's odd, odd, odd body. I got better though, eventually.
I actually wouldn't mind a 2D 3D-ish background(similar to recent KOF games or STRIDER2)style EWJ adventure game at all... especially since EWJ's attempt at going 3D was the same, if not worse, than SONIC.
Nice call on Kid Icarus, I hate it when people act like that game is God just because they haven't played it in 20 years. Though it's hard to say whether I'd prefer a sequel to that or Earthworm Jim, because would either have anything gameplay-wise in common with the original?
Actually I never played Kid Icarus as a... kid and all the people recently wanting a new version upset me too, but I actually played it and it is a good game, despite its faults. Moving upward in a level instead of left and right was really unique and you still don't see that game play today. Plus if you upgrade your character you are a badass by the end of the game. Kind of like the new Ninja Gaiden.
I suggest you go back and play it with a Retro mindset. I know you hate Nintendo fanboys, but give it a try before you become a hater.
You seem to have strangely misjudged me. I neither hate Nintendo fanboys nor deny that I am one. I own a Wii, I own Kid Icarus as one of my over 30 VC games, because I play games almost exclusively with a "Retro mindset". The game is boring, unnecessarily difficult in all the wrong ways (uh, Eggplant Wizards? Enemies that steal your items?), and its only real redeeming quality is upgrades, which are almost nullified in coolness by the how long they take to activate.
It's funny that you mention Ninja Gaiden, because that is an amazing NES game with just as much upward scrolling as Kid Icarus (or at least NG3 has upward scrolling), but also manages to be fun.
Maybe it was my age, but I remember EWJ being a freaking hard game. I hope it stays to its platform roots. I am also holding out hope for a guest apperance by Boogerman
Kid Icarus was a good game, I just don't think it was unique enough to continue as a franchise. Pit was never as cool a character as Link, Samus, or Mario,
I loved the original game (and the GB sequel) but I don't understand people who want Nintendo to bring it back as a 3D game. If they were going to revive it at all I'd much rather see it get a 2D WiiWare version that would essentially be the SNES version we never got.
this is freaking crazy... i was just thinking about how there needs to be a new earthworm jim game. talking to a friend about really hard oldschool games and remembering that damn submarine level in the first one.
I'm sorry, did you just shit on Kid Icarus? You have terrible, terrible taste, McElroy. That's one of the few NES games that still holds up today. It's probably just too hard for your vagina ass!
Anyway, a certain Joystiq writers lack of good taste aside, YAY! This is potentially the best news we'll hear all week!
Ewwwwthworm Meh more like!...anybody.... But really the original wasnt that hot, it just had nice character design. Still have my Earth Worm Jim action figure though, saw him the other day when my son was going through my old toys.
