Is ToeJam and Earl Worth Playing Today? - Segadrunk

Style over substance, and the most early 90s game ever...
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[@bungalowfeuhler1541]

The most important thing to remember: TJ&E was multiplayer only until they slapped on single player at the last second. You MUST play with a friend and you MUST read the manual. It’s one of the best classic game manuals and tells you lotsa stuff you might not figure out.

[@CaptAwesumNo1Zone]

This game is SOOOO much fun two players as long as both players have lots of free time and are both wanting to play this, it's one of the best co-op experiences in any game in history

[@billmillersdick]

So true.

[@DoctorVic]

A bunch of my friends and i went up to a friends cabin 15 years ago. Snow storm struck, and everyone wanted to leave the day after we got there. Guy who owned cabin and i figured we were already there so why leave? Everyone else left, and him and i stayed and just hung out...until he mentioned he had a genesis upstairs. Turns out, he had Toejam and Earl, and i freaked(one of my favorite games as a kid). Apparently, he was a huge Tj&E fan, so we plugged that bad boy in, and played for days. He is on the chunky side, and Im on the skinny side. Needless to say, we are the best of friends to this day, and its owed to Toejam and Earl. We backed the new game as soon as we heard about it!

[@valentinom.4292]

@@DoctorVic That's awesome. Gaming is great for friendships

[@ChomoBidensMules]

@@DoctorVic I'm guessing you don't have three legs though.

[@DoctorVic]

@@ChomoBidensMules I sadly lost it in the Battle for Funkotron. Got ran over by a crazy lady and her screaming kids in a shopping cart.

[@goon5544]

I was hooked on this game a few years back. I use to have fun rolling the dice on random items, leveling up, and stealing Santa's presents. I got to where I could beat it every time. It was therapeutic playing this game all night. Definitely not boring if you get good at it.

[@rainehappy7097]

Sneaking up on Santa and making him drop his pants was hilarious.

[@Ostnizdasht206]

Toejam and Earl is timeless. I can play this forever.

[@NuLORD66]

Especially with a friend

[@samfrito]

If there is a 16-bit game that defies the conventions of games of the time, its Toe Jam and Earl. You can be over 10 levels apart in split screen (by falling off edges) yet the randomized maps remain in the ram so you can trek back up and back to the 2nd player and the Genesis doesn't slow down while handling the two separate players via splitscreen levels whatsoever.

[@TheGunmanChannel]

We loved this game as kids

[@donbasuradenuevo]

Patrick from Spongebob was totally ripped-off from Earl.

[@sushi1935]

Sadly I can see that

[@bignewsmorgans6114]

I think this came first before Spongebob.

[@jsgnextortex]

@@bignewsmorgans6114 like 9 years earlier, ya.

[@rainehappy7097]

Earl is the cool version of Patrick. haha

[@CaptainNnif]

I admire this game. I love the quiet exploration, funky jams, random factor, and style. I even like the slower pace of it. Maybe because it causes tension, or maybe because it allows you time to plan out your strategy. That said, the places you explore were just grass, water, or yellow goo, with not enough decorations. It gets very boring to look at compared to other Genesis games. Hey Drunk, are you hyped for Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove?

[@chirho100]

I just beat this game solo recently with Earl, so much fun for my Sega Genesis.

[@THESHMUPMASTER]

One of my favorite games of all time. Great video! 😍

[@Modern_Robot]

Funny you mention Zombies ate my Neighbors since Steve Purcell (of Sam & Max fame) worked on both, he did T&E's concept art.

[@etherealpenguin8683]

This game was practically the first rogue-like with random level generation and random presents, had striking visuals, interesting enemies and items, funky tunes, split-screen co-op (maybe even the first split-screen game?) shit was absolutely lit for the time, not everyone likes the style of gameplay and there are some flaws which I noticed going back to it recently and playing with a friend who'd never played it before (he really enjoyed it btw, 27 years later) stuff like the screen stopping when paths load in or when the screen splits and the lack of vision in split-screen, some of the enemies feel a bit cheap too and will just about one-shot you and sometimes if you get unlucky you can chain fall down levels, which is annoying but a nice little concept in my opinion, being able to fall down to the previous level, but it's these little infuriations which make persevering and beating the game that much more satisfying and there's a lot to keep you on edge from the boogie men to the mailbox monster to the phantom icecream truck, not only that but even today I'm still finding out little bits and pieces about the game, like I found out you can kill the cupids by jumping into them and knocking them out the air, I found out Earls shorts can randomly fall down exposing his spotty boxers and then he gets red-faced (I always played Toejam as a kid so I'd never seen this) being able to interact with each other (high-fiving) was a nice touch and they even gave it purpose too then there's the times when they randomly speak to each other, either when they rediscover each other or in the elevator, it all gives the game and characters a bit of depth.

[@duffman18]

The first roguelike? It's faaaar from the first. The genre is called Roguelike because its games that are like the game Rogue, which came out in 1980. They're like rogue, so they're rogue like. That game was a dungeon crawler with randomized levels and permadeath and turn based movement and all of that, it invented those mechanics. Then there was stuff like Nethack in 1987 which was the ultimate expansion of the ideas of Rogue while still being an ASCII dungeon crawler. And these days roguelike is a more broad term, it doesn't have to just be in dungeons, and while rogue reset all your items and stats each jew play through, modern ones often have you retain items so there's a sense of progression. Something like Enter the Gungeon though doesn't let you do that, it's more like the original Rogue. The whole history of roguelikes and Rogue and Nethack is fascinating. You should look up a video on it. And if you want, you can play Nethack even today, on your smartphone. It doesn't truly have graphics per se, everything is made up of ASCII characters, but people still love that game.

[@double-helix-22x22y]

Panic on Funkotron may very well be less unique than it's predecessor, but it's also one of the best and funniest jump'n'runs on Genesis.

[@thornuhh]

I Friggin loved this game! The ending in my opinion was quite worth the hours I invested in it. And the music makes it quite enjoyable. ✌👽✌

[@fathersongaming9765]

Wow, it seems like a lot of commenters hate this game. I still think it is a lot of fun to play, especially with a second player. It's got a lot of charm and the random levels keep it from being the same experience every time.

[@teddym2808]

I hate them both, playing them on the switch mega drive collection. So yeah, it's all subjective I guess.

[@rainehappy7097]

It's the best game on the system for two players other than Zombies Ate My Neighbors. I wish the second one was more like the first game instead of a 2D hide n seek. Toe Jam and Earl 3 on XBOX isn't bad either and is just a 3D version of the first game. Haven't played Back in The Groove yet but it looks fun.

[@rainehappy7097]

@@teddym2808 The two in the collection are wildly different games. Heck the second one was originally planned to be like the first, having more of a "living in the city" vibe. I think Sega were the dum dums who said make it into a 2D platformer to make it popular like Sonic and it just didn't work.

[@IanBoyte]

The game is getting a sweet looking 4 player co-op remake treatment on kickstarter.

[@bytesabre]

Love this game, backed the new one being worked on, and have fanart of it on my wall

[@xenobytek9583]

Great game very orinal idea from 90's, awesome catchy soundtrack, nice effects and humor

[@uzuspiral6689]

Hey i played this a ton as a kid! Cool to see you do a great vid on an awesome game 👍👍

[@DarMander707]

So my favorite retro game channel does old school Sega? Snes Drunk, you the best 💯💚

[@kammyabhainn3053]

I was playing this only yesterday and YES it’s still worth playing :)

[@Nanidads]

Yes

[@Justin-rv7oy]

Love when you review the Genesis, now we just need to get you into the PC Engine/TG16. :)

[@LordSephleon]

The first game is still one of my favorite 16-bit co-op games to this day, and it has three of the most terrifying enemies of the time (the ridiculously-fast, energy-sapping, mad-cackling Dentist, the devious Mailbox Monster, and the shadowy boogeyman). I'll turn it on once in a while when I'm feeling like I want the world to make no sense at all. :) [SPOILERS AHEAD] One of the best things about the first game - aside from the wackiness and the randomized maps - was the somewhat-interactive ending, where you get to walk around Toejam and Earl's home planet and speak to their neighbors, friends, and families; speaking to everyone available - assuming you didn't know where everyone was - took about five to ten minutes. It blew my mind back then as one of the more rewarding endings of the era. [END SPOILERS] The third game in the series, "Mission to Earth," came out on the original XBox and plays very much like an updated version of the first game, adding more areas, abilities and craziness along with a third playable character. It was actually pretty well-done, especially since you get to see the return of old favorite enemies along with some new ones (a yeti that disguises itself as a "good" Earthling just to poke the player with a pencil!?).

[@ryanfulton8421]

It's what I want in a game, exploration, surprise, and challenge. It's never the same game twice, and it doesn't take 150 hours to complete.

[@ninjabigos]

this game is actually an ahead of its time laid back rougelike

[@MountaineerVapes]

Hell yeah. Loved playing 2 player on this and beating it is so satisfying.

[@jacobprice8048]

That bass line is incredible

[@thehumbleone1983]

Enjoyed playing Toe Jam and Earl as a kid with my cousin on my mega drive great memories back in the days 👍

[@dkrumpenstein2370]

I remember being completely enamored with this game. Struck by the love arrow. Looking back on it now, I realize it was more grand than I imagine. Great review

[@MilesCW]

I hope you will cover Landstalker/Land Stalker one day as well!

[@Sly88Frye]

I grew up in the '90s but unfortunately didn't play either of these games very much. I remember watching my brother and his friend play this game in the '90s and I remember watching my other brother play the second game in the '90s. I would finally play both these games by downloading it via the Wii virtual console much later. It seems a lot of people prefer the first game or find it more memorable, but I actually do enjoy the second game more which I played with the guy who was my best friend at the time and even uploaded footage of the last few levels. Not all of them though

[@Drinkabeerandplayagameofficial]

I love both Genesis games, even the second game still has a ton of exploration and backtracking necessary to complete it, has a different feel than most action platformer

[@ecilam83]

I remember tj& earl. Classic old school.

[@bernardenorth]

I loved those two for my childhood

[@jacktaylor6155]

I can't wait to play the new one

[@jawa2225]

Takes me back to 95' with the Sega channel, going to k Mart with 15$ and buying so much candy n soda n mixing it together on the weekends with my friends....ahh 10 y.o. again

[@valeriewarren9337]

My favorite game of all time!

[@matthewlane518]

One of the best

[@ironkong26]

If some how we could get analog controls with this game...loved it on my genesis

[@lilitulee]

Love playing this with my wife.

[@sidneyd.dacosta4361]

Most memorable original game on that times

[@coryteague9513]

And you can make your own funky jams in the opitions

[@gabemewell3643]

I remember reading a DYKG on this game, where at one point in development, their names were something like "Floejam and Tearl".

[@RobbyRaccoon]

Tearl? Maybe the estate of L. Ron Hubbard threatened to sue.

[@mrbones941]

Actually it was SUPPOSED to be flowjam and whirl it was an accident but Sega liked the names toejam and Earl

[@zaneseibert]

I'm actually surprised it wasn't "Toejam & Hurl" since the early 90's were so obsessed with bodily fluids.

[@ghostface2222]

my favorite saga game ever

[@sushi1935]

Yes

[@ArcaneAzmadi]

Got this on my Steam Genesis emulator. Wasn't a priority to play compared to other games in the collection, but I might give it a poke.

[@harvey20c]

play it every single day

[@FluffyThieves]

I blame this game for my obsession with Roguelikes, 25 years later

[@SlinkyD]

Boogir boogie boogie, scary. Elevator music, da best track of my childhood.

[@renewagain6956]

Here's a secret for ya: On level 1, if you find the rocket boots, immediately go off the side of the map to access a hidden "Level 0" that has water and a small island in the center. The rocket boots can get you there before you drown. The island has some items and something else found no where else in the game.

[@NadrianATRS]

I have this game and have never figured out what to do in it

[@stedarkside1529]

Toejam & Earl is easily a top 5 Mega Drive/Genesis game

[@squirrelhitscar]

Red borders really help on your thumbnails

[@SNESdrunk]

Sarcasm?

[@zombieowen]

Mutant League football was easily my favourite football game on genesis.

[@FullmetalSonic260]

Ok, I'm kinda sold on this game now lol. I've always overlooked it, back when I was younger I could never get far lol.

[@scumoftheearth8841]

please do more Sega drunk vids

[@Hektols]

The key to beat the game is to get the Carrot Man to identify the Randomizer gift box, to activate it is the worst thing that could happen to you in the game because you have to identify again all the previous gift box you used.

[@soonerbred22]

They need to bake this into a movie or TV show

[@daveraschke]

FUCK YEAH

[@user-is9ff4zh6p]

Dope ass game!

[@christopherblue2004]

You should do a review of the old Home Improvement game for SNES. I remember how weird that game was and how it had nothing to do with the show.

[@jamiekuchma]

He's review in good games.. lol

[@whosaidthat84]

I was appalled when you said it can get boring but I assume you're playing it single player. Two players makes this game way better.

[@patendo3510]

May I ask you a question? Do you record the Footage by yourself or do you copy from videos around? :)

[@SNESdrunk]

I use: www.stoneagegamer.com/sd2snes-basic.html www.amazon.com/Elgato-Capture-PlayStation-Definition-Recorder/dp/B00840353W/ krikzz.com/store/home/33-mega-everdrive-v2.html www.stoneagegamer.com/everdrive-n8-basic-nes.html And several emulators like Snes9x, ZSNES, Fusion, Fceux and VirtualBoyAdvance.

[@CyberdriveAutomotive]

As a child I had a friend with the first game and I loved playing it, but eventually I was faced with a wall of paper slips and decided to get the 2nd which I didn't enjoy nearly as much

[@LilReikoGold]

I still haven't played toejam and earl yet

[@brianthomason5022]

Loved funkatron more myself

[@rainehappy7097]

Even 1 player, I could play this for hours! Especially in random mode!

[@solblackguy]

Toejam and Earl is another tragic tale of Sega JP shutting down a really good IP by Sega US. Like Eternal Champions, Sega JP kneecapped Toejam and Earl when it was meant to get several sequels, a comic and even a Saturday morning cartoon.

[@chuckdzx]

they hit it out the park with this game u can always play it with randomization

[@retrosoul8770]

That was one of the funniest intros you've ever made! Really sounds like you let loose on that one

[@JohnnyAce415]

I think you were able to mess around with music while you play as well.

[@stevefitz2522]

I've only played this game in single player, from that standpoint it kinda sucked, I am still hopeful and will definitely try it with two players and give it another chance. I play this on my Genesis mini, the good one by Sega and m2.

[@miamimagicians]

I played this game for like three hours back in the day I didn't understand it and I never played it again

[@Vanskynyrd]

Woohoo

[@coryteague9513]

If you use your rocket skates on the first level go to the bottom left part of the map you can fall threw a hole and go to a level with lemonade a hot tub and hula girls.

[@gamingtechnon-copyright6934]

the game is not bad, but i did not like the fact you have to open a present to kill a enemy, and then it is timed on how long you have to use it.

[@moviemetalhead]

No mention of TJ&E on Dreamcast. Oh well..

[@SNESdrunk]

Oh well

[@RaulOrtizColon]

There was also an xbox 1st generation remake of the first TJ&E

[@simonpierrelauzon3845]

Is boogerman worth playing today?

[@danewon9540]

I've never beat this game

[@allnamesaretakenful]

I used to play this game a lot, but the controls and slow speed always annoyed me.

[@tollban]

I agree... So early Nineties!!!! I love the funky-rap music and the character design, in a 90's experimental-radical cartoons way, like Duckman or Red&Stimpy, I mean intencionally a little bit ugly. It may be boring and slow... but the game is unique and extrange. You walk around, but the music catches you, and the fresh attitude is so damn 90's too... Aliens with cups and sunglasses that look like "man... be cool... I don' t care a sh....". Reminds me of the Cool Spot attitude, but in this case is much authentic! Great video.

[@besotoxicomusic]

To..to..to..to...toeeee jam. You didn’t go to level zero bruh.

[@handsomebrick]

I don't think a save or password system would really work for this game, because there are so many things that the game makes you remember. Things you found, things you dropped, things you killed, it really piles up. This game is often called boring, and a game where you just walk around, which has always confused me. This game is not boring, this game is hard. You're guaranteed to lose if you "just walk around."

[@handsomebrick]

You need to find the safest way to progress but also improvise quickly when things go wrong, and it's extremely helpful to remember the places that you've explored and where you left items or cleared out enemies, which is why this isn't a game I can leave for an hour to do something else. The game requires high engagement, unlike linear or story driven games, and as a non-linear game its walk-heavy gameplay isn't too unusual or distinctive. The only times I feel like I'm just walking around are when I'm scouring a level for hidden bridges to build up my XP, or if I get knocked back and have to go a long way through an area that I know is safe.

[@ShaolinLambKiller]

Sorry I'm a bigger fan of panic on funkatron

[@kevlarvest7375]

3:00 Gets kinda boring? Guess you didn't play the last 10 levels; constant onslaught of the toughest enemies trying to deny you escape, and if it's a desert level, prepare for 20 twisters to drop you three levels. Boring is the beginning; the word it becomes is intense. Between lawnmower guys, ice cream trucks, and nerd herds... no, I don't think so.

[@seyimsi]

Sega drunk :)

[@yupazestru5189]

I know for a fact that if I ever played this game as a kid, it would confuse the hell out of me and I'd go back to playing nothing but platformers. Or perhaps completely change my gaming path.

[@AliasConradColdwood]

I played this game from start to finish a while back, and it made me feel like a king... Sisyphus that is. If there's one thing ToeJam & Earl does well, it's bringing you back again to the 90ies. And again. And again. (and again) First, there's the "different level every time" gimmick. It's like rebuilding the same jigsaw puzzle over and over: same picture, same pieces, and same process. And when you're done, the game scrambles it all, so you have to start all over again. Then, you have the random gift boxes; they are unidentified until you test them out. Should you use a "shuffle box" by accident (and oh boy, I guarantee you will since you cannot know what they are), the game randomizes all the gifts... again... so whatever you learned is now useless. Oh, you also have to walk everywhere (and I mean everywhere). If you don't, you'll miss hidden triggers that create paths to nearby floating islands. It was a painful experience. You are constantly at the mercy of the game, the moment you feel like you're progressing, the game takes the satisfaction away from you. If it's only for the time capsule factor, I'd rather watch Saved By The Bell. Really, I don't get it.

[@SNESdrunk]

Isn't the gift re-randomizer pretty rare though? And you can always pay the Wiseman to tell you what's in each box before opening it

[@AliasConradColdwood]

I must have been very unlucky, that's the problem with randomization. Completely off-topic: was I in the spam box?

[@jeremylovesretro]

I appreciate your review. I routinely see this game on top 10 lists, but never understood why. Personal preference, of course. I don't relish walking around big maps trying to find things with few ways to defeat enemies, relying on avoidance, all while the game randomizes shit against you. Looks boring to me, but to each his own. Music does seem outstanding.

[@DDRUTOU]

I must be the only one that didn't see the appeal of this game. I didn't find it fun when I finally got around to playing it

[@willywacker1607]

I never got the hype for this game and after looking into it I still don't but im glad i didn't play it to find that out.

[@mikeperry7335]

I liked the sequel more I played the fuck out of that

[@truepatriot3768]

Mike Perry you mean funk out

[@CaptAwesumNo1Zone]

Honestly I love the sequel the best, it's one of my favorite games of all time, so over looked because it's different from the original but it reminds me of Earthworm Jim with the searching aspect of the original Toejam & Earl, such a hidden gem, LOVE the soundtrack, the song that plays in the flower field OMG

[@Slightly_Sadistic]

Panic on Funkotron is very underrated. It's one of my fave gaming experiences ever. The first game was good. The second game got lots of criticism for opting for a platformer. But, the thing is, it's seriously great, with lots of secrets and pseudo RPG elements.

[@torgogorgo1888]

I feel like this game requires both nostalgia and a 2nd player to have any value now.

[@thatsDILO]

I first played it last year single player and nah that's not the case

[@willthomas2310]

I'm a huge genesis lover, but i thought this was one of the most overrated games on the system. Though i have to admit, it had a nice soundtrack and had sum charm.

[@weston407]

it's basically 90s no man's sky

[@whosaidthat84]

weston407 but actually good

[@weston407]

it was fun, i played it a lot when i was a kid, but my brother and i owned the second one and played the SHIT out of that one (absolutely loved it)

[@whosaidthat84]

weston407 we rented this game numerous times and eventually bought it in our teen years (my brother and I). It was one of our favorites. I thought the second one was decent but just too different. Playing it now, I didn't realize how short the Icarus wings last!!

[@billmillersdick]

Wrong. Star flight is 90's NMS

[@jamiekuchma]

No...

[@f1117530171]

puff daddy and biggie.

[@themutantspacedancer9553]

for my money, this game has a fun and goofy style, but I feel like the gameplay is a little too slow for my tastes and the music kinda gets grating with the Genesis sound chip. I love the game's weird style and appreciate how unique it was for the time but I feel like it isn't really all that fun to actually play. maybe it would be more fun with a second player, but alone it just ain't.

[@lewjones3]

So, no one is ever gonna point out how close this game was to E.T on Atari?

[@stncldrwg]

I could never get into Toe Jam & Earl.

[@Tom_Van_Zandt]

It's too bad they bastardized the sequel...not to mention the turd on XBOX.

[@mcorleonep]

This game was boring as shit.