PSN, PSN Minis, WiiWare, XBLA: EarthWorm Jim HD Developed From The Ground Up, Includes Special Edition Features
Gameloft revealed their plans to bring EarthWorm Jim back to the digital distribution services last month. To know more about the remake of EarthWorm Jim we contacted and spoke to a Gameloft representative and asked them a couple of questions.
We can reveal that EarthWorm Jim will be based on the Sega Genesis version of the game, but is being reworked completely from scratch without the original game's code. The game will be enhanced from the original game, featuring better graphics, smoother animations and will feature several difficulty levels - something not in the original.
While there are no screenshots of the console version of the game, there are a few iPhone screenshots floating around. The above image showcases the difference between the original and the iPhone remake, so we can hopefully expect that much care and dedication to the original game to flow through the rest of the remake.
Gameloft are also aware of the chronology of Earthworm Jim. The Special Edition, released on the Sega CD and PC, had an additional level called "Big Bruty". We can now confirm that the game will include this level.
The game will use leaderboards to track killed enemies, total time, and several other statistics. They also stated there will be "some surprises, which will be revealed later".
When asked whether the original team, such as Dave Perry nor Doug Nepal, are involved in the project, Gameloft responded with a no - however the game will contain the original music created by Tommy Tallarico.
As for the Wii version, the game is being developed by one of Gameloft's many development studios, and have several production teams working to maintain consistency between the platforms. The graphics are "optimized for each platform", so WiiWare fans won't be losing anything but a bit of resolution.
Finally, we asked whether there was a chance of Earthworm Jim coming to the PSP, as the game was announced a few days before PSP minis were revealed. Gameloft are "considering" bringing Earthwom Jim to the PSP at a later date, but are currently working on numerous other PSP minis titles.
Earthworm Jim will be released later this year, with a one-month exclusivity period for the Xbox Live Arcade version.
Comments
lol the ground looks better in the 1994 version.
Posted by: tele | September 29, 2009 7:21 PM
guess you're a big fan of pixels, huh?
Posted by: Anonymous | September 29, 2009 8:52 PM
So will the music be the Sega CD/PC music or the Genesis version?
Posted by: jason | September 29, 2009 9:11 PM
pixels, i love 'em
Posted by: tele | September 29, 2009 9:43 PM
The stick looks better too. Look at how much better the shading is... the updated version is dull and flat looking.
Posted by: Ryan | September 30, 2009 3:58 AM
One month exclusive on the Xbox 360 Arcade version?
Nice.
Posted by: Lucky 13 X | October 2, 2009 2:29 AM
2009 smoothed TOO much. They ruined colours of background. New version looking more childish and girlish - so soft and smooth. Original 1994 was very brutal and funny game at same time. New is just OK.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 3, 2009 10:17 AM
Art from 1994 created by artists and pixel-artists.
Art from 2009 created by Photoshop Blur and Smudge tool lovers.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 3, 2009 10:23 AM
This 1994 version scaled not properly - thats why pixels looking bad. Original resolution has awesome antialiasing. Gameloft are cheaters. )
Posted by: Anonymous | October 3, 2009 10:30 AM
The new version is too bright and flat. Looks boring.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 5, 2009 2:00 AM
Is it just me, or do most HD remakes look a little too... cheap? There's something charming about the pixel art, and something particularly Adobe Flash (tm) about the new HD graphics. Monkey Island is a good example of the same thing.
Subjective, obviously, but I prefer the old art. I'd like HD if it looked like it had attention to detail.
Posted by: Boon Cotter | October 7, 2009 12:59 AM
Everyone is complaining about the graphics in that picture. That 2009 shot is from the iPhone version according to the article. Is it not safe to assume the 360 version will look better?
Lucky 13 X: XBox Live Arcade exclusivity for one month, not XBox 360 Arcade.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 7, 2009 3:41 PM
even flash made by earthworm jim fans look better
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAMryPDI8xw
Posted by: Anonymous | October 7, 2009 7:12 PM