Earthworm Jim 2

n/a

Mega Drive Saturn
Earthworm Jim 2
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Saturn, Virtual Console
Publisher: Playmates Interactive Entertainment (US) Virgin Interactive Entertainment (EU) Takara (JP) Interplay (JP; Sega Channel)
Developer: Shiny Entertainment Screaming Pink M2
Sound driver: GEMS, SCSP/CD-DA (13 tracks)
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code JP ▼ (Sega Channel) 1996-09 US 1995-11-15 $69.9969.99 T-132056 EU 1995-12-22 T-70446-50 PT 1995 MDJ198X UK 1995-12-22 £49.9949.99 T-70446-50 AU 199x BR 1996-03 R$89.9989.99 047170 JP 1996-11-11 ¥5,800 (5,974)5,800e T-10304G US 1996-05-17 $59.9959.99 T-13203H EU 1996-10 T-7019H-50 DE 1996-10 T-7019H-50 PT 199x STJVG0367 UK 1996-10 T-7019H-50 PL 1997 AU 199x JP ▼ 2009-09-01 600pts600 US ▼ 2009-12-14 800pts800 EU ▼ 2009-12-04 800pts800 AU ▼ 2009-12 800pts800
Non-Sega versions Game Boy Advance IBM PC PlayStation Super NES

Earthworm Jim 2 (アースワーム・ジム２) is the direct sequel to Earthworm Jim, and was released (among other consoles) for the Sega Mega Drive in 1995. An enhanced version was released on the Sega Saturn.

It retains the surreal humour from the first game and was followed by Earthworm Jim 3D in 1999.

Story

Following on from the ending of the first game, Earthworm Jim had removed the cow (which he had unknowingly launched) from atop Princess Whats-Her-Name, reinflated the squashed lady, and won her heart. However, Psy-Crow kidnaps the Princess and plans on marrying her at the Las Vegas system in order to take over the universe. Jim, with help from Snott, has to follow their trail across the various summer homes of his enemies.

Gameplay

Though very similar to the original game, Earthworm Jim 2 has more varied gameplay than its predecessor. As well as including standard platforming levels, there are also quiz questions, an isometric shoot 'em up level and various adaptions to the platforming formula, including marathon races and a stage where Jim must shoot his way through mounds of dirt.

Jim is controlled in much the same way as the original game, though with some new and changed abilities. He can still fire his gun by pressing and can still use his head as a whip with while on the ground, though he can no longer use his head whip in the air. Instead, pressing while in the air will make Jim launch Snott in front of him to grab onto and swing from mucous-covered ceilings. Jim's ability to spin his head like a helicopter has been replaced with the Snott parachute, which is performed by holding in the air. In some levels, heavy objects such as animals and furniture can be lifted and carried by pressing by one, though using any attacks will make Jim drop the object. In the Saturn version, can be used to cycle through the weapons Jim has collected.

Items

	Suit Power
	Restores 4% of Jim's energy.
	Super Suit Power
	Fully restores Jim's energy back to 100%.
	Chip Butty
	Temporarily extends Jim's energy to 200%. This extra energy cannot be restored by Suit Power.
	Meal worm
	Appears in The Villi People and Inflated Head. Each one collected gives Jim one try at the levels' respective mini-games.
	Extra life
	Awards the player an extra life.
	Stopwatch
	Awards extra time in Lorenzo's Soil.
	Standard Machine Gun Plasma Power
	Adds 250 rounds of ammo to Jim's standard Machine Gun.
	Mega Plasma
	Fires a powerful blast in the direction Jim fires. Each Mega Plasma pickup gives Jim 2 rounds.
	3 Finger Gun
	Fires a spreadshot of bullets in three directions, consuming three bullets per frame.
	Barn Blaster
	Destroys all on-screen enemies. It takes a couple of seconds to fire, and the recoil from the weapon makes Jim fall over for a couple of seconds.
	Homing Missile
	Fires missiles that home in on enemies.
	Bubble Gun
	A joke weapon that shoots bubbles, which have no effect on enemies.
	Ammo booster
	Increases the ammo of whatever weapon Jim is currently holding.
	Earth, Worm and Jim Flags
	Collect all three of these to reveal the level password.
	Continue Icon
	Serves as a checkpoint.
	Turbo
	Increases Jim's speed (available only in See Jim Run, Run Jim Run).
	Express Lane
	Sends Jim backwards through The Flyin' King, in case he needs to get a new bomb.
	Big Block Engine
	Makes the Pocket Rocket in The Flyin' King faster and more maneuverable.
	Can o' Worms
	Awards the player an extra continue.

Levels

Presumably due to streaming issues (i.e. the need to load data from the disc), the Saturn treats some of the boss battles as new levels. For the most part, however, the content is the same between both versions.

	Anything but Tangerines
	The summer home of Bob the Goldfish, this planet is filled with blunderbuss-wielding octopi, and E-Z stair climbers for Jim to ride up stairs on providing he avoids the falling grannies, using the D-Pad to control the lift's speed. There are water slide sections where #4 will ambush Jim if he tries to pass, so he must pick up a pig and push it down the water slide to advance. At the end of the level, Jim must confront Bob himself.
	Granny Chair
	A hidden level accessed by an optional teleporter within Anything but Tangerines, in which Jim has to ride up a long staircase while avoiding grannies. At the top of the level is an extra life and a teleporter leading back to Anything but Tangerines.
	Lorenzo's Soil
	In this level, Jim must use his gun to burrow through the dirt of planet Burbank's subterranean excavation site and reach the top of the level while also dealing with maggots and ants. Dirt shot from the ceiling will crumble down and add to the dirt beneath Jim's feet, raising the ground so he can reach higher places as well as extinguishing exposed gas pipes. This level is also timed - if the timer in the top-right corner reaches zero, an earthquake will occur. Collecting the clocks will reset the timer back to 90 seconds. At the end of the level, the timer is disabled as Jim fights Pedro pupa, who will ride around on a unicycle and spit maggots at Jim.
	Puppy Love Part 1
	One of three Puppy Love levels in the game in which Psy-Crow has taken Peter Puppy's puppies hostage and is throwing them out of an abandoned spaceport control tower. Jim has to save the puppies using a giant marshmallow to bounce them to Peter. The D-Pad moves Jim left and right, pressing changes the direction Jim is facing, and or will make Jim dive forward in the direction he is facing. If Jim lets too many puppies fall to the ground, Peter will get angry and attack Jim. Among the puppies and items, Psy-Crow will also throw bombs, which will explode and damage Jim if they hit the ground. Jim has to guide those to Peter, so that he will throw them back at Psy-Crow.
	The Villi People/Jim's Now a Blind Cave Salamander!
	In this level, Jim dresses up as Sally the blind cave salamander in order to make his way through Doc Duodenum's summer home, the living intestinal planet, while taking care not to come into contact with the many villi that line the walls. To control Sally, the player should use the D-Pad to change Sally's direction, to swim up and move, and or to fire Jim's gun. The player can collect meal worms in this level, which are used for entry to a nonsensical quiz mini-game near the end of the level for bonus items. One question is asked for each meal worm found. After the quiz, the player has to play a Simon Says mini-game using pinball bumpers.
	The Flyin' King
	Riding on his pocket rocket, Jim must escort a bomb tied to a balloon all the way across an isometric course to Major Mucus and blow him up. Pressing fires the rocket's guns while changes Jim's direction. To make things difficult, there are pirate ships that shoot cannonballs, drones that shoot mucous bullets, and catapults that launch sumo Roman centurions who will latch on to the rocket and cause damage. Repeatedly change directions to shake them off. If the bomb is destroyed in transit, the player can use the Express Lanes at the sides to quickly return to the beginning of the level to get another bomb.
	Puppy Love Part 2
	The second of three Puppy Love levels. Its rules are the same as the previous level, only harder.
	Udderly Abducted
	This level's gimmick is to safely carry cows to the barns so that Jim can proceed forward with the level. However, udder UFOs will try to abduct the cows, forcing the player to backtrack and get another cow from a flower to carry through the level. Mutant superpowered penguins will also impede Jim's progress.
	Inflated Head
	Arriving at Evil the Cat's "Circus of the Scars", Jim must inflate his head using the air pumps to fly higher through the circus, navigating past harmful flashing lightbulbs and collecting meal worms along the way. The speed at which Jim rises or falls can be controlled by pressing and to respectively deflate and inflate Jim's head. Evil himself will make multiple attempts to pop Jim's head, dealing serious damage and causing him to fall all the way back down.
	Hammer Head
	Using the meal worms he has collected throughout Inflated Head, Jim can jump on the strength tester and hit the boxing glove to win bonus items. When he has no more meal worms left, the level ends. The Saturn version considers this a separate level.
	ISO 9000
	Jim has been led to the planet of paperwork, where file cabinets will chase him, and masked lawyers and accountants hide in ambush for him. To advance through the level, Jim will have to interact with the machinery, such as switching off the timed blast surfaces and carrying mouse cages to power giant grinders that will transport Jim to further parts of the level.
	Door Chase
	Taking place at the end of ISO 9000, Jim has to chase after a door that is running away from him while also avoiding file cabinets. To catch the door, Jim will have to cleverly pick up the wardrobe with a leg sticking out of it, then trick the door into tripping itself over the leg so he can enter it and end the level. The Saturn version also considers this a separate level.
	Puppy Love Part 3
	The last of the three Puppy Love levels. Its rules are the same as the previous two levels, only harder.
	Level Ate
	Jim finds himself on a planet made of meat and forks where the main threat is a salt shaker that will chase him relentlessly. To escape the salt shakers, Jim must hurry and run for the marked shelters, some of which have snails he can whip to serve as distractions for the salt shakers. Shooting the salt shakers will also push them back, while Homing Missiles can destroy them outright. To cross grills, Jim must either switch off the grills or crack open eggs to serve as platforms. This level also has a hidden secret level, "Totally Forked".
	Flamin' Yawn
	Flamin' Yawn, a large steak, serves as the boss of Level Ate, who will fight Jim on top of a pizza and attack by either pushing the plate down at him or by jumping down to breathe fire at him. Jim will sink into the cheese if he steps in it, so it is a good idea to stay on the pepperoni slices at all times. Also considered separate in the Saturn version.
	See Jim Run. Run Jim Run.
	Jim has finally reached the largest 24-hour church and deli in the Lost Vegas system, where he must race against Psy-Crow through the cathedral to rescue Princess What's-Her-Name. Some of the obstacles can be cleared by shooting them or whipping them.

History

Legacy

The Mega Drive version of the game was re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console service.

Versions

Mega Drive version

Like its predecessor, Earthworm Jim 2 was developed with the Sega Mega Drive in mind, with the code subsequently ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The Mega Drive version is therefore the original copy of the game and the basis for most of the ports going forward.

This version would be used for the game's Virtual Console release on the Wii in 2009, though the SNES version was used for the Nintendo Switch Online release in 2022.

Saturn version

The Sega Saturn version of Earthworm Jim 2 was ported to the system (alongside a PlayStation version) by Screaming Pink. It uses the enhanced CD audio soundtrack seen in the PC version released six months prior, while making a number of improvements to the game' graphics (namely the backgrounds, which are unique to these two versions). A great deal still resembles that of the Mega Drive original, however, and many of the sprites remain largely unchanged (including those employing dithering techniques to circumvent the Mega Drive's limited colour palette).

The Saturn version runs in a higher resolution than all other ports (352x240 vs 320x240 for the PlayStation), though as the graphics were not altered to compensate, this means on a standard 4:3 display, the visuals are slightly "thinner" than their counterparts on other platforms. The Saturn also features more graphical effects than the PlayStation, such as more parallax background layers and transparency effects. Loading times are also quicker, sound effects play at a higher sample rate, and Jim correctly says "A", "B" or "C" when answering questions in the "Game Show" segment (no lines were recorded for , and ).

The Saturn and PlayStation versions of Earthworm Jim 2 were considered controversial by some critics in 1996, as it was felt the upgrades were not significant enough to justify the release on newer hardware.

Production credits

Mega Drive version

Earthworm Jim 2

(C) 1995 Shiny Entertainment, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

• Program: Andy Astor
• Additional Programming: Nicholas Jones, D.P.
• Art Director: Nick Bruty
• Lead Artists: Steve Crow, Mark Lorenzon
• Level Designer: Tom Tanaka
• Directing Animator: Michael Francis Dietz
• Animators: Jeff Etter, Shawn McLean, Ed Schofield, Doug TenNapel, Larry Whitaker
• Assistant Animators: Eric Ciccone, Roger Hardy
• Additional Art: Rod Altschul, Clark Sorensen, Lin Shen, Tom Tanaka
• Fine Art Director and Illustrations: Michael Koelsch
• Music & FX: Tommy Tallarico Studios, Inc
• Clean Up: Dave Bombadier, Nancy Fernandez
• Designed By: About a million Shiny meetings
• Produced By: Scott Herrington, David Luehmann
• Development Tools By: Andy Astor, Dan Chang, Alias, Psy-Q, Rob Northern
• Lead Testers: Andy Brown, Lee Jones, James Martinez, Carlos Rodriguez, Manuel Quintones, Jose Zatarain
• Special Thanks: Brenda Bolanos, Sandy Burusco, Brad Hartke, Stacy Hering, Charles Loop, Chris Mayberry, Richard Sallis, Nicole Smith, Kris Stoyak, Angie TenNapel, Beck Tran, Chips + Bread, Cows

Source:

In-game credits

Saturn version

Playmates Interactive Entertainment

• Executive Producer: David Luehmann
• Project Manager: Scott Herrington
• Lead Tester/Asst. Project Manager: Lee "The Hammer" Jones
• PIE QA Crew: Andrew A. "QYV" Brown, Art Datangez, Carlos "The Jackal" Rodriguez, David Arranaga, James "Mayhem" Martinez, Jose "The Connection" Zatarain, Leland Mah
• Marketing Manager: Kelly Frey
• Manual Written By: Scott Herrington
• Special Thanks To: Thomas Chan, Richard Sallis, Sharon Bowman, Kathy Sison, Ron Antonette, Susan Porter, Claudia Zinn, Sachs, Finley & Co., Moore & Price Design Group, and all of our fans!

Screaming Pink and Shiny Entertainment, Inc.

• Programming: Daniel Berke, Andrew Caldwell, Don Cherf Jr.
• Fine Art Director & Illustrations: Michael Koelsch
• Art Director: Karen Dole
• Lead Artists: Steve Crow, Mark Lorenzen
• Additional Art: Tom Tanaka, Rod Altschul, Lin Shen, Clark Sorensen, Jon Gwyn
• Music & Sound FX: Tommy Tallarico
• Tools: Andrew Caldwell, Don Cherf Jr., John Rehling
• Directing Animator: Michael Francis Dietz
• Animators: Shawn McLean, Larry Whitaker, Ed Schofield, Jeff Etter, Doug TenNapel
• Characters Created By: Douglas TenNapel

Music Credits

• Music & FX: Tommy Tallarico Studios, Inc.

Piano Sonata op. 27, No. 2, 1st & 3rd movements "Moonlight Sonata" written by Ludwig von Beethoven & performed by Tommy Tallarico

Dad's Tune written & performed by Thomas V. Tallarico & Tommy Tallarico

• Piano, keyboards, guitars, percussion, etc.: Tommy Tallarico
• Additional instrumentation: Tony Berentich & Jean-Christophe Beck
• Accordion: Thomas V. Tallarico

Recorded and mixed at Tommy Tallarico Studios, San Juan Capistrano

• Engineered and produced by Tommy Tallarico
• Mastered at A&M Studios, Hollywood
• Mastered by Dave Collins

Music © 1996 Playmates Interactive Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Source:

US manual

Magazine articles

Main article: Earthworm Jim 2/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Earthworm Jim 2/Promotional material.

Physical scans

Mega Drive version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source GamesMaster (UK) 91 №37, p50/51

	91
Based on 1 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 80 CD Consoles (FR) 76 Consoles + (FR) 93 Cool Gamer (RU) 90 Computer & Video Games (UK) 93 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 79 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU) 80 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 2 (RU) 80 Fusion (US) NTSC-U 75 GameFan (US) NTSC-U 96 Game Players (US) NTSC-U 92 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 98 GamePro (UK) 95 GamesMaster (UK) PAL 94 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 89 Hobby Consolas (ES) PAL 95 Joypad (FR) 93 LeveL (CZ) 100 MAN!AC (DE) PAL 76 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 91 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 95 Next Generation (US) NTSC-U 75 Player One (FR) 95 Sega Magazin (DE) PAL 94 Sega Power (UK) PAL 95 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 93 Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) PAL 94 Todo Sega (ES) 95 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 92 Ultimate Gamer (US) 100 Última Generación (ES) 77 VideoGames (US) NTSC-U 90

	89
Based on 32 reviews

Earthworm Jim 2

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual Poster

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, FR (Blister pack)
Cover

Mega Drive, CZ
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, BR
Cover
Cart Manual

Saturn version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score CD Consoles (FR) PAL 40 Consoles + (FR) 92 Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 70 Fun Generation (DE) PAL 80 GameFan (US) 83 GameFan (US) NTSC-U 90 Game Players (US) NTSC-U 81 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 85 GamesMaster (UK) PAL 60 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 81 Hacker (HR) 84 Hacker (HR) 82 Intelligent Gamer's Fusion (US) NTSC-U 83 Joypad (FR) NTSC-U 100 MAN!AC (DE) PAL 76 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 91 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 70 Next Generation (US) NTSC-U 50 neXt Level (DE) PAL 80 Player One (FR) 87 Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J 70 Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J 61 Secret Service (PL) 75 Sega Power (UK) PAL 85 Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) PAL 72 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 70 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 80 Total Saturn (UK) PAL 76 Total Saturn (UK) PAL 73 Video Games (DE) PAL 80 VideoGames (US) 90

	77
Based on 31 reviews

Earthworm Jim 2

Saturn, JP
Cover
Spinecard Disc

Saturn, US
Cover
Disc Manual

Saturn, EU
Cover
Disc

Saturn, PT
Cover
Disc

Technical information

ROM dump status

System	Hash	Size	Build Date	Source	Comments
✔	CRC32 d57f8ba7 MD5 2ed39b147fa5fa67d6d0707f54a5a078 SHA-1 ef7cccfc5eafa32fc6acc71dd9b71693f64eac94	3MB	1995-08-23	Cartridge (US)
✔	CRC32 af235fdf MD5 fa52bcb320299c6b51c7f47caa303da8 SHA-1 b8e93ea8b42c688a218b83797e4a18eda659f3e0	3MB	1995-08-31	Cartridge (EU)
✔	CRC32 f92a931d MD5 eca477883ccd352442e85989051183f2 SHA-1 f2f1b0c79c972e83b9ec67cbb41007434c02aad9	3MB	1995-08-24	Cartridge				Page
?	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1	397,024,656		CD-ROM (EU)	T-7019H-50 V1.004
✔	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1	396,979,968	1996-08-29	CD-ROM (JP)	T-10304G V1.001
?	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1	396,958,800	1996-03-18	CD-ROM (US)	T-13203H V1.000
?	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1		1995-12-29	CD-R				Page
?	CRC32 MD5 SHA-1		1996-01-05	CD-R				Page

Track list

Saturn version

1. Data track

2. Tangerine (2:02)
Composed by: Tommy Tallarico

3. Granny Bag (2:07)
Composed by: Tommy Tallarico

4. Italian Medley (1:53)
Composed by: Tommy Tallarico

5. Dad's Tune (1:21)
Composed by: Tommy Tallarico

6. Moonlight Sonata - 1st Movement (5:37)
Composed by: Beethoven

7. Moonlight Sonata - 3rd Movement (6:19)
Composed by: Beethoven

8. The Moo Tango (1:48)
Composed by: Tommy Tallarico

9. The Big Top Polka (2:53)
Composed by: Tommy Tallarico

10. Tropical Paradise (2:28)
Composed by: Tommy Tallarico

11. Subterranean (5:40)
Composed by: Tommy Tallarico

12. Dixieland Finale (0:45)
Composed by: Tommy Tallarico

13. Continue To Rock (0:39)
Composed by: Tommy Tallarico

14. Doobeedowapbop (1:08)
Composed by: Tommy Tallarico

► Running time: 34:40

External links

• Sega of Japan Virtual Console pages: Mega Drive
• Nintendo catalogue pages: US, UK, AU

References

Earthworm Jim games for Sega systems
	Earthworm Jim (1994) | Earthworm Jim 2 (1995)
	Earthworm Jim: Special Edition (1995)
	Earthworm Jim (1995)
	Earthworm Jim (1997)
	Earthworm Jim 2 (1996)
Earthworm Jim-related media
	Biblioteka zhurnala Tricks. Earthworm Jim I,II (?)