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 the Saturn version, 
can be used to cycle through the weapons Jim has collected
Items
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Suit Power
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| Restores 4% of Jim's energy.
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Super Suit Power
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| Fully restores Jim's energy back to 100%.
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Chip Butty
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| Temporarily extends Jim's energy to 200%. This extra energy cannot be restored by Suit Power.
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Meal worm
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| Appears in The Villi People and Inflated Head. Each one collected gives Jim one try at the levels' respective mini-games.
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Extra life
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| Awards the player an extra life.
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Stopwatch
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| Awards extra time in Lorenzo's Soil.
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Standard Machine Gun Plasma Power
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| Adds 250 rounds of ammo to Jim's standard Machine Gun.
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Mega Plasma
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| Fires a powerful blast in the direction Jim fires. Each Mega Plasma pickup gives Jim 2 rounds.
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3 Finger Gun
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| Fires a spreadshot of bullets in three directions, consuming three bullets per frame.
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Barn Blaster
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| 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.
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Homing Missile
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| Fires missiles that home in on enemies.
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Bubble Gun
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| A joke weapon that shoots bubbles, which have no effect on enemies.
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Ammo booster
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| Increases the ammo of whatever weapon Jim is currently holding.
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Earth, Worm and Jim Flags
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| Collect all three of these to reveal the level password.
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Continue Icon
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| Serves as a checkpoint.
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Turbo
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| Increases Jim's speed (available only in See Jim Run, Run Jim Run).
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Express Lane
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| Sends Jim backwards through The Flyin' King, in case he needs to get a new bomb.
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Big Block Engine
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| Makes the Pocket Rocket in The Flyin' King faster and more maneuverable.
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Can o' Worms
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| Awards the player an extra continue.
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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.
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Anything but Tangerines
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Granny Chair
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Lorenzo's Soil
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Puppy Love Part 1
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The Villi People/Jim's Now a Blind Cave Salamander!
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The Flyin' King
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Puppy Love Part 2
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Udderly Abducted
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Inflated Head
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Hammer Head
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| The Saturn version considers this a separate level.
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ISO 9000
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Door Chase
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| The Saturn version also considers this a separate level.
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Puppy Love Part 3
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Level Ate
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Flamin' Yawn
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| Also considered separate in the Saturn version.
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See Jim run. Run Jim run.
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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. The Mega Drive version is therefore the original copy of the game and the basis for most of the ports going forward.
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 Earthworm Jim 2s 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
Magazine articles
- Main article: Earthworm Jim 2/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
- Main article: Earthworm Jim 2/Promotional material.
Physical scans
Mega Drive version
| Mega Drive, US
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 Cover
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| Mega Drive, EU
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 Cover
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 Cart |
| Mega Drive, FR (Blister pack)
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  Cover
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| Mega Drive, BR
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 Cover
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 Cart  Manual |
Saturn version
| Saturn, JP
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  Cover
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 Spinecard  Disc |
| Saturn, US
|
  Cover
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 Disc  Manual |
| Saturn, EU
|
 Cover
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 Disc |
| Saturn, PT
|
 Cover
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Disc |
Technical information
ROM dump status
| System |
Hash |
Size |
Build Date |
Source |
Comments |
|
|
|
| ✔
|
| CRC32
|
d57f8ba7
|
| MD5
|
2ed39b147fa5fa67d6d0707f54a5a078
|
| SHA-1
|
ef7cccfc5eafa32fc6acc71dd9b71693f64eac94
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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
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3MB
|
1995-08-24
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Cartridge
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Page
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| ?
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397,024,656
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CD-ROM (EU)
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T-7019H-50 V1.004
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| ✔
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396,979,968
|
1996-08-29
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CD-ROM (JP)
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T-10304G V1.001
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|
| ?
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396,958,800
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CD-ROM (US)
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T-13203H V1.000
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| ?
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1996-01-05
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Page
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| ?
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1995-12-29
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Page
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Track list
Saturn version
| 2. Tangerine (02:02)
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| Composed by: Tommy Tallarico
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| 3. Granny Bag (02:07)
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| Composed by: Tommy Tallarico
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| 4. Italian Medley (01:53)
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| Composed by: Tommy Tallarico
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| 5. Dad's Tune (01:21)
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| Composed by: Tommy Tallarico
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| 6. Moonlight Sonata - 1st Movement (05:37)
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| Composed by: Beethoven
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| 7. Moonlight Sonata - 3rd Movement (06:19)
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| Composed by: Beethoven
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| 8. The Moo Tango (01:48)
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| Composed by: Tommy Tallarico
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| 9. The Big Top Polka (02:53)
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| Composed by: Tommy Tallarico
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| 10. Tropical Paradise (02:28)
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| Composed by: Tommy Tallarico
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| 11. Subterranean (05:40)
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| Composed by: Tommy Tallarico
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| 12. Dixieland Finale (00:45)
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| Composed by: Tommy Tallarico
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| 13. Continue To Rock (00:39)
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| Composed by: Tommy Tallarico
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| 14. Doobeedowapbop (01:08)
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| 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
- ↑ File:EWJ2 Saturn JP Box Back.jpg
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/fb/segahard/ss/soft_licensee2.html (Wayback Machine: 2019-10-02 10:31)
- ↑ Press release: 1995-11-13: GET READY FOR EARTHWORM WEDNESDAY
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 GamePro, "November 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 76
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Computer & Video Games, "December 1995" (UK; 1995-11-10), page 24
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Sega Saturn Magazine, "December 1995" (UK; 1995-11-24), page 89
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1996-13 (1996-08-09)" (JP; 1996-07-26), page 115
- ↑ http://www.sega-saturn.com/saturn/other/may-n.htm (Wayback Machine: 1997-06-06 05:51)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 VideoGames, "May 1996" (US; 1996-04-23), page 62
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Mean Machines Sega, "December 1996" (UK; 1996-11-01), page 71
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/4QzXcIiZDK3NFIfyB33IWCuS5aD7vqVL (Wayback Machine: 2010-11-22 22:47)
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 http://www.nintendolife.com:80/games/megadrive/earthworm_jim_2 (Wayback Machine: 2017-08-27 18:14)
- ↑ https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Virtual-Console-Wii-/Earthworm-Jim-2--277061.html (archive.today)
- ↑ http://www.nintendo.com.au/index.php?action=catalogue&prodcat_id=41&prod_id=20029&pageID=4 (Wayback Machine: 2012-03-28 00:44)
- ↑ https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/software/11.html (Wayback Machine: 2018-03-06 22:05)
- ↑ http://vc.sega.jp:80/vc_ewj2/ (Wayback Machine: 2009-09-06 21:45)
- ↑ CD Consoles, "Novembre 1995" (FR; 1995-xx-xx), page 108-111 (108)
- ↑ Consoles +, "Novembre 1995" (FR; 1995-1x-xx), page 120/121/122 (120)
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "December 1995" (UK; 1995-11-10), page 24/25 (24)
- ↑ Joypad, "Novembre 1995" (FR; 1995-11-03), page 58-60 (54)
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Ultimate Gamer, "November 1995" (US; 1995-1x-xx), page 92
- ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 67
- ↑ CD Consoles, "Novembre 1995" (FR; 1995-xx-xx), page 108
- ↑ Consoles +, "Novembre 1995" (FR; 1995-1x-xx), page 120
- ↑ Cool Gamer, "9" (RU; 2002-10-13), page 71
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "November 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 42
- ↑ Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1, "" (RU; 1999-xx-xx), page 309
- ↑ Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 2, "" (RU; 2000-xx-xx), page 123
- ↑ Fusion, "Volume 1, Number 4: November 1995" (US; 1995-1x-xx), page 116
- ↑ GameFan, "Volume 3, Issue 11: November 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 22
- ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 8 No. 12 December 1995" (US; 1995-1x-xx), page 58
- ↑ GamePro, "December 1995" (UK; 1995-10-28), page 20
- ↑ GamesMaster (UK) "Series 5, episode 9" (1995-11-16, 24:00) (+14:17)
- ↑ Game Informer, "November 1995" (US; 1995-1x-xx), page 20
- ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Noviembre 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 72
- ↑ Joypad, "Novembre 1995" (FR; 1995-11-03), page 58
- ↑ LeveL, "Březen 1996" (CZ; 1996-03-06), page 21
- ↑ MAN!AC, "12/95" (DE; 1995-11-08), page 80
- ↑ Mega Fun, "12/95" (DE; 1995-11-21), page 36
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "Earthworm Jim 2 Exclusive Review Booklet" (UK; 1995-10-30), page 2
- ↑ Next Generation, "December 1995" (US; 1995-11-21), page 1999
- ↑ Player One, "Novembre 1995" (FR; 1995-1x-xx), page 94
- ↑ Sega Magazin, "Dezember 1995" (DE; 1995-11-15), page 18
- ↑ Sega Power, "January 1996" (UK; 1995-11-16), page 32
- ↑ Sega Pro, "January 1996" (UK; 1995-11-30), page 36
- ↑ Todo Sega, "Noviembre 1995" (ES; 1995-1x-xx), page 42
- ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 13
- ↑ Última Generación, "Octubre 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 102
- ↑ VideoGames, "December 1995" (US; 1995-11-21), page 92
- ↑ Consoles +, "Janvier 1997" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 114/115 (114)
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 GamesMaster, "October 1996" (UK; 1996-08-29), page 44
- ↑ 52.0 52.1 Joypad, "Juillet/Août 1996" (FR; 1996-0x-xx), page 64
- ↑ Player One, "Janvier 1997" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 100/101 (100)
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "November 1996" (UK; 1996-10-17), page 72/73 (72)
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1996-15 (1996-09-13)" (JP; 1996-08-23), page 240 (242)
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine (readers), "Final data" (JP; 2000-03), page 11 (13)
- ↑ CD Consoles, "Janvier 1997" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 126
- ↑ Consoles +, "Janvier 1997" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 114
- ↑ Famitsu, "1996-11-08,15" (JP; 1996-10-25), page 1
- ↑ Fun Generation, "08/96" (DE; 1996-07-10), page 78
- ↑ GameFan, "Volume 4, Issue 3: March 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 12
- ↑ GameFan, "Volume 4, Issue 7: July 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 12
- ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 9 No. 5 May 1996" (US; 1996-04-xx), page 66
- ↑ GamePro, "May 1996" (US; 1996-xx-xx), page 64
- ↑ Game Informer, "April 1996" (US; 1996-0x-xx), page 42
- ↑ Hacker, "02/1996" (HR; 1996-xx-xx), page 30
- ↑ Hacker, "07-08/1996" (HR; 1996-xx-xx), page 28
- ↑ Intelligent Gamer's Fusion, "Volume 2, Number 8: May 1996" (US; 1996-0x-xx), page 83
- ↑ MAN!AC, "07/96" (DE; 1996-06-12), page 62
- ↑ Mega Fun, "07/96" (DE; 1996-06-19), page 40
- ↑ Next Generation, "June 1996" (US; 1996-05-21), page 119
- ↑ neXt Level, "Juli 1996" (DE; 1996-06-12), page 68
- ↑ Player One, "Janvier 1997" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 100
- ↑ Saturn Fan, "1996 No. 17" (JP; 1996-08-02), page 189
- ↑ Saturn Fan, "1996 No. 26" (JP; 1996-12-13), page 70
- ↑ Secret Service, "Marzec 1997" (PL; 1997-xx-xx), page 66
- ↑ Sega Power, "Collectors' Issue 1996" (UK; 1996-07-xx), page 50
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "November 1996" (UK; 1996-10-17), page 72
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1996-15 (1996-09-13)" (JP; 1996-08-23), page 242
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "Readers rating final data" (JP; 2000-03), page 13
- ↑ Total Saturn, "Volume One Issue Three" (UK; 1996-11-29), page 54
- ↑ Total Saturn, "Volume One Issue Four" (UK; 1996-12-29), page 24
- ↑ Video Games, "8/96" (DE; 1996-07-31), page 112
.svg){kind=small}
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 
can be used to cycle through the weapons Jim has collected
, 
and 
).
