Xbox

ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth

This is a game that you’ll either fall in love with quicker than Rosie O’Donnell in a cupcake factory or be turned-off faster than a Kathie Lee Gifford Christmas special. If you’re offended by the thought of a heavenly Harlem choir or remarks about Toe Jams third leg (he is an alien after all) then play Sly Cooper instead. But if your idea of fun is hiding from chickens brandishing rocket blasters firing eggs or cheap, tawdry jokes about cheerleaders and their enormous pom-poms, then you’ll find Toe Jam & Earl III: Mission to Earth to be funking hilarious.

Overall, Toejam & Earl 3 is great fun. Playing with a friend is a great time, and playing alone isn't that bad either. There's also a ton of replayability, with a second mode that creates completely random levels, and downloadable levels and characters via Xbox Live. If it weren't for the lack of differing mission objectives, I'd have given this game a higher score. Nonetheless, anyone should check this game out, and fans will not be disappointed.

Malgré l’impression de répétitivité qu’il dégage tant dans le gameplay que dans l’ambiance, ToeJam & Earl 3 arrive à nous convaincre grâce à une jouabilité beaucoup plus profonde au fur et à mesure de la progression et une ironie décapante. Bien sûr, cela ne ravira pas tout le monde et ce troisième opus s’adresse avant tout aux fans des deux premiers. Mais une fois qu’on a goûté au mode deux joueurs, difficile de s’en passer lors de week-ends entre potes.…

With its fast-paced encounters, cooperative action, timed mini-games, rhythm contests played for points, changing times of day, collectibles, and hidden areas, there is a lot going on in this game. Yet it never becomes confusing, frustrating, or overwhelming. This is one wacky world the developers have created, and it perfectly captures the original title's sense of humor, irreverence, and addictive fun. While the game starts out slowly, players will be hard pressed to put the controller down until every last album of funk has been righteously acquired. More importantly, the game is a heavenly change of pace from the many traditional fighters, platformers, and shooters crowding the home console market. Though it has its rough spots here and there (inventory management and camera issues), ToeJam & Earl III is a sure bet to get apathetic gamers out of their Xbox funk.

ToeJam & Earl III isn't for everybody, and I have a feeling that more than a few people are going to completely miss the humor of this game. But if you remember the original, and want to get that bad taste from the second game out of your mouth, you should definitely look at this. It's not perfect, and you may lose interest mid way through, but it's unlike anything you already own, I guarantee that.

If you're an Xbox owner with a passion for roaming collectathons, then this game is arguably the best this platform has to offer currently - at least until Rayman 3 comes out next week. But in the broader sense of the genre, it simply can't compete with the genius of its many competitors, particularly the Sony first party efforts of late. ToeJam & Earl III raises a few smiles now and then, but you'll be grimacing in anguish just as often, which in the final analysis is just not good enough to warrant spending £40.

In the end, ToeJam & Earl: Mission to Earth doesn't have enough depth and substance to be great. If you don't like its faux hip-hop style then you won't even find it good. But, if you favor The Fat Boys over Public Enemy and Will Smith over Dr. Dre, then this game is right up your alley. It's extremely simple, which is good, bad, and limiting all at once. While I must fault the game for its lack of depth and admit that I found some of its antics rather boorish, I have to give it props for having a strong personality. And like all strong personalities, not everyone's going to take to it.

Perhaps the developers were told in no uncertain terms to produce a faithful conversion in order to satisfy the Sega loyal. This, undoubtedly, has been achieved, but to be honest the original material has not aged well. It seems obvious to me that the license could have been used far more creatively. As it stands, we're left with a game that will neither satisfy T&E fans, nor attract newcomers to the series.

This game can be best described as soporific. There is too much repetition and not enough excitement. The redundancy not only comes from the menial fetching and delivering tasks, but also from the repeated FMVs that are used as load screens, and constant repeated chatter of the characters.

Un soft que l'on conseillera surtout aux amateurs du premier volet, histoire de se payer un trip nostalgie. Si le titre part sur de bonnes bases et se montre très agréable au cours des premières parties, il affiche vite ses limites aussi bien en terme de gameplay, d'humour ou de musique. Mieux vaudra se tourner vers Rayman 3. Je crains que le funk n'aie pas été avec les développeurs.

Unfortunately for Toe Jam and Earl, that nostalgia can soon and will be shattered. If you buy this game for the nostalgia value you are likely to be disappointed, unless of course you have been in another dimension and still regularly play on your Mega Drive. If you have young ones in the house you might just be able to justify buying that latest First Person Shooter to the other half if you pick this up at the same time.

If you're a fan of the original Mega Drive games, or you're looking for a little light refreshment, then you'll probably love TJ&EIII. But if you're looking for depth, variation and ingenuity, then look elsewhere because you won't find it here.

Big fans of the original ToeJam & Earl game will probably have very mixed feelings about the game. On one hand, the gameplay is roughly the same as that of the original game, full of wacky presents with varied effects. On the other, the poor voices and music really date the game and make it feel incredibly stale. The simple mechanics certainly don't help hide the game's other flaws, either, and ultimately the original ToeJam & Earl still remains a better game overall. So anyone looking for a ToeJam & Earl fix would be better off digging up a copy of the original. And anyone who has no idea what the previous games in the series are even about should look elsewhere for entertainment, at this point.

Not even the music is as great as it was in the original, as they decided to replace its funky beats with audio considerably less funky. Also, as a fair warning, the ending is the absolute most atrocious display of digital laziness to which I've ever been an unfortunate witness. Anger is completely unavoidable. If you absolutely must play this title, the highest recommendation that I can give it is a rental -- anything more, and you'll just get bored.

For fans of the original game, this is sure to bring back a lot of memories, but new players probably won't appreciate the characters or humor. Despite all of its fancy graphics and sound effects, I still much prefer the original game.