EARTHWORM JIM!

I love Earthworm Jim. I spent ridiculous amounts of my childhood playing that game.

@RockstarLlama:

But for the more pressing question, did you actually beat Earthworm Jim?

I seem to recall it being SO FREAKING HARD.

Hell yeah!
They need to release older games like this. They are so much fun.

Now, if we could only get Zombies At My Neighbors on XBLA, I would be a very happy man.

Groovy!

On the plus side, the Genesis version has an extra level, if memory serves.
...on the other hand, the graphics and sound were crap in the Genesis version compared to the SNES version.

@Luke Plunkett: I still read every VC update. Please don't stop!

@Mr. Fap☆Fap!: Those were the usual issues with the Genesis version.

@Raziel:
True, but the reason it's noteworthy, I think, is that Earthworm Jim has really good music and SFX. I wish they'd mix the two together somehow for the VC release.

Wii also seriously needs Saturn games so we can get the Saturn version of Earthworm Jim.

One can wish we get the Saturn version of EWJ... but now I have to decide if I want to re-buy this since I'm looking at the original cart right this moment...

@Mr. Fap☆Fap!:
Earthworm Jim 2, I mean.

...Time for bed for me, methinks.

*SPOILERS*

The cow... heh, no. I won't.

Awesome. Earthworm Jim's cool, but Clayfighter... well... it's not...

Also, how dare you criticize the VC. I've spent well over $300 in those stupid games.

The only real reason I'd pick the SNES versions over the Genesis versions would be the controller, but since I'll be playing with a Wavebird/Classic controller, it doesn't really make much difference to me.

Also, Yay! It will eventually be about time!

Damn, I wish these would come out on the PSN or XBLA networks, you know, the systems I own.

The Sega CD version was the best of on EWJ1, as that had the full CD soundtrack.

At the time, I believe the Genesis version was ruled as slightly better than the SNES. The SNES has audio fidelity and higher resolution up on the Genesis version, but the Genesis has more sprites, a solid framerate, and the extra level.

Of the two, I'd take the Genesis version.

Boogerman FTW!

The only games I bought on VC are Mario Kart 64 and Bonk's Adventure, but I will be getting (maybe) every game from Interplay -- Earthworm Jim 1 & 2, Boogerman, Clayfighter (was fun, but not great)

"... he rockets through the sky!"

Earthworm Jim is a pretty awesome game. It might just be the most insane mix of concepts and imagery I have every played. To me it will always be a very special game, and by special I don't mean Special Olympics special, well maybe a little.

I'll never forget being a blind cave salamander scurrying around in some intestines while listening to Beethovens Moonlight Sonata. There's something strangely poetic about it, though mostly it's just batshit crazy.

I remember really digging Clay Fighter too.

@kylo4: Uh, do you own a PC? Ever heard of ZSNES?

I swear, I understand nothing of the buzz over VC, or at least in corners of the internet where gamers should know about emulation. I've had "VC" available to me for years and years. Absolutely free of charge, too. At least on XBLA and PSN I get brand spankin' new games from time to time.

@Evdor:

Oh god no. I would just play the junkyard level over and over again.

EWJ FTW
Clayfighter, meh...
Clayfighter 63 1/3, now that's something else, make it happen Interplay

FROM THE SOIL HE DID CRAWL!

@Xiedo: Emulation and ROMs murder nostalgia. There's something to be said for owning official games and being able to simulate the actual experience. ROMs are like watching movies taped from a cinema screen. The movie is there, but is that enough?

@Evdor: Actually it wasn't that hard in general, just that ridiculous bathysphere bit. Ah, that brings back memories of yelling hateful things during that level...

@Xiedo: Actually no I did not, and I actually use a Mac that has Vista running on it (made the switch 8 months ago). Thanks for the tip.

As far as mardmidukestank's comment, I agree with you but if this is the only possible way for me to get that Earthworm Jim game without buying a Wii, than I'll have no choice but to go that route.

Why the Genesis versions for Earthworm Jim? The snes versions had better graphics. :(

Earthworm Jim, we think he's mighty fine, Earthworm Jim, a hero for all time.

@Capp:
Oh man, they sooo need to bring that to the 360 with online coop.

Earthworm Jim, both 1 and 2! I'm of two minds on this. One part of me wants to get them both to relive the awesomeness that was both games. The other part wants to bash the first part with a sledgehammer for even thinking about getting 2 games that were as insanely hard as EWJ 1 & 2 are. I think I managed to get past the first level in EWJ 1 just once. >_>

@theherlihyboy:

It's not that hard. Plus you get tons of continues from the racing mini game. The cow is your friend in the end;)

@silkylove: GOD you ruined the whole story for me... was planning on finishing it tomorrow. j/k

Clayfighter... I remember that when I was younger. Earthworm Jim was tite...

@marmidukestank: Well, I disagree it dilutes the experience. Emulator's of 64-bit and below do the job near-perfect if not perfectly, with exclusive features to boot. I do admit I've bought quite a few PS1 gems I discovered through emulation for tenuous logical reasons... I guess you've just gotta love the game enough.

I'm not a fan of this digital distribution, though. I'd rather buy Earthworm Jim used. But then I'd need a refurbed SNES. It just gets complicated.

heh, clayfighter..... I loved that game....

No Earthworm Jim on XBLA? This makes me sad :(

@seishino:
Yeah, isn't this a case like the original Mortal Kombat, where the Genesis version was the winner?

Luke: Speak for yourself. Nintendo still sells more VC titles on average than actual Wii games. If no one cared about the VC anymore, then there wouldn't be one, would there?

I loved Earthworm Jim and Clay Fighter. Earthworm Jim was one of the more bizarre titles that you MUST play at least once. And I definitely remember beating some people down in Clay fighter.

No Claymates? Well, at least I can finally see what's so great about the game.

Clayfighter was utter, utter fucking garbage. Every bit as bad as Rise of the Robots. Just a hideous fighting game.

Earthworm Jim gets a massive woo though.

I'd actually prefer the SNES version due to the much better sound. The music was great in EWJ 1 and 2 for the SNES.

If Earthworm Jim and Fantasy Zone are released on the same day, I will likely explode with joy :)

Why choose VC over emulators, you ask??? Have you ever considered that if these titles sell enough in the digital distribution world that we may get new original titles in these franchises??? Using your PC emulator won't help that effort at all.

Clayfighter may not have been a great fighting game, but I recall it being one of the first SNES games to use a substantial amount of actual voice-acting, which just blew me away at the time. The game was humorous too, but that could only take it so far.

I am not over the VC by any stretch, nor will I be for the forseeable future. Tons of great games still to come.

I had Clayfighter, and I remember playing it and liking it, but honestly... The only reason I got it was that my parents frowned upon me getting ACTUAL fighting games like, say, Street Fighter 2. In reality, it's a game with charming graphics but absolutely no balance between the characters (The Blob was such a cheap bitch, I used him all the time).

Now, Earthworm Jim 1 and 2... Well, they ARE pretty neat games. Tough, yes, but mostly they're a good kinda tough. Except for that goddamned heliotrope level. And the last stage in EWJ2.

EWJ is great news, but not nearly as much as Boogerman for me. One of my favorite stupid games from the Genesis\SNES era.

Waaah! Indeed great news.

YES. I loved Earthworm Jim (probably my favorite Genesis game after Sonic 2 and Aladdin), and I never did get around to picking up its sequel. These are probably both going to be first-day purchases.

I'm a bit torn on Clayfighter (mostly because I wouldn't have anyone who'd be willing to play it in person with me), but it's nice to see it get a release.

@ph15h needs followers: Earthworm Jim was only in the N64 version. Boogerman made an appearance there too. Good times...

@2NinjasTapedTogether: Agreed. I only played it a handful of times at my uncle's house, but Boogerman was a pretty solid platformer. Lots of toilet humor, not too surprisingly, but it worked in the context of the game.

@crescentfresh: Something tells me Boogerman and Clayfighter won't be returning from the annals of history, unfortunately. As for Earthworm Jim, I'd love to see a return to form but given that the N64 entry in the series wasn't particularly good and that the PSP remake of the original was canned, I'm not sure what the odds are of seeing that series make a comeback.

I think Interplay releasing the Genesis versions of these titles is really just them embracing the whole spirit of Wii. I mean, graphics don't matter, right?

Earthworm Jim is just another game checked off my "Virtual Console Wishlist".

@spiderweb1986:

I agree that Clayfighter and Boogerman won't likely be resurrected. The point of the comment though was that is a potential reason to choose VC over emulators.

I read somewhere recently (possibly here on kotaku) that Earthworm Jim is actually being resurrected though, which I think is awesome.

Ahem:

"GroOOvy!"

This sucks, the genesis versions?? the SNES versions were way more advanced, better graphics sound why Nintendo are so against releasing snes and n64 titles is beyond me. no doubt a snes version will follow next year...the same but better.

@Evdor: I just tried beating last weekend, I honestly don't think it is possible without cheating. Even with cheats it wasn't exactly easy.

@Xiedo: Just put Snes9x on my Wii this past weekend. It's really easy to do too.

"deal-breaker"? The Genesis versions were regarded as superior by many, many people. Course we can't use the Gen controller on VC :(

The Genesis in general was considered superior by many, yet it had clearly inferior graphics and sound.

Awesome. And unlike you mister Plunkett, I am so not over the VC. I bought around 200 dollars worth of games, and plan on buying more.

Nice! the genesis version was way better than the SNES version i got both to see which one was better. and the graphics & sound/music was better cause they SNES one the music was kinda off compared to the SEGA one.

Here's hoping this is Interplay's way of raising money so that they can develop MDK3 for me.

Oh man I LOVED clayfighter as a kid! Never played earthworm jim though, I think I need to get that at some point.

YES THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN F#$KING WAITING FOR! I can't wait to finally beat Earthworm Jim. :-)

On a side note, why do most of Virtual Games released each week suck? I've been waiting for this classic ever since the Wii came out!

@MrPerson: No Street Fighter? wow. When I was younger I had Street Fighter II: the New Challengers and all 3 Mortal Kombats on my Genesis and Killer Instinct on my SNES.