"Mainly I've used an x-acto knife and three tiny screwdrivers to do most of the carving," ceemdee said in an email. "I used some wood carving tools to scrap out the bigger areas on a few of the pumpkins and a needle is used to trace the image. They were all carved in the last four weeks. It's actually only four pumpkins (one a week) with three carvings on each. :)"

You can check out unlit views of the pumpkins here.

Got any more? Send pictures of 'em my way!

Earthworm Jim was winning the voting for the next Sega Genesis classic by a wide margin yesterday, when Interplay and Gameloft made their big announcement: Earthworm Jim was coming to all consoles in downloadable form. The bad news? Sega had to remove Jim from the poll. The good? We're getting Earthworm Jim anyway.

Unfortunately, due to a licensing issue, we are no longer able to offer Earthworm Jim as an option in our poll. It was announced earlier today that Gameloft will be bringing Earthworm Jim to Xbox Live Arcade along with several other platforms. We are excited that our fans will soon be able to play this game.

There's even more good news, as my second choice - Toejam & Earl - is currently leading the newly reset poll, so we're basically getting our two top picks instead of one. Everybody wins!

UPDATE: Genesis Poll [Sega America]

Interplay has granted Gameloft exclusive rights to develop, distribute, and publish Earthworm Jim as a downloadable title across the current crop of titles, as well as mobile devices, meaning an iPhone Earthworm Jim might not be out of the question. Gameloft is understandably delighted.

"We are delighted to partner with Interplay to bring Earthworm Jim to multiple downloadable platforms," said Gonzague de Vallois, senior vice president, Gameloft. "The game, with its humorous and edgy style, is a great fit for today's gamer who craves a fully immersive experience that is fun and easily accessible. We look forward to delivering a fantastic game."

It should be easy enough, seeing as the fantastic game already exists! And it shall exist again, sometime during the final quarter of 2009, with the Xbox 360 getting one-month worth of timed exclusivity.

Oh that's right. I just used Kotaku to further my own agenda. I wouldn't begrudge you a vote for Toejam & Earl either. Hell, just vote for both on alternating days, see if we can't pull off a tie.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Sega Genesis, we're putting the power back in the fans' hands and letting you determine the next title we'll release on Xbox LIVE Arcade! Just pick from the Genesis classics below and cast your vote between August 14th and August 21st

Other titles being voted upon include The Revenge of Shinobi, Streets of Rage, Shining Force, Golden Axe II, and Wonder Boy, none of which are anywhere near besting Jim and Toejam, currently dominating with 37 and 20 percent of the vote respectively.

So really, using Kotaku to further my agenda wasn't necessary, as my agenda is apparently yours as well. Go team!

The Genesis Poll [Official Website]

Isn't Dave Perry's accent kooky?

What the Hell: Badical Earthworm Jim Documentary [Bitmob]

As if another dose of Strong Bad weren't good enough, today marks the day that North Americans finally get our hands on Earthworm Jim for the Sega Genesis (800 points), the best game starring a worm since....Worms. Help Jim save Princess What's-Her-Name from Psy-Crow and Queen Slug-for-a-Butt. See?! It's even fun to type it! It's a fine day to be a Wii owner.

And yes, I do own both cartridges for my Genesis, but that's hardly the point. You guys have better food, better women (with notable exceptions!), and better VC games. Next World War we're staying home.

Unless of course we start it.

Wii Shop Channel releases

The first of this week's Virtual Console offerings welcomes back classic '90s gaming hero Earthworm JimTM! Jim was an ordinary earthworm who did very earthworm-like things such as flee from crows and eat dirt. One day, during an outerspace fight, a suit drops to Earth, and falls around Jim. It mutates him into a large and intelligent (at least by earthworm standards) superhero.

Play as Jim in this SEGA MEGA DRIVE classic! When you learn of the evil plans of Psy-Crow and Queen Slug-for-a-Butt, you decide to rescue Princess What's-Her-Name. Run, gun, swing on hooks by your head and launch cows at the interesting characters you meet along the way, such as Major Mucus, Chuck and Fifi, Evil the Cat and Bob the Killer Goldfish. Earthworm JimTM is available now for 800 Wii Points.

Next up this week is the acclaimed strategy role-playing game Shining ForceTM II, also for SEGA MEGA DRIVE. It's a dark and stormy night in the kingdom of Granseal, when a thief steals two jewels from the Tower of the Ancients. He sets in motion strange events that lead to the resurrection of Zeon, the Devil King.

Granseal's king falls sick, the princess is kidnapped and a door to Arc Valley, the Devil King's home, is opened. The young swordsman, Bowie, realising the grave danger Granseal faces, must lead the Shining Force to find the Holy Sword, the stolen jewels, and protect Granseal against the invading armies of Zeon. Shining ForceTM II is available now for 800 Wii Points.

Virtual Console offers users the ultimate retro gaming experience. This week's titles join the list of 252 classic titles already available for Virtual Console in Europe.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., April 22, 2008 — Interplay Entertainment Corp. (OTC Bulletin Board: IPLY) announced today that the company signed a partnership arrangement with Earthworm Jim creator Douglas TenNapel to relaunch the videogame icon.

TenNapel will serve as a creative consultant on Earthworm Jim 4, and will simultaneously develop an animated series and feature film to expand the well known brand.

TenNapel created the original Earthworm Jim character, which Interplay developed into a video game with Shiny Studios for the Sega Genesis console in 1994. The game became an immediate hit, and later spawned sequels on various computer and video game platforms, including Earthworm Jim 2, Earthworm Jim 3D, and Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy.

The iconic character became a virtual hero whose popularity took him far beyond video games into TV and toys. An animated Earthworm Jim television series, produced by TenNapel, aired for two seasons from 1995 to 1996, on The Kids WB! with Dan Castellaneta of "The Simpsons" providing the voice for the title character.

During their annual earnings report the company said that their net revenue for last year was just over $6 million, with a net income of $5.86 million, most of which came from the sale of the Fallout IP.

The company also went over what they called a two-pronged strategy for 2008. Prong one: Secure loads of money to turn Fallout into a money-printing MMO. Prong two: create sequels, lots of sequels.

At the same time, the company will leverage its portfolio of gaming properties by creating sequels to some of its most successful games, including Earthworm Jim, Dark Alliance, Descent, and MDK.

Interplay says they want to do all of this in-house and is currently on a hiring binge.

Massively Multiplayer Online Game, Sequels Seen as Key to Resurgence

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., April 8, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Interplay Entertainment Corp. (OTC Bulletin Board: IPLY - News) recently announced its earnings for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, and its plan for the company going forward.

Net revenues for the year ended December 31, 2007 were $6,001,000, an increase of 520 percent compared to the same period in 2006.

The Company reported net income of $5.86 million, or $.059 per basic share and $.057 per diluted share, compared to net income of $3.08 million, or $.032 per basic and diluted share, in the same period last year. The net income reported in the twelve-month period of this year was primarily the result of the recording of $5,750,000 in income from recognition of the sale of the "Fallout" intellectual property.

In addition to reporting the annual results, the company also pointed to its two-pronged growth strategy. First, management is working to secure funding for the development of a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) based on the popular "Fallout" franchise. Interplay sold "Fallout" in 2007 while obtaining a license back, under certain conditions, to create and develop a "Fallout" MMOG.

At the same time, the company will leverage its portfolio of gaming properties by creating sequels to some of its most successful games, including Earthworm Jim, Dark Alliance, Descent, and MDK.

The company has recently reinitiated its in-house game development studio, and is hiring game developers.

Interplay Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Herve Caen said, "2007 set the foundation for our growth strategy. Going forward, we have the vision, unique intellectual property, and low debt and operational costs to help us pursue financing for our various projects. Our new Website will streamline our ability to communicate development progress with the public, share brand information with the fans and support our customers."

About Interplay

Founded in 1983, Interplay Entertainment is a developer, publisher and licensor of video game software headquartered in Southern California. Interplay is best known for its successful titles in the Role-Playing Game (RPG) genre with hit series like "Fallout" and "Baldur's Gate." The company has produced and licensed titles for many of the most popular interactive entertainment software platforms in the action/arcade, adventure/RPG and strategy/puzzle categories. Its portfolio of well-recognized Intellectual Properties includes Battlechess, Clayfighter, Dark Alliance, Descent, Earthworm Jim, Freespace, Giants, Messiah, MDK, Run Like Hell, Sacrifice and others.

Interplay.com [Official Website - Thanks Patrick!]

Foundation 9 Entertainment, which already owns Backbone, Pipeworks Circle of Confusion, Digital Eclipse and Imagine Engine, just snatched up Shiny Entertainment from Atari.

Shiny Entertainment, creators of the Earthworm Jim franchise, will "co-locate" with The Collective, creators of crap movie knock-off The Da Vinci Code, in 2007.

While F9 managed to wrestle the studio out of Atari's weakening grasp, then didn't get away with the Earthwork Jim IP, which remains firmly in claws of Atari.

"Shiny Entertainment fits well with the current studios of Foundation 9 Entertainment and aligns with our long-term goals for the future," said Jon Goldman, Chairman and CEO. "The studio has tremendous talent and experience working with big Hollywood franchises and will be working with us on a major, as-yet-undisclosed day and date release. The Shiny team will only add to our capabilities and technology base."

What is this, buy-out Monday? Brian Crecente

LOS ANGELES, CA - October 2, 2006 - Foundation 9 Entertainment, the largest
independent game developer in North America, announced today that it acquired
the non-game assets of Shiny Entertainment Studio from Atari, Inc. in an
acquisition funded by Foundation 9's recent investment from Francisco Partners.

"Shiny Entertainment fits well with the current studios of Foundation 9
Entertainment and aligns with our long-term goals for the future," said Jon
Goldman, Chairman and CEO. "The studio has tremendous talent and experience
working with big Hollywood franchises and will be working with us on a major,
as-yet-undisclosed day and date release. The Shiny team will only add to our
capabilities and technology base."

Under the terms of the deal, the Shiny team will remain intact and will
co-locate with The Collective, one of the Foundation 9 studios, in 2007.

Shiny Entertainment was started in 1993 and has shipped eight products including
two games based on The Matrix film franchise. The studio develops for all
platforms and is perhaps best known for its original property, Earthworm Jim
(which remains an Atari property), which debuted on the Sega Genesis and Super
Nintendo in 1994. Shiny was acquired by Atari in 2002.

Shiny will join current F9E studios - The Collective, Backbone Entertainment,
Pipeworks, ImaginEngine and Digital Eclipse - solidifying Foundation 9's
presence as the largest independent developer in North America. The company
develops in all genres for all platforms and age groups, and has shipped more
than 300 titles, including many bestsellers.

The company is currently at work on more than 20 titles, including two new
editions of its original property, Death, Jr., to be published by Konami; Dirty
Harry to be published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment; and Sonic
Rivals to be published by Sega. The company's Backbone studio just recently
shipped MechAssault: Phantom War for the Nintendo DS, published by Majesco
Entertainment.

• Keynote Speaker Paul W.S. Anderson, director of the Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil claims that "true synergy is waiting to happen." Why? No clue.
• Anderson also claims that games make better movies, "when the games themselves are cinematically influenced." He even stated that appealing to game's fanbase was all about "enhancing and expanding on the original I.P." (read: making it crappy.)
• Earthworm Jim creator Dave Perry pointed out how the film and game industry are similiar. "Many of the big successes are developed in California... like World of Warcraft." Clever.
• It was noted that small teams can create and find their own publisher or distribute games via Xbox Live Arcade. Such a system is less Hollywood, where it is more difficult for indie works to get picked up.

Games and movies couldn't be more different. One is passively active, while the other is actively active. How do you combine those? To borrow a line from Insert Credit's Tim Rogers: My advice to Hollywood on adapting video games? Don't. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Next-Gen]

Earthworm Jim creator Doug Tennapel is the sort of man I admire, while I simultaneously fear the possibility that I will end up like him. He goes into detail about this duality in a new interview over on Gamasutra.

They're spending so much that now they're making $30 million games. Big business is big business, and I think some of the smaller mom-and-pop shops got closed down or bought out, and again, I think it was kind of because the gamers weren't even in it for the art of gaming. They wanted to sell their company and make big stocks to swell up the company to 70 people and try to unload a bunch of cash.

Just look at his portrait over there. If that is not a man who is deadly talented and pays dearly for it, I dunno who is. Jim is this vague spectre from my childhood, a standout amongst a milling herd of forgettable platformers. What's sad is that so many of these cartoonists end up mushing along at Nickelodeon, pumping art and comedy into properties that are largely ignored, or at least pigeonholed into the "children's entertainment" heading. Eliza Gauger

More on Earthworm Jim for the PSP, art in video games, and an assertive jadedness in the complete interview. [Gamasutra]

The team birthed the original Earthworm Jim is gangbusters to begin work on a new title for next-gen consoles. The team, which includes Shiny Entertainment's Dave Perry, hopes to revive the original's humor and creativity. All hinges on Perry wrangling the title's license from Atari and securing funding. Looks like somebody's counting their consoles before they hatch, huh.

More Here [ComputerandVideogames]