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[HotPocket69]

And Macauley Culkin is the executive producer

https://www.techspot.com/news/78951-toejam-earl-back-groove-launches-friday-executive-producer.html

The soundtrack is jammin

Toejam & Earl Back In The Groove is pure joy

https://www.polygon.com/reviews/2019/2/28/18243019/toejam-earl-back-in-the-groove-review

Now, thanks to a $500,000 Kickstarter campaign, non-traditional investors, and years of additional development time, gaming’s favorite aliens have returned. ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove is outstanding. Fans should expect a modernized version of the original game, one that expands on its format and piles on a hefty dose of replayability. As a complete package, I think it might just be the best entry in the entire series.

What the game lacks in variety it makes up for with replayability, which is enhanced by tons of unlocks. Through casual play I begin to find unusual, higher-tier presents. Using these presents adds them to my available pool for the next playthrough, meaning I’ll have more options the more I play. A successful run to Funkotron also allows me to open up additional playable characters, for a grand total of nine. My favorite is Earl’s mom, Flo, who is able to share more of her life bar with other players to help keep them alive.

http://www.gaming-age.com/2019/02/t...view-for-nintendo-switch-ps4-xbox-one-and-pc/

Grade: A

https://www.destructoid.com/review-toejam-earl-back-in-the-groove-544364.phtml

ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove is a fondue pot of late ‘80s/early ‘90s American hip-hop culture. Stick a fork in and you’re bound to pull out old-school slang, funky designs, and the type of rap white people of the era didn’t find threatening. It’s all cobbled together with Nicktoons-meets-Dr. Seuss art direction and gameplay perfect for chilling out maxin, relaxin all cool. In an age where games are trying to one-up each other with how loud, fast, and exciting they are, Back in the Groove reminds us of how rewarding it can be taking it low and slow.

https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2019/02/28/toejam-and-earl-back-in-the-groove-review/#/slide/1

8.5

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

Take my money

 

[HotPocket69]

Out tomorrow

2-4 player online co op

If anyone wants to pop some Earthlings and chill with some Hawaiian babes hit me up on PSN: TestSubject15

 

[MiguelItUp]

Out tomorrow, and on my birthday no less! I'm so pumped!

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

People who like physical, (limited-window) pre-orders are available, too.

I think some superfans might appreciate the option of owning their own copy.

 

[HyGogg]

Played through the half-length easy mode with my girlfriend tonight in a sitting. She wasn't even born when the Genesis games came out and doesn't generally have much love for old school gaming but we had a blast. Great couch co-op games are few and far between and this is still one of the best.

 

[Bankai]

Awesome news, though I particularly loved part 2 of the series, it's so great seeing this franchise from my youth back again.

I never really understood why part 1 is regarded as a true classic and part 2 isn't. Part 2 (Panic of Funkotron) was such a fantastic game; beatiful graphics and animation, great puzzling and the greatest music on Genesis - ever! I even played and finished it again on my Ps3 (T&E double pack), after multiple runs on the Genesis and through emulation.

 

[HotPocket69]

Trophies are fucked on the PS4 version. Nothing is popping up.

 

[HyGogg]

Awesome news, though I particularly loved part 2 of the series, it's so great seeing this franchise from my youth back again.

I never really understood why part 1 is regarded as a true classic and part 2 isn't. Part 2 (Panic of Funkotron) was such a fantastic game; beatiful graphics and animation, great puzzling and the greatest music on Genesis - ever! I even played and finished it again on my Ps3 (T&E double pack), after multiple runs on the Genesis and through emulation.

Panic on Funkotron is a great game on it's own merits, but the original was so unique that people really wanted more and felt burned when they never got more. Doubly so because the side scrolling platform genre was so over crowded at the time.

But I agree, it's one of the best platformers of an era known for great platformers. I would definitely like to see this characters in different kinds of games. But I'm also glad we finally got the true follow up to Game 1 that it deserved.

 

[down 2 orth]

Nice, I'm always happy to see more Kickstarter successes.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

those are some nasty tracks

happy for this game to be doing well

 

[TLZ]

I hope we get part 3 BC on Xbone. Really liked that one.

 

[stranno]

Single joy-con local splitscreen multi-player, no more to say, i buy it.

 

[Ixion]

I never really understood why part 1 is regarded as a true classic and part 2 isn't. Part 2 (Panic of Funkotron) was such a fantastic game; beatiful graphics and animation, great puzzling and the greatest music on Genesis - ever! I even played and finished it again on my Ps3 (T&E double pack), after multiple runs on the Genesis and through emulation.

The second game has so many great things about it, especially the setting and music. But I find the enemies to be so damn annoying in that game. Say cheese! Say cheese! Say cheese! It just gets too overboard once you get around the halfway point.

 

[Zephir]

I remember playing the hell out of the first game with my cousin. Once we discovered the secret levels at the beginning of the game, we always went there before doing anything else

 

[Deleted member 738976]

Now to wish for Streets of Rage 4 to be good to continue the trend of Genesis game series coming back to glory.

 

[HotPocket69]

Despite the trophies on PS4 being broken, It's really good so far. Pretty much a perfect reboot of the original game with certain stuff from Panic on Funkotron and Mission To Earth PEPPERED in like coin meters and buttons, Guitar Hero-esque beat sessions, and The Hyperfunk Zone. Obviously if you never dug the OG game you probably won't enjoy this one.

I see that TJ&E3 has faded from mostly everyones memory. Plenty of stuff from 3 is included here like the night time based levels, the XP system, the present design, the sushi guy, the houses to search...

Fuckin Gerstmann man...

And then he has the balls to say straight up that Panic on Funkotron is a bad game

 

[#Phonepunk#]

cool my friend pre ordered this. will probably play it monday

we played the Genesis side scrolling one last week. some fun stuff. i love the cartoony style & the early hip hop. looking forward to it.

 

[D1STORT1ON]

I’m looking forward to it also. Loved the original. On Xbox One though it was still showing as “not available” last time I checked. May just grab it on PS4 if I get really impatient. Was the Xbox version delayed?

 

[HyGogg]

This is one of those rare cases where a company went to Kickstarter promising to recreate our childhoods and actually succeeded. It's hard to imagine anyone who liked the initial pitch of a revamped Game 1 not liking this.

That said, it's totally not for everyone. It's an odd, kind of slow little exploration roguelike that you can beat in an hour and a half. But so was the original, so yeah.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

Jammin', been waiting for this to come out.

Does anyone else like the underappreciated third game on the Xbox?

 

[HotPocket69]

Jammin', been waiting for this to come out.

Does anyone else like the underappreciated third game on the Xbox?

I really like it a lot and own a copy. Never got the hate for it. It’s basically just a 3D combo of the first and second games with a bunch of new stuff added.

Playing Back in the Groove has actually made me want to hook my OG Box up and pop it in.

 

[ClanOfNone]

What is the gameplay itself actually like? I never played the originals so I have zero point of reference. I keep seeing the word roguelike associated with it, is it like Issac?

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

I really like it a lot and own a copy. Never got the hate for it. It’s basically just a 3D combo of the first and second games with a bunch of new stuff added.

Playing Back in the Groove has actually made me want to hook my OG Box up and pop it in.

I replayed it just 2 years ago, still had a lot of fun.

 

[HotPocket69]

Hooked up my original Xbox while half drunk and lit on some AAA greenery. Popped in TJ&E 3.

Goddamn this game is good. It’s got the stats, the XP, the level density, the music....

It would probably be much more welcomed with open arms now than it was in 2002.

 

[Kazza]

There was a very interesting talk with the developer of the all the Toejam & Earl games (from the original all the way to this one) on the Retrohour podcast:




I bought it today, and have just completed a 90 minute playthrough (died at 7/10 spaceship parts on normal difficulty). I have fond memories playing the original at a friend's house in the 90s, and this sequel doesn't disappoint. There seems to be more variety in the world and enemy design (although it is a little more fast-paced than the original, which may be a good or bad thing depending on individual taste).

For newcomers, this is more of a fun party game rather than a test of skill. Both the world and the presents you gather (which can give you special abilities) are randomised, meaning quite a bit of luck is involved. With great funky music and funny characters, this is the type of game to kick back to and play with your friends on the couch while smoking a blunt.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

Is there online play?

 

[Spukc]

Is there online play?

Yis

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

Yis

Excellent, I always dreamed of an online co-op Toejam and Earl.

 

[Klart]

d love to buy the new T&E game but it’s nowhere to be found in my PSN store (Belgium)!

 

[HotPocket69]

Well at least they’re aware

 

[MC Safety]

There's also a terrible Xbox bug. If you unlock a new character/get a new hat, the game doesn't save that data.

It's listed on the bug report. I hope the problem is addressed and fixed quickly.

(I really like the game. It's a return to form, for sure. I'm not altogether sold on the art style, though.)

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

It definitely needs a few patches but, it is actually a very good game for an indie. Very good! Co-op makes it feel 100% different then going alone. Definitely worth the purchase.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

I got a question, is it supposed to be Toejam and Earl 4 basically, or a reboot or something? Does it in any way acknowledge the previous games?

I know Toejam and Earl isn't exactly the deepest lore around, but it'd be nice if they throw a bone to longtime fans of the series.

 

[Ixion]

I got a question, is it supposed to be Toejam and Earl 4 basically, or a reboot or something? Does it in any way acknowledge the previous games?

I know Toejam and Earl isn't exactly the deepest lore around, but it'd be nice if they throw a bone to longtime fans of the series.

It's basically a reboot that takes the first game (and origin story), gives it a modern makeover, and includes some of the best elements from the 2nd and 3rd installments. Keep in mind this is a kickstarter project that promised the ultimate T&E game for the fans, and it delivers that. So for better or worse, it doesn't feel like some fresh and new sequel idea that the creators had, but rather a well-done new version of the classic formula for the fans. So yeah, if you're a fan, you'll enjoy this game a lot.

With that said, seeing as this is a reboot of a 25 year old niche cult classic, it ultimately feels very fresh among today's games.