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The Great Earthworm Jim Race - Sega Channel

Discussion in 'General Sega Discussion' started by Dissent, Dec 17, 2013.

  1. Dissent

    Dissent

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    Looking at Wikipedia stuff about Earthworm Jim I stumbled upon this;

    "Another special edition of the game was released exclusively through the Sega Channel, a subscription game service for the Sega Genesis, for a contest dubbed The Great Earthworm Jim Race. This version included a secret room which, when reached by the first 200 players, would display a password and a toll-free telephone number. Those that called the number were awarded special prizes.[7]"

    I called bullshit when I couldn't find anything on Google about it, so I dug up the reference...

    "7. ^ Sega Channel is Off to the Races. Electronic Gaming Monthly. Issue 69. Pg.28. April 1995."

    [​IMG]

    So does anyone know anything about it? Kiddo? I'd love to see a ROM found for this, but I'm assuming chances are unlikely.
     
  2. Man, that is why the pre-internet (well before the internet blew up) era was so special. Nowadays you can't do a contest exactly like this. I'd love to play this 'phat' version of the game.
     
  3. Cooljerk

    Cooljerk

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    Ha, I have that issue of EGM, I see it all the time.

    I remember the first contest but didn't participate. I also remember the one they had for EWJ2 where they let you play the game a few weeks early before release, I beat that one but never actually called in the number. They would do this just about every month, usually coupled with early access to an unreleased game at that point. Other games which had similar contests include Sonic 3D blast, Mortal Kombat 3, and Primal Rage. Sonic 3D Blast and MK3 both had demos that were out waaaaaay earlier than the actual releases. With MK3, they actually split the game in two for some reason - one version had half the characters, and the other had another half of the roster.

    There were also games on Sega Channel that just flat-out have never resurfaced, like Garfield: The Lost Levels, a collection of levels that were cut from Garfield: Caught in the Act that were shown off in previews.

    EDIT: In fact, they had an entire section of the menu dedicated to these early access "protos." It was called the Test drive Zone or something like that.
     
  4. FuzzballFox

    FuzzballFox

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    I wonder if it was that same room in the extended version- inside the hamster tube, you jump into the corner loads until it lets you go into a hidden area... But then that was a level skip... hmmm
     
  5. ICEknight

    ICEknight

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    Out of curiosity, do you remember playing that version of Garfield? I don't think any specific details are known about it, besides a list of levels that might have been in it.
     
  6. Sad as it sounds, I'm pretty late to the party on this one.

    Are there any other interesting bits of Sega Channel coverage in press articles like this? It would be great to have more references to dig up.
     
  7. A few years back I ran across some EWJ design documents which included some levels not seen in the final game including a race.

    At the time I posted about it over at Digital press and included some pictures.

    http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?157398
     
  8. Cooljerk

    Cooljerk

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    Yes, I do. I played and beat that version (mainly because I had played and beat the regular version a month or so prior and enjoyed it). What do you want to know about it?
     
  9. Since IceKnight's taking a while here, I'll do my token "EVERYTHING" post.
     
  10. Cooljerk

    Cooljerk

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    I mean it has been a really long time since I played it. I remember there being a bunch of caveman and city levels, though. it felt kinda like an expansion pack, just a bunch of more of the same.
     
  11. ICEknight

    ICEknight

    Researcher Researcher
    Oops, didn't notice the reply.

    Do you remember if it had the same menus, opening, ending, etc, but just compiled with other levels?
     
  12. Cooljerk

    Cooljerk

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    I don't remember any window dressings, so like no opening, no ending, no hub world, just level after level. The title screen was the same garfield in the tv screen title screen.

    I might be remembering wrong, but I don't remember any real progression to the levels, either. Like, it wasn't as though you were going through themed worlds or anything. It was just one after the other.
     
  13. ICEknight

    ICEknight

    Researcher Researcher
    So it was compiled from the final version, then... Kind of a shame that it didn't feature the prototype title screen, if only so it would be preserved if the Lost Levels are ever unearthed:
    [​IMG]


    By the way, I think this is the first time this screen is ever shown in the internet so, once again, first @ retro. =P
     
  14. Cooljerk

    Cooljerk

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    That definitely wasn't the title screen. Man I wish I'd have taken video our something.
     
  15. Pirate Dragon

    Pirate Dragon

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    Captured from a Sega Channel commercial on youtube;

    [​IMG]

    "EWJ Race", note the "Happy New Year" themed main menu, should be January 1995.

    Captured from the Sega Channel memories video on youtube;

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    "Earthworm Jim Videohint 2", note the St. Patrick's Day themed main menu, should be March 1995. This is the only "game" from that month which doesn't have a VRC rating. I guess it's a rolling demo for Earthworm Jim hinting at where the hidden room is. There was probably an "Earthworm Jim Videohint 1" the previous month.
     
  16. Pirate Dragon

    Pirate Dragon

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    From Sega Magazin issues 23 & 24, preview and review of Garfield Caught in the Act prototype. Features screenshots of Bonehead the Barbarian that featured in the GG version, Alien Landscape which featured in the PC version, plus the train in Catsablanca. Preview says over twenty levels (maybe two stages each level?), review says ten levels. Released version had six + bonus stages.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  17. ICEknight

    ICEknight

    Researcher Researcher
    Thanks for posting these.

    I'm thinking that SEGA may have counted the "TV land" sections as levels, but then the reviewers didn't because... well, they're not.