[Sonicandtails]

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."



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.

This post has been edited by Sonicandtails: 17 December 2013 - 12:02 AM

[Friend of Sonic]

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.

[Cooljerk]

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.

This post has been edited by Cooljerk: 20 December 2013 - 10:24 AM

[FuzzballFox]

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

[ICEknight]

Cooljerk, on 20 December 2013 - 10:21 AM, said:

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.

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.

[Kiddo Cabbusses]

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.

[Buyatari]

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.digitpres...read.php?157398

[Cooljerk]

ICEknight, on 21 December 2013 - 07:29 PM, said:

Cooljerk, on 20 December 2013 - 10:21 AM, said:

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.

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.

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?

[Kiddo Cabbusses]

Cooljerk, on 30 April 2014 - 09:09 PM, said:

ICEknight, on 21 December 2013 - 07:29 PM, said:

Cooljerk, on 20 December 2013 - 10:21 AM, said:

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.

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.

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?

Since IceKnight's taking a while here, I'll do my token "EVERYTHING" post.

[Cooljerk]

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.

[ICEknight]

Oops, didn't notice the reply.

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

[Cooljerk]

ICEknight, on 18 May 2014 - 09:40 PM, said:

Oops, didn't notice the reply.

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

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.

[ICEknight]

Cooljerk, on 19 May 2014 - 10:11 AM, said:

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.

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:



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

This post has been edited by ICEknight: 19 May 2014 - 04:29 PM

[Cooljerk]

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

[Pirate Dragon]

Captured from a Sega Channel commercial on youtube;



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

Captured from the Sega Channel memories video on youtube;





"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.

This post has been edited by Pirate Dragon: 02 April 2015 - 05:10 PM