Throughout the course of my gaming life (roughly 20+ years and counting) I’ve played a lot of games. Stay with me now, I’m going somewhere with this. As I’m sure anyone with a similar background to my own can attest (CFD! readers, feel free to back me up), in every “generation” there are always a few titles that stand out more than the rest. For example, if you talk about the NES, peoples’ brains are apt to fix on something like Mega Man 2 or Super Mario Bros. as opposed to Clash At Demonhead. Mention the PlayStation years and it’s bound to be games like Symphony of the Night or Final Fantasy VII. The reason I’m bringing all of this up is because you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who was alive and of controller-using age at the time who wouldn’t consider Earthworm Jim one of the SNES/Genesis era’s “Classics.”

Shiny Entertainment’s princess saving, crow bounty hunter beating, head whipping, cow launching, Queen Pulsating, Bloated, Festering, Sweaty, Pus-filled, Malformed, Slug-for-a-Butt destroying little earthworm that could is every bit as much of an icon for his time as the blue hedgehog and the ethnically-stereotyped plumber. Of course, like most mascots circa the mid-90′s, Jim never amounted to much after his breakout hit. Earthworm Jim 2 was a great game, but it wasn’t as great as the original and the less said about the other attempts at continuing his legacy the better. Enter Earthworm Jim HD. It’s the same Jim we all loved once upon a time, only now he comes with slick graphics and a reworked soundtrack.

But was our love for Jim purely grounded in nostalgia, or is there more to it than that? Would revisiting his mission to save Princess What’s-Her-Name and thwart the evil Queen Slug-for-a-Butt’s plans for galactic conquest even be worth it today?

You bet your ass it would.

Earthworm Jim HD is exactly what we all remember from the original. And when I say “exactly,” I mean it in a very literal sense. Every nook and cranny filled with hidden power-ups, every boss battle, every piece of insane randomness that is Earthworm Jim is present. Even the between-level “Groovy” screens (Jim fans, you know what I’m talking about) have made the transition. Only this time it’s all in HD.

Just like any classic, the game holds its own quite well even today. It’s still just as goofy, crude, fun and punishing as it was all those years ago, only this time it boasts a few extras to sweeten the deal. Extras like high-definition graphics (duh), clearer sound (more on that later), new bonus stages, actual difficulty settings (Easy, Normal, Hard and Original) and multiplayer support for up to four people. And Trophies/Achievements, but they aren’t really the focus here.

Jim certainly looks prettier this time around, what with the sharp sprites and enhanced colors, but the cosmetic changes are purely… well… cosmetic. What I mean is that while Jim certainly looks good in stills, the animations have remained unchanged. This isn’t something I would consider a travesty or anything, but it’s a little disappointing that they didn’t smooth out the movements along with the visuals. Another somewhat gripe I have regarding this update is the sound. Oh sure the quality has improved and all, but some of the music has been tweaked and a few of the sound effects just don’t sit right. I’m sure it’s mostly the nostalgia talking but darned if I don’t miss those garbled tunes.

Starting up a game and being presented with the difficulty selection may give players a bit of a pause. Was the original game really that hard? Well, yes. Yes, it was. Everything relating to Jim’s health and damage-dealing fluctuates drastically depending on the difficulty. The difference between Normal and Original is massive, and playing on Original will elicit more than a few swears from even veteran Jim zealots. Thankfully, anyone interested in trying out a bit of gaming history they may have missed should still find plenty of enjoyment on Normal, as it presents a decent challenge without making you want to shove your controller through the TV. Although that damned “escort the mutant puppy” stage will try your patience no matter the setting.

With all this old-school, hardcore punishment, it’s fortunate Earthworm Jim HD‘s controls do little to get in the way. Anyone who’s faced the legions of Heck or gone bungee jumping on a planet made of snot will be able to pick up the controller and get to the galaxy saving without hesitation. Move, jump, whip and shoot are all present and in their proper places, along with a secondary shoot button mapped to the Right Trigger which actually feels much better than using a face button. Just steer clear of the analog stick, as it’s a bit too easy to push it a little too far and end up flinging Jim into harm’s way unintentionally. Luckily there’s this handy little digital pad right next to the stick that works much better. You should just go ahead and use that instead.

Then there are the actually new new additions. The bonus stages are decent but all use the same “inside the machine” theme which feels somewhat contrived. Enemies and hazards are ho-hum and with the exception of two of the three bosses (one of which is a huge pain to fight despite being laugh-out-loud ridiculous) there’s no real reason to play them a second time. Of course, 360 users should definitely complete one of the bonus levels once, as it unlocks a nifty Avatar award.

Lastly, we come to the co-op multiplayer. Also known as “That Thing Certain Groups of People Care Entirely Too Much About.” It’s a fun distraction, to be sure. Up to four players work together to clear out all of the enemies from a specially designed stage (one themed after each level of the single player game) while competing for power-ups specifically designed for this mode (like shields and infinite plasma) and high scores at the same time. While I tend to hate games that shoehorn multiplayer into decidedly single player experiences, I have to admit Earthworm Jim HD is a lot of fun to play with other people. Finding the temporary Unlimited Plasma power-up and charging ahead, clearing the path of practically invincible foes for your pals, is only one of many highlights.

Earthworm Jim HD is every bit as fantastic as the original game. Mostly because, aside from some cosmetic tweaks and a multiplayer mode, it’s exactly the same. Whether or not that’s a bad thing sort of depends on if you were a Jim fan back in the day. If you loved that game, you’ll love this one. If you hated it (what’s wrong with you??), there’s nothing here that’s going to change your mind. And if you’re one of the few who have never heard of the likes of Psy-Crow, Bob the Killer Goldfish or Doctor Duodenum, there’s no time like the present to educate yourself.

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Things We Liked: Everything an Earthworm Jim fan remembers and loves from the original is present and accounted for. Multiplayer is actually a lot of fun. The fire-breathing snowman is still funny today, as is the fight with Bob the Killer Goldfish. “Groovy! Groovy! Gr-G-Groo-Gr-Groov-G-Groovy!”

Things We Disliked: Still insanely hard. Peter the Puppy’s level would not have been missed if they decided to leave it out. Psy-Crow races can be frustrating. Drawn-out, annoying boss fight in one of the bonus stages.

Target Audience: People who have fond memories of mascot-centric platformers. Anyone who feels like playing the video game version of a twisted Saturday morning cartoon. Do I even need to say it? Really? Okay, fine… Earthworm Jim fans.

(Earthworm Jim HD – Developer: Gameloft. Publisher: Microsoft/Sony. Available on PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network and Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade – Xbox 360 version reviewed. Unfamiliar with CFD!’s review system? Read our newly revised explanation here.)