The songs for most of the levels loop two-three times per track, supposedly to minimize spin-up when a track is restarted. The music tracks are mostly the same, but there are differences in arrangement. The sound effects are identical for the most part, but the Special Edition adds some extra voice effects of Jim, such as: “I’m a rocket man!” ( Andy Asteroids), “I’m nude” (naked worm segments), “Sharp!” and “Thorn!” (in Buttville) and “That’s the queen!” (when encountering the final boss).įor music, both releases use the higher-quality Redbook audio tracks of the Sega CD Special Edition, which is great (and you can listen to them in a CD player). Comparative screenshots of the different levels for your consideration are posted throughout this article. Both games use 256 colors, but in most cases (not all) I felt that the DOS version had nicer gradients and overall slightly better appearance. In most levels there are various differences in the background, or the colors.
EARTHWORM JIM 2 SPRITES PUPPY SPRITE WINDOWS
The animation in the Windows port is noticeably smoother, largely due to the addition of extra sprite frames in the Special Edition, and the faster game speed. Stretching the window while preserving the aspect will be good enough in most cases. There is a fullscreen mode as well, but getting it to work on modern systems is tricky (some workarounds are described here). The window can be stretched basically to any size, including maximized, but it will merely scale and/or stretch the original 320×224 output. The Windows version has two bult-in modes: 320×224 and 640×480 (actually 640×448 – a simple doubling of the original resolution). The DOS version runs naturally in fullscreen mode, or expands to the limit of the emulator’s window (if you use DOSBox or the like). Unless you are running actual DOS on real hardware, the difference is probably negligible. The DOS version also has a 320×240 mode which is more compatible, but runs at a lower frame rate (60Hz vs 72Hz). The original resolution of the game is 320×224. All in all, there is quite an amount of extra content in the Windows-based Special Edition. They are not common, and appear mostly in specific levels – for example, What The Heck and Big Bruty. Zapping those annoying devils and wasps is easy and super-fun with these. The Special Edition also includes a unique weapon – homing rockets (similar to those seen in Earthworm Jim 2). Intestinal Distress – Not in SNES/DOS Versions These are further elaborated on the tips page. Some have potentially significant impact, such as in the Pod Race level, where the secrets are completely different, or the final boss fight in Buttville which is much easier in the DOS version. There are many differences in other levels. The second part of the Mecha-Chicken battle (“Chicken Plummet”) at the end of Level 5 was removed from the DOS version, even though it was not a “Special Edition” exclusive and was present in both SNES and Genesis versions.
The mid-level boss fight with Snowman in What The Heck has been extended to include an actual sub-level, and not just the arena.There are also new secrets and bonuses throughout the level. New Junk City has a whole new section featuring Jim as a naked worm (like in Level 5), and the boss battle (with Chuck) takes place at the end of this second section.The Special Edition content also includes a few extra sections in existing levels: The Windows version contains two levels omitted entirely from the DOS release – the Sega-exclusive Intestinal Distress and the Special Edition-exclusive Big Bruty.
For a more detailed comparison of all other releases (including the sequels and the 2009 Earthworm Jim HD remake, I recommend this excellent Hardcore Gaming 101 article and this video showing the game played, in parallel, on various consoles and the PC. I’ve played the DOS version many years ago, and having heard much about how the Windows port is superior, recently decided to give it a try, and do a head-to-head of the two. It was actually released after the Windows version, but was based on the earlier console versions, and does not include any of the Special Edition stuff. The DOS version, as far as I know, was never released separately, but only in a bundle with Earthworm Jim 2, sometimes known as The Whole Can O’ Worms. The Windows version was ported from the Sega CD “Special Edition”, and includes all of its extras. Both DOS and Windows versions were released, which in itself was common for the time, but as they were ported from different console versions (rather than from each other), interesting differences exist. Originally released for the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo (SNES), Earthworm Jim has been ported to other systems, such as the Sega CD ( Earthworm Jim: Special Edition) and PC.
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