ToeJam & Earl

ToeJam and Earl is a 1991 Dungeon Crawler game created by Johnson Voorsanger Productions for the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive. The game stars ToeJam and Big Rappin' Earl, two alien rappers from the Planet Funk-O-Tron who crashland on Planet Earth after Earl takes the wheel of their Righteous Rapmaster Rocketship. Their only hope home is to re-assemble their spaceship while avoiding numerous crazy earthlings in the process.

Gameplay
ToeJam and Earl can be played with one or two players. Player 1 in the single-player mode has the choice between ToeJam or Earl, but in two-player mode, Player 1 is always ToeJam, and Player 2 is Earl. The game begins on Level 1, complete with a seemingly endless river, four presents, and ToeJam and/or Earl starting of at the rank of "Wiener". Presents provide your items for the game, each game starting you off with 4 "Super Hi-Tops" Presents for extra running speed. The other presents can provide you with either a positive or negative outcome. To reach the next level, ToeJam and Earl must find an elevator and get inside it. If ToeJam and Earl are struck by harmful earthlings, such as lil' devils, nerdherds and cupids, they can find food to restore health. However, not all food is good. Depending on what ToeJam and/or Earl says after eating the food (WOW!, Yumm!, Not Bad, Ick, Yuck, Gross!), you will either gain or lose health. If you are struck too many times by earthlings, you will lose a life. However, ranking up in the game to ranks such as "Dufus", "Poindexter", "Peanut", "Bro", "Dude", and so on will give you extra lives.

Music
The most iconic feature for ToeJam and Earl is the funk soundtrack in the game. Though the game only has 6 songs, it has still earned a cult following from bands such as The OneUps

Character Differences
While ToeJam is faster than Earl is, he lacks in the stamina that his portly pal has. Needless to say, when attacked, Earl hollers in a deeper voice than ToeJam.

Sequels
With critical acclaim making ToeJam and Earl a major success, 2 years later in 1993, ToeJam and Earl in another Genesis/Mega Drive title, ToeJam and Earl in: Panic on Funk-O-Tron. Unlike the first game, the sequel was taken in more of the standardized platform direction like mascot Sonic the Hedgehog. But in 2002, ToeJam and Earl returned one more time in the X-Box game ToeJam and Earl III: Mission To Earth, mixing elements, music and characters from the first two games.

ToeJam and Earl 4??
In early 2010, after rejected from Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing due to liscensing issues, ToeJam and Earl were brought back to attention to game creator Greg Johnson, and stated he "had an idea for a 4th installment for the ToeJam and Earl game, but failed to gain the interests of publishers". However, Greg still shows interest in making said game, so the possibility is still at hand.