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ToeJam & Earl III is the long-awaited sequel to the cult classic "ToeJam & Earl" series that debuted on the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive back in 1992. Originally planned for a release way back in 1998, the game saw delay after delay and upset after upset, until it was finally released on the Xbox in time for the game's tenth anniversary in 2002. Featuring funky aliens who are at odds with humans, the series was about eatin' food, collecting presents, defeating and avoiding adversaries, platforming, and just getting down.

ToeJam and Earl III is respectably faithful to the original two games while really embracing its funky, hip-hop and urban roots. You collect presents, defeat enemies with your new "Funk Fu" and "Rhythm" powers, gain access to a variety of special abilities, interact with Earthlings, and it's one of the purest, most old-school platformers on the Xbox. The game never stops reminding you for a second how much "soul" and "funk" it has and the characters are more intense (but not necessarily more absurd) than ever, where all sorts of sexual innuendo is implied and where children cuss you out or say you owe their mommy money. You can even play cooperatively with a friend or tackle randomly generated levels after reaching a certain point in the main game. The graphics are decent and the soundtrack will literally take you back as the game reuses tunes from the TJ&E series (kinda lazy though). There are a lot of repetitive tasks to do and the game is worth the price of admission, buuuuuut...

Maybe it's the severe jump in technology since the game's original release on the Mega Drive or the great lengths the game goes to stereotype urban and hip-hop culture (which is slightly offensive), but this game, while fun, seems like it's missing something, or rather, TJ&E always felt like one of those quintessential, trippy 90s games. Maybe this would've made a bigger impact on me if it was released as scheduled on N64 or Dreamcast, but it feels a little out of place seeing a game like this in the new millenium. The first two games were more to-the-point and enjoyable, IMO, but Sega, Visual Concepts, and the TJ&E team get brownie points for making an overall enjoyable game and admirable attempt to revive one of their stranger series. Due to unremarkable sales on the Xbox and lukewarm response from reviewers, it's unlikely that we'll see a new TJ&E anytime soon.

UPDATE 2015: A new game is being kickstarted... only time will tell...