over 12 sega-inspired games inside! A Jammin’ Journey Continues Humanature Studios’ Greg Johnson masterminds gaming’s greatest hip-hop revival Club O’Fun Issue 6: Jan./Feb. 2021 ToeJam & Earl may not be Sega’s best-known features many contemporary quality-of-life con- mascot characters, but they remain an iconic History is for Weenies siderations. “We put a lot of effort into creating and indelible part of the Genesis legacy thanks four-player co-op play and online play,” he says. to co-creator Greg Johnson’s belief in the con- ToeJam and Earl both got their start as the “We still have perma-death, but we made the sole during the days when Nintendo ruled all. chillest warriors in the 16-bit console wars, game a bit easier to complete,” adding that the “Back in 1990, the Sega Genesis was repping Sega at the peak of the Genesis era. game also includes multiple difficulty levels— the underdog,” Johnson says. “We saw an op- Back in the Groove! is their fourth adventure even individual player difficulty settings. portunity to be a lead title, and to have the free- to date, combining all the coolest parts of “In terms of new-age roguelike fea- dom to do something really original.“ Johnson’s their previous games with four-player coop— tures, I added in a number of meta-game fea- current studio, Humanature, is the main force and a special Limited Run Games physical tures which carry over from game to game, like C.E. behind the alien duo’s latest adventure, Back release we can only describe as “sick as heck.” the Power Hats and unlockable flying presents. in the Groove! Although Limited Run Games We also added individual player-character stats SHOWCASE! published Back in the Groove! for Switch and ToeJam & Earl (Genesis, 1991) to the game, and the presents Santa gives you from the PlayStation, its Sega Genesis spirit is strong. One of the quirkiest games ever made carry over from game to game.” The original game was a wildly innovative work for Genesis, the original ToeJam & Earl Perhaps most importantly to the spir- in the console space, incorporating elements combined roguelike game mechanics— it of the original, Back in the Groove! is a largely like random level generation and unidentified something unfamiliar to console fans at the nonviolent experience based on cooperation power-ups that at the time were rarely seen out- time—with zany, minimally violent coopera- and discovery rather than killing. “ToeJam & side of obscure PC roguelike games. Back in the tive action for a one-of-a-kind adventure. Earl has never been a really huge commercial Groove! builds on those elements while working success,” says Johnson, “but it has brought a lot to update them for modern gaming tastes. ToeJam & Earl in Panic on of laughter and connection into people’s homes. archives! “All the random-generation elements Funkotron (Genesis, 1993) I’m proud that it has brought some little light from the original game are still there, in regards For their first sequel, the dudes ditched the and joy to a world that needs more of that.” to presents, terrain, and placement of objects,” action-RPG stylings for a more traditional As for further TJ&E adventures, John- Johnson notes. “We simply added a lot more platformer-style game. son has hopes but acknowledges the challenges of everything.” He admits that it’s an ongoing that would entail. “A lot of things need to line challenge to find a mix of elements that feels ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth up,” he says. “I know the co-owner of the prop- MASSIVE definitively “ToeJam & Earl”, with recent update (Xbox, 2002) erty, Mark Voorsanger, is interested in seeing patches addressing fan feedback by “trying to The third adventure added a third charac- the property have more life. We’re keeping our SEGA SPECIAL! push the game closer to its original feel.” ter—Latisha—and a third dimension, using fingers crossed that something will happen with Still, he says, Back in the Groove! a 3D camera perspective to offer a midpoint the property in Hollywood as well. That’s a slow isn’t meant to be just a rehash, and its design between the first two games’ styles. boat that requires a lot of patience!” LR toetoe jamjam && earlearl spacespace channelchannel 55 panzerpanzer dragoondragoon STREETS OF plusplus manymany more!more! RAGE IV it’sit’s aa realreal communitycommunity spotlightspotlight knockoutknockout Above: The ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove! Collector’s Edi- tion, one of Limited Run Games’ gnarliest box sets of all time. Contained inside an authentic, multilayered mystery present (styled after the in-game treasure boxes) wrapped in a Back in the Groove! logo obi: A poster, a jigsaw puzzle, a soundtrack (on cassette), four enamel character pins, a cardboard standee setup, SHENMUE III and two Earthling Blind Boxes. And, of course, a complete physi- SHENMUE III cal copy of the game. Obviously. Right: Back in the Groove! screenshots. ExclusiveExclusive YuYu SUZUKISUZUKI Interview!Interview! Emma For Yu Suzuki, the IIIrd Time is the Charm Reliving the Console Wars Community Profile: Please introduce yourself!: The man behind Shenmue on continuing the Dreamcast’s grandest saga in the modern era At this point in history, Sega has been out of the business of making My name is Emma. As you’d expect, I play (and col- Sega’s Shenmue debuted on Dream- mue was a truly cutting-edge gam- the things one can engage and be- video game consoles (2002-2021) as long as they were in it (1983- lect) a lot of games, with a focus on Nintendo systems. 2002). Still, for millions of gamers, the name “Sega” remains a major cast in the final days of 1999—mean- ing experience when it first arrived; come familiar with. Along with this, I What’s your first video game memory?: mover-and-shaker in the medium’s history: Purveyors of ground- ing the series is now older than Ryo fans would expect nothing less for a believe that having instilled my own The earliest games I remember playing are N64 games breaking arcade boards, brilliant console hardware, and hundreds Hazuki, the teen protagonist who follow-up—nor would Suzuki want true feelings, ideas, and experiences and Pokémon Crystal for the Game Boy Color. of incredible games to match. These days, the company sticks to undertakes an epic journey to learn to disappoint them. “I agonized over in China into my work has led to mak- How did you start your Limited Run collection?: games, but their new releases and back catalog titles alike remain the truth behind the murder of his fa- how to secure the sizable budget it ing the world of Shenmue unique.” I’m a big fan of the Danganronpa series. When I as vibrant as ever. With this issue, we’re celebrating Sega’s hardware learned that several characters had cameos in Mystery ther. Time has never deterred series’ would require to get a third game legacy with an extensive spread of Limited Run releases that span Chronicle: One Way Heroics, I bought two copies for visionary Yu Suzuki, who has carried made,” he admits, “but I was genuine- decades of the company’s history. That includes sequels to beloved Vita, and have been a regular customer ever since. “I will not give up Dreamcast hits, reissues of games that appeared on Genesis and What’s your favorite Limited Run release?: on making the Sega CD, and even a handful of indie titles directly inspired by Se- Shenmue —Yu Suzuki The House in Fata Morgana! It features the most intri- sequels.” ga-published games. So everybody, please, join together and sing it, cate and fascinating story I’ve ever encountered. just like the Genesis BIOS taught you: “SE-GAAAAA!”—Jeremy What’s your Limited Run dream release?: the torch for the series since the 2001 ly moved by all the fans who wanted Text/layout: Jeremy Parish As much as I love retro games, I’ll stick to digital-on- release of Shenmue II. “About five the Shenmue story go on, even if it Printed by: Millennium Print Group ly titles. It would be great to see releases for A Dark years after Shenmue II was released, was in the form of a novel or anime.” While Shenmue III is a faithful Room, Death Come True, and Valkyria Chronicles. there was a rise in the number of Ultimately, Shenmue III was continuation of Ryo’s story, Suzuki felt people asking when a sequel would able to stick to video game form it necessary to reshuffle his original What is the Limited Run Games “Sega Family”? come out,” he says. “Community sites (including a physical release by Lim- plans for the narrative to accommo- Limited Run has published many games that can trace were created gathering fans for more ited Run Games) thanks to a highly date the series’ new form. “The origi- their roots back to a Sega console. In some cases, than a dozen years. Those voices of successful Kickstarter campaign. Still, nal story spans 11 chapters,” he says. they’ve been modern iterations of classic works origi- support were always there with me.” developer Ys Net found itself work- “If I kept it at a chapter per game, nally published by Sega themselves, such as Shenmue, ToeJam & Earl, Panzer Dragoon, and Space Channel Though Suzuki never gave ing with a tighter budget than the first the Shenmue series would not be 5. In other cases, those connections are a little more up on his dream of continuing Ryo’s game enjoyed.