Interviewed by Ben and Infestator
ToeJam and Earl Productions

What is Toe Jam & Earl all about?

Pure, unmitigated, unadulterated insanity... and collecting the 12 Sacred Albums of Funk for Lamont the Funkopotamus, source of all Funk in the known universe.

How many mini-games and side quests will there be available, and could you describe one?

Well, that all depends on how you define these things. As I mentioned, there are 12 Funk Albums to find and retrieve from some really scary Earthlings. There are 20 (or so) Funkotronian missions players have to complete in order to gain entrance into gate battles (mini-games that have to be won in order to move on to new zones of earth), and 10 (or so) other mini-games, each awarding players with points, bucks and super-presents that help to complete the game. And, there are secret levels and downloadable mini-games that can be unlocked through a variety of means. In the final battle, you'll need to duke it out with the bad boy himself, the Anti-Funk. It's an odyssey of galactic proportions.

In one mini-game, you must complete a high-speed race on Rocket Skates. There are three times to beat: Bronze, silver and gold. Achieving each level awards players with a different game resource. In another mini-game, you have to convert all the Medusa Babies to the ways of Funk by shooting Funkify Notes from the air while flying with Icarus Wings. The list goes on.

How will Toe Jam & Earl III differ from the previous Toe Jam & Earl's gameplay-wise?

In many ways, TJ&E3 is the original game on steroids. We've added a ton of new presents, player-controls, the afore-mentioned mini-games and boss battles. Of course, there's the new character, Latisha, and a whole mess of new Earthlings to contend with. But we definitely wanted to give our original fans something to come home to, while bringing the original design up to the caliber of the latest generation of gaming. All in all, it's a funk-fest!

When is Toe Jam & Earl III expected to be released?

With any luck, it'll hit the shelves in October. We'll keep you posted.

From what I've heard, you guys are major fans of funk music. What bands will be featured in TJ&E?

Big, big fans. But we aren't featuring any existing bands in TJ&E3. It's all original stuff, and plenty funky stuff at that. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

How long has TJ&E been in development for, and what has been the toughest developmental hurdle?

We've been in development for 2 ½ years!!! That's a long time, and mostly as a result of our original plan to make this a Dreamcast title. When we decided to switch gears and create an Xbox version, we had a whole mess of retooling to do. Visual Concepts has been more than a little bit patient with us, and we're doing everything in our power to make them happy for that decision. But, in the end, we simply try to make games that we're proud of, and by that measure, I can whole-heartedly say that we've succeeded.

What is your favourite thing about TJ&E?

Argh! Tough question! Favourite? Not the five or ten favourite? Okay, so I have to give you a little background before I answer this. For us, ToeJam & Earl is all about taking life a little less, no strike that, a lot less seriously. It's about getting together with one or more people and just laughing your ass off. There are definitely magical moments, and quite often, they're the ones we couldn't have thought of in a million years. Several random components of the game come together in some new and random way to make for pure hysterical fun.

I'll never forget the first time - this was in game one - when ToeJam got hit by a cupid just before joining Earl in the elevator to the next level. Now, you have to understand that Big Earl is a rather rotund Funkotronian, and he desperately needs a new belt. So when TJ & Big E arrive at the next level, Earl's pants are down around is ankles, and ToeJam is still in love
from being shot by the cupid, saying, "I love you Earl!" A priceless moment, completely random and totally unscripted. I loved that! So if there were one feature about TJ&E3 that I couldn't give up, it would be random level generation. Of course, this also lends to TJ&E's replay value, which I personally value immensely.

Another favourite of mine is Risky Presents. They have a certain chance of backfiring, and turning into some random bad present. This has the effect of really mixing things up and making the game harder in all the right ways.