Earthworm Jim makes a less than groovy repeat Xbox Deal of the Week

We’ve had our fair share of quality Deals of the Week lately. Surely some Windows Phone gamers’ wallets are aching and could use a rest. Well, this week’s Deal should accommodate such folks as it’s certainly of the less-exciting variety. Starting Wednesday, Earthworm Jim HD from Gameloft goes on sale for $2.99 for the third time, down from the outrageous price of $4.99.

Yes, with Gameloft’s recent announcement of 12 big name Windows Phone 8 games, it would’ve been all too easy to forget the ‘Loft had published a somewhat unimpressive port of Earthworm Jim as a Windows Phone 7 launch title.

Earthworm Jim originated on the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo many years ago. After a stolen supersuit falls from space and lands on an ordinary worm named Jim, he finds himself able to talk, run, jump, and basically do heroic things. Jim must rescue Princess What’s-Her-Name from the evil Queen Slug-For-a-Butt. Yes, it’s a silly premise, and the game is chock full of humor. The game is quite lengthy with nine expansive platforming levels and a recurring minigame in which Jim must outrace the malevolent Psycrow while dodging asteroids.

The Windows Phone port of Earthworm Jim is not a terrible game, but it’s awfully rough around the edges. The frame rate is just terrible (it doesn’t run at 30 FPS, let alone 60) and there is no Fast App Switching. My biggest problem is the placement of the virtual stick and buttons are awful and can’t be adjusted, making the controls worse than they should be. The final level is harder than it was on consoles and the Achievements can be tough too. Check out our full review for more details.

Earthworm Jim goes on sale for $2.99 on Wednesday, November 7^th for one week only. If you’re a patient fan of platformers, get it here on the Windows Phone Store.