Sega Genesis
The Sega Genesis, known as the in regions outside of North America, is a 16-bit home video game console developed and sold by Sega. The Genesis was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega released the console as the Mega Drive in Japan in 1988, followed by North America as the Genesis in 1989. In 1990, the console was distributed as the Mega Drive by Virgin Mastertronic in Europe, Ozisoft in Australasia, and Tec Toy in Brazil. In South Korea, the systems were distributed by Samsung as the Super Gam*Boy and later the Super Aladdin Boy.
ToeJam &amp; Earl
ToeJam and Earl became "one of Sega's second tier mascots, alongside Sonic", and one of the Sega Genesis's "key exclusive franchises". The characters appeared in a spin-off light gun game, "Ready, Aim, Tomatoes", developed by Johnson Voorsanger Productions as one of six mini-games for the Menacer 6-game cartridge. In early 1992, the developers began work on a sequel to "ToeJam & Earl", and spent three months expanding on the original game's concept by adding indoor areas and more terrain types. Sega was not impressed by the sequel, and believed it to be unmarketable. The team redesigned it as a platform game, as Sega was inclined to publish games in this genre. The game, titled "ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron", was highly anticipated, and was a commercial and critical success when it released in 1993. However, fans of the original game were disappointed by the change in design to a perceived generic style. Due to poor North American sales of the Sega Saturn, Sega's next generation video game console, the "ToeJam & Earl" franchise was neglected. A "ToeJam & Earl" game planned for the Dreamcast was cancelled (a beta of the game was preserved, and on Christmas Day 2013 released on the internet by enthusiasts), but a third installment, "", was released for the Xbox in 2002. The release returned to the concepts of the original game, but generated mixed reviews and poor sales. A new "ToeJam & Earl" game is currently in development by HumaNature Studios.