<s>
Earthworm	B-Application
Jim	I-Application
3D	I-Application
is	O
a	O
platform	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
VIS	O
Interactive	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Interplay	O
Entertainment	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
third	O
in	O
the	O
Earthworm	B-Application
Jim	I-Application
series	O
and	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
Earthworm	B-Application
Jim	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Interplay	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
having	O
recently	O
purchased	O
the	O
Earthworm	B-Application
Jim	I-Application
rights	O
,	O
handed	O
the	O
franchise	O
off	O
to	O
VIS	O
Interactive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
suffered	O
a	O
difficult	O
,	O
prolonged	O
development	O
cycle	O
and	O
was	O
repeatedly	O
delayed	O
until	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1999	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
,	O
with	O
Rockstar	O
Games	O
publishing	O
the	O
N64	B-Operating_System
version	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Earthworm	B-Application
Jim	I-Application
3D	I-Application
borrows	O
much	O
of	O
its	O
gameplay	O
from	O
other	O
platformers	O
of	O
the	O
era	O
,	O
competing	O
with	O
Banjo-Kazooie	B-Application
and	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
64	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
previous	O
Earthworm	B-Application
Jim	I-Application
games	O
,	O
Jim	O
's	O
primary	O
method	O
of	O
combat	O
comes	O
from	O
shooting	O
his	O
blaster	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Earthworm	B-Application
Jim	I-Application
is	O
hit	O
by	O
a	O
flying	O
cow	O
that	O
sends	O
him	O
into	O
a	O
coma	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Earthworm	B-Application
Jim	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
its	O
original	O
developer	O
,	O
Shiny	O
Entertainment	O
was	O
bought	O
by	O
Interplay	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
put	O
onto	O
other	O
projects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
decided	O
that	O
,	O
much	O
like	O
many	O
platform	O
game	O
series	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Super	O
Mario	O
or	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
,	O
that	O
gameplay	O
would	O
transition	O
from	O
2D	O
to	O
3D	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
started	O
shortly	O
after	O
Earthworm	B-Application
Jim	I-Application
2	I-Application
in	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
had	O
a	O
drawn-out	O
development	O
cycle	O
,	O
so	O
much	O
so	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
at	O
times	O
believed	O
it	O
would	O
become	O
vaporware	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
initially	O
being	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
but	O
this	O
version	O
was	O
scrapped	O
early	O
in	O
1997	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
Evil	O
Jim	O
,	O
Earthworm	B-Application
Jim	I-Application
's	O
evil	B-Application
twin	I-Application
from	O
the	O
cartoon	O
series	O
,	O
was	O
reportedly	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
loosely	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Earthworm	B-Application
Jim	I-Application
animated	O
series	O
which	O
by	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
release	O
,	O
had	O
been	O
off	O
the	O
air	O
for	O
more	O
than	O
three	O
years	O
,	O
thus	O
hurting	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
promotional	O
tie-ins	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
expressed	O
that	O
they	O
hated	O
what	O
was	O
done	O
with	O
Earthworm	B-Application
Jim	I-Application
3D	I-Application
,	O
but	O
legally	O
could	O
not	O
prevent	O
anything	O
from	O
happening	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Earthworm	B-Application
Jim	I-Application
3D	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
on	O
both	O
platforms	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
website	O
GameRankings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
reviews	O
called	O
the	O
game	O
uninspired	O
,	O
mediocre	O
,	O
and	O
unable	O
to	O
compete	O
with	O
many	O
other	O
similar	O
,	O
higher	O
reviewed	O
platform	O
games	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
Rayman	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
or	O
Banjo	B-Application
Kazooie	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
major	O
complaint	O
was	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
camera	O
,	O
with	O
GameSpots	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
version	O
review	O
stating	O
that	O
they	O
felt	O
the	O
camera	O
was	O
on	O
a	O
"	O
kamikaze	B-Application
mission	O
to	O
destroy	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpots	O
review	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	O
version	O
was	O
even	O
more	O
negative	O
,	O
concluding	O
with	O
"	O
Earthworm	B-Application
Jim	I-Application
3D	I-Application
has	O
something	O
to	O
discourage	O
all	O
types	O
of	O
people	O
from	O
playing	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
was	O
slightly	O
more	O
forgiving	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
praising	O
sound	O
,	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
presentation	O
,	O
but	O
still	O
criticizing	O
the	O
camera	O
and	O
lasting	O
appeal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
one	O
review	O
,	O
Boba	O
Fatt	O
of	O
GamePro	O
called	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
version	O
"	O
a	O
disappointing	O
experience	O
that	O
's	O
more	O
enraging	O
than	O
fun	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
another	O
review	O
,	O
iBot	O
said	O
,	O
"	O
Earthworm	B-Application
Jims	I-Application
crazy	O
antics	O
have	O
made	O
it	O
to	O
N64	B-Operating_System
,	O
but	O
it	O
appears	O
that	O
the	O
system	O
was	O
n't	O
ready	O
for	O
him	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
3D	O
platformers	O
go	O
,	O
Earthworm	B-Application
Jim	I-Application
3D	I-Application
is	O
middle	O
of	O
the	O
road	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
frustrating	O
because	O
he	O
's	O
a	O
character	O
that	O
's	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
fun.	O
"	O
</s>
