I sat down and played through EWJ2 2 days ago. Wow, that game is a pile!
this game's design is clearly inspired by sisyphus, the guy in mythology that has to push a boulder up a hill for eternity, then it falls back down and he has to start over.
It's like the designers thought to themselves.. "what could we do to make the most irritating game possible? Aha!"
1. Give the players great graphics and a funny premise, but make the collision detection a little off.
2. Implement a lot of gameplay variety like a balloon-head that when popped, causes the player to fall to the very bottom of the level!
3. Also, lets make the player carry a bomb across an entire stage, and if he detonates it, then he has to go all the way back! we can even put in a bunch of flying distractions that he has to shoot at! Don't shoot the bomb though! hahahaha!
4. Oh, and every 2 levels lets put in a minigame that lasts waaay too long! Par for the course is 3 rounds? let's give 'em 5!
5. Lastly, let's put in a quiz show where the questions and answers make no sense, then force the player to play through it anyway! and he thought those mealworms were helping him! nope!
Oh Dave Perry, I'm on to you. Enter the Matrix was no accident...