Worms 2: Aramageddon Review

Worms is always going to be one of those classic Turn based strategy games that seemingly most people will have played a version of at some point in their gaming life. Team 17 have now released the latest in series to the Xbox Live Arcade following on from the original release of worms in the guise of Worms 2: Armageddon.

Now the original worms game was very well received onto the XBLA, however the game did have some very serious shortcomings, most prominently the small range of weapons available, which was very disappointing to any fans of the classic 2d series following on from the plethora available in Worms World Party. Thankfully however Team17 have addressed this and several other issues from the original XBLA title.

From first looks there are not many things to notice being different: It’s still 2D, still turn based, still side on, Water still kills you instantly, mines and barrels still explode, and you still use a variety of weapons including bazookas, shotguns, grenades, airstrikes and a few martial arts moves to inflict pain and anguish on worms on an opposing side.

So what’s new then?

I hear you cry! Well first off and most pleasingly to fans of the series, the number of weapons, utilities and moves has increased as mentioned earlier. So alongside the previously available weapons there are the inclusions several others including:

Super Bunker Buster: A single explosive dropped from the air with the ability to drill through a small amount of terrain before exploding.

Sentry Turret: Does exactly what it says on the tin, it’s a deployable automatic gun.

Electromagnet: Attracts or repels some of the projectile weapons and can cause havoc if used correctly!

There are of course lots of other additions to the arsenal including the welcome returns of (amongst others) the Napalm strikes, Concrete donkey, Baseball bat and of course the EPIC holy Hand Grenade.

Visually you may also notice a difference from the Original XBLA title as both the fore and backgrounds look much sharper, the cell shading of a much higher quality and is generally much prettier to look at. Everything looks a little livelier; from the colours, to the effects of the explosions and fire to the Actual worms themselves which have been injected with some real personality. This is down to the added character effects and the ability to choose hats for your entire team from a variety available much in the way that you can chose the teams’ gravestone. The character effects are great as well; my particular favourite is the way the worms scream when an explosive is put down next to them.

The single player experience has also changed, it has been rounded a bit more than the original to give a more varied experience. There are 35 single player missions which vary from the standard one team Vs another standard mode, instead bridging out to include a few puzzle type levels where you have to work out how to use weapons or utilities to kill a worm or make it to an exit and rope race levels where you use the Ninja rope (Which may I add has be VASTLY improved) to get around a level to the exit. However whilst playing through the game I came across a few glitches in damage calculation where the second shotgun round (which usually do 25 damage each) doing 1-5 damage despite being aimed directly at the enemy.

The multi-player aspect has also been given some juice allowing more customisation of game types, weapons and general options. The ranking system for online play has been improved as well which is a nice tweak if you are the type of person who enjoys moving your way up! Team17 have also included some avatar integration in such that your avatar appears briefly before your turn.

This feature however feels a little unnecessary and shoe-horned in and to be honest does get a little tiresome after a while when you just want to be getting on with your turn. However this is just a minor niggle of mine that doesn’t really detract from the overall experience.

Conclusions

Worms 2: Armageddon is a massive step up from the original on the XBLA that offers a much more rounded experience for the gamer in both single and multi-player aspects. The sound, graphics and arsenal have also all been improved as well as the options and customisation. The only minor gripes I have about this game is the relative shortness of the single player campaign, inclusion of avatars, slightly slower loading times due to the improved graphics and the occasional annoying glitch I encountered when using line of sight weapons like the shotgun.

The Lowdown

Gameplay - 90: Fans of the series will love the updates made to the game. It feels a lot more playable and accessible to both veterans and new players.
Graphics - 85: Big upgrade to the original, much sharper and more vibrant than the original.
Sound - 80: A more professional and polished effort
Value - 95: 800 points? Are you kidding, this game has lots of legs and will last you a good while. A highly recommended buy!

Worms 2: Armageddon (Via Xbox.Com)
Worms 2: Armageddon (Via Xbox Marketplace)