Title: Worms
Developed By: Team 17
Published By: Ocean
Released: 1995
Console: PlayStation
Background: It's a game about worms killing each other. That's it. A simple and strange idea, Worms is one of the best known game series of all time. I did not even want this game when I bought it, it came with Hogs of War (which I shall be reviewing next) and Worms was left in it's box for days while I was having fun frying some virtual piggies. Then I finally popped Worms into my PS2...for the next week I was addicted. I was in love with these little pink animals on my screen...well...I was in love with killing them at least. Over five and a half years since I bought it and I still revisit this Worms quite regularly (despite owning two sequels and the Xbox Live Arcade version). So, what made this game so special? I have no idea, but I will try and explain it to you. Worms was released on a number of consoles, but it is the PlayStation version which I will concentrate on.
Story: There is no story. You take control of a team of four worms and you try to kill the other teams before they kill you. You get little humorous cutscenes before a match, but that is not part of any story, just something to get you into the mood. You get a league table that features all the teams in the game and how many matches they have won. Some of the teams already on the game are named after famous things (i.e. the Fab Four (Ringo, Paul, George and John)). However, it is the gameplay that makes Worms so addictive.
Gameplay: After the cutscene and the landscape has been generated, it is time to fight for wormy glory. You can choose to take control of every team in the game if you wish (by going into the team page and changing it from 'Computer' to 'Human'), or just one. You can also change the number of items in the initial inventory (...unlimited airstrikes = very quick match). The matches are turnbased, the worm gets a small amount of time (again, can be changed. The default is thirty seconds) and in that time you can move your worm to a different location (in order to get to safety or to pick up crates, which come in three different types; weapons, items and health) or use an item from their inventory. Most items will automatically end the round when used, there are some exclusions from this rule, such as weapons that fire twice. When your worm has finished it's round, it will move on to another worm and the same happens. There is a variety of weapons, from the standard grenades, bazooka, pistols, shotgun and sheep. All usual stuff you would find in the army or action games, what's so spec...SHEEP!?!? Yeeeeah, there is a cheat that allows you to get an exploding sheep (fans of the series will be no stranger to weird and wonderful weapons, including Grandmas and bouncy fat kids). Each worm has 100 life points, and the aim is to get the opposing worms health down to 0 (NO WAAAY!!). They will then explode (hurting any nearby worms) and then become replaced with a grave. Once all worms in a team are dead, they are out of the match. The team with at least one surviving worm will be victorious. It's a simple idea, but it works so well. It's quite fun on your own, but it is a perfect game for multiplayer. Bring your friends, hand them a controller and BLOW THEM UP UNTIL THEY CRY (...or, if you are like me, throw your controller in a rage when you fail to win...for the tenth time...out of ten).
Graphics/Sound: Everything is in 2D (except the cutscenes, which are in 3D) and that is perfect for a game like this. The main problem is that after a while the locations seem boring. Although it will generate a location (meaning nearly every game has a different terrain), there are a few basic locations (which affect the background, colour of the ground and some of the objects that are a part of the terrain) and none of them are that special. It's not a pretty game, but it does not have to be. There is one song in the game, which is short and although I liked it at first, it can get a little boring after a while. The worms will say little lines (in humourous high voices) if they die, or kill a worm or get hurt etc, but that also loses it's shine after a few matches.
Criticisms: Other than the issues addressed in the above section, there is only one other big problem. After a while, it can seem repetitive. There is no campaign mode to fight through, so matches are the only thing you can do. Matches are fun, but can get boring unless you are playing multiplayer, which is what the game was made for. If you have no friends, you will still get something out of this game, but you will get more if you go out and find some friends you sad pathetic loser. If you are one of these losers, then look for one of the sequels, they all have a campaign mode.
Overall: A good game, fun, addictive, but better with other people than on your own. Still, I often go back and pop it in and get completely sucked in for a couple of hours. It is a good timewaster game, and that is not a bad thing at all. Worms have had plenty of sequels and spin-offs, but for me, the original is the best.
Final Score: 8 exploding sheep out of 10.
Next review: World War II...PIGGY STYLE! The master of pig-related puns (Saustralasia...for example) is finally getting the sequel it deserves this year. So we are going to celebrate by reviewing it...some time soon!! I am, of course, referring to Hogs of War.
