Worms Armageddon

"Certainly not the best party game out there"

Oh how I obsessed over the PS and SNES versions. I played that game for hours and hours on end. That game had it all; up to 16 players (controller passing) smart AI (well, smarter then the DC version) and total customization.

Graphics - 10
No denying, this game has some pretty sweet graphics. From the environments to the backdrops, just eye-candy. This game is one of those unusually games that despite looking so childish, it appeals to all ages. The worms in this game (unlike the other two versions listed above) are huge in comparison. And the explosions in this game are a visual wonder, good job Team 17. The weapons in this game…well, there’s a lot of weapons in this game. There’s the banana bomb, the mad cow, the super sheep and the crazy old lady. Of course you have your standard weapons there too. The bazooka, mini-gun, grenade, homing missile, air strikes. One thing’s for sure; you’ll never find a game with as many wacky weapons as this one. Here’s just a few.

Sheep: it’s a sheep (gasp) that when released hops around the board for a couple of times and explodes.
Crazy Old Lady: releases a crazy old lady that start walking and mumbling along her way then seems to spontaneously combust.
Holy Grenade (my favorite): grenade that you throw, when it lands you hear a choir saying “hallelujah” and then it makes one humungous hole in the ground.

There are many other weapons in this game (and I mean many), I think just the weapons alone are worth checking this game out.

Sound - 10
Quality and cuteness are unmatched. In addition to the background music (which can get kinda annoying, but you hardly notice it) there is a whole symphony of effects going on in this game. Of course the sound effects from your weapons are there. The ticking of the bombs, the sound an airplane makes for an air strike, the ''halleluiah'' of a holy grenade. What really adds lasting appeal to this game is the commentary by the main characters themselves, the worms. In this version of the game, you can program your team of worms with any sound scheme you want. You want a team from England? No problem just put a British accent on them. There are simple too many sound schemes to choose from. What these different schemes do is during the game, after you make your move, whether you hit or miss, or if you even take too long for your turn, you'll get a little comment by the worms (depending on the sound scheme that you used). For example, make the wrong move and you may hear something like ''whatcha doin''' or ''damn'' (Brooklyn scheme if your curious).

Control - 8
Little strange to get used to at first. Use the analog stick to pan around the screen, use the d-pad to move your worm; the right trigger button to pull up your arsenal and the rest is customizable. They actually flow pretty smoothly and in no time you'll get a firm grip of the controls.

Replay - 4
Ok, here's where this game gets ugly. You may want to set up a game to give yourself a little more time so, you set the move time for 90 seconds. Well, you get 90 seconds to make a move, but guess what, so does the computer and the computer uses it's 90 seconds well. It seems that in this game, no matter what you set the turn time to, the computer takes that time minus a out three seconds.

Overall – 6
In all, not the best party game for the DC. If your like me and fell in love with the PS version of the game and decide to try this one, rent it, don’t buy it. Worms World Party is coming soon (as of the date this article is written) and it looks to me like Worms: Armageddon with network play capabilities.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 02/24/01, Updated 02/24/01