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"Worms Open Warfare 2 (DS)"

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This thread has been linked to the game 'Worms: Open Warfare'.
Wed 06/02/08 at 20:59
Regular
"tinycurve.gif"
Posts: 5,857
Being a Worms fan I was eagerly awaiting for WOW2 to come out on the DS. I thought the control system would be interesting and it'd be nice to be able to play a game from one of my favourite franchises ever, wherever I was and whenever I felt like it.

This incarnation of Worms sees the return of several classic features known to be present in the earlier versions of Worms, such as landscapes each having their own numeric code, so that you can enter the code if you ever want to get that exact same landscape back again. You can also save these numbers to the game card and load them like that, so that you don't even have to remember the code for a terrain you like. Woo! The icons and weapon selection screen also vaguely resembles the older weapon selection panel, and the ability to view the entire map rather than panning across it is also available. Wahay!

There are other features from the slightly newer Worms games which are also included: landscape editor, weapon/scheme editor, a vast collection of classic weapons such as the bazooka, holy hand grenade and the infamous concrete donkey..

A new selection of weapons replaces some of the classics, shamefully. Some aren't all that bad though,but there are some classics that should never ever disappear from a Worms game, such as the old woman, skunk and petrol bomb, in favour of a sentry gun, buffalo of lies and bunker buster, among others.

It would have been nice to have seen some more voices included in the portable version though. It seems to me like the Worms' voices haven't changed since Worms 2 on the PC. All the same voice packs are present in this game, with no differences at all, but some of the more popular ones can be unlocked later by earning points by completing missions, which can then be spent in the shop to unlock secret landscapes, voices, weapons and other features.

During a battle or mission, the landscape textures and backgrounds are very good, with lots of humorous, themed and completely destructible items to give you that all-important vantage point, or climbable slope to get up to that crate on that high ledge. The water hs taken on a more realistic façade compared to earlier games, with a semi-transparent appearance and much more subtle waves.

However, I do have one gripe about the graphics of this game: the background doesn't feature any floating objects as seen in previous editions, which move across the background according to the wind, such as clouds and flying sweets. These somewhat useful and far less annoying graphical extras which could be switched off on a PC if desired, have been removed from this game in favour of a humorous, themed, animated background, which are actually far more distracting than they are appealing. They can easily put you off when aiming up a vital shot.

The game does include some winning features though. The laboratory mode can be a great laugh and is brilliant for stress relief, but only after you've completed some of it and go back to those that you've done already. When you're actually trying to complete it, it is also a great laugh and features challenging maps with hilarious missions which utilise the full set of the DS's features very well, including the touch screen and the microphone.

Controls can be a bit fiddly at first, but you get used to then surprisingly quickly, and they are actually quite easy and natural once you get used to them. Your worms do everything they did in the previous games – walk, jump, backflip, aim, fire, swing ropes, fly jetpacks and guide missiles. You will have teething problems with the controls to begin with, because they don't seem to be the logical layout, but once you get used to them, they're as natural as breathing.

Now onto the bit which everybody wants from a modern Worms game: multiplayer. Multiplayer games are great to play as they add an extra challenge to the game, what with the unpredictable AI of another human bein, but the lack of customisability lets this down. You don't set up a game at all; you just connect, find someone, and play. The game is automatically started with a randomly generated landscape and preset classic game settings. There is also no way to chat with your opponent. Furthermore, your custom worm names aren't allowed online. When naming your worms, you have to give them aliases, which have been specifically chosen ot be safe online. You never know who you might end up playing, and we can't have you naming your worms after profanities, can we?!

So in a nutshell, here is a summary of the game:

Graphics: 8/10. Fabulous for a Worms game, but can be somewhat distracting in places.

Controls: 6/10. Not great, but you get used ot them and the nend up easy to use anyway, but I just can't help thinking the layout is wrong.

Sound: 9/10. Despite the fact that nothing except for the ambient soundtrack has changed, it's great!

Presentation: 9/10. Menus are easy to navigate and an intuitive tutorial is included.

Gameplay: 7/10. You won't putthis down if it's your first Worms game. If you own one on the PC though, you'll soon go back to it.

Lifespan: 8/10: 9/10[/b]. It's so simple and can be played forever. Even if you own other Worms games, you'll keep coming back.

Verdict: 8/10
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
Wed 06/02/08 at 20:59
Regular
"tinycurve.gif"
Posts: 5,857
Being a Worms fan I was eagerly awaiting for WOW2 to come out on the DS. I thought the control system would be interesting and it'd be nice to be able to play a game from one of my favourite franchises ever, wherever I was and whenever I felt like it.

This incarnation of Worms sees the return of several classic features known to be present in the earlier versions of Worms, such as landscapes each having their own numeric code, so that you can enter the code if you ever want to get that exact same landscape back again. You can also save these numbers to the game card and load them like that, so that you don't even have to remember the code for a terrain you like. Woo! The icons and weapon selection screen also vaguely resembles the older weapon selection panel, and the ability to view the entire map rather than panning across it is also available. Wahay!

There are other features from the slightly newer Worms games which are also included: landscape editor, weapon/scheme editor, a vast collection of classic weapons such as the bazooka, holy hand grenade and the infamous concrete donkey..

A new selection of weapons replaces some of the classics, shamefully. Some aren't all that bad though,but there are some classics that should never ever disappear from a Worms game, such as the old woman, skunk and petrol bomb, in favour of a sentry gun, buffalo of lies and bunker buster, among others.

It would have been nice to have seen some more voices included in the portable version though. It seems to me like the Worms' voices haven't changed since Worms 2 on the PC. All the same voice packs are present in this game, with no differences at all, but some of the more popular ones can be unlocked later by earning points by completing missions, which can then be spent in the shop to unlock secret landscapes, voices, weapons and other features.

During a battle or mission, the landscape textures and backgrounds are very good, with lots of humorous, themed and completely destructible items to give you that all-important vantage point, or climbable slope to get up to that crate on that high ledge. The water hs taken on a more realistic façade compared to earlier games, with a semi-transparent appearance and much more subtle waves.

However, I do have one gripe about the graphics of this game: the background doesn't feature any floating objects as seen in previous editions, which move across the background according to the wind, such as clouds and flying sweets. These somewhat useful and far less annoying graphical extras which could be switched off on a PC if desired, have been removed from this game in favour of a humorous, themed, animated background, which are actually far more distracting than they are appealing. They can easily put you off when aiming up a vital shot.

The game does include some winning features though. The laboratory mode can be a great laugh and is brilliant for stress relief, but only after you've completed some of it and go back to those that you've done already. When you're actually trying to complete it, it is also a great laugh and features challenging maps with hilarious missions which utilise the full set of the DS's features very well, including the touch screen and the microphone.

Controls can be a bit fiddly at first, but you get used to then surprisingly quickly, and they are actually quite easy and natural once you get used to them. Your worms do everything they did in the previous games – walk, jump, backflip, aim, fire, swing ropes, fly jetpacks and guide missiles. You will have teething problems with the controls to begin with, because they don't seem to be the logical layout, but once you get used to them, they're as natural as breathing.

Now onto the bit which everybody wants from a modern Worms game: multiplayer. Multiplayer games are great to play as they add an extra challenge to the game, what with the unpredictable AI of another human bein, but the lack of customisability lets this down. You don't set up a game at all; you just connect, find someone, and play. The game is automatically started with a randomly generated landscape and preset classic game settings. There is also no way to chat with your opponent. Furthermore, your custom worm names aren't allowed online. When naming your worms, you have to give them aliases, which have been specifically chosen ot be safe online. You never know who you might end up playing, and we can't have you naming your worms after profanities, can we?!

So in a nutshell, here is a summary of the game:

Graphics: 8/10. Fabulous for a Worms game, but can be somewhat distracting in places.

Controls: 6/10. Not great, but you get used ot them and the nend up easy to use anyway, but I just can't help thinking the layout is wrong.

Sound: 9/10. Despite the fact that nothing except for the ambient soundtrack has changed, it's great!

Presentation: 9/10. Menus are easy to navigate and an intuitive tutorial is included.

Gameplay: 7/10. You won't putthis down if it's your first Worms game. If you own one on the PC though, you'll soon go back to it.

Lifespan: 8/10: 9/10[/b]. It's so simple and can be played forever. Even if you own other Worms games, you'll keep coming back.

Verdict: 8/10

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