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Worms 2: Armageddon (and Battle Pack) review

It's hard to believe it's been 15 years since the release of the original Worms on the Amiga. In fact, it's been so long that there's now a generation of gamers who don't even know what the Amiga was. They will probably, however, know of Team 17's highly-popular series which has spawned a variety of iterations over the years, including a foray into 3D that we rather liked. 2D Worms, however, is far more popular and since Worms 4 the series has gone back to its flat roots, so now we end up with (the somewhat confusingly titled) Worms 2: Armageddon.

Before we discuss this edition, we should probably take a look at what Worms actually is. I know, that's a crazy idea, and those already familiar with the series should probably just skip to the next paragraph. Right, now that they're gone I can reveal that Worms is actually a top secret military programme for finding those who are exceptional at plotting trajectories through the use of the Xbox Live Leaderboards. Or maybe you believe the cover story, that Worms is a 2D turn-based action-strategy game where you play as a team of worms, aiming to take out all the other teams of worms who share the landscape. You'll get access to a range of weapons, many of which involve projectiles, so the ability to aim well is very useful here. You can traverse the landscape, jump across gaps, use a ninja rope to get to difficult-to-reach areas, and quite importantly, blow the environment to bits. The weapons themselves are often rather crazy, and pretty much always rather fun.

This Xbox Live Arcade version of Worms is both a sequel to the first XBLA release in the series, and also a follow-up to the 1999 game Worms Armageddon. Often seen as a fan favourite, this new edition hopes to invoke memories of the Holy Hand Grenade, the Concrete Donkey, and of course, the Armageddon itself. Strangely all these weapons, and many more classics, such as Super Sheep and Napalm were missing from the 2007 Xbox 360 game. Even the baseball, drill and parachute were missing in action. Crazy. Luckily Team 17 have seen the light and Worms 2: Armageddon features all of these, with a catchy new chorus of “Hallelujah” thrown into the mix for every on of those Holy Hand Grenades thrown. Make sure you count to THREE...

This isn't just about bringing back a classic. Worms 2: Armageddon is its own game with a range of new weapons that includes sentry guns, an electromagnet, and the bunker buster. The last two are defensive items that actually allow you to play Worms more tactically than ever before; no longer are you relying solely on the trusty girder as the electromagnet draws away fire. The bunker buster is the counter to this, cutting straight down through the landscape to wherever your foe is hiding.

Fans will be pleased to hear that simple 4-on-4 Worms gameplay is fully intact here. Amongst the variety of new game modes are Standard, Beginning and Pro setups for those who simply want to blow worms apart in the same way as they've done for over a decade. Only now it's in prettier HD visuals and you can play in front of your TV. On top of these modes are a bunch of new ones; Rope Racing sees a single worm from each time trying to reach the end (turn-by-turn) as quickly as possible using the ninjas rope, while Crazy Crates sees lots of tools and weapons raining down from the sky before each go, resulting in lots of on-screen havoc very quickly. Forts shake up the gameplay by separating the teams into a distinct area of the map and without teleports and jetpacks to make your way across, it becomes a test of aiming those long-range projectile weapons. If you don't fancy any of those modes, then you can also create your own, with a range of options such as how much health is in the crates, when the different weapons become available, how long a round lasts, etc. If those new weapons don't win you over like a concrete donkey can, then you'll be pleased to hear that you can turn them off. With this level of customisation, you should be able to find something to suit your multiplayer needs.

You can, of course, also play the matches offline, with computer teams ready to take you on, but the most fun is still to be had in multiplayer. If you can gets some friends round to play locally then that's probably going to be the best experience, but the much improved Xbox Live functionality is a close second. Online play is better than the first game, and even playing random strangers can be enjoyable. I was able to jump straight into a game via the Quick Match option, but there's also options to seek a match more suited to my tastes. Ranked matches are probably the safest bet of avoiding lots of defeats early on, although that still happens if you make as many embarrassing mistakes as myself. I have no idea what was going through my opponent's head when I started aiming at my own worms.

If you do want to take the game offline then aside from setting up some matches against the computer, you also have a 35 mission campaign to experience. It primarily features the standard combat with preset conditions, but there are also some puzzle levels thrown in; challenges to complete a certain task in a limited time. Completing these, earns coins, which can be spent in the shop on wearable items, landscapes, weapons, extra missions, forts, and gravestones.

Fundamentally Worms 2: Armaggeddon is the same Worms we know and love, with some enjoyable extras thrown in. In some way it would be nice to have some more variety, and not have the restriction of 4 players to a team, but the fundamentals are certainly there. Some of the basics were missed out in the previous iteration and these have been addressed here. The ability to create and customise your own teams is certainly still in place, as are the random levels which spawn from 6 different environment styles.

All in all it's a hefty package, and well worth the 800 Microsoft Points (£6.80) asking price. But before you get out your wallets, I recommend reading on to see our opinion on the recent Battle Pack downloadable content (DLC), which is now available for 400 MSP (£3.40). It is, after all, one of the reasons why we are having a good look at the game a year after it has been released.

One of the most prominent features of the Battle Pack is the introduction of 30 new single player deathmatch missions, sure to keep solo players occupied for some time. This new Warzone mode also adds a further gametype to multiplayer games. In addition to this is the new Body Count mode, a new survival test in which a single worm is pitted against a never-ending spawn of enemies until the inevitable happens. The Battle Pack also introduces new weapons such as termites and the Statue (which heals your team while damaging enemies), alongside new utilities and landscapes, with the total brought up from 6 to 13.

Super Forts are a new addition in the DLC, upping the ante in the aforementioned Forts mode, and this gametype is available in single player and multiplayer matches. There's even some new voices and hats, the former of which is rather welcome as the voices can become a bit tiresome while playing, especially to an onlooking who hears quite a few repeats of the same cheesy joke.

With all the additions it's probably worth considering Worms 2: Armageddon and the Battle Pack as one complete 1200 Microsoft Points pack, and even at that price we can certainly recommend it to XBLA players as a whole, and fans in particular.

Ratings

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