Violence Among Annalids
Worms: Open Warfare (2006)
Being the first of my birthday loot that I've finished, I'll review this one first, even though "finishing" it seems a bit of a misnomer. This isn't the type of game that has a beginning, middle, and end. This is more like Tetris. You don't always play it, but you know it's always there.
So the Worms title, like Tetris, has been sort of an old faithful to me. It's not the series you look for depth or creativity in, but it is the one you know you can turn to. It was there during those college days when, around 2 a.m. and avoiding writing a paper, you would convince your friends to start up a game and play until 4 a.m., thus guaranteeing that you all failed together. Misery loves company.
For a computer game, the DS seems like a natural fit. Unfortunately, the mouse (the logical stylus extension) had very little to do with the computer versions, and little to do with this one. It's basically used to choose your weapons and scroll the map. Which, while somewhat convenient, isn't what I'd call "necessary." The graphics are a lot weaker than the computer versions, as the little worms themselves seem to be odd pink blobs with eyes.
Game depth is also somewhat lacking. With the stylus and microphone, it would be easy to build in a level creator, or let you record your own voices. Alas, this is missing too. There are also some weapons gone from our favorites (such as the Holy Hand Grenade), and only a few game modes to choose from. Overall, the game has been stripped down to its most simplistic, making it good to pop in a quick game to get a Worms fix, but not much else.
All that said, I enjoyed the title. Maybe I'm Team 17's bitch; maybe I like the Worms franchise too much; maybe I just didn't expect anything mind-blowing. But to say this was a disappointing title is to do injustice to Worms fans. If you don't already know and enjoy the franchise, don't get this game (or, heck, get the PSP version, which is likely to have clearer graphics). If you are a fan, it's like Tetris: even in a stripped down installment, it's always there to provide your fix. This is the type of game I'll be keeping in my regular rotation, if nothing else than the knowledge that I can quickly pop it in my DS and blow up some non-vertibrate animals anytime I want.
Score: ***
Being the first of my birthday loot that I've finished, I'll review this one first, even though "finishing" it seems a bit of a misnomer. This isn't the type of game that has a beginning, middle, and end. This is more like Tetris. You don't always play it, but you know it's always there.
So the Worms title, like Tetris, has been sort of an old faithful to me. It's not the series you look for depth or creativity in, but it is the one you know you can turn to. It was there during those college days when, around 2 a.m. and avoiding writing a paper, you would convince your friends to start up a game and play until 4 a.m., thus guaranteeing that you all failed together. Misery loves company.
For a computer game, the DS seems like a natural fit. Unfortunately, the mouse (the logical stylus extension) had very little to do with the computer versions, and little to do with this one. It's basically used to choose your weapons and scroll the map. Which, while somewhat convenient, isn't what I'd call "necessary." The graphics are a lot weaker than the computer versions, as the little worms themselves seem to be odd pink blobs with eyes.
Game depth is also somewhat lacking. With the stylus and microphone, it would be easy to build in a level creator, or let you record your own voices. Alas, this is missing too. There are also some weapons gone from our favorites (such as the Holy Hand Grenade), and only a few game modes to choose from. Overall, the game has been stripped down to its most simplistic, making it good to pop in a quick game to get a Worms fix, but not much else.
All that said, I enjoyed the title. Maybe I'm Team 17's bitch; maybe I like the Worms franchise too much; maybe I just didn't expect anything mind-blowing. But to say this was a disappointing title is to do injustice to Worms fans. If you don't already know and enjoy the franchise, don't get this game (or, heck, get the PSP version, which is likely to have clearer graphics). If you are a fan, it's like Tetris: even in a stripped down installment, it's always there to provide your fix. This is the type of game I'll be keeping in my regular rotation, if nothing else than the knowledge that I can quickly pop it in my DS and blow up some non-vertibrate animals anytime I want.
Score: ***