HANDS-ON - Worms Open Warfare 2
---INFO---
Made by Two Tribes, 2007, 1-4 players, for the Nintendo DS.
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The principle of Worms is extremely simple and addictive. You take a team of worms to annihilate the opposing team(s). It's turn-based so on your turn you move your worm around the 2D landscape, choose a wepaon and aim and shoot. It's easy to get into but has a lot of depth as you choose which weapons to use when, and use experience to judge the angles and wind to get the perfect shot. Worms has been one of the greatest multi-player games in gaming history.
But the legendary franchise hasn't been doing too well recently. After the fantastic older games, the series tried and failed to shift into 3D, and then after a while shifted back to their 2D roots. The game to bring about this change was Worms Open Warfare. Whilst I can't speak for the PSP version, the DS version was developed by some guys called Gamesauce, who got it all wrong. Lack of options, cramped feel and extremely buggy & glitchy. This was a shame, because not only were all the fans waiting for a 2D Worms game again, but the DS seemed like the perfect platform for it. Handheld Worms action sounded perfect, but it didn't work out. That is, until Open Warfare 2 came along.
Again denying the DS version Team 17's expertise, Open Warfare 2 was made by Two Tribes, who have recently won my allegiance with this and Toki Tori. Open Warfare 2 feels a lot more like the classic Worms games from the old day. The first crucial thing to get right is the physics engine and the balancing. Whilst the original Open Warfare felt clunky and glitchy, whilst the recent Space Oddity for the Wii was over-powered for a more mini-game feel, Open Warfare 2 feels just like the old Worms games. It's not exactly like the second generation games (Worms 2, Armageddon & World Party), because it's a different engine, so it'll take a short while to get used to, but it feels fairly consistent and nowhere near as glitchy as the first Open Warfare. I had a number of matches and enjoyed them all. The low resolution DS screen may lead to a little confusion of where the ground is, and most weapons have been slightly powered up, but on the whole you can expect the same fluid, fun action as you got from the second generation.
The second thing to get right is the multi-player. Obviously since Worms is a turn-based games, you can have the full four players by using just one DS and passing it round your friends. This is of course one of the major bonuses with the game, and makes it an instant multi-player classic with anyone. If you want to use more than one DS, it allows for download play, multi-cart or online play for up to four players. I haven't tried either, but I've heard single-cart play can be very laggy. Wi-fi play seems to be void of players, but works better than single-cart. My cousin said it was great when it worked though. In terms of options, the game has all the basics. You can choose your game settings, including time, crate frequency, artillary mode and more. Weapon settings are limited to the number in stock and the turn delay before being allowed to use them. This will come as a huge disappointment to the hardcore Worms 2 audience who love to customize their entire setup and can get endless fun tweaking the settings. On the other hand, it's a lot better than the old console ports of Worms games, which gave you next to no options. You can save all these settings in up to 10ish slots, which at least means you can have some different styles of play saved for some variety.
Mode-wise, the DS version is also kitted out nicely. The training mode takes you through the game step-by-step, so people who are new to the franchise don't have to feel scared. Once you know the basics the puzzle mode is extremely helpful at teaching you tactics. In puzzle mode it's always your turn (so enemies can't fight back) and they throw you a certain task, such as defeating every enemy without moving or making it to the other side of the map. They limit weapons and force you to use them creatively, which really helps you move from a beginner to an expert faster. This is an advantage over older Worms games where you either know the tricks or you don't. The actual campaign mode is similar to campaign mode in previous Worms games. They set up a map with certain weapons and enemies and tell you to beat them. More do-it-your-own-way than puzzle mode, and they fight back too. To summarise, having all the modes in the game means there's something for everyone, and it's a superb way for someone who's never played Worms before to quickly become very good at it.
There's also laboratory mode, which has some mini-games unique to the DS. Thankfully, these mini-games aren't as bad as they are in most games where they tack it on afterwards. These are all based on the main Worms games, just with interesting challenges. For example, a parachute maze where you use the parachute like normal, but blowing into the mic makes you fly up high. It uses the same parachute mechanics and physics as the main game, but with the twist. The other two I played were one where you had to reach a goal by causing explosions to blast your worm along (infinite health) and one where you draw ground and then start the map to guide your worm to the goal.
Overall the game seems like a really nice package. The graphics are cute, and there's some nice FMV cut-scenes here & there. The sounds are classic Worms sounds, including many of the old voice-sets. The music's actually good this time, which is a bonus. There's all the single-player modes, a "quick-match" option, the multi-player (single, multi and online), the option to draw your own flag and even a shop to buy new skins, voices, victory dances, gravestones, map styles, weapons and single-player levels. In short, this is a great Worms package. The hardcore Worms gamers (like myself) will always adore Worms 2 for the ability to customize absolutely everything about the game, and at £5 new, it's hard to refuse. Open Warfare wins over Worms 2 on the single-player modes, the easy learning curve and tutorials for new players, and the ability to play wherever you want. It may not be as good a game as Worms 2, but it's one of the best Worms games ever in terms of features.
Made by Two Tribes, 2007, 1-4 players, for the Nintendo DS.
----------
The principle of Worms is extremely simple and addictive. You take a team of worms to annihilate the opposing team(s). It's turn-based so on your turn you move your worm around the 2D landscape, choose a wepaon and aim and shoot. It's easy to get into but has a lot of depth as you choose which weapons to use when, and use experience to judge the angles and wind to get the perfect shot. Worms has been one of the greatest multi-player games in gaming history.
But the legendary franchise hasn't been doing too well recently. After the fantastic older games, the series tried and failed to shift into 3D, and then after a while shifted back to their 2D roots. The game to bring about this change was Worms Open Warfare. Whilst I can't speak for the PSP version, the DS version was developed by some guys called Gamesauce, who got it all wrong. Lack of options, cramped feel and extremely buggy & glitchy. This was a shame, because not only were all the fans waiting for a 2D Worms game again, but the DS seemed like the perfect platform for it. Handheld Worms action sounded perfect, but it didn't work out. That is, until Open Warfare 2 came along.
Again denying the DS version Team 17's expertise, Open Warfare 2 was made by Two Tribes, who have recently won my allegiance with this and Toki Tori. Open Warfare 2 feels a lot more like the classic Worms games from the old day. The first crucial thing to get right is the physics engine and the balancing. Whilst the original Open Warfare felt clunky and glitchy, whilst the recent Space Oddity for the Wii was over-powered for a more mini-game feel, Open Warfare 2 feels just like the old Worms games. It's not exactly like the second generation games (Worms 2, Armageddon & World Party), because it's a different engine, so it'll take a short while to get used to, but it feels fairly consistent and nowhere near as glitchy as the first Open Warfare. I had a number of matches and enjoyed them all. The low resolution DS screen may lead to a little confusion of where the ground is, and most weapons have been slightly powered up, but on the whole you can expect the same fluid, fun action as you got from the second generation.
The second thing to get right is the multi-player. Obviously since Worms is a turn-based games, you can have the full four players by using just one DS and passing it round your friends. This is of course one of the major bonuses with the game, and makes it an instant multi-player classic with anyone. If you want to use more than one DS, it allows for download play, multi-cart or online play for up to four players. I haven't tried either, but I've heard single-cart play can be very laggy. Wi-fi play seems to be void of players, but works better than single-cart. My cousin said it was great when it worked though. In terms of options, the game has all the basics. You can choose your game settings, including time, crate frequency, artillary mode and more. Weapon settings are limited to the number in stock and the turn delay before being allowed to use them. This will come as a huge disappointment to the hardcore Worms 2 audience who love to customize their entire setup and can get endless fun tweaking the settings. On the other hand, it's a lot better than the old console ports of Worms games, which gave you next to no options. You can save all these settings in up to 10ish slots, which at least means you can have some different styles of play saved for some variety.
Mode-wise, the DS version is also kitted out nicely. The training mode takes you through the game step-by-step, so people who are new to the franchise don't have to feel scared. Once you know the basics the puzzle mode is extremely helpful at teaching you tactics. In puzzle mode it's always your turn (so enemies can't fight back) and they throw you a certain task, such as defeating every enemy without moving or making it to the other side of the map. They limit weapons and force you to use them creatively, which really helps you move from a beginner to an expert faster. This is an advantage over older Worms games where you either know the tricks or you don't. The actual campaign mode is similar to campaign mode in previous Worms games. They set up a map with certain weapons and enemies and tell you to beat them. More do-it-your-own-way than puzzle mode, and they fight back too. To summarise, having all the modes in the game means there's something for everyone, and it's a superb way for someone who's never played Worms before to quickly become very good at it.
There's also laboratory mode, which has some mini-games unique to the DS. Thankfully, these mini-games aren't as bad as they are in most games where they tack it on afterwards. These are all based on the main Worms games, just with interesting challenges. For example, a parachute maze where you use the parachute like normal, but blowing into the mic makes you fly up high. It uses the same parachute mechanics and physics as the main game, but with the twist. The other two I played were one where you had to reach a goal by causing explosions to blast your worm along (infinite health) and one where you draw ground and then start the map to guide your worm to the goal.
Overall the game seems like a really nice package. The graphics are cute, and there's some nice FMV cut-scenes here & there. The sounds are classic Worms sounds, including many of the old voice-sets. The music's actually good this time, which is a bonus. There's all the single-player modes, a "quick-match" option, the multi-player (single, multi and online), the option to draw your own flag and even a shop to buy new skins, voices, victory dances, gravestones, map styles, weapons and single-player levels. In short, this is a great Worms package. The hardcore Worms gamers (like myself) will always adore Worms 2 for the ability to customize absolutely everything about the game, and at £5 new, it's hard to refuse. Open Warfare wins over Worms 2 on the single-player modes, the easy learning curve and tutorials for new players, and the ability to play wherever you want. It may not be as good a game as Worms 2, but it's one of the best Worms games ever in terms of features.
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