Review: Worms 2: Armageddon (PSN)

Review: Worms 2: Armageddon (PSN)

Contributed by: Tony Dimovski, Cocky Culture

VITALS
Publisher: Team17 Software
Platform: PSN
Players: 1-2 players
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Worms 2 : Armageddon once again proves this to hold true. I had my first experience with our little wiggly, gun toting, bazooka shooting, ninja rope swinging friends over 15 years ago and have been hooked ever since. For anyone not too familiar with Worms, it’s a 2D, turn-based strategy game that takes place on a destructible environment. Each player takes control their team of worms, as you take turns trying to destroy your opponents’ team using a variety of weapons that range from the traditional to the absolutely, comically insane. These weapons include everything from a bazooka to an exploding sheep….and everything in between! Even after 15 years of Worms the variety of weapons is still intriguing and one of the major draws. In the same game I gently prodded my opponent off of a cliff, only to have an exploding banana tossed at the perfect angle, into the wind, land next to my worm on the very next turn… promptly ending the game.

That, in a nut-shell, is Worms.

One of the great aspects of Worms 2 : Armageddon is the smooth, updated visuals. It’s nothing earth-shattering, but a definite step forward in the Worms franchise.  Along with the look of Worms 2 : Armageddon, the level customization of your team of worms continues to grow from previous iterations. From naming each worm, to changing their color and clothing (hats!), and being able to set your team’s voices you can definitely become attached to your personal squad.

Worms 2 : Armageddon features a few different game modes, including a single-player campaign that has 30+ missions including both standard battle missions as well as puzzles. In the campaign mode money is earned and used to purchase/unlock additional weapons. The multiplayer mode can be played online as well as on a single PS3 with one controller (thanks to the turn-based nature of the game).

The best part of Worms 2 : Armageddon is that with all the customization and personalization, and randomly generated levels, the replay value can be endless. The single player AI varies from very easy to very difficult, so you don’t have to count on having someone else to play against to be able to enjoy the game.

Quite possibly the biggest drawback that some might find with Worms 2 (outside of the higher-than-desired $15 price tag) is that even with the improvements… it’s still Worms. Luckily for all of us, the most important feature that has carried on through all of the Worms games (except for maybe Worms 3D) is the perpetually solid fun factor.

With games constantly pushing the boundaries of realism, artificial intelligence, and hardware; Worms 2 : Armageddon pushes the boundaries of addictive game play, methods of destroying a worm, and, most importantly, fun.

This review was based on a PSN copy of the game provided by Team 17 Software. All images and video provided by Team 17 Software.