In a world where we have a number of long run franchises still going strong, a lot of us have forgotten a little game called Worms. Before we got Call of Duty, Worms was seen as the game that combines strategic army like gameplay with the humor and cuteness of cartoon worms. Its now 2016, a new game in the series has come out, so it seemed like the best time to talk about this long running franchise that seems to have fallen off the radar. So get your guns and worms assembled as we enter the battlefield:
Also just to clarify, I'm only covering the games released on Steam mainly because those are the games we'll be more familiar with and we would probably be here for a while too if I covered all of them. This will try to have games in the order they were released, but I make no promises.
Worms
So while the games don't really have a story as such, its safe to assume that they take place in a world populated by worms and its basically a warzone. So the very first game acts as a turn based strategy game where you control one of a few randomly selected worms in each turn and have them use weapons to destroy the opposing worm faction. A lot of time and patience is needed, but you'll get the hang of it soon enough. Now keep in mind that this was a game that was released in the early days of gaming so the graphics are not what you would call brilliant, but don't let that stop you from playing the game. Now the Steam version I got of this game, came from my very first Geek Fuel box and I've enjoyed playing it ever since. Its fun, a bit challenging at times and despite the graphics, its aged pretty well to an extent. 9/10
Armageddon
As I previously mentioned, I'm not reviewing all the games, just the ones that are on Steam (and chances are that its quite rare to find the other games in the series). So to summarise this game, its like the previous game, just with better graphics, more weapons and has a few references to Monty Python with one of the game's new weapons. It has some modes which include a single player campaign and mostly modes that you often see in many multiplayer games such as deathmatch and local and online multiplayer (the first of its kind to do the latter). And the last thing to mention is that you can create your own levels in the game where you can pick the weapons, what health to start at and a bunch of other cool things too. Yeah this game is pretty much a major improvement over the previous game and being the first of its kind to do online multiplayer is quite a feat. 9/10
World Party Remastered
So we've come to the last 2D game of the series and to be honest, it doesn't really do anything to keep moving the series forward. Its the same game as before with minor tweaks and for a lot of people, this could've simply been an expansion to Armageddon (yes boys and girls, that's what DLC was back in the late 90s/early 00s) which I have to agree on. But still, it works well and is fun, just doesn't do anything to keep the series moving forward. 6/10
Crazy Golf
So now we come to first of the franchise's many spin-off games. In this one, the worms play a game of crazy golf. It uses the 2D interface of the games up to this point, but instead of warfare, you play golf. Its a simple concept that does work well and can be fun with all the obstacles in its tracks, however it has no online multiplayer which could very well be the deal breaker of getting this game for yourself. But one thing I can say, the franchise as good as it is, will not go well if it continues to just be warfare and nothing else. A one trick pony if you will. 7/10
Reloaded
So about 10 years have passed and Worms returns to its 2D roots for the first time since World Party. Its also the first of the series to be released on Steam that wasn't released before the existence of Steam. Its mostly the same game as before, but with a wide array of new weapons, new modes and just a general fresh take on the formula that has made the games so great since the very first one. The UI is a nuisance at times, but aside from that, its another fun entry in the series that gives fans what they want and a whole lot more such as races and an artillery mode that both work well. 9/10
Revolution
Now this one changes things up a bit. Its still in 2D, but has some 3D visuals which in turn makes it 2.5D. The game has a much stronger emphasis on dynamic physics and you can now use water to your advantage which unlike previous games, is handled much better here. New weapons are introduced as always and now every worm is put into different classes such as solider, scout, scientist and heavy (kind of like in TF2) with each one having their own unique skills that will help in the battle. For many people, the physics of the game are a problem, but aside from that, this feels like a much better game than previous games and I'd say that's a good thing. It improves on a lot of things while throwing in some new things to the table. 9/10
Ultimate Mayhem
Now we have the first fully 3D game that I will talk about and I got to say, there is a lot to like here. Worms can now move freely as opposed to just left or right in previous games, but its largely the same game with new modes, new weapons and the like. It is a great entry to the series that changes the formula and retains the gameplay that the franchise is known for and just makes it even better. 9/10
Clan Wars
We now talk about the first game of this list that actually has a story that is spread across 25 missions with narration by Katherine Parkinson (aka Jen from The IT Crowd) who also provides missions to the team as the character Tara Pinkle. It improves upon things seen in Revolution and the addition of a story mode actually makes this a game that story driven players like myself will want to pick up and buy and its great. 8/10
Pinball
Its pinball with a Worms twist. That's it. Did you think I would say anything else about this? Well sorry, but no. Pinball is fun and all, but my honest opinion on pinball games is that they get boring and frustrating over time. Its not because I don't like them, its because I just find them too hard for me. Mario Pinball was frustrating, Pokemon Pinball was just a bore after a while, Sonic Spinball was just not great and Worms Pinball, not much to say. Its just pinball with a Worms twist. That's it. 6/10
Blast
So those of you who have ever played Puzzle Bobble, this is a Worms take on it and I got to say, its a fun game. Its pretty much Puzzle Bobble, but done better to take into account of the Worms. There are many modes that can be played in single player and multiplayer and the modes are mostly similar to the main series of Worms games, just with Puzzle Bobble thrown into the mix. Its fun and will definitely keep you wanting more and more as time moves on. I personally like it a lot and I'm sure you will too. 9/10
W.M.D
So at long last, we come to the latest game of the series and unlike previous games, the subtitle could mean anything. Its gameplay closely follows that of Armageddon while like the other games, throwing in some new things like tanks and buildings both of which the worms can enter. Classes, water physics and dynamic objects are all removed after some backlash of such features. New features include building and creating weapons and as previously mentioned, worms can now enter vehicles and buildings for a tactical advantage. It is a great entry to the series that removes things that fans did not like and puts some new things in their place and just makes it all the more better. 9/10
So while the franchise has fallen off the radar, it is one of the very first gaming franchises that included online multiplayer as well as warfare and to me, its a much better warfare game than Call of Duty any day. Yes there is a lack of story, but its a fun series nevertheless. 8/10
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