Game Review: Worms Open Warfare 2 (DS)

Worms: Open Warfare 2
Platform: Nintendo DS
Publisher: THQ
Developers: Two Tribes/Team17 Software
Players: 1-4
Released:
US: September 4, 2007
Europe: August 2007

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What else can be said about Worms that hasn't been said before? It's one of those legendary games series that has been going as long as you can remember and has been ported to just about every console in the past 15 years. The basic idea behind the Worms games is two competing teams of worms take turns blowing each other up with bazookas, Uzis, dynamite, exploding sheep and other increasingly bizarre weaponry, until one of the teams is victorious; a seemingly simple concept that has really only been tweaked gently since its original conception. It's popularity came from the endless replayability of the game that came from the variety of weapons and landscapes that meant no one strategy would ever guarantee you a victory in a battle.

The first outing of Worms on the DS was a slightly disappointing affair; it suffered from low-resolution sprites that flickered badly due to a buggy game engine. Some unfortunate enemy AI also meant that enemy worms would often blow themselves to pieces or stand around doing nothing until their turn was over. This was all a shame since Worms seemed like the perfect game for Nintendo's new handheld particularly during the drought of good software the DS was suffering from at the time.

So it's with some caution we look at its sequel Worms: Open Warfare 2. The second installment of the series for the Nintendo DS and thankfully there's lots of reasons to feel positive about it's release, all of the criticism's aimed at the game engine seem to have been taken to heart and fixed. The game engine feels a lot more solid, the computer controlled enemies are a lot more intelligent (expect a thorough ass-kicking to start with) and overall everything seems a lot more polished than it's predecessor. The Worms games have never been a tour-de-force of graphical prowess but the chunky, colorful visuals are definitely likable enough- all of the usual dark humor is here and there's even a few slapstick cut scenes to raise a few smiles.

What Team 17 have put together is a Greatest Hits style package of all the best bits from the previous games in the series, all of the better weapons over the years are here, the mission modes of the later games are here and enough extras around to keep seasoned Worms fans satisfied. The online modes are particularly impressive, random games or games against your friends (using the standard friend codes system), plus online leader boards (think Tony Hawk).



With Worms games, as long as nothing upsets the game engine is solid and nothing is thrown into the mix to upset the balance then you're pretty much guaranteed good fun and Worms: Open Warfare 2 genuinely delivers. If you've never been a fan of the series previously, then it's unlikely you'll find anything to convince you otherwise here, it is what you expect, but perhaps the best version of what you expect.

It's an excellent addition to any DS game collection, for replay value and instant pick-up-and-play....ability. Top marks to Team 17/Two Tribes for making the game it's predecessor only hinted at.

Score: Very Good