Worms
For Xbox 360 Live Arcade, 800 MS points.
Verdict: Frugal but fun cartoon combat.
Rating: 4/5
They’re funny folks those game designers - all those long hours spent in the underbelly of developing crunch time must go to their heads. I mean, who ever thought it would be a great idea to make a 2D turn-based multiplayer strategy game starring the common earthworm must have had a screw lose somewhere.
Thankfully it’s often the screwiest ideas that often work the best as Worms’ history of success certainly shows and its recent addition to the Live Arcade roster is a very welcome one indeed.
Predominantly designed as a multiplayer game (single player is really just for practice), up to four friends can battle it out over a randomly generated, fully destructible 2D landscape. Taking turns to move and maim, your team of four worms must obliterate or outlive all the rest and with a huge arsenal of cartoon weapons at disposal you can be sure it’ll be done with great comedic effect.
Essentially a port of the PSP’s Worms: Open Warfare, Worms on the 360 benefits from crisp Hi-Def visuals (for those with posh tellys) and the key feature - online gaming.
Traditionally played with friends round a TV, Worms on the 360 takes it to the next level with friendly and ranked games available for you to take your elite squad of custom named worms online and deliver invertebrate vengeance.
As a remake of the original Worms (1994), this version does suffer from a relatively limited weapon set compared to recent titles (no Holy Hand Grenade here i’m afraid) but there are still favourites like the Exploding Sheep and the expandible nature of Xbox Live means updates and expansions remain a likely hood.
The purity of the experience does however mean that those new to the series won’t find it too hard to settle into the tactical and accidental obliteration of megadriles. The comic sound effects, cartoon graphics, slo-mo replays, evolving battle field and the relaxing, social nature of the game all serve to create a charming title that for about £7 you can’t really fault.
Unless of course you suffer from scoleciphobia.