Review: Worms Collection

Title: Worms Collection
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360 (Reviewed on Xbox 360)
Developer: Team17 Software
Publisher: Mastertronic
Tagline: The classic worm fighting party games, and one we didn’t really need
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There’s not really a lot to say about Worms that most gamers don’t already know, and it’s probably one of the better party games to gather people together and pass around the controller. Worms Collection bundles together bundles together three XBLA titles, Worms, Worms 2: Armageddon and Worms Ultimate Mayhem, along with considerable amount of DLC for Armageddon. It’s as fun as you remember, but those that were disenchanted with Worms 3D may be equally so with the inclusion of Worms: Ultimate Mayhem.

Worms

I’m going to break this review down into the three different games and give as much information on them as possible, so we’ll start with the first game available on the disc. Not much has changed for this game since Team 17 released it way back when in 1995. Granted we’ve had some upscaling to display this – and all the other games in HD – but not much else. While this might be a hindrance for other games, all it does here is prove that Worms is one of those timeless classics.

Battles can either be taken online, or kept local by passing the controller around a group of friends – which is exactly how I played the game. Computer controlled teams with an array of difficulties can make up your opponent, but in essence this is a party game and should be enjoyed with good company.

Games can be tweaked for number of rounds, weapon activation timers, teams and character names which all add to make this game that bit more personal. You can always make one battle just a bit different from the last to keep things fresh or just add different handicaps. All these options mixed up with the comedy action and atmosphere of up to four people trying to best one another makes for an engaging and enjoyable experience.

Worms 2: Armageddon

Armageddon follows very much in suit from Worms, so much so that it feels pretty much like an expansion more than anything. You will get a lot hell of a lot more customisation at the sacrifice for not having the actual game displayed as clearly as the previous iteration due to the dynamic backgrounds of the new battlefields. Names of the characters aren’t displayed at all times during the fight, but hopefully the different types of headgear and colours will help distinguish each worm from the next. The amount of additional items available through the DLC packs is quite comprehensive, fighting wearing a Halo Spartan helmet is a great touch.

The weapon menus in game are a bit unclear in comparison and can be disorientating as you desperately make the most of your 60 second move. You’ll also get some new weapons to duke it out with, giving some more strategic options to wipe your friends from off the map. Having the addition of music in the menus and while fighting give a better ambiance to the game, though sitting in silence isn’t too bad between victory cries. Essentially this is the same as Worms with just a few tweaks to give some more variety to the game.

Worms Ultimate Mayhem

Worms Ultimate Mayhem is the example of taking the format of a game everyone loved, and jumping on the bandwagon of something that is becoming popular at the time of the original release. In this case it would be 3D gaming. Granted that may be they wanted to breathe new life into Worms, but this doesn’t seem like the best way to have done it. Everything is still pretty much the same here in terms of customisation, though it has slightly less than that featured in Worms 2: Armageddon.

The game is pretty much the same core design and focus of the originals, but now you wage war on a 3D landscape as opposed to the classic 2D floating platforms. Menus also appear to be the same, only a few minor changes to how you move and perform attacks are made to suit the new 3D style. The style of having everything easily viewed on just the one screen was part of the charm, granted you can do a birdseye view, but it’s not the same as having to judge shots on the traditional 2D plain.

You’ll also get a campaign and challenge modes but these are mostly negligible and probably won’t be what keeps you coming back for more. What they do work well as, however, is providing a makeshift tutorial mode to help you learn the different aspects the game has offered. Chances are you’ll already be able to work out the controls for the most part and might use these modes to see if you can actually stomach the changes that have been made.

Worms and Worms 2: Armageddon are very much the pick and play you want from this series. The opportunity to gather friends around the TV to pass the controller between one another to find out who is the best Worms armchair general. Worms Ultimate Mayhem, however, doesn’t manage to maintain the same standards or fun as featured in the other two games, it may well be worth picking these three up separately unless you can find the collection for a bargain.

The Good

• A great party game for get togethers with friends
• Still all the zany weapons and humour
• Some great levels of customisation

The Bad

• Let down by Worms Ultimate Mayhem’s change in style
• Repackaging of the same games already available on XBLA

Family Focus
Coming in at a 12+ on the PEGI scale for the collection and an E10+ from the ESRB for the original Worms game, these are pretty safe. Granted they do have you killing other worms in a humorous fashion, this is not anywhere near as violent as other games with a similar theme.