Worms 3D

Written by Glenn Wigmore  on February 24, 2005

Final Glimpse: Multiple worms launching air strikes and sheep at one anotherЕ makes sense to me.

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If you've ever played any games in the Worms series, you'll have pretty much them all (more or less), and you'll know whether you're a fan of the series or not. The basic premise of Worms, since its inception on the PC, has been to pit two squads of cartoonish worm characters against each other in highly destructible environments, all the while supplying them with crazy explosives and outlandish weapons. The great thing about the series is that it's easy to get into, but it does really take time to learn the intricacies of each weapon (trajectory, power, etc.), and the strategies of each map (blowing up environment to make enemies fall into the icy water below). It was a formula that was very simple, but thanks to the series' colorful look, wacky violence and silly characters, it has managed to work quite well.

With Worms 3D, the series is making the jump to three dimensions and so the action is taking on a different look and feel. The game will essentially be a port of the existing Worms 3D game on the PS2, however several additions, namely Xbox Live support, will aim to improve the experience.

The weapons will remain pretty much the same as in earlier renditions of the game. Old favorites like bazookas, air strikes, grenades and napalm will return and each will feature similar trajectory and power systems as before. Most of the time, you'll have to rely on smaller weapons and missiles to help devastate the other squad, and these include: shotguns, rifles, pistols, baseball bats (yes, home run sound effect includedЕ da da da dum da dum!!!), and even your little wormy fists. Of course, Worms wouldn't be Worms without the wackier stuff so expect plenty of old women and sheep to be flying around and laying waste to everything in sight. Additionally, there will be the usual array of УutilityФ items to help get you out of trouble or into an advantageous position. The jetpack allows you to position your worm high above the competition for easy downward strikes or you can use it to get out of a tight spot. Ninja rope allows you to safely descend long drops that would otherwise be certain death for your little worm. There is also a pickup that makes your attack power twice as much, and another item that makes the gravity lower so you can jump higher. These utility items actually come into play almost as much as the weapons and are required if one hopes to beat an opponent with good aim and smart worm placement. Many of these items are actually air lifted onto the map so it often becomes a race to see who can get there first.

Obviously, the main difference in this rendition of Worms will come from the perspective, as you not only play in three dimensions, but you can also view the action from three different camera angles: first-person, third-person, and blimp. Obviously, as was the case on the Playstation 2 version, the tasks of aiming your weapons and timing your movements will take a bit of time, but to ease the process a tutorial is included to help get you acquainted with the Worms universe and the new 3D presentation.

Worms 3D will likely look and sound a bit sharper than its PS2 counterpart, but the game still isn't trying to go all out in that department. Worms games have always been about how they play and the presentation has usually taken a back seat. However, the game does still appear to have its colorful presentation that it's become known for and the worm soldiers will again sport varying accents and voices and will each shout out interjections when they are in trouble or if they have done some damage (Medic!!!).

You can play Worms 3D in a Уquick matchФ style, where you are pitted against a random CPU team on a map and you both fight to the finish or you can play a multiplayer game against your friend, with each one of you controlling a squad. The game's main component is a campaign mode, where you will go through various task and puzzle-oriented missions that require you to use every weapon and tool in your limited arsenal to complete the job. Usually, these missions require you to infiltrate a map and get to a certain point or retrieve an item, all the while disposing of the maps would-be inhabitants.

All things aside though, the main draw to this title will be its online support for Xbox Live (seems to be happening a lot these daysЕ but depending on your viewpoint, it's not a bad thing). You will be able to play against another player and taunt through voice chat as you drop a cluster bomb on your adversary's headЕ or maybe you'll just be muting the mic as your opponent sheep launchers your pathetic fish bait worm straight off the map. Expect a basic array of XBL features, such as Quickmatch, Optimatch, scoreboards and friends lists.

The Worms series might have overstayed its welcome a little bit on the PC, but putting it on the XBOX, using 3D presentation and adding online play might make this one interesting. On top of the changes in presentation and gameplay, the game will sell for only $19.99 USD so you can tell that SEGA is definitely doing what it can to make this game accessible to lots of people.