Worms: Open Warfare

The ideal game for a longhaul flight.

On the whole I’ve embraced the transition from 2D to 3D gaming, in fact even during those formative 8-bit days I was yearning for the days I could see in the future with full 3D graphics. Of course there have been casualties along the way, some games just haven’t made the transition to 3D very well. Worms has had mixed success, the switch to 3D added many complexities to the gameplay that just weren’t there with the original and removed one of my favourite elements, digging in.

Thank heavens then for this PSP outing for the worms, which provides the traditional gameplay in relatively undamaged form. What we have here is 2D turn-based strategy as you battle teams of worms with your four invertebrate warriors. With a selection of weapons including exploding sheep, banana bombs and air strikes, there’s always some fun way of causing mayhem.

While the weaponry selection is pretty broad, it’s not always implemented in the best way. Mines really don’t cause as much chaos as the original game, where you could expect hugely funny chain-reactions of exploding mines. You won’t be able to alter as many aspects of their behaviour either but at least you can choose fuse length for grenades and cluster bombs. Sticks of dynamite remain the gloriously destructive fun they always have been. Destroying the scenery is part of the fun and the reason perhaps the 3D versions of the game haven’t enjoyed as much critical success.

The game modes are rather basic though. You can set up matches with your favourite teams of worms based on rule sets given or those you’ve created from scratch. A challenge mode acts as a tutorial and an increasingly tough set of matches. And finally there’s multiplayer. That’s your lot for game modes. Thankfully the standard gameplay is so strong that the lack of game modes isn’t too much of a hindrance.

One feature that can spoil your enjoyment is the long thinking time for AI worms. Sometimes the little blighters will think for a whole minute before then deciding to do very little or something stupid like firing a gun into the air. When playing custom games you can cut this kind of thing short by enforcing a shorter turn time, but it does leave you with less time to move around.

Those problems aside there’s a really fun game here. The gameplay fits perfectly with the handheld concept, you can pick up and play a match at a moments notice and return later without losing the thread of what you were up to. The UMD is rarely accessed so it’s a good choice for long journeys where battery life is important. I’m sure I’ll be playing this on the flight to LA for E3 next week.

The graphics are crisp and clear, with plenty of charm and detail as you’d expect. Team 17 has always been great at getting a lot of character into very few pixels. The sound is okay, but some of the worm accents are hard to understand at times. Mostly the presentation is rather good.

Worms: Open Warfare probably won’t occupy all your gaming time should you pick it up, but it’s a game you’re bound to keep coming back to over the months. It’s a perfect handheld game and something that’s bound to always keep a smile on your face. A good choice if you’re looking for some new fun for the PSP.

This review comes courtesy of our friends at Boomtown.net .