Worms Armageddon
| Worms Armageddon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) |
Microsoft Windows, Dreamcast & PlayStation Team17 Nintendo 64 & Game Boy Color Infogrames |
| Publisher(s) |
Microsoft Windows Nintendo 64 & Game Boy Color |
| Composer(s) | Bjørn Lynne |
| Series | Worms |
| Platform(s) |
Microsoft Windows Dreamcast PlayStation Nintendo 64 Game Boy Color BeOS |
| Release date(s) |
Microsoft Windows Dreamcast & PlayStation Nintendo 64 Game Boy Color |
| Genre(s) | Artillery, Strategy[1] |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
Worms Armageddon is an artillery strategy game[1] developed by Team17 and part of the Worms series. The player controls a team of up to eight worms in combat against opposing teams.
Gameplay
Gameplay is turn-based, with each team moving in sequence (which is determined randomly) across two-dimensional terrain. During a single turn, a team can only move one of its worms (unless the Select Worm item is used). Worms can walk and jump, as well as (when the proper items are available) swing by rope, parachute, teleport, and bungee. The objective of a traditional match is to defeat all opposing teams by killing their worms, although in the campaign some missions have other objectives (such as collecting a specific crate).
Each worm begins the round with a specific amount of health (which is predefined by the chosen game options or by scripting in campaign levels). When hit with a weapon, the worm will lose health depending on the power of the weapon and the directness of the hit. A worm can be killed either by having its health reduced to zero or being knocked into the water around and below the level.
Weapons
The game includes a wide variety of weapons, including melee, projectile, and explosive weapons, as well as airstrike-based attacks. Some are based on real-life arms, such as the shotgun, bazooka, and hand grenade. Others are more fanciful and cartoonish, such as the sheep, which serves as a mobile explosive, or the skunk, which releases poisonous gas.
In a normal match, all teams begin with the same weapons, based on the chosen weapon set. Some weapons may not become available until a certain number of turns pass. Depending on game options, additional weapons may randomly fall onto the terrain in airdropped and teleported crates.
In addition to normal weapons, each team (during team creation) chooses a special weapon which becomes available to them after a certain number of turns. The special weapons are more powerful than regular weapons and often offer special abilities. Also, super weapons will rarely fall in weapon crates. These weapons are often based on cartoonish themes (such as the French Sheep Strike) and usually devastating in power.
In homage to the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, one of the game weapons is a Holy Hand Grenade, with a sound-effect reminiscent of the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah.
Gameplay modes
Worms Armageddon includes a series of training missions, a single player campaign with premade missions, a deathmatch mode in which the player fights increasingly difficult and outnumbered battles against the computer, local multiplayer, and online multiplayer.
Local multiplayer allows the player to select which teams participate in the battle (including number of worms and handicaps), which options and weapons are used, and the level to be played upon. The matches can use any combination of human and computer teams, provided at least one team is human. Additionally, multiple worm teams can form an alliance for the match by selecting the same team color - they will still operate separately in movement rotation but share weapons and score. If multiple human players are using the same computer, the game functions in a hotseat mode.
Online multiplayer is set up similarly to local multiplayer but allows the players to be at separate computers. Additionally, hotseat can be combined with online play, so multiple human players can use each computer.
Gameplay customization
Worms Armageddon includes a very high level of customizability - in multiplayer games or skirmishes, the player can create custom game modes with preferred gameplay options and weapon sets. Regular options include starting health, whether the worms can move, how long a turn lasts, and sudden death options. Weapons settings include what weapons the teams start with, which weapons will fall in crates and how often, and how powerful individual weapons are.
Popular schemes
"Worms Armageddon" has seen numerous user-created game modes or "schemes" over its long history which since have become featured regularly in online gameplay. Some of the more popular schemes include:[2]
- "Proper" (Pro Roper)
- Shopper
- WxW (wall to wall shopper)
- Rope Race
- "BnG" (Bazooka and Grenade)
- Hysteria
- Forts
- Supersheeper
- Intermediate
- The Full Wormage
Other customization
Worms Armageddon offers several levels of customizability outside of direct gameplay options. Many of these options are only available on the PC versions of the game.
Team creation
The game offers players the ability to create their own custom teams. Each team has its own name and includes eight individually named worms. The player can also change the team's special weapon, grave marker, flag, victory fanfare, and voice set. In addition to numerous defaults available, the game offers the ability to import custom graves, flags, fanfare, and voices.
Terrain creation
The game includes a random terrain generator, a basic terrain editor which allows the user to create the shape of the terrain with brushes, and a more complex terrain-import system which allows the user to import custom-made terrains in image format, which the game automatically converts into playable terrains.
Online play
Worms Armageddon features a multiplayer Internet service called WormNet. This service allows one player to host a game online and others to join it. The host can choose settings like the landscape and scheme. There is also a chat feature with an optional language filter. In the past it used to keep a score & ranking system for the players.
Updates
Despite its age, Worms Armageddon still receives periodic updates, mainly from two programmers (known as Deadcode and CyberShadow) recruited by Team17.[3] These updates address bugs and compatibility issues, and also add new features to the game, such as support for a larger number of worms in a match and support for arbitrarily-sized colour levels. The latest update is dated on March 15, 2013.[4]
Steam release
Worms Armageddon was initially released on Steam for a limited time as the preorder bonus for Worms Revolution.[5] The Steam release included all improvements from the previously-released updates. This release was made available on 13 September 2012.
On 19 March 2013, "Worms Armageddon" was released onto the Steam store as a standalone game.
Reception
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Worms Armageddon was a commercial hit among many critics with a score of 87.71% on the GameRankings website.[6] It has also received an IGN rating of 8.6,[7] a Metacritic score of 9.1,[8] and is widely considered the best game of the franchise.
References and notes
- 1 2 "Gamespot Summary for Worms Armageddon". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
- ↑ "List of Schemes - The Ultimate Site of Worms Armageddon".
- ↑ Worms Armageddon Update Documentation
- ↑ Ellsworth, David. "W:A v3.7.2 Released". Team17 Forum. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- ↑ Worms Armageddon on Steam
- 1 2 "Worms Armageddon GameRankings Critic Reviews". Retrieved February 11, 2015.
- ↑ http://www.ign.com/games/worms-armageddon/pc-11326
- ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/worms-armageddon
External links
- Official game website
- Worms Armageddon on the Worms Knowledge Base wiki
- Worms Armageddon at MobyGames
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