Developer: Team 17
Publisher: THQ
Genre: Strategy
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 13 Mar 06

User Rating
10 (7 votes)

Score 10 (Best) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (Worst)

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Overview

One of the series that if you just saw on store shelves you would probably just pass right by it is the Worms's series. It never got that much attention, either from the press or from fans, but I suspect that it must be one of the most underrated gaming franchise ever. I never gave given it any chance before, but once after my first experience with it, I was hooked. The series' cute but deep strategy was a lot of fun to play. The series has continued on its success on this generation of consoles and is going to make its first appearance on Sony's handheld device the PSP. So how do the Worms do on the PSP? Read our full review to find out!

Gameplay

For those who have not played a game in the Worms's series, then first I should say that you have missed quite a bit. The Worms series has never been a mainstream series, which is kind of unfortunate because of how high quality most of the games in the series are. The Worms games are turn based strategy games, which basically face you off as worms usually with silly little plots that keep the game moving. Open Warfare doesn't try to add anything to the series, but just make an enjoyable experience on the PSP.

Worms: Open Warfare opens up as a typical Worms experience with battles feeling very familiar to anyone who has played the series before. One thing I was however impressed with in Open Warfare was the fact that this game seemed to have a lot more weapons. The Worms in this game seem to me to have a lot more weapons up their sleeve. This does help vary up the action in the game and does give some added strategy.

The one problem that I did have in Open Warfare was that it seemed as though the developers toned down the level of difficulty in the game. And in doing so I felt as though the AI in the game was rather sluggish. Where in some of the console games the developers seemed to have toned down the AI a little too much, and to me this kind of hurt the strategy experience. I started to become so accustomed to the AI strategy that it became more of a routine playing the game rather than strategy.

Worms: Open Warfare may not have strong AI, but the mechanics of the game handle great on the PSP. The controls were implemented very nicely, and for anyone who has or hasn't played the series before will be able to move around the games menu screens without any problems. The game does have multiplayer, but it is only ad-hoc; meaning that everyone has to own their own copy. Had they had online play, this game would have really been something special. I know that this review thus far has had some put downs on the gameplay, but the overall feel of the game is actually quite good. The game is generally solid, with a lot of replay value and some good strategy.

Graphics

Visually the Worms series has had a very unique and cutesy style that has been very popular with fans of the series. Open Warfare continues the same style look with very nice visuals, especially in the character models. The character models have a very distinct look, with a lot of color and animation that brings a great look to the game. The developers did an even better job with the environments in this game, which are much more varied than previous games. The game holds up well on the PSP, and I have to say that I was impressed with how the developers translated the game to the PSP screen.

Fun Factor

Worms: Open Warfare doesn't necessarily feel like a brand new game, and I have a feeling that fans of the series will concur with me on this. Open Warfare contains some good elements, but also doesn't manage to bring anything new to the series. This isn't so much a bad thing, because Open Warfare does bring a great strategy experience to the PSP. The series still does have some soul searching to do to see where they want to take the series next. Open Warfare feels like a game that just takes what has worked in previous games and puts it onto this version of the game.

Overall

I have to say that Worms: Open Warfare was a fun game to play, even if it did feel like a rehash of some of the previous games. If you like the previous games in the series and want a version that you will be able to take on the road with you, Open Warfare is a solid choice. When I got done playing Open Warfare, I have to say that I am interested to see the next outing of the series on the PSP or consoles.

Gameplay
7.0

Graphics
8.0

Fun Factor
7.0

Overall
7.0

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