| Worms 4: Mayhem review |
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As Worms: Open Warfare turned out to be such a crushing disappointment (on the DS at least) here's a look at a Worms game that actually got it right.
Worms 4 Mayhem is the second true Worms game to be made in 3D. The first, imaginatively called Worms 3D, wasn't particularly well liked because the added dimension made aiming and firing much more difficult - especially in the game's severe time limits. Well Worms 4 rectifies none of that. The choice of three different camera angles is still, at first, bewildering and aiming and firing in a 3D space is still just as fiddly as before. But with enough practice the game does become very playable and all initial fumblings soon disappear. Team 17 have included a decent Tutorial mode that, thanks to great characterisation, never gets as boring as it should, and there are plenty of gameplay tips dished out whilst the game loads. So Worms 4 is still as complex as Worms 3D but the adjustment time is much shorter.
As is expected with a Worms game, the core gameplay doesn't differ too much from the last instalment but there have been some significant changes in other departments. One complaint that was levelled at Worms 3D was that it was often difficult to tell one team of worms from another. This has been sorted out by allowing each player to customise their team with costumes like cowboy hats, moustaches and pink wigs. It solves the problem very effectively and also resurrects the customisation aspect that defined the original game eleven years ago. The feature is really fleshed out this time around and on top of the custom costumes and the obligatory custom names, players can now also create their own custom weapons by combing a number of variable attributes.
Another welcome improvement, that has been a long time coming for Worms fans, is the story mode. Where previous incarnations of Worms featured simple challenges for the one player mode, Worms 4 offers a full story mode that sees your team of Worms travelling through time and taking on all manner of strange Worm-folk through the ages. The change in scenery every few levels as the era changes adds great variety to the mode and ensures that you keep playing right to the end. Those who do are rewarded with coins with which they can buy new levels and weapons for the multiplayer mode. The story also rewards the player with several FMV and real time cut scenes that are genuinely funny and worth watching just to get to the level that is an exact replica of the clock tower sequence from Back to the Future - complete with DeLorean!
Finally, Worms 4 is the first 3D Worms to go online and through Xbox Live it becomes essential for all those Worms fans who (sniff sniff) can't find anyone else to play with. The online mode is the icing on the cake for what is undoubtedly the complete package that Worms 3D should have been in 2003. The customisation, vastly improved single player game and online and offline modes all combine to make the most comprehensive Worms game yet.
The presentation is pretty slick too. Worms has never been known for its amazing graphics but Worms 4 is very clean. It features a higher polygon count than its predecessor and throws in some very charismatic animations. Most impressive is the 3D terrain which, like the 2D versions is randomly generated and fully destructible. This isn’t an easy feature to pull off but Team 17 have implemented it superbly and without any graphical bugs or glitches. For this alone, they should be applauded.
Worms 4 Mayhem is the game that Worms 3D should have been. It is a much more polished product and even addresses some of the issues that have plagued Worms since its very first incarnation. It still takes a little while to get used to but is well worth the effort as the wealth of unlockables and extensive, addictive multiplayer modes will have you coming back for weeks and months. It’s certainly kept this writer occupied - after all, why else would it take eight months to review it?
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System: Microsoft Xbox
Genre: Strategy
Developer: Team 17
Publisher: Codemasters
Players: 1-4
Version: European
Reviewed: Apr 2006
Writer: Ashley Day
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Pros:
- Great custom features
- Fun story mode
- Improved single player game
- Brilliant new weapons
- Xbox Live, finally!
- Deloreans
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Cons:
- Controls still fiddly
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Worms 4: Mayhem Video: 3.1MB
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