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By Contributing Writer Jimmy Payne Rating: Average Worms Armageddon is nothing like I hoped it would be. I was excited to play this turn-based strategy game at first, but my excitement quickly turned to disappointment. The only positive thing I can say about Worms Armageddon is that its control is excellent. The control configuration is probably the best set-up possible on the Dreamcast's controller, and there's nothing that will make you wonder what the heck the developers were thinking when they made the game. Worms Armageddon's control is good on the Dreamcast, but it's much better on the PC. This is mostly due to the PC's mouse, which makes the game much more intense because selecting weapons out of your inventory can be done a whole lot faster. After playing the PC version and being able to scroll across the screen, choose a weapon, and execute a move in five seconds, it's a little hard to stomach picking up a controller afterwards. On the game's package, it says something like, "Intense Strategic Action!" It's definitely not intense because it's so slow-paced, and there's also hardly any real strategy involved. The worms have about as much mobility as the zombies in Resident Evil, so all you can do is find the nearest worm and shoot a weapon at it. Most weapons seem to cause the same amount of damage, and choosing which weapon to use is a mindless task because most of the time it's painfully obvious (for example, use grenades when a worm is in a hole). The game's box also says that the game is hilarious, which I disagree with. I chuckled the first time I heard a worm squeak, "You'll pay for that!" but it doesn't take long for the humor to wear off. All of the jokes have either been done in previous Worms games, or they are the kinds of jokes that would result in awkward silence and an odd stare if you told them to another person verbally. I also found that the computer is too accurate. I don't think I've ever witnessed the computer miss a target. Even if everything appears to be stacked in your favor, an opposing worm always seems to find a way to kill you. It makes the game a lot less entertaining when you know that every single time the computer has its turn, one of your worms is going to get hit somehow. In the multi-player mode, only the first controller can be used, so you have to constantly pass it around to each player when it's his or her turn. There also seems to be a lot of lag in the multi-player mode, which is strange because Worms Armageddon is a 2D game in which only one thing ever happens at a time (in other words, the Super Nintendo could probably handle it). This game is pretty fun for a while, but the fun doesn't last long. I wouldn't even recommend Worms Armageddon as a weekend rental because you'll probably stop having fun with it half-way through the weekend. Send your thoughts on this review to jimmy@mastergamer.com
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