Real worms seem interested only in baking to a crisp on your driveway, but Worms Revolution’s invertebrates are armed to the teeth and ready to murder one another on 2.5D cartoon battlefields.
Upgraded graphics aren’t the only adjustment in the latest chapter of this long-running series. Now you’ll recruit squirming forces from four distinct classes: Scouts (move faster and jump farther), Heavies (endure and inflict more damage), Scientists (slowly heal everyone), and more balanced Soldiers.
Classes don’t make an enormous difference in practice, but Revolution is more about destructive toys than squad-building. Mostly familiar weapons include everything from bazookas and air strikes to hilarious super-sheep and banana bombs. Plus, a new focus on water gives you other ways to eliminate enemies: blast drainage below an elevated water pocket (or use new weapons like a water strike or water bomb), and the rushing liquid may drown your foes or carry them away altogether.
Some pervasive problems drape a wet blanket across every mode, though. The needlessly twitchy camera makes precise movement and planning a real pain, while, as in previous Worms games, slow-moving A.I. opponents too often exhibit ridiculously precise aim, or waste turns firing shotguns at solid earth. Heck, some gear doesn’t even indicate which buttons you need to push, which reduces early attempts with some gadgets to bad slapstick and discourages experimentation.
None of these issues ruin the tried-and-true fun of four-way deathmatch, but after so many years, we expected more refinement.
The game lets you customize troops by dressing them up in accessories like hats, mustaches, and glasses. You can also choose from a variety of quip-filled voiceover collections.PUBLISHER: Warner Bros. • DEVELOPER: Team17 Digital Limited • ESRB: Everyone 10+ • MULTIPLAYER: 4 on same screen or Xbox Live • ACHIEVEMENTS: Slow • COST: 1,200 Microsoft Points ($15) • RELEASE DATE: October 10, 2012
+ Charming new 2.5D graphics; lots of weapons and gadgets; new classes inject a bit of unit variety.
+ Multiplayer is familiar fun; new dynamic water hazards; worms have silly banter.
– Inexplicably jerky camera; oddly inconsistent controls; annoying A.I. opponents.
? Why do shotguns work so well at long range?
