Worms Armaggedon

K. Fields
2023-04-16T17:03:47-04:00
Video Games

Long time PC video game players are probably familiar with Scorched Earth. It was an artillery combat game with a large variety of weapons. I played much more of Tank Wars, a similar game that predated Scorched Earth. The fun in either game was choosing just the right weapon, accounting for the wind, determining the appropriate angle, setting the power and … hopefully annihilating your opponent (human or computer). Another take on this type of game is the Worms series from Team 17. With its sense of humor and cute characters, Worms has thrived over the years with an impressive number of titles. I had always wanted to play a Worms game but somehow never did. I own a few in the series and wanted to start with one of the early entries. Worms Armageddon from 1999 is widely regarded as one of the best so I decided to begin there.

If you are familiar with any artillery video game, Worms Armageddon isn't too much of a stretch. The characters can move and jump, there are useful crates that drop from the sky, and the terrain options are quite numerous. However, the gameplay is essentially the same—choose from a big list of weapons, aim, adjust power if necessary, and fire. At first, I was pretty horrible with my aim and the computer opponents were easily destroying me. I've gotten a bit better with practice so it's gotten more fun as my experience has grown. The sheer number of weapons is a bit daunting but learning what they can do and when to use them is a big part of the fun. As a solo experience, I doubt I will devote that many hours into the game. Tanks Wars and Scorched Earth were best played with your friends. I think Worms Armageddon would be as well.