Worms World Party

Worms is one of those classic series that many gamers have fond memory of. It's also a good fit for the N-Gage. However, time may have painted this game in a better light than it deserves, because I see a lot of problems with its tried and true formula -- despite the title's big heart. It's not enough to make the end product a disaster by any means, but it does keep these worms from being all they can be.

The gameplay revolves around strategically moving your worm troops to areas on a 2D map, and laying waste to your adversaries with a vast arsenal of weaponry -- always wary not to leave yourself too vulnerable when it's their turn. It's a very entertaining, pure way to play; but there's also a massive learning curve. The huge number of things you can do is almost a detriment to the game, as it takes a long time to figure out how to make things work effectively. For a good bazooka shot, you must arch the targeting reticule correctly, measure your power, and account for wind direction -- and that's one of the most basic weapons. I mean, Pathway to Glory was more n00b friendly, for goodness' sake!

Training and mission modes are here to help, and help they do. However, they also bring up another flaw in Worms World Party: load time. There is no easy way to restart a level if you screw up (and screw up you shall). Instead, you must go back to the menu and fully reload the level. That wouldn't be so bad if the AI were quicker on the draw. It often takes one opponent 20 seconds to decide to sit on his slimy behind for that turn -- with you twiddling your thumbs all the while. They aren't dumb, mind you; just terribly, terribly slow. Metal Gear Acid handled this much better -- especially when enemies were too far away for their actions to be much consequence to you.

I tend to lean more toward quick or custom games. With so much going on, there's a lot to customize. For example, you can make an all-melee match, or use one of the pre-determined custom modes. For some reason, the AI seems quicker in these game types, too -- which makes almost zero sense.

You know as well as I do, though, that Worms is for multiplayer, plain and simple. You can play either via hotseat (which is buried in the custom game option), Bluetooth, or N-Gage Arena. Bluetooth and hotseat are both self-explanatory and amusing. Since the game is turn-based, N-Gage Arena support performs flawlessly. The ranking feature puts some incentive into things, and different skill levels can stick together to keep the competition fair. When you get two crazy players pulling out all the stops in the interest of carnage, you have yourself a damn fine time.

The graphics and sound fit the series' comical tradition. It's amazing how interactive many of the maps are, as you can blow craters into just about anything. I usually play with all sounds muted, though, since -- like most N-Gage games -- it's even too loud on the quietest setting.

As much as the game tries to make you hate it, with long waits and complex controls, you can't help but have fun with Worms World Party. Still, it's that jumping through hoops you have to do that keeps me from scoring it higher. However, I recommend that anyone interested in multiplayer or strategic combat should download the demo to see if these gripes affect you as much as they did me. You know what they say: Different terms for different worms.