Worms The Directors Cut
.The first version of Worms was widely regarded as one of the best games ever. Not just on the Amiga platform but on any platform. As such, a follow-up was going to have a very hard time improving upon the original. Worms DC not only keeps all the best aspects of the original, but it extends the ideas and gameplay even further.
For anyone who has been completely cut off from the human race, (i.e. coders) and don't know what Worms is all about, here is a brief overview. You are in command of a troop of four worm-like characters. Your team can be pitted against other teams, either controlled by the computer or other players. The simple task is to destroy the other team(s) using cunning, stealth and sheer bloody violence. To aid you in your task you can select from a variety of weapons. Each worm starts with a number of points (normally 100), the worms lose points by being hit or blown up. When their points reach zero the worm looks you in the eye, says bye-bye and pushed a plunger to blow himself up and is replaced by a little cross. (Wipes away a tear)
On the subject of weapons, the first Worms had a large array of deadly and not so deadly weapons. The main default weapon was and still is the bazooka. This is affected by the wind and can take a bit of practice the get accurate with. The other weapons vary from the homing missile, Uzi, dynamite and grenade launcher to the less devastating but somewhat more satisfying fire-punch or handgun. All these are generally available at the start of the game and most also existed in the first Worms. You also have access to a blowtorch, a pneumatic drill and a teleport to help you reach otherwise inaccessible areas. Where Worms DC really scores is in the additional weapons the creator Andy Davidson dreamed up.
One of the additional standard weapons is the Sheep. Now ordinarily sheep aren't really considered as ordinance, but thanks to Andys warped imagination the have become a deadly weapon. All the manual says about this new option is " Sheep are fluffy animals." What you soon discover is that the first press on the space bar releases a fluffy little sheep which bounds gaily across the landscape, bleating happily as it goes. The second press on the space bar causes the sheep to explode with quite a force.
By itself this wouldn't be much, but there are "Extra weapons." These extra weapons really show off Andys creativity. Homing pigeons, Mad cows, Holy hand grenades, banana bombs, Sheep on a rope, Old woman and my favorite Priceless Ming vase are just some of the weird and deadly additions. These are the grin-inducing elements of the game. The description the "old woman" nicely illustrates the warped mentality behind their creation. Old women are described as sort of like confused, walking dynamite. Set them going by pressing the space bar and after 10 seconds of mumbling about the war, the price of tea etc., they will explode.
The samples that play throughout the game add to the overall gameplay, from the "I'll get you for that" when you hit a worm to the "Oi Nutter!" when you inadvertently damage one of your teams mates . The samples are user definable so if you don't like the ones supplied you can always make your own or use some of the sets prepared by Worms fans. (Some of which are not really suitable for younger players.)
All this makes for an excellent game but there is far more to Worms DC. You can alter just about every aspect of the game by using on of the six options screen. These give you access to everything from controller type and availability of airstrikes to selecting landscapes and weapons options.
There are also loads of screens designed by Worms players to supplement the random screen generated at the start of a round. These vary from the obligatory South Park to the more unusual "blow the clothes off the model." The options available make sure that the chances of getting bored with Worms DC are very remote.
Conclusion.
The biggest praise I can heap on Worms DC is that of all the games available in our house, Zelda: The Octarine of Time, Fifa 99 , Lylat Wars plus numerous Gameboy and Color Gameboy games, Worms DC is the one that my two children play on the most. Nuff said. On a sadder note, the last section of the manual is entitled Bye-Bye. This is where Team 17 say their farewell to our platform. Lets hope that when (if) the new Amiga comes along, there is something as good as Worms DC to play on it.
Score 92%
by: Phil Ellis