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Wii | Strategy | Worms: A Space Oddity

Publisher: THQ
Developer: Team 17
Release Date: 03/18/2008
Genre: Strategy
Number of Players: 4
ESRB Rating: R/P
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8 screen shots

GRAPHICS: 3.25
SOUND: 3.50
CONTROL: 4.00
FUN FACTOR 3.75
AVG USER SCORE n/a
AVG CRITIC SCORE 3.8

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Preview: Worms: A Space Oddity Impressions

Preview by Ryan Perez | 01/17/2008 | 16:32:21 PM PST

Worms goes super nova on the Nintendo Wii.

The worms have discovered interstellar travel and wandered their way into the far reaches of space. As you play through the different missions, traveling from planet to planet, you'll encounter locations and enemies not of this world as you try and get back to Earth.

The game difficulty has been toned down by altering some of the features from previous titles, such as reducing the number of worms on each team from 4 to 3, in order to ensure better accessibility for casual players. Still, the game retains its fun, strategic elements that Worms' veterans are used to.

With the Wii Remote alone (no Nunchuk required), the velocity of your projectiles is controlled by the degree in which you tilt the controller back. Hold the B-button and swing the remote forward to lock in the velocity and get an accurate trajectory reading to show where your attacks will land. Swing the controller forward again, but this time release the B-button to unleash your attack. Several weapons in your arsenal call for different gestures when in use, such as the UFO (air strike), which requires you to shake the Wii Remote up and down to rain green alien bombs atop your foes.

The UFO takes over as the new air strike.

The look of the game is fairly similar to that of the previous Worms' titles. The new, cut-out style of the game is a fresh, Wii-friendly look while not straying to far from the traditional drawn aesthetic.

Each planet has elements such as gravity, surface friction, and atmosphere which can hinder your accuracy and how effective your attacks will be against foes.

The weapons are essentially the same as previous titles in the series, but with space-themed names. The bazooka, for example, has been renamed the impact frag grenade and has virtually the same effect as before. Some weapons have changed slightly, though. The guided frag (homing missile) is now guided via the Wii Remote and the laser blaster (shotgun) fires three red laser beams that are more accurate over long distances.

Swing the Wii Remote up to make the robo-sheep jump.

Original, bonus mini-games made exclusively to utilize the Wii Remote have made their way into the game. Each planet you travel to features five primary missions against the alien threats of that planet and a final mini-game challenge. One mini-game, for example, plays a lot like top-down aerial shooter 1942, where you hold the Wii Remote like a handlebar and steer your way through obstacles. Another whack-a-mole-style mini-game has you batting away tentacles that are trying to destroy your ship.

Overall, the game does retain its familiar, fun gameplay that fans have come to know and love, but I'm concerned the game may be too familiar and rehashed to merit the possibility of attracting a fresh, new crowd. And the mini-games, unfortunately, are a little disappointing when compared to other Wii games of similar caliber. Still, the game has enough breathing room before release to address some of these issues and make the title solid enough to attract people who have never bothered to pick up and play a Worms' game.