Mobile Game Review of "Worms 2008: A Space Oddity"

I personally don't quite "dig" the Worms series, mainly because it takes a LOT of practice to use the weapons to optimum effect, by learning the wind and how it affects EACH weapon. There's a LOT of learning curve, and the lack of help on the weapon effects doesn't make the game any easier. Thus, this game is the first to include a NEGATIVE adjustment.

For those of you who have played the Worms series, this game is really MOTS: more of the same. Worms series basically has 2 (or more) teams of worms tossing odd weapons at each other. Weapons range from normal "rockets" with impact fuse to timed grenades to det packs, even blasters. No direct-fire weapons, however, except astro-fist. There's also the teleporter, the UFO (rains a row of bombs), the dropship (a UFO drops out of the sky and smashes anything beneath), and a few others. They are all space-themed, but they aren't that different from previous weapons. At least the total is reduced to just over twenty instead of way too many.

The terrain are as colorful as always... Always a Worms trademark... randomly generated, yet always challenging. And yes, they get space-themed as well. And there are random new weapons falling from the sky too. In Quick games, there are first-aid packs as well.

In single-player, there is the quick-game, the campaign, the mini-games, and the custom games. Quick-Game is basically a randomly generated 4-vs-4 battle with mines and first-aid kits and random boxes. Campaign has you fighting through several planets in order to defeat an alien worm invasion of Earth, with different branches available. Minigames has you playing Lunar Lander (tm), Space Invaders (tm), and Defender (tm), Worms-style. And custom game... lets you set up a game the way YOU like it.

There is multiplayer, but it wasn't tested due to lack of a gaming partner.

I found myself winning after a bit of practice, but mainly by using weapons that are almost independent of the wind, such as UFO, dropship, or astro-punch, and rely only on shots that are nearly impossible to miss. I have no problem beating the campaign now, but it's not something I'd want to play again and again. The minigames are cute, but not THAT cute.

I did mention before, but I'll repeat. There are no explanation on the effects of the weapons. Some are obvious. Others, like "robosheep", are confounding (it bounces like heck). Thus, while the game itself is fun, I'll have to administer a negative modifier for the extreme lack of help.

All in all, Worms 2008 is MOTS: more of the same. They did trim away a lot of the excess, and tightened up the gameplay, and even the AI follows the 60-second turn clock nowadays. It is a competent sequel, but nothing really new.

Final Rating: 6.5 out of 10 (includes -0.5 modifier for lack of documentation)
Pros: same irreverant Worms style gameplay, big explosions and worms going ouch
Cons: severe lack of documentation makes the game very hard to learn, nothing new