Worms

If you're into video gaming, which I think you are when you're reading this article on this site, it's quite nearly impossible that you don't know Worms. It has been released on almost every system, so it was no surprise we got a Saturn version as well.

For those of you who somehow missed Worms, I'll do my best to fill you in. Think of non-peaceful Lemmings, but with guns and without the puzzle-elements. Now try to remember that old school game Tanks (also released as Cannon Fodder - not to be confused with the strategy game with the same name). In that game you had two little towers in between some sort of mountain and you had to try, in turn, to hit each other with a missile, while you could adjust the power of your shot and you had to take into account the wind and so on. Worms is exactly that game, but the landscapes are much larger and varied, the Worms are able to move over and dig into the terrain and you've got a broad selection of avaible weapons.

The biggest problem with the Saturn version, as well as with other console ports of this game, is that Worms is a typical PC game. The graphics aren't bad, but they are really very small, which means you've to sit a lot closer to your TV screen than usually to see what's going on. Even then, the random scattered mines can easily be missed. The control is another mnemonic that you're playing a PC game on your console. Playing Worms with a joypad instead of a mouse slows the gameplay down. The game can be played with up to four players, but it isn't possible to play it with 2 joypads! You've got to pass the player-1-controller on all the time. Because one press means changing the menu's and just another press means shooting, you sometimes accidentally, sometimes deliberatly , mess up your buddy's turn. That's a bit of a letdown, because these kinds of games are most enjoyable in the multiplayer. It's also possible to play against the computer, but as usual in this type of games, the AI is a bit strange. Some moves are incomprehensible, while others seem to be impossible unfair hits.

There's a lot about Worms to be liked. I liked the tons of different moves which the Worms can perfom, the way they can mess up the landscape by digging tunnels in it, the funny sounds (the music isn't particular memorarble), the inbetween movies and the variety of avaible weapons (especially the 'sheep bomb' and 'banana' gave me a laugh - though they're very hard to use effectively). Overall, I had some fun with Worms, but I was finished with it very quickly. This just isn't the game you bought a Saturn for. It may be an excellent PC port, but the Saturn just isn't a PC. It also depends on how much you like this style of game, but I found the gameplay rather monotonous and tedious after a very short while. Worms excellent presentation unfortunately couldn't make up for it's shortcomings. Now that you can get Worms probably for free on your PC, this Saturn port seems rather superfluous.