Hands on with Worms 2008: A Space Oddity on mobile
These invertebrates have got a bone to pick with you
A quick anecdote. Many many years ago, when I was at university, the hot new thing in anti-piracy measures for PC games was to print hundreds of codes on coloured paper in similarly-coloured print (so you couldn't photocopy it, see), and make you type one in whenever loading up a game.
Only one person in my entire hall of residence had actually paid for the PC game Worms, so they left the codes pinned to the noticeboard outside their door, to allow the several dozen people who'd copied it to get a code on demand.
It worked well, until the Worms-owner went off for the weekend, forgetting to leave the codes leaflet pinned to their door. Cue mass outrage, until someone clambered round and in their fourth-floor window to retrieve them.
Yes, and? Well, it just goes to show that the original Worms was addictive enough to get people risking life and limb to get their fix. And that's something that's translated to the more recent mobile version of the game by THQ Wireless.
However, it's getting on a bit now, so the publisher is giving it a refresh with Worms 2008: A Space Oddity. It's an all-new version of the game with a space theme, but gameplay that harks back to the original. Judging by the preview version, it's set to be a treat.
Why? Well, it looks great. The graphics are still side-on, but they've been brilliantly buffed up, with cutesy worms, detailed backdrops, and characterful animation. It feels like a modern mobile game now, in short.
There's the usual array of explosive (and often silly weapons), including Robo Sheep, Impact Frags and UFO airstrikes. You can choose to play a Quick Game or Campaign, with the latter introducing some new elements to the Worms series: mini-games!
There are four, all based on retro games. So Invasion is Space Invaders (but with worms), Frag Command is Missile Command (but with worms), Astro Arrival is Thrust (but with a worm), and Rescue is Defender (but with… well, you get the picture).
They're cheeky, and break up the action nicely.
What else? Well, up to four players can play in the pass-the-handset multiplayer mode, and there's a choice of portrait or landscape viewing, if your phone supports the latter.
It's certainly looking good. Click 'Track It!' for an alert to worm its way to you when we review the final game.
