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Worms World Party

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Worms World Party
PC Cover of Worms World Party
Developer(s)Team17
The Code Monkeys (PS1)
Fluid Studios (GBA)
Paragon 5 (N-Gage)
Publisher(s)Microsoft Windows/Dreamcast
Titus Interactive
PlayStation/Game Boy Advance
Ubi Soft
Windows Mobile
JAMDAT Mobile
N-Gage
THQ Wireless
Producer(s)
  • Lee Clare
  • Paul Kilburn
SeriesWorms
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Dreamcast
PlayStation
Game Boy Advance
Windows Mobile
N-Gage (both 1st[2] & 2nd generation[3])
Release
6 April 2001
  • Windows
    • EU: 6 April 2001
    • NA: 16 June 2001
    Dreamcast
    • EU: 27 April 2001
    • NA: 4 June 2001[1]
    PlayStation
    14 December 2001
    Game Boy Advance
    • EU: 4 October 2002
    • NA: 29 October 2002
    Windows Mobile
    3 October 2003
    N-Gage
    • EU: 15 April 2005
    • NA: 11 May 2005
    N-Gage 2.0
    • WW: 7 April 2009
Genre(s)Artillery, Strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Worms World Party is a 2001 artillery turn-based tactics video game developed by Team17, and is the sequel to Worms Armageddon in the Worms series. As with the previous games in the series, players take turns controlling their teams and using available projectiles, firearms, explosives, and equipment to destroy all opposing teams and manoeuvre across a specified and highly destructible map.

Although fairly well received upon release, the overall reception of Worms World Party has subsequently become mixed amongst the Worms community. Some found it to be an improvement to an already good game, whilst others saw it as being too derivative of its predecessor and not worthwhile for Worms Armageddon players. Worms World Party was the last two-dimensional title in the main series before transitioning to 3D graphics, with Worms 3D as the first fully 3D Worms title.

Gameplay

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Worms World Party screenshot illustrating several worms and some landscape deformed by explosions

Like its predecessors, Worms World Party is a side-scrolling video game involving controlling a team of worms and using a collection of weaponry to eliminate any opposing teams.[4] The worms can walk and jump around and use tools such as the ninja rope and parachute to move to otherwise unreachable locations.

The worms have an arsenal of dozens of weapons, ranging from longbows to bazookas and from fireball to Holy Hand Grenades. There are also an array of special weapons, such as Armageddon (meteor shower) or the infamous Concrete Donkey. Some of these weapons are present in the worms' initial arsenal while others can be collected from randomly appearing crates during the game. For some weapons, such as grenades, holding the launching key longer shoots them further. The landscape can be deformed with any weapon, forcing the players to adapt to changing environments. Also, in addition to the nature-made obstacles, the maps may contain land mines which explode when a worm comes close to one, and barrels which explode when shot, spreading out some burning napalm. These often lead to very technical combinations where, for example, a worm is first hit with a grenade and is then thrown against a mine which sets off another worm, which hits a third worm who slips into the water.

The image illustrates a match between three teams of worms in a pirate-themed map. Over their heads the worms have their names and hit points. The colour of the text indicates the team the worm belongs to. Each team can be customized by the player's will, including the language the worms speak and the headstone that is left when a worm dies. The worms can also be drowned, in which case no headstone is left. In the bottom of the screen the remaining time and the wind speed are shown. When the time runs out, the water level starts to raise on each turn, drowning the worms at the lowest points of the map (this is called Sudden Death). The wind speed affects some weapons. Failing to account for it may turn a missile back into the worm who launched it.

The player can play against the computer, or can play against people on the same computer or over the Internet or local area network (TCP/IP and IPX supported).

The player can set up many options and make maps one can play on prior to battle to tailor the experience. There are also single-player and multiplayer missions available to help refine the player's skills with the various weapons and utilities.

Development

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After releasing Worms Armageddon, Team17 had plans to develop a fully three-dimensional iteration of Worms, resulting in the 2003 launch of Worms 3D. Worms Armageddon was meant to be the final game in the series using two-dimensional visuals, but Sega approached the company and asked them to develop an online version for the Dreamcast.[5] Worms World Party is the first Worms game in which Andy Davidson, the franchise's creator, had no involvement since his departure from Team17 (Davidson later returned to the company in 2012).[6]

Worms World Party was ported to Pocket PCs by JAMDAT Mobile on 3 October 2003.[7] There was a port due to launch on the Gizmondo platform, but that was ultimately cancelled because of the console's short lifespan.[5]

Worms World Party Remastered

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A remaster of the game, Worms World Party Remastered, was released to Steam and GOG.com on July 16, 2015. The game is "remastered in 1080p and at 60fps", with new sound effects.[8][9]

Reception

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The Dreamcast, PC, Game Boy Advance and N-Gage versions received "generally favourable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[10][11][12][13] The main complaint in the individual reviews is that the game was too similar to Worms Armageddon with merely incremental improvements.[35] Mike Wolf of NextGen said of the Dreamcast version, "Even with the online issues, this is Worms at its finest – quick, easy, fun worm-blasting action."[31] Miss Spell of GamePro said of the same console version, "While true to the series, the simple 2D graphics don't push the Dreamcast's capabilities. The heroic music and the comic voices are the best part of the game, which isn't saying much. All in all, you'll want to let this one off the hook."[36][b] Edge called the same Dreamcast version "a purchase that can't be justified if you only plan to experience the oneplayer [sic] side."[37]

The PC version received a "Silver" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[38] indicating sales of at least 100,000 units in the UK.[39]

The same PC version was ranked Nos. 30, 70, and 94 of PC PowerPlay's top 100 PC games of all time in 2001,[40] 2003,[41] and 2004,[42] respectively. It was voted by about 1.22 million gamers as the second runner-up for the Mobile Game of the Year in the Golden Joystick Awards 2009.[43] Pocket Gamer retrospectively listed the port for N-Gage versions 1.0 and 2.0 as one of the twenty best games for the gaming phone.[44]

Notes

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  1. ^ Three critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Dreamcast version each a score of 9/10, 8/10, and 7.5/10.
  2. ^ GamePro gave the Dreamcast version two 3/5 scores for graphics and control, 4/5 for sound, and 3.5/5 for fun factor.

References

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  1. ^ "Updated Dreamcast release list". GameSpot. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Nokia N-Gage Worms World Party". Nokia. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 14 February 2007.
  3. ^ "Nokia devices to host Worms World Party". Nokia. 14 February 2008. Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  4. ^ Manual 2001, p. 32.
  5. ^ a b Day, Ashley (16 August 2007). "The Complete Lowdown - Worms (1995-2007)". Retro Gamer. No. 41. Imagine Publishing. pp. 74–75.
  6. ^ Dutton, Fred (2 April 2012). "Worms creator returns to Team17". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  7. ^ "JAMDAT Mobile launches Worms World Party for the Pocket PC". Hexacto. 3 October 2003. Archived from the original on 18 February 2004. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  8. ^ Makuch, Eddie (11 June 2015). "1080p/60fps Worms World Party Remastered Hitting PC Next Month". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  9. ^ O'Connor, Alice (11 June 2015). "New Treatment: Worms World Party Remastered In July". Rock Paper Shotgun. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Worms World Party critic reviews (DC)". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Worms World Party critic reviews (GBA)". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Worms World Party (ngage: 2005): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Worms World Party critic reviews (PC)". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  14. ^ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Worms World Party (GBA) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  15. ^ Nguyen, Thierry (June 2001). "Worms World Party" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 203. Ziff Davis. p. 100. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  16. ^ Kujawa, Kraig; Boyer, Crispin; Dudlak, Jonathan (May 2001). "Worms World Party (DC)" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 142. Ziff Davis. p. 104. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  17. ^ Hudak, Chris (7 April 2001). "Worms World Party (PC)". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on 23 March 2002. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  18. ^ Bramwell, Tom (10 May 2001). "Worms World Party (DC)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 3 June 2001. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  19. ^ "Worms World Party (DC)". Game Informer. No. 97. FuncoLand. May 2001.
  20. ^ Hudak, Chris (July 2001). "Worms World Party - Dreamcast". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 3 February 2004. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  21. ^ Villoria, Gerald (21 June 2001). "Worms World Party Review (DC)". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on 3 July 2001. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  22. ^ Provo, Frank (24 January 2003). "Worms World Party Review (GBA)". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on 4 January 2005. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  23. ^ Gouskos, Carrie Venetia (15 April 2005). "Worms World Party Review (N-Gage)". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on 21 April 2005. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  24. ^ Ajami, Amer (22 June 2001). "Worms World Party Review (PC)". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on 9 July 2001. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  25. ^ Tren (16 May 2001). "Worms World Party". PlanetDreamcast. Archived from the original on 23 January 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  26. ^ Leeper, Justin (4 May 2005). "GameSpy: Worms World Party (NNG)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on 24 February 2007. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  27. ^ Simply Laura (2 July 2001). "Worms World Party - DC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 11 February 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  28. ^ Bedigian, Louis (30 May 2005). "Worms World Party - NG - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 18 February 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  29. ^ Chau, Anthony (13 June 2001). "Worms World Party (DC)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  30. ^ Chau, Anthony (18 June 2001). "Worms World Party (PC)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  31. ^ a b Wolf, Mike (June 2001). "Worms World Party (DC)". NextGen. No. 78. Imagine Media. p. 86. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  32. ^ "Worms World Party". Nintendo Power. Vol. 158. Nintendo of America. July 2002. p. 149.
  33. ^ Cohen, Corey (June 2001). "Worms World Party". PC Gamer. Vol. 8, no. 6. Imagine Media. p. 74. Archived from the original on 15 March 2006. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  34. ^ Alt, Eric (21 May 2001). "Worms World Party (PC)". Maxim. MaximNet, Inc. Archived from the original on 15 June 2001. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  35. ^ Smoszna, Krystian (8 November 2004). "Od pierwszych Wormsów po Worms: Oblężenie - cz.4". GRY-Online.pl (in Polish). Gry-Online S.A. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  36. ^ Miss Spell (May 2001). "Worms World Party" (PDF). GamePro. No. 152. IDG. p. 78. Archived from the original on 22 January 2005. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  37. ^ Edge staff (January 2001). "Worms World Party (DC)" (PDF). Edge. No. 93. Future Publishing. p. 110. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  38. ^ "ELSPA Sales Awards: Silver". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009.
  39. ^ Caoili, Eric (26 November 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Game Developer. Informa. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  40. ^ "The Top 100 Games of All Time (#30)". PC PowerPlay. No. 64. Next Media Pty Ltd. September 2001. p. 48. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  41. ^ "The List - Top 100 (#70)". PC PowerPlay. No. 90. Next Media Pty Ltd. September 2003. p. 59. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  42. ^ "The Top 100 - PCPP's Best Games of All Time (#94)". PC PowerPlay. No. 101. Next Media Pty Ltd. July 2004. p. 57. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  43. ^ GamesRadar UK staff (30 October 2009). "Every Golden Joystick winner right here". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  44. ^ Pocket Gamer staff (6 December 2017). "The 20 best N-Gage and N-Gage 2.0 games". Pocket Gamer. Steel Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
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