Worms: A Space Oddity

Nintendo console exclusive

Join in on an interplanetary odyssey that's odder than any oddity you can imagine! Retaining the classic turn based gameplay, stylized environments and humor synonymous with the brand, Worms: Wii brings players closer to the game than ever before! Taking advantage of the Wii Remote with a redesigned control scheme, players will launch attacks with unique Worms's weaponry via a wide range of gesture-based maneuvers. Now everyone can join in the all new single and multiplayer experiences of Worms: A Space Oddity, enjoy a host of new Worms party games, and take on friends in classic Worms matches.

Released: 18 March 2008
Platforms: Wii Java virtual machine
Genres: Artillery Puzzle Strategy Turn-based strategy
Developers: Team17
Publishers: THQ
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Science fiction
Country: United Kingdom England
Age ratings: ESRB E10+

About

Worms: A Space Oddity is an artillery tactical video game developed by Team17 and published by THQ for exclusively on the Wii. It was released on March 18, 2008 in North America, with other regions following shortly afterwards.

Keywords

minigames
death
time limit
worm
talking animals
sheep
tactical turn-based combat
destructible environment
air strike

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Worms: A Space Oddity uses gesture based controls which allow players to launch various attacks. The game is rendered in 2D. The name is a reference to both 2001: A Space Odyssey and David Bowie's song "Space Oddity".

The game is set in space itself, with the usual arsenal of weapons being updated to suit. There are 6 themes included, namely Cavernia, Tenticlia, Frostal, Kaputzol, Mechanopolis and Earth. The worms are customizable in terms of skin color and helmet style, as in Worms: Open Warfare 2.

Development

Worms: A Space Oddity was announced with plans to utilize a Wi-Fi connection and feature downloadable content. Team17 later scrapped the idea of network play, with the publisher stating that it would be better if the players were able to taunt each other and play face-to-face.

Reception

Worms: A Space Oddity received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. While Eurogamer claimed that the gesture-based control is gimmicky and unreliable, most review sites said just the opposite, with IGN noting that "the first DS Worms... was drastically hurt by a sloppy control method, but that is entirely not the case this time around", and 1UP.com commenting that "the Wii motion controls are initially as friendly as a Rancor beast, but they're just as easily conquered", and "after a few Wiimote stabs, swings, and pumps, you'll probably never want to go back to traditional button-pressing controls".