Call me a pervert if you want, but when it comes to games like Advance Wars, Sonic Adventure 2, and Mario Kart, I often enjoy, for lack of a better word, “playing with myself”. Now, this isn't as vulgar as you'd think, for all it requires is a console with two controllers, and simply involves playing an action-based Battle Mode in a turn-based fashion by alternating between the two imput units.
Don't understand what the heck I'm talking about? Still scared of my lame innuendo? Don't worry, because for the past decade, Team 17 has created a whole series of games based on this style of gameplay. Most PC gamers proudly describe this set of strategy hits as “Worms”. Sure, the series has been around since the early nineties, but if you are like me and haven't heard of it until recently, Open Warfare 2 (for the
DS and PSP) is the definitive entry in the series.
Gameplay/Controls: Unless you've been a dedicated PC gamer for a while, you probably aren't familiar with the Worms battle system. In a nutshell, you take a team of four military worms (hence the name) into battle against a similar squadrun, but instead of blowing each other's heads off all at once, the soldiers take turns moving and landing blows with a variety of items. While there ARE a few computer games that use a similar play style, I can't think of a SINGLE console hit that has used a similar concept.
But enough about the originality. How does it CONTROL? Well, the stiff jumps, sluggish movement, and buttery fingers that our annelid friends possess definitely take a while to get used to, but eventually they'll become part of the strategy, for you can't expect to simply “run N gun” your way through a mission. People have been telling me that the
DS version plays better due to the touch screen controls closely emulating that of a mouse, but even on the PSP, it's a fairly enjoyable experience, especially with the option to zoom out the camera.
8.5 
Graphics: These graphics are AMAZING, but not in the way you'd expect. Sure, there's a flashy opening cutscene that will catch your eye (along with a few more throughout the campaign), but where the eye candy lies is actually in the level design!
You see, each inch of the screen is PACKED with detail, ranging from small pebbles in the dirt to reflections in the icy tundra. I'll admit that none of this is done in the Unreal Engine or anything high-tech like that, but it looks nice nonetheless. Plus, the environments are 100% destructible, something that is missing from even a lot of next-gen games! Overall, I'll have to give the visuals in this game
9 exploding sheep out of 10. 
Sound: When I first booted up the UMD, I remember being presented with an array of “accents” that my worms could somehow “pick up” on the fly and speak in during battle. On most handheld games today, you're lucky to have any voice acting at all, so you could say I was pleasantly surprised by the game's inquiry, to say the least.And the music? It's by no means catchy, but it still fits the action at hand, and is by no means annoying.
8.5 
Wifi: Once again, the two editions of this game are at split ends, this time in terms of online interface. While the
DS game uses the ever-so-annoying Friend Code system, the PSP goes with a set of shiny-yet-ever-unpopulated lobbies. Fortunately for me, the latter's options made it easy for me to check out the servers. So I looked for ALL the games that were on today, and to my surprise, there wasn't a SINGLE ONE!
And that leads me to a pitch: The servers may be a ghost town in both versions, but it's gonna be WAY easier to find that out in a lobby system than it will be by searching for a random opponent. And before you mention
DS Download Play, let me remind you that it is full of bugs this time around. You might as well do “hot-seat” battles by passing whatever portable you own around the room.
No matter which one you choose, though, you'll have countless options to play around with, and if things become worst-case, the AI does a miraculous job of giving you an enjoyable combat experience.
8 
Replay Value: As far as strategy games go, Advance Wars has always been the best and worst of times for me. Often, I'd get bored with the campaign, get hooked on completing 100% of the versus maps, and then cry in anguish as I realize that I'm NEVER gonna get through all of them.
Then there's Worms Open Warfare 2. With it's unparalleled random map generator, you don't have to be an obsessive-compulsive freak to get the most out of the experience. As for the campaign and puzzle modes, they're fun, and do a great job of teaching you the ropes, but the series was always made for simple, arcade-like fun, and it's great to put in after a long day and have fun with, though those looking for a rewarding single-player epic might not enjoy this for very long.
8
Conclusion: Mixing the side-scrolling, item-based combat of Super Smash Bros with a turn-based battle system may not sound like a blast, but any devoted Worms fan will tell you that it most definitely is one. I got Open Warfare 2 for only $15 at Gamestop, and even though it was during a sale, I'm sure that you can still find it for a reasonable price. Possibly one of the greatest strategy game on any handheld system, it's almost like a Woody Alan movie starring Arnold Schwarzeneggar: It blends humor with guts; Slimy with smart. And that's what we all want from a strategy game, whether we admit it or not.
Final Score: 8.6 
Linear Mode
