Worms 2 Armageddon features a fun, easily customizable, and simple Multiplayer. However, don't expect anything else.
Pro and standard are typical Worms deathmatch stuff with only minor changes. Crazy Crates causes an insane amount of weapon and utility crates along with health packs to spawn. Other than that it plays exactly like standard. Ninja Rope Races involve the player attempting to use the ninja rope to manuever around a level the quickest. It's still a turn based game so it kind of sucks all the intensity out of racing. Forts is a mode where each team spawns their own fort and battle it out. Forts plays exactly like Standard except you typically can't get right up next to your enemy so it's a much more distanced based game.
For those unfamilar to the Worms universe I would have to compare the gameplay to pocket tanks...except on crack. For a quick sample go the website listed below or download the trial off Xbox Live. A fair warning though, the Xbox Live trial really doesn't represent the game very well.
http://www.download-free-games.com/war_game_download/worms2.htm
The first thing you do upon launching Worms is create your own worm team. The game allows you to customize their hats, color, graves, voices, and names. If you have a sick a twisted mind such as myself, be aware that if you go to play over Xbox Live with Worms named "inappropriately" the game will censor your team, and force you to play as one of the default teams. I was impressed with the level of customization, and even more attire can be unlocked by using points earned from completing single player missions.
The single player, as previously mentioned, features 35 missions. 30 missions can be played out of the box. The last 5 must be unlocked using points earned by completing Single Player missions. The single player missions mostly feature Worm style deathmatch which simply invovles you attempting to kill. The second type of single player missions are puzzle like in nature and the enemy worm won't even try to kill you he'll simply complete his turn. These puzzle type missions can be mind numbingly simple at times, and yet at other times they can be some of the more frustrating missions.
The puzzle type missions can be frustrating at times, because they usually require you to set up a scenario a certain way before attempting to do the puzzle. You typically only have one of every item you need so If you fail to complete the puzzle. You must restart the level, and set up the whole scenario again before even attempting. It's time consuming and unentertaining.
The Deathmatch type missions can also be a mixed bag. At certain times the enemy worm AI can throw grenades and shoot rockets to a frustratingly accurate degree. At other times, the AI can be so thick that it will commit suicide mutliple times. The degree of difficulty especially from missions 25-35 is quite high. If you're not ready for a challenge, these missions will cause you to lose your temper.
Overall, the single player is !NOT! worthy of a purchase. The only reason to purchase this title is for the mutiplayer.
The multiplayer has given me probably 10+ hours of fun alone with friends. The humor in this game really makes the experience very enjoyable. Throwing a "Holy Hand Gernade" at your friend and listening to the choir sing Halleluiah as he gets blown away is quite entertaining. There are numerous crazy weapons in the game that are just hilarious to use. For instance, there is the Concrete Donkey, Super Sheep, and the ability to call in an Armageddon. The game has a fairly easy learning curve. So it's easy to bring over to a friends house for some fun. The humor and the multiplayer action is easily Worms 2 Armageddon biggest strengths.
One of the best things my friends and I just found out about worms is that you can create your own multiplayer modes. You can customize the games weapons, decide whether you want to be your worms to move or not, what turns the weapons unlock at, do crates spawn, are there mines on the maps, etc. You can only plays these in private matches, and local match but it's still great.
However, there are a fair amount of negatives concerning the multiplayer. First off, there are NO, not even one map that was created specifically for multiplayer. The uses a random map generator tool that often creates crap for maps. You can choose to skip the map until you've found one you've liked, but you're only allowed to skip 3 times over Xbox Live. Also, there just don't seem to be that many people playing over Xbox Live. I'm always prompted to make my own match because the game "can't find one." Also, this game froze up on me multiple times online causing me to have to restart my whole 360.
This was my first Worms game, and I have to say I am pleasantly surprised. I really do enjoy this game and I would reccomend purchasing it for $10 if you have friends to play the local multiplayer or over Xbox Live with. Be wary though if you're planning are trying to get a good single player experience or going to attempt playing this game over Xbox Live by yourself..This probably isn't the game for you.
Postives
-------------
+ Great customizable mutlplayer
+ Funny
+ Easy to pick up and play, yet difficult to master
Negatives
------------
- Mundane Single Player
- Mutliple glitches and freezing problems over Xbox Live
- Random Map creator makes bad maps quite often.