Worms Armageddon

Worms Armageddon brought to PlayStation in 1999 the popular turn-based tactical action series from the British studio Team17, which had been developing the series since the mid-nineties, in which small teams of armed worms face off in turn-based combat, equipped with a bizarre and often absurd mix of weapons ranging from bazookas and grenades to exploding sheep or a holy hand grenade. The goal is to destroy all of the opponent's units before they destroy yours, while the terrain is fully destructible and shooting tactics must account for wind, gravity, and projectiles bouncing off surrounding slopes and structures.

The game combines black humor, exaggeratedly comic animations, and the worms' distinctive, still-recognizable sound effects with a surprisingly deep tactical core, where weapon choice, correct explosion timing, movement across uneven terrain using ropes and parachutes, and the psychology of dueling an opponent all matter. The console version carried over the extensive weapon arsenal and game modes from the PC original, though controlling it with a gamepad and navigating the weapon menu required minor adjustments compared to the mouse and keyboard the game was originally built for; even so, controlling the worms and aiming weapons was translated to the gamepad with minimal compromise.

Among fans, Worms Armageddon is still considered the peak of the series' classic era and one of its best-balanced entries in terms of weapons and game modes. On PlayStation it delivered multiplayer fun that works just as well in short skirmishes as in long tactical battles, and its humor and gameplay have held up over the years as a timeless classic of the turn-based strategy genre that players still return to today. A generous selection of game modes and the ability to customize match rules to one's own preferences also gave the game long-lasting appeal beyond its story-driven single-player content. That's precisely why it ranks among the titles that, even years later, can reliably fill an evening with laughter as much as with carefully considered tactics.

Why play: For turn-based strategy fans seeking the peak of the series' classic era — balanced weapons, rich game modes, and humor that, even years later, reliably fill an evening with laughter.