Worms: Open Warfare 2

Worms: Open Warfare 2 from 2007 builds on the series' successful handheld debut and adds new weapons, an improved terrain editor and more game modes. The PSP version was again developed directly by Team17, so it's a direct sequel to the first portable episode with the same strengths – a widescreen display, smooth analog stick controls and wireless ad-hoc multiplayer for battles with friends. The game thus retains the battlefield clarity that lets you accurately judge a projectile's trajectory even across the whole screen.

Compared to the first game, players can now customize the battlefield's appearance in more detail, and the weapon roster has grown with several new additions that change combat tactics – players thus have more room to experiment with combinations of explosives and movement tools like the rope or the teleport. The campaign offers a longer series of missions and unlockable content that motivates continued play even after mastering the basic mechanics, and new game modes expand the options for short, casual matches between one trip and the next.

At the time, the PSP version was rated as more mature and technically cleaner than the simultaneously released Nintendo DS version, which was developed by a different studio, Two Tribes. The different development team led to a different take on controls and visuals, so despite sharing the same name and release year, the two versions offer different gameplay and cannot be considered a simple port of the same code to two consoles.

The sequel also includes an expanded selection of maps and environments, so the battlefields don't feel as uniform as in the first game. The player thus gradually moves through more terrain types, from deserts to icy landscapes, requiring tactics to be adapted to each individual map's conditions.

Why play: The PSP version of Open Warfare 2 suits players who enjoyed the first game and want more weapons and content in the same proven package, with comfortable analog stick controls and a widescreen view of the battlefield.