Worms 2 for XBLA this Wednesday

By Robert Purchese Published 29 June, 2009

Armageddon excited!

Team17 boss Martyn Brown has announced that Worms 2: Armageddon will arrive this Wednesday on Xbox Live Arcade.

As a sequel, this will offer extras, such as fire that spreads across platforms, concrete, donkeys, homing air-strikes, rope-racing, forts and Armageddon - a meteor strike that devastates the level below.

Worms 2: Armageddon will cost 800 Microsoft Points (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.60).

There's a Worms 2: Armageddon trailer to watch over on YouTube.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (50) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • andywilkie35 #1 3 years ago

    Armageddon hard just thinking about it

  • rhinoxious #2 3 years ago

    'such as fire that spreads across platforms, concrete, donkeys, homing air-strikes, rope-racing, forts and Armageddon'

    Shouldn't that be 'concrete donkeys' without the comma?

  • Dr_Wadd #3 3 years ago

    So basically, most of the features that should have been in the first XBLA release of Worms. In many respects this feels like a bit of a rip-off, it isn`t as though these are new features, some of them have been around since the days of Worms DC on the Amiga. At least compared to what Worms games cost in the past it doesn`t feel too bad.

  • spadge #4 3 years ago

    £6.80 rip off? Sorry Dr_Wadd!

    Given all the protesting about 1200pts titles, you'll note this is 800 and as such pretty good value. It's also around 4X the size of the original, which was limited by the then 50mb limit for XBLA (developed in 2006).

  • GamerG #5 3 years ago

    OMG AWESOME!!!!!

  • gourry #6 3 years ago

    Isn't it time Worms was retired ? I mean it was fun the first time but this game has been dragged kicking and screaming over every platform since the Amiga. Even Lemmings which populated every bloody thing under the sun (even the Archimedies) has had the good grace to call it a day.

    /waits for EG to tell me Lemmings appears next month on XBLA

  • samaran #7 3 years ago

    wasn't worms armageddon worms 3?

  • Domovoi #8 3 years ago

    Team 17? Oh yeah, the guys from that awful Larry game. I'll pass.

    /kidding

  • Ignatius_Cheese #9 3 years ago

    HAAAAALLELUJAH!!!

  • swede #10 3 years ago

    Check your hyperlink on the article. It's not a youTube one it's a facebook link.

  • spadge #11 3 years ago

    ...and before anyone kicks off, yes we are working things other than Worms, the new Alien Breed stuff should start worming it's way out next month... (couldn't resist). Note that this is a sequel to the game released on XBLA, hence the title (it being very much influenced by the classic 1999 Worms Armageddon).


  • WinterSnowblind #12 3 years ago

    This doesn't seem like anything that couldn't have been added via DLC. What happened to the rest of the maps and sound packs that were promised for the original XBLA Worms? After all support was dropped for that one, I don't see any reason to pay another 800 points for a "sequel".

  • JonFE #13 3 years ago

    @gourry:
    I think that Lemmings is a Sony property (but I could be wrong), inherited when they purchased Psygnosis, so chances of that appearing anywhere near x360 are unfortunately thin :)

  • Freelancepolice #14 3 years ago

    Tell me the salvation army are in.

  • spadge #15 3 years ago

    @Wintersnowblind, You'll find that a ton of voice packs were given free for the original, 1 map and 2 others at DLC since we had to charge for them (MS guidelines).

    This is totally reproduced, whole new physics, 2X the weapons, tons more game features. Not just a case of a few bolt ons.

    Try the demo, if you're not convinced, then fair enough don't get it. I'm not sure what people expect for £6-7 quid. The original has been around £3.20 for 8 months. It is try before you buy... It's the price of a couple of pints! (or less in London)

  • WinterSnowblind #16 3 years ago

    I'll definitely be trying out the demo when it goes up, I just feel you guys could have done a whole lot more with DLC, before moving on to a sequel. Although I guess a lot of people were unhappy with a lot of aspects of the original one.

  • Anthony_UK #17 3 years ago

    Meh.......Good as worms is, i'm guessing now that mean's no Battlefield 1943 this week :-(

  • Dodgymat #18 3 years ago

    Hey Spadge, nice to see you. I was going to register on facebook just to ask this, but I'm too old and untrendy for such a website.

    On xbox.com, Worms2 is listed as supporting 1080i, whereas the first one was only 720p. Does that mean the resolution is higher this time around, and as such are the landscapes generally bigger and the view more zoomed out like we're used to from PC W:A?

    Also, is there low grav this time around?
    Edited by 1 at 29/06/09 @ 16:45

  • jaec #19 3 years ago

    @gourry
    @JonFE

    ...and Lemmings did come out on the PSN didn't it?

  • Markusdragon #20 3 years ago

    Oh hell yes. Worms 2/Armageddon era Worms reborn!

  • Anthony_UK #21 3 years ago

    @ Spadge

    No disrepect was meant with my last post. I didn't realise you were a member of Team 17. Myself and my friends will be downloading this without fail as we've grown up on the series since the Amiga days!

    I just happen to be a massive Battlefield fan.....

  • chiz #22 3 years ago

    Armageddon my credit card out

  • Domovoi #23 3 years ago

    Screw Battlefield, this means there's no Monkey Island this week. That's much worse.

  • Monkey_Puncher #24 3 years ago

    Yes, I feel completly ripped off having to pay a massive 800 points for another copy of Worms that I'll most likely end up playing a hell of a lot more than I have done a lot of my full retail games /sarcasm

    Amazing price for the amount of content in the game, I can't wait!

  • brappbrap #25 3 years ago

    Hoo-rah
    I think this might have been my favourite version of Worms

  • spadge #26 3 years ago

    @Wintersnowblind - when we did the first game, we had limitations of space, combined with creating a more leaner game for what was an experiment in audience terms (XBLA) the game has been really successful over the last 27 months and we've listened to a ton of feedback. Hopefully this game addresses that. Given the price of games on there (£6-7) and the fact you get to try before you buy, it's not a bad place to be. DLC doesn't always work out for developers as the take up is not always great.

    @Dodgymat - I don't think theres a huge difference in level size, but the landscapes are really different this time. No low grav, sorry. Our research showed it was rarely used and people hated it in online games.

  • spadge #27 3 years ago

    From our press-release blurb (still waiting to go out...)

    SENSATIONAL NEW WEAPONS!
    • Sentry Gun! Defend your position with this deadly guardian.
    • Electro Magnet! Attract or repel deadly metallic explosives with this unique item.
    • Bunker Buster! Use this vertical missile to dig out enemy Worms that have snuck away!
    • Buffalo Of Lies! The Donkey’s nemesis, this Trojan Buffalo will cause havoc!
    • Super Bunker Buster! Devastating below ground charge!

    RETURNING CULT FAVOURITES FROM ARMAGEDDON (in addition to all WORMS weapons)
    • Super Sheep! Take your fluffy flocking friend to the air! A controllable, flying super sheep!
    • Holy Hand Grenade! Hallelujah! The Deity’s weapon of choice!
    • Concrete Donkey! It’s back! As mad and wildly destructive as ever!
    • Napalm! Love the smell of burning Worms in the morning?
    • Petrol Bomb! This cocktail packs a mighty roasting for enemies. Lob one today.
    • Armageddon! Not quite the end as we know it, but it could be for your enemies!
    • Parachute! A roper’s best friend! Drop huge heights with wind assist…
    • Drill! Dig to victory with the pneumatic drill.
    • Baseball Bat. Whack out enemy Worms for a home run cheer!
    • Earthquake! Can you rumble the opponent?
    • Poison Strike! Germ warfare!

    NEW GAME FEATURES
    • All new high definition, widescreen artwork
    • Reworked audio-visuals throughout
    • Fire! Persistent fire eats and burns away the landscape. Hot stuff.
    • Crazy Crates! Start with basic weapons and shop as you go!
    • Fort Mode! Start teams on your own bases.
    • Rope Racing mode.
    • Massively enhanced & improved game physics & reactions.
    • Speedier, more direct gameplay.
    • All new high-definition audio (sound effects, music)
    • Speak your mind! Massive variety of comedy voice sets with many all new.
    • All new crazy achievements.
    • All new extensive customisation, Worm Hats, voices, graves, dances, colours, forts!
    • Uses NXE Avatars to reflect game status in game!
    • All new Single Player adventure combines death matches and puzzles.
    • Win tokens in the all-new 30 chapter single player campaign to win prizes in the game SHOP, unlock new landscapes, voices, hats and more.
    • Enhanced CPU AI for more challenging single player games.
    • Improved online handling, including host migration for network play.
    • All new leaderboards and leaderboard objectives.

    NEW GAMEPLAY LEVELS
    • 5 all new landscapes graphical types modelled on the original Armageddon style. Battle in Medieval England, Cheese Moon, Construction site and more.
    • 130 base landscape styles (compared to just six on original) for diverse play levels.
    • Vertical Levels! Play on tall, narrow strips or caverns as well as traditional ‘wide’ levels.
    • Mix combinations of landscape type, style, your own game rules and more to create thousands of possible levels and hundreds, if not thousands of hours of replay value.


    WORMS 2: ARMAGEDDON launches on Wednesday 1st of July, at an amazing value of 800 MSP.

  • Dodgymat #28 3 years ago

    OK that's fair enough, appreciate the reply. I've been doing my bit to spread the word here and on GameFAQs, am so keen to get playing W:A again I even went on WormNET over the weekend!

    (Won 2 games by a country mile btw, still got the skills apparently)

    Hope all goes well for the launch and you don't get trouble with the DLC when it hits, like that nightmare first time.

  • spadge #29 3 years ago

    Yeah, hopefully all in place and fine this time...

  • wellzy4eva #30 3 years ago

    I wish they did it as a expansion pack to the original worms XBLA, I'd pay 400 points for it...

  • WinterSnowblind #31 3 years ago

    Some of the new features actually sound really cool.
    Definitely not worth $800 though :p
    [link url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/w/worms2armageddonxbla/
    ]    http://ww w.xbox.com/en-US/games/w/worms2...[/link]

  • Dr_Wadd #32 3 years ago

    @Spadge - Let me clarify where I`m coming from on this a bit. The reason I say it felt like a bit of a rip-off is that the feature list that you've posted for Worms 2 is pretty much what I had expected from the first iteration. I've been playing Worms since the earliest days on the Amiga, and given what had been added to the series over time, the first 360 version felt like a bit of a retrograde step.

    I will still be getting this one when it is released.

    The comments about the 50MB limit do prompt me to ask a question about the way the graphics are handled, not just in this game, but in other 2D games on XBLA. I`m assuming (and this stems from total ignorance having never programmed for the machine) that the download sizes are limited to a degree by the need to provide good quality HD art assets. I seem to recall this being a sticky point for the 360 version of Street Fighter HD. For the case of something like Street Fighter (Worms may be doing this already) would it not be more space efficient to code a 2D vector rendering engine and supply the sprites in the form of vector data? I would have thought (perhaps naively) that this could save a hell of a lot in terms of file size. The same perhaps holds true for the music, how many arcade games are bloated my MP3s when chiptunes would do just as well?

    I now sit back and wait to have this suggestion torn to pieces under the weight of reasonable rebuttle :)
    Edited by 1 at 29/06/09 @ 18:17

  • Dodgymat #33 3 years ago

    Dr_Wadd, it's been well documented that the first version on XBLA was petty much designed to test the water on the relatively new idea of download-only casual games. It was meant to introduce the game to a new audience, and appeal to the casual market. It succeeded massively and is the #2 game on the service behind UNO (which from the off only cost half as much)

    Combine that with the 50MB limit Team17 had to work with and I'm not sure what you were expecting to be honest.

    This is the game Worms fans like you & I have been waiting for on XBLA. Like you, I've played every version since the Amiga except portable versions, and to be honest if this is even half as good as W:A on PC I'll be more than happy to spend £6.80 and countless days playing it.

  • smelly #34 3 years ago

    How on EARTH is 800 points a rip off?

    That's 2 pints of beer.. and will probably be much more entertaining.

  • smelly #35 3 years ago

    I got angry at spadge for the screwed up wii version (no online ffs!)

    .. But i might forgive him if this is good.. i love me my worms.

  • spadge #36 3 years ago

    Dr Wadd, that would make sense if we weren't hitting 512Mb of powered console. It simply doesn't make sense, especially when it was an experiment, largely speaking. Also, we had to localise in 7 territories/languages, which means 7 x the voice banks, that 50Mb soon goes! The high def images really eat it up too. There are always ways to compress but it simply didn't make sense.

  • chiz #37 3 years ago

    Spadge, I love you and want to have your babies. Team17 was the best thing about the Amiga.

  • Tiel #38 3 years ago

    Spadge--I think it is great that you popped in.
    Somewhere recently did an article with all your games dressed up as xbla downloads--I was so excited till I realised it wasn't going to happen.

    New 2d superfrog and poject x would surely be great. Sidescrollers are coming back--just an HD lick of paint and I'm sold.

  • DUFFKING #39 3 years ago

    Can't wait for this.

    I'd pay 800 points just for the original Worms Arcade with the new physics tbh :p

  • Winckle #40 3 years ago

    spadge i'm holding off for the PC version and I know nothings set in stone, but can I expect a similar price point? i.e. ~£10?

    I'm gonna be hitting the classic (ten years old! :o ) WA till this comes out. Best hot seat PC game ever :D

  • spadge #41 3 years ago

    This will hit PC, Mac and at some point in the future, PS3 (it's exclusive on console on XBLA right now). There's a chunk of DLC for W2A too, although not sure when we'll launch that.

    There's iPhone Worms later in the month and then our focus shifts to Alien Breed and the 3 other new IP in development. No plans for Superfrog, Project-X etc just yet. (GamesTM did the article)

  • Emortal #42 3 years ago

    Awesome, we're having a xbox 360 lan this weekend and this game will be perfect :)

  • spadge #43 3 years ago

    Cragtek no, but we'll release that as a freebie d/l.

  • BiffTanner #44 3 years ago

    Question is, does this version of worms allow you to go online with more than 1 person on each console?
    As I was a bit disappointed I couldn't play with my friends online with a friend who was also round my house, don't suppose spadge is still about to clear this up?

  • Jonny5Alive7 #45 3 years ago

    How much different is this from the original Worms Armageddon? Will it come out on the PC eventually or is it still a bit of a diluted version of the original anyway?

  • brappbrap #46 3 years ago

    I think this is the best comments thread I've seen. Never seen one of the development staff pop into a thread, and the replies have been great.

  • stephen #47 3 years ago

    Bought this from XBLA this evening and completed the download successfully but its not appearing in my games library. wtf?

  • stephen #48 3 years ago

    Rebooted the xbox and it showed up. Strange.

  • PinkSpider #49 3 years ago

    Tried the demo last night, just ordered it. Worms online should be aces.

  • jsnoopy #50 3 years ago

    Agree with bifftanner. The number 1 question keeping me from buying this game is if this supports 2 player on the same console xbox live support. None of the articles I have read about worms 2 have answered this question, so it would be great if you could.