Culture

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC (3/5)

“Ultimate mayhem?”, you say. How can this incarnation of Worms possibly be the apotheosis of anarchy when it has only been rated E10+ by the ESRB? Worms: Ultimate Mayhem might be a misnomer but it's still Worms (albeit 3D Worms) and it is still fun.
 
The sheep launcher might be my favourite part of the Worms’ armory. Not just because it is a gun that shoots sheep which baa and run back and forth before exploding, but because the sheep are actually mini worm-sized sheep. The concrete donkey is an objectively lesser weapon as it crashes down through the core of a level, even with its insane destructive capabilities, because it is closer to the size of an actual donkey. All your favourites including sheep, super-sheep, mad cow and the holy hand grenade have made their proud return.
 
Sigh. Worms was better in 2D. It was hard enough, even in cross-sectional compost land, to arc projectiles in the right place under the influence of wind. Imagine playing a turn-based multiplayer game of Halo, but you can only use the grenades and their behaviour changes with the weather.
 
Worms is fun in the same way that killing a pet chicken is difficult. Remember naming entire teams of worms and assigning them some funny accent to speak with? It is possible to read so much minutia in to a team composed entire of “butt” synonyms. Ass is the techie, while Gluteus is the precocious, bright eyed youngster who is a touch headstrong. Thankfully, Ultimate Mayhem piles on the personality quite thickly, with accessories ranging from classical worm facial hair to piratey hands for the eponymous invertebrates.