Editorial Review

Top-down space shooters, so popular in the late '80s, have gone the way of legwarmers and Mr. T. With the influx of richly textured 3-D worlds and interactiveenvironments, old-school shooters aren't exactly in massive demand. But Armadafor the Dreamcast boldly bucks that trend by giving gamers more than just a rehashedshooter. Armada takes the addictive formula of breakneck shooting action andmelds it ingeniously with role-playing game (RPG) elements such as involved characterinteraction and a growth system based on experience points.

As a member of Allied Command, you must annihilate the destructive Armada whosereign threatens all humankind. But behind this simplistic premise lies a deep gameplaysystem, where you travel within an enormous galaxy filled with space stations,supernovas, planets, and a battery of Armada ships. Although you are assigned primarymissions, there are plenty of secondary objectives, spaceship tweaking, and statusbuilding during the nonlinear gameplay. In this way Armada cleverly interjectsrapid shooting action with involved strategy elements to create a unique experience.Throw in four-player simultaneous play--with up to four people onscreen at once--andArmada has plenty of multiplayer fun as well. --Sajed Ahmed

Pros:

• Loaded with elements of sci-fi, fast shooters, and tactical play
• 6 distinct races to choose from
• RPG-like credit system, where you earn credits to spend on tweaking your ship
• Create and name your own character

• The environments are muted
• Gameplay can become monotonous

Reviews (39)

A massive mistake!
First, don't get me wrong: I love 2D space shooters and RPGs. 'Armada' is a mix of these fine genres, but it's a very poor mix. It fails as a shooter because it has bad controls and poor action; It fails as an RPG because story and characters are never developed.

And here's the most ridiculous thing: this game has no end. That's right: after you beat all missions, you just keep flying on space, fighting the aliens as if nothing had happened. What's the point of beating the game, then?

This may be 'Asteroids' on steroids, but that is not nearly enough to make it actually fun.

A massive mistake!
First, don't get me wrong: I love 2D space shooters and RPGs. 'Armada' is a mix of these fine genres, but it's a very poor mix. It fails as a shooter because it has bad controls and poor action; It fails as an RPG because story and characters are never developed.

And here's the most ridiculous thing: this game has no end. That's right: after you beat all missions, you just keep flying on space, fighting the aliens as if nothing had happened. What's the point of beating the game, then?

This may be 'Asteroids' on steroids, but that is not nearly enough to make it actually fun.

Armada - A good game that could have been much better.
No genre goes back as far as the shooter. The first computer game, the 2 player Space War, was a shooter, with subsequent titles, such as the classic Asteroids, being more complete versions of that original concept. In many ways, Armada could be seen as a successor to those two titles. Indeed, control is handled much the same way, as is the perspective, but Metro3D intended for it to be much more. In essence, Armada could be said to be 2 parts Asteroids & 1 part Populous. If this is the combination Metro3D was going for, they did not entirely succeed.

While everything looks very crisp and clean, nothing ever really looks quite good enough to impress the fact upon you that you're playing a Dreamcast game. There's nothing here that couldn't be done on the Playstation, albeit with a bit of texture warping. That said, the lighting and translucency effects are easy on the eyes, and the textures are clean. Add to that the fact that there are quite a few enemies on-screen at any given time, and you have a game that looks good, even if it doesn't exactly tax the Dreamcast hardware.

Armada has an adequate sound package. The music is quite good, consisting of the usual orchestral science-fiction scores, that stack up quite well. Whether you complete a mission, get your ship upgraded or get defeated in space (at which time you're transported back to Earth) you are awarded with appropriate music, fitting each particular mood, as the soundtrack tries its best to give the game an epic feel. Voice acting is also quite competent, and in most cases sounds better than 90% of the B-Movie dialogue most companies seem to be going for (probably by accident). As far as the usual bells and whistles, there all there too. Explosions, weapons, alien screams, etc. all sound very good, not to mention quite loud. Another invaluable aspect is that allies can and will make themselves known, at which point you can choose whether or not to assist them in their mission (you will be awarded appropriately with a sum of credits). Whenever you manage to get the audio aspects of a game to assist in the actual gameplay, rather than just supply a mood, you know you've done something right. Armada delivers on both counts.

Armada's controls are simple and straightforward. You use the Analog stick to rotate your ship, and the analog triggers for acceleration (energy-draining warp engines, or standard sub-light engines). The D-Pad also is used, but not for out and out control. By pressing down on the D-Pad over an appropriate site (planet, space station, etc.), you will enter other areas for combat, or in the case of Earth, refuel and rearm your Power Pods (smart bombs). Pressing up on the D-Pad while in these sites will of course cause you to blast back out into space. While the system quickly becomes second nature, and is never too cumbersome to drain from the game, the amount of actions is probably a bit too limited (scan/converse, shoot, smart bomb, accelerate) for a game trying to be a "Shooter RPG."

While not a bad game by any means, the promise of a "Shooter RPG" seems to get hopes up a little too high, because when all is said and done, Armada is basically just an overhead, mission-based shooter with a few elements of role- playing, such as conversing with NPC's and levelling-up thrown in for good measure. The multiplayer aspects of the game add some much-needed life into a game that can get extremely repetitive rather quickly, but oftentimes it also can become frustrating when you have players who choose not to cooperate. Another downer is the open-ended gameplay, because as soon as every mission is completed, you basically have nothing more to do, and it seems more like a way to cheat the player out of a proper ending, than a "feature." As a shooter alone, Armada would have been a passable title, but throw the letters "RPG" in there, and you have a game that cannot possibly live up to the hype.

Armada, if a bit of a let down, was and is a good idea in concept, if falls a bit short in execution. Don't get me wrong, Armada is an enjoyable game, especially if you like shooters, but it simply doesn't deliver the role-playing experience Metro3D seemed to promise. Multiplayer is a nice touch, when used properly, but the open-ended game cheats the avid gamer who completes the game, from a more fulfilling experience. Unless Metro3D plans to have additional missions for download into a VMU or the upcoming ZIP Drive, this is a mistake. Rumor has it that Metro3D is already planning to correct the mistakes and provide a more thorough role-playing experience in the sequel. If this is true, perhaps then gamers will get the overall experience they deserved with this game. As it is, Armada is a welcome, if somewhat disappointing addition to the US Dreamcast library.

A really addicitve game.
This game is great. The graphics and sound are good. Basicly you conytrol a little space ship blowing aliens up and completing missions. The missions are cool but the thing I like nost is just flying around and trying to level up and make tons of cash. When my friends and I get together and play a four player game, it makes the game several times more fun. Don't believe the people that gave this game bad ratings. After reading thier reviews I can obviuosly tell that they didn't even know what they were doing when they played. "There is no RPG elements whatsover," my god people, didn't you realize that you gain XP and levels and can buy items. So don't believe them. Buy this game it is COOL.

Flat and boring...don't waste your time or money
I can't believe that a game this shallow actually made it into production for a system such as Dreamcast.

This game is more representative of the old standup arcade games from the 80's than the virtual absorbing games of today.

An extravagantly long game, Armada has ZERO graphical depth and gets boring very quickly. ... Read more

Features

• Roller coaster park simulation
• Design and ride your own rides
• Six levels of play
• Realistic physics engine
• For one player

Reviews (13)

IT ROCKS!!
Its an awsome game you can do the most cool roller coasters!!!!
If your not a rollercoaster lover like me you will still like this game,I love it!

Coasters RULE!!
You heard me I looooovvvveeee Roller Coasters. Here is a tip if u love Coasters like me get the game! If u think coasters are ok rent it. If u HATE(gasp) Coasters then stay away from this game. You can tell I have been on roller coasters and I have Roller Coaster Tycoon so I'm a Roller Coaster Freak! For those who don't like roller coasters try to rent it, for the rest of u GET THE GAME!!!

Coaster Works - Really feels like a simulator!
Coaster Works - simply two addicting words.This game is one of the first I've ever played ( I'm a coaster enthusiast ) where you really feel like you are on the coaster.The graphics are great, too!You have no limits ( except for height, but it can still be, like, 300 feet high! )You can go vertical, do any possible inversion, and the thrill is just amazing.
(...)It is SO worth it.I'm telling you, it's one of the best games I've played in my life.It's easy to play, you don't need any extra software, it's educational, and at times, it's challenging.Awesome!

Highly Educational
If you are an avid gamer and are looking for VERY DETAILED graphics and a HUGE plot don't look at this game, look at Shenmue. This is very educational because it shows the gravity and actual physics needed to create a roller coaster.

coaster works
i think coaster works is the illest game ive ever seen son.that means i think it was cool ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

In Worms World Party, players control each of the four wormsindividually as they lead them into battles across a variety of missionsand a number of dedicated online locations. You can use whatever weaponscome to hand to eradicate the rival worms. A wealth of weaponry--includingbazookas, grenades, and a sheep launcher--are available. Adverse weatherconditions can affect the trajectories of projectile weapons, creating agame of genuine skill.

Worms World Party features a new editor to create and edit your own missions. You can place them on the Internet for others to download. With 20 new multiplayer missions, players can now team up with a buddy on cooperative missions. Plus, there are 45 amazing single-playermissions--from puzzle style to real-time action. The Wormopaedia gives youan extensive catalog of weapons, tips, and mythology. Additional specialeffects round out this fun and addictive game. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

One of the Best on Dreamcast
If it wasn't for this game, I would have sold my Dreamcast years ago.

All Hail the Worms
Newcomers and fans of Worms alike will enjoy this game.Worms World Party offers everything a gamer wants.The point of the game is to destroy enemy worms, or collect certain objects, or a combination of both.It might sound simple, but there is a great deal of strategy involved.The one player mode offers a large variety of play, and will keep even the best gamers busy for quite a while.Also, Worms World Party is one of the best multiplayer games out there.It only takes 49 blocks on your VMU, and it's Jump Pack compatible.Selling for around 20 dollars, there's absolutely no reason not to pick up this game.If you're a Worms fan, Worms World Party won't dissapoint you.If you've never played a Worms game, you don't know what you're missing out on.Buy Worms World Party.You won't regret it.

FuN and FuNNy ...
I just bought this game the other day and i thought it was gonna be ok,but once i started gettin into it, it was great.The graphics arent the best, but the gameplay is good.The funny sounds and the way they manuever themselves is great.Blowing the ... out of worms, is got to be the funnest thing i've played so far.And if ya got no friends dont worry, hook it up sega net and play people across the globe.for only [price]this game is must, if u and your friends like blowing up worms with bazookas, grenades, miniguns, flying sheep a various animals.

Oh, why?
...On a 36" TV, the worms are still microscopic.The graphics, ... The point is to fight opposing worms.All of the worms look exactly the same, cluttering the tiny workable area.Any vast attack will kill your own worms before the ones intended. I tried to like this game.I played it for hours.Then I took it back to the store, where the lady said, "Not another one!"This game should've never passed the cutting-room floor. 1 star for the graphics staying true to the Atari 2600 origional.

Friend got homework, no problem
The long know worms game is coming to the internet on your Dreamcast.Using the modem you can play on the internet.The game is very cheap;...and game is so much fun too.(If you're playing with someone)All thou the graphics are not perfect, the funny voices make up for it.Team 17 does a great job on this game.I must stress that you sould be over 12 to play, the game does have lots of bad words.If you havn't played the other games, you will known what I mean. ;) ... Read more