At its core Worms is really a game about causing lots of destruction to your environment and your foes, and in that respect the Wii seems custom-made for this franchise. Every weapon is controlled directly with the Wii Remote, and it feels like the game was built from the ground up to fit this functionality. It works really well, and controlling your worms with the Remote is not only intuitive and fun, it also genuinely improves the play experience. Jetpacking over gaps or unleashing a self-guided missile involves guiding the item with the Wii remote; this heightened sense of control is complemented nicely by the sense of unpredictability given by the gravity system. Detonating explosives, using assist items, and even controlling deadly robos are all taken care of with well-designed use of the Wii Remote.

Yes, Worms: A Space Oddity is a lot of fun to play at first. The problem is that it's an experience that is disappointingly shallow and just doesn't last as long as it should. To begin with, the title features fewer weapons and items than past games. They're all fun to use and controlling them with the Wii Remote is a blast, but the fact that you'll probably use -- and use well -- all the items that the game has to offer fairly early on in your experience is not a good thing. 36 levels may seem like a lot, but because there's a 60 second time limit on each turn and games don't last an incredibly long time, those 36 levels will breeze by. To add insult to injury, some of these levels are even taken up by one of a few poorly-done mini-game involving your worms. There are also some bonus features such as unlockable content and a map editor, but these just aren't as engaging as they should be.

But there's always the multiplayer, right? Well, not exactly. While the game does feature a fully fleshed-out local multiplayer mode, online multiplayer is conspicuously missing from this package. When we first got word of this game, there was the promise of online matches, downloadable content, map-swapping, and the like. But for whatever reason, the developers have decided to omit that online component, and as a result A Space Oddity just isn't all that great. Four player local matches are fun and hectic, but I'll be honest: most of the people I play with would much rather engage in a bout of Brawl than play Worms. The lack of a multiplayer mode really hurts the game and it's a real pity that the development team couldn't have delayed this game a bit longer to include a feature that may have potentially made this game a must-have.

Unless you're a long-time Worms fan and really love the franchise, you should probably take a pass on A Space Oddity. The game gets the controls right, and it's to be commended for that; too many times a game is ruined by tacked-on Wii controls, but such is not the case with A Space Oddity. What it has in control, however, it lacks in depth and replayability. Worms: A Space Oddity is worth a weekend rent as there is some fun to be had here, but you're better off sticking with the far-superior second DS iteration of the franchise for some long-lasting Worms fun.

By Joseph Catalanotto
CCC Freelance Writer