THQ And Team17 Announce Worms On New Handheld Platforms

CALABASAS HILLS, CA, July 15, 2005 – THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced an agreement with critically acclaimed development studio Team17 Software Ltd. to publish Worms on the PSP™ portable entertainment system and Nintendo DS™. Retaining the same award-winning gameplay and unique sense of humour that has epitomised the brand for almost a decade, Worms brings a whole raft of new features and laugh-out-loud comedy to the next generation of handheld entertainment.

"The Worms brand is a huge global phenomenon shipping over 9 million units to date," said Peter Dille, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Marketing, THQ. "The pick-up-and-play gameplay is an ideal formula for the PSP system and Nintendo DS formats and will enable THQ to extend our leadership position in the handheld sector."

"Team17 is excited and delighted to bring Worms to Nintendo DS and the PSP system in conjunction with THQ," said Martyn Brown, Studio Director, Team 17. "Both of these new systems represent exciting new handhelds capable of delivering unique experiences both in single player and using the exciting wireless multiplayer capabilities of the platforms. We are developing incredibly addictive new versions of our classic game for existing fans of the series and newcomers to the world of Worms. It's time to dust off the Holy Hand Grenade and unleash some more exploding sheep!"

Source:

Press release (15th July 2005)

Pak of Worms

They're angry and have no feet. Don't let them crawl all over you!Are you worm enough to look a bazooka in the face? The classic Worms combat franchise makes its debut on Nintendo DS.Features* Classic turn-based gameplay * Tons of unconventional weapons * Battle via wireless LAN * Randomly generated landscapes and tough AI

Retaining the same award-winning gameplay, unique sense of humor and clever mix of action and strategy that has epitomized the brand for almost a decade, Worms: Open Warfare brings the big guns and comes to life on the dual-screen Nintendo DS.The second screen makes weapon selection the easiest it's ever been for the franchise. The top screen displays the basic gameplay: the battlefield and all its spoils and obstacles, the worms and the health of each worm. On the bottom screen, you'll notice a radar of the entire map, a timer indicating the seconds left to make your move and icons of weapons you have at your disposal. To arm yourself, just tap the icon. There's two screens of weapons and equipment for your Worms to use to destroy the enemy unit.The game features four modes of play from the pick-up-and-go Quick Game to Challenges. If you want to dictate the scenario, select the Create Game mode. When you're with a friend who also has a DS, battle him in Multiplayer mode.Up to four players can engage in wireless warfare with just one game card. The multiplayer game closely resembles the Quick Start mode where a map is randomly generated. You get to choose the difficulty level, setting for your battle (from jungle to space) and the type of Worms that will battle. This mostly affects the name and witty banter your Worms dish out to each other.No two maps are the same as the game randomly generates a near infinite number of landscapes in Quick Start, Create Game and Multiplayer modes. If you're up for a good challenge, see if you can take what the computer AI can dish out in Challenge mode.The destructible landscapes and physics of the game are such that you're often your own worst enemy. If you're not exact with your calculations and take wind speed into account, you may end up doing more damage to yourself than your opponent.Like other Worms titles, the presentation of the game is simple with solid gameplay, especially when it comes weapon selection. The replay value of the game will depend on your competitive nature and if you have human rivals you like to square off against. There are not an overwhelming number of options, so the game feels pretty straightforward.Bottom Line
Like the others in the Worms series, Worms: Open Warfare delivers a quality turn-based combat experience. It doesn't have a ton of options, but with the randomly generated landscapes and simple gameplay, it makes for a fun pastime on Nintendo DS.

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www.nintendo.com - Nintendo DS

The destructive annelids bring a whole crate-load of new features and comedy to the next generation of handheld entertainment.

• Return of the classic and acclaimed 2D turn-based gameplay
• Deadly array of weapons - bazookas, exploding sheep, grenades and banana bouncing bombs of death
• Take on up to three other players in Wireless Ad Hoc Mode

Source:

uk.playstation.com

Retaining the same award-winning gameplay, unique sense of humour and clever mix of action and strategy that has epitomized the brand for almost a decade, Worms is the ideal quality gaming experience whilst on the move and is perfectly placed to make its debut on the Sony PSP. The processing power of the new handhelds means Worms contains the best of aspects of all previous Worms games whilst at the same time offering the best Worms AI and most balanced weapons system to date. Plus with the introduction of a whole raft of unique features and laugh-out-loud comedy, Worms engages the player with streamlined gameplay especially suited to the smaller screen and shorter play time of a handheld device. Heralding a return to the classic 2D turn based gameplay, the easy to play yet hard to master gameplay makes Worms on PSP a match made in heaven.

• Classic Worms gameplay, updated, improved and designed specifically for handheld

• Fight it out in all new WI-FI multiplayer for up to 4 players. Alternatively use hot-seat mode and take on your friends using just one console

• Challenge improved and fiendish A.I. Worms in Single-Player mode

• Choose from a huge arsenal of your favourite Worms weapons 6 landscapes to randomly generate as you wish, including Jungle and Space!

Source:

www.thq-games.com - PSP