ShellShock Live (PC) Preview

Like in most artillery games, the concept is mind-numbingly easy to grasp, but, at the same time, insanely hard to master. It's basically move a unit around (in this case a tank), drag a "ruler" to aim and set the propelling power, fire, watch where the projectile will fall, readjust the aim for the next shot, and hope that the opponent won't be as skilled or lucky. Without any exaggeration, ShellShock Live doesn't sway at all from that formula - and, to be honest, this really counts as a flaw.

Worms Armageddon had its cute little soldiers jump around, dig into the ground, do the Tarzan, or even teleport across the map, yet in here it's just move a few meters, aim, shoot, and that is it. Furthermore, and, again, compared with Team17's masterpiece, this lacks character, with everything looking pretty… bland. Be sure, however, that, despite the overall simplicity, this is actually a fun title - and maybe that's because of said simplicity.

In other words, this has a pick-and-play quality that's hard to deny, and, like with all good artillery games, is great for some quick multiplayer fun. Yes, there are lots of single-player missions, but those are nothing more than training sessions, which usually require insane precision, and thus become way too boring, too soon. Long story short, this is all about the online matches.

Fun or not, though, this is mostly fun in short bursts, because, as it has been mentioned before, there's not really much to do, making things feel a bit repetitive after a short while. So far, ShellShock Live is a decent-to-good past time. A little tweaking here (less luck, more strategy), some additions there (more stuff to do, more match settings), and this will improve. If there's something that definitely needs an overhaul, however, that's the level-up system.

Following one of the worst trends in "modern" online gaming, the available arsenal is hidden behind a system that requires some insane EXP farming, and that's for gaining the weapons alone, because increasing their strength currently needs even more of the same. That's a real shame, because it makes this less about skill and more about level, and, even more importantly, because there are more than 350(!) weapons here, with a great variety that ranges from simple projectiles, grenades, and air strikes, to attacks that create absolute chaos… and guppies.