<s>
Worms	B-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1997	O
artillery	B-Application
tactical	B-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Team17	O
and	O
released	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Worms	B-Application
series	I-Application
and	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
the	O
1995	O
game	O
Worms	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
,	O
players	O
control	O
their	O
team	O
of	O
worms	B-Application
in	O
combat	O
against	O
each	O
other	O
,	O
using	O
a	O
wide	O
collection	O
of	O
rockets	O
,	O
grenades	O
,	O
firearms	O
,	O
explosives	O
,	O
and	O
air	O
strikes	O
,	O
some	O
eclectic	O
and	O
others	O
bizarre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
as	O
with	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
objective	O
is	O
to	O
eliminate	O
all	O
opposing	O
worms	B-Application
and	O
become	O
the	O
sole	O
surviving	O
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worms	B-Application
2	I-Application
contains	O
many	O
features	O
inherited	O
from	O
Worms	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Director	I-Application
's	I-Application
Cut	I-Application
,	O
including	O
a	O
level	O
editor	O
and	O
more	O
weapons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
improvements	O
include	O
supported	O
online	B-Application
play	I-Application
and	O
simply	O
new	O
additional	O
weapons	O
and	O
customisation	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
a	O
sequel	O
called	O
Worms	B-Application
Armageddon	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worms	B-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
a	O
turn-based	B-Application
tactical	I-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
take	O
turns	O
controlling	O
teams	O
of	O
worms	B-Application
across	O
two-dimensional	O
landscapes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worms	B-Application
are	O
randomly	O
placed	O
across	O
the	O
landscape	O
at	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
each	O
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
a	O
single	O
turn	O
,	O
a	O
player	O
can	O
move	O
only	O
one	O
of	O
their	O
team	O
's	O
worms	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worms	B-Application
can	O
crawl	O
and	O
jump	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
swing	O
by	O
ninja-rope	O
,	O
parachute	O
,	O
teleport	O
,	O
and	O
bungee	O
when	O
the	O
appropriate	O
items	O
are	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
objective	O
of	O
a	O
traditional	O
match	O
or	O
campaign	O
mission	O
is	O
to	O
defeat	O
all	O
opposing	O
teams	O
by	O
killing	O
their	O
worms	B-Application
and	O
become	O
the	O
last	O
surviving	O
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worms	B-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
primarily	O
played	O
in	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
total	O
of	O
only	O
no	O
more	O
than	O
18	O
worms	B-Application
may	O
be	O
present	O
on	O
any	O
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
team	O
placed	O
in	O
the	O
roster	O
begins	O
with	O
an	O
equal	O
number	O
of	O
worms	B-Application
,	O
each	O
with	O
an	O
equal	O
amount	O
of	O
specified	O
health	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
options	O
,	O
two	O
other	O
crates	O
may	O
spawn	O
,	O
including	O
first-aid	O
crates	O
that	O
heal	O
worms	B-Application
and	O
booby-trapped	O
crates	O
disguised	O
as	O
weapon	O
crates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
team	O
has	O
its	O
own	O
name	O
and	O
includes	O
eight	O
individually	O
named	O
worms	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
also	O
change	O
or	O
create	O
the	O
team	O
's	O
voice	O
set	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worms	B-Application
2	I-Application
includes	O
both	O
weapon	O
and	O
option	O
editors	O
,	O
each	O
offering	O
a	O
very	O
high	O
level	O
of	O
control	O
over	O
many	O
game-play	O
and	O
weapon	O
settings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worms	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
confirmed	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
in	O
development	O
since	O
at	O
least	O
April	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
at	O
first	O
meant	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
only	O
substantial	O
improvements	O
were	O
a	O
new	O
engine	O
and	O
supported	O
online	B-Application
play	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Worms	B-Application
creator	O
Andy	O
Davidson	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
aforementioned	O
improvements	O
would	O
not	O
be	O
enough	O
to	O
justify	O
a	O
sequel	O
,	O
and	O
he	O
also	O
wanted	O
to	O
bid	O
a	O
farewell	O
to	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
,	O
which	O
saw	O
waning	O
support	O
and	O
popularity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
do	O
this	O
,	O
Team17	O
allowed	O
him	O
to	O
spend	O
his	O
time	O
working	O
on	O
Worms	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Director	I-Application
's	I-Application
Cut	I-Application
,	O
an	O
expansion	O
pack	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
designed	O
for	O
late	O
Amiga	B-Device
computers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
two	O
simultaneous	O
Worms	B-Application
projects	O
each	O
had	O
their	O
own	O
separate	O
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whilst	O
The	O
Director	O
's	O
Cut	O
would	O
become	O
the	O
last	O
Amiga	B-Device
software	O
by	O
Team17	O
,	O
aside	O
from	O
graphical	O
and	O
memory	O
improvements	O
,	O
it	O
introduced	O
a	O
new	O
level	O
editor	O
and	O
additional	O
weapons	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Concrete	O
Donkey	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Those	O
new	O
features	O
formed	O
the	O
basis	O
for	O
Worms	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
and	O
would	O
appear	O
in	O
later	O
titles	O
of	O
the	O
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worms	B-Application
2s	I-Application
graphics	O
and	O
style	O
were	O
Team17	O
's	O
priority	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
believed	O
that	O
the	O
original	O
Worms	B-Application
dated	O
graphics	O
deterred	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
potential	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
opted	O
for	O
the	O
technically	O
better	O
SVGA	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
because	O
of	O
memory	O
boundaries	O
limited	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
to	O
only	O
Windows	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
do	O
this	O
,	O
he	O
used	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
,	O
but	O
later	O
in	O
development	O
he	O
used	O
Cambridge	O
Animation	O
Systems	O
 '	O
ANIMO	O
,	O
a	O
spline-based	O
animation	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
took	O
as	O
many	O
as	O
14,000	O
frames	O
to	O
draw	O
the	O
worms	B-Application
,	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
estimated	O
that	O
continuing	O
to	O
use	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
for	O
the	O
sprites	O
would	O
have	O
required	O
three	O
to	O
four	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
comparison	O
,	O
it	O
took	O
merely	O
months	O
to	O
master	O
ANIMO	O
,	O
and	O
after	O
that	O
the	O
worms	B-Application
were	O
tested	O
five	O
or	O
six	O
times	O
before	O
they	O
were	O
determined	O
to	O
be	O
complete	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cris	O
Blyth	O
was	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
full-motion	O
cutsceneswhich	O
are	O
cel-shaded	O
unlike	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
's	O
cutscenesand	O
along	O
with	O
Andy	O
Davidson	O
and	O
Matiné	O
Studios	O
provided	O
the	O
voices	O
for	O
the	O
worms	B-Application
 '	O
speech	O
banks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worms	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
published	O
by	O
MicroProse	O
on	O
various	O
days	O
across	O
Europe	O
in	O
November	O
1997	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
13	O
January	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
rereleased	O
on	O
GOG.com	O
on	O
5	O
September	O
2012	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
only	O
difference	O
being	O
that	O
online	B-Application
play	I-Application
is	O
disabled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worms	B-Application
2	I-Application
launched	O
in	O
Europe	O
with	O
a	O
shipment	O
of	O
200,000	O
units	O
to	O
retailers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
PC	O
Data	O
reported	O
sales	O
of	O
68,396	O
copies	O
for	O
Worms	B-Application
2	I-Application
during	O
1998	O
,	O
which	O
accounted	O
for	O
about	O
$1.88	O
million	O
(	O
equivalent	O
to	O
about	O
$million	O
in	O
)	O
in	O
revenue	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worms	B-Application
2	I-Application
received	O
generally	O
very	O
positive	O
reviews	O
,	O
being	O
praised	O
for	O
the	O
customisability	O
,	O
integrated	O
online	B-Application
play	I-Application
,	O
the	O
level	O
editor	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
humour	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
humour	O
has	O
been	O
characterised	O
as	O
tragicomedy	O
and	O
exemplifying	O
the	O
"	O
superiority	O
theory	O
"	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
humour	O
is	O
derived	O
from	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
inexperienced	O
players	O
often	O
hurt	O
their	O
own	O
worms	B-Application
unintentionally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Martin	O
E	O
.	O
Cirulis	O
of	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
could	O
become	O
boring	O
if	O
the	O
player	O
does	O
not	O
enjoy	O
both	O
the	O
artillery	B-Application
genre	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
humour	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
universally	O
agreed	O
that	O
Worms	B-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
best	O
played	O
in	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
single-player	O
,	O
with	O
most	O
of	O
them	O
citing	O
the	O
artificial	O
intelligence	O
as	O
the	O
reason	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Harald	O
Wagner	O
of	O
PC	O
Games	O
described	O
it	O
as	O
occasionally	O
being	O
seemingly	O
overwhelmed	O
to	O
the	O
point	O
that	O
it	O
will	O
unintentionally	O
hit	O
its	O
own	O
worms	B-Application
instead	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
remarked	O
its	O
skill	O
in	O
ballistics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Conversely	O
,	O
Laurent	O
Sarfati	O
of	O
Joystick	O
criticised	O
the	O
visuals	O
as	O
being	O
cute	O
and	O
the	O
worms	B-Application
 '	O
animations	O
as	O
being	O
"	O
tasteless	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
for	O
snotty	O
3	O
-	O
to	O
6-year-olds	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
found	O
that	O
apart	O
from	O
the	O
new	O
graphics	O
,	O
expanded	O
options	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
play	O
online	O
,	O
players	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
Worms	B-Application
game	I-Application
risk	O
finding	O
the	O
sequel	O
worthwhile	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
visual	O
style	O
would	O
reappear	O
in	O
two	O
subsequent	O
sequels	O
:	O
Worms	B-Application
Armageddon	I-Application
and	O
later	O
Worms	B-Application
World	I-Application
Party	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
style	O
continues	O
to	O
retrospectively	O
receive	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
association	O
with	O
Worms	B-Application
Armageddon	I-Application
,	O
normally	O
considered	O
the	O
best	O
title	O
in	O
the	O
Worms	B-Application
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PCmanía	O
considered	O
Worms	B-Application
2	I-Application
to	O
be	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
100	O
essential	O
programs	O
of	O
1997	O
,	O
remarking	O
its	O
achieved	O
feat	O
of	O
having	O
high	O
levels	O
of	O
both	O
simplicity	O
and	O
addictiveness	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1998	O
,	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
US	O
declared	O
it	O
the	O
30th-best	O
computer	O
game	O
ever	O
released	O
,	O
acclaiming	O
what	O
they	O
called	O
an	O
original	O
and	O
addictive	O
blend	O
of	O
action	O
and	O
strategy	B-Application
genres	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
humour	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
editors	O
named	O
it	O
the	O
best	O
turn-based	O
strategy	B-Application
game	I-Application
of	O
1998	O
,	O
writing	O
,	O
"	O
Worms	B-Application
2	I-Application
serves	O
as	O
evidence	O
that	O
sometimes	O
a	O
genre	O
's	O
salvation	O
can	O
be	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
unlikeliest	O
of	O
places	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
a	O
finalist	O
in	O
the	O
magazine	O
's	O
Best	O
Multi-Player	O
Game	O
category	O
,	O
which	O
ultimately	O
went	O
to	O
Tom	B-Application
Clancy	I-Application
's	I-Application
Rainbow	I-Application
Six	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
a	O
runner-up	O
for	O
IGN	O
's	O
Best	O
Online	B-Application
Game	I-Application
of	O
the	O
Year	O
award	O
in	O
1998	O
,	O
lauding	O
its	O
destructibility	O
and	O
powerful	O
weapons	O
.	O
</s>
