GAME POW 06.11.09: Oblivion and Worms
Posted by Sam Pow on 06.11.2009
In this weeks GAME POW, Sam shows you all you need to know for Oblivion DLC, and gives tips on all the weapons in Worms!
GAME POW---June 11th, 2009
_________________________
Hello everyone, Sam Pow here, and get ready for another action packed GAME POW! This week, I'm throwing more Oblivion at you, and while Sneak King will not make another appearance, we will get to see some creative tips for playing Worms. Bring it on!
And now, I will sum up my ridiculous week of gaming. I say ridiculous because I went a little overboard with purchases. After returning from DC I was still in tourist mode, and I was a little loose with my cash. I bought Burnout Paradise, Soul Calibur IV, Worms (XBLA), the Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts DLC, and some Oblivion DLC. All of it is great, especially the Oblivion download. I got The Vile Lair, an in-game hideout designed for evil characters. It really inspired me to start playing Oblivion again, and make my character more sinister. So, without further ado, let's go to the article.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Deepscorn Hollow Mini Guide
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of all the DLC available for Oblivion, I found Deepscorn Hollow to be the most intriguing. Titled "The Vile Lair" in marketplace, it truly lives up to its name. Deepscorn is an underground fortress in Blackwood designed for evil characters. It sports a wicked assistant, a poisonous garden, and a coffin fit for a king. Read on to make the best of your experience with Deepscorn Hollow.
Since the area itself isn't very useful before you buy upgrades, I'm going to make a list of the upgrades in order of importance, explaining what each does, and why it's important.
7. Deepscorn Dining Area:
This upgrade is easily the most useless. It adds a table with some food on it near the bastion entryway. I believe it adds more light too.
6. Deepscorn Study Area:
The study area adds a room filled with books on the left side of the bastion. There are a few skill books, but beside that it just becomes a cool sitting area that's pretty well lit.
5. Deepscorn Storage Area:
This adds a bunch of crates, barrels, sacks, and even a coffin for you to put your belongings in. For some reason, there is also a silver claymore. The storage area is located in the hollow itself, near the underwater entrance.
4. Deepscorn Cattle Cell:
The cattle cell is a dungeon in the back of the cloister holding an unwakable prisoner, who appears to be a monk of some sort. The prisoner can be used by vampires to feed on, and since he cannot die, he can also be used for practicing attacks on. This addition really makes you feel evil, sick, and twisted.
3. Deepscorn Bedroom Area:
Beginning the top three is the bedroom. The bedroom is very useful, as it contains a coffin for sleeping in, and an alchemy area containing a full novice set and many ingredients. Among these ingredients is a nirnroot sample, which respawns every three days, meaning that it's the only source of recovering nirnroot in the game. It can be used in the "Seeking Your Roots" quest. Also noteworthy is that there is a chest of drawers in the bedroom which is very important. Once you have bought every Deepscorn Hollow upgrade, you unlock the Raiment of the Crimson Star, which is a better version of the armor you get in the Dark Brotherhood. This appears in that chest of drawers.
2. Deepscorn Garden Receipt:
This upgrade purchases the Garden of Venomgrowth, a small area filled with poisonous and deadly plants. These are very useful for creating poisons, and since you are an evil badass, you should be using poisons a lot. The garden is located at the entrance, where the log used to be. There is also an entirely new plant, called the Chokeberry Vine. Chokeberries have only one effect: poison fruit. Unfortunately, they are not zero-weight, like poison apples, so you cannot reverse pickpocket them.
1. Deepscorn Dark Minion:
This is one of the most useful, and definitely the coolest upgrade for Deepscorn. This adds your very own vampire servant to do your bidding. He can be commanded to murder, after which he returns with the victim's loot, and adds one infamy point. The upgrade also comes with the Minion's own bedroom, which is located to the right of the entry room. It has his bed, a punching bag, and the Minion's paint canvas, which is splattered with blood. Did I mention he uses a severed torso as a palette? That's right!
--------------------------------------------
There are all the tips you need to make the right decisions in what to buy for your new evil lair. Now, while we're still feeling evil, let's take a look at all the death-bringing weapons in Worms on XBLA.
Worms holds a little piece of my heart, as it was among the first games I really got into on GBA, and I can remember it still, with all its explosions and high squeaky voices. This week I bought worms off XBLA, and after many average games in years past, the franchise has finally returned to its former glory. In this weeks GAME POW, I'm going to do a short feature for each weapon in the game. Here goes.
BAZOOKA:
This is the most basic weapon in the game. It fires a single shot (but has unlimited ammo) that causes minor splash damage and can launch worms. Use this to your advantage. If a worm is on the edge of the map, shoot the rocket launcher in front of them to launch them off. Keep in mind that the rocket launcher is also very easy to aim, just point at what you want to hit and hold down the fire button until it maxes out.
HOMING MISSILE:
This is a lot like the bazooka, but it homes in on enemies. You simply set a point you wish to hit with a cursor, and then launch the missile. It takes a few moments for the missile to activate and start homing, so it's best to fire it in arcs. That is, shoot it up high, and by the time it starts up it should be able to accurately hit the target.
GRENADE:
Exactly what you would expect. A little explosive with a settable fuse. Here's a simple tip for increasing accuracy, though. Set the fuse time to 1 (using Y) and simply line drive it to the enemy, no need for throwing in the air or arcing at all.
CLUSTER BOMB:
This is just like the grenade, but it spreads several smaller bombs after it explodes. Use it like you would a grenade, and remember that it is excellent for use on large groups of enemies.
DYNAMITE:
For fulfilling all your Looney Tunes fantasies worms style. Dynamite is a very powerful explosive weapon that you simply drop. That's right, no complex throwing, aiming, and keeping track of the wind. You just drop it next to another worm and run. There isn't much strategy involved with this one, but I guess I could point out that I you can use it to:
A: Launch worms off cliffs
B: Make big hiding holes
AIRSTRIKE:
This weapon is very, very handy. Don't believe me? Well, it might seem normal to most, but skip on down to blowtorch and girder to see what I use it for. The airstrike is a barrage of missiles that rain down from the sky wherever you aim. Use it to hit groups of worms, or those in narrow corners. This is also useful for when you are not near anyone else, and have no jetpacks or teleports. Speaking of which…
JETPACKS & TELEPORTS:
These two are very similar in function, and therefore will be combined. Both provide means of transportation, but in different ways. Here they are:
Jetpack- Allows worms to fly over obstacles, does not take turn.
Teleport- Can move to any point on map, regardless of obstacles, takes turn, make cool sci-fi sound.
SHOTGUN:
The shotgun is a short range projectile weapon, and the only one in the game that can fire twice in one turn. Use it when you are close to a worm, but cannot use an explosive. Also good for finishing a match macho-style.
UZI:
Speaking of macho-style, we now have the uzi, another short range projectile weapon, instead of firing two shots, this one fires, well, a lot. The uzi is an automatic sub-machine gun, and can take on multiple close worms easily, though it isn't very powerful. Say hello to my little friend.
FIRE PUNCH & DRAGON BALL:
These are both pretty much the melee style attacks (beside the prod). The fire punch requires that you be directly next to the enemy worm, at which point you release a fiery blow so powerful it will echo within your television. Ok, not really, but it is good for knocking worms off the map and humiliating friends when they are on their last worm. Next! The dragon ball is like the fire punch, but it does have at least a short range. After arming, your worm will don his tiny invertebrate headband and then jump in the air and unleash a little whirling energy sphere that could only come from a crappy 90's cartoon. It is great for attacking enemies across ditches, or other places you can't quite hit.
BLOWTORCH & GIRDER:
Finally, the funniest tools in Worms. Use them in combo to create little worm bases. It's simple, use the blow torch to make a tunnel, place some dynamite at the end, and then girder off your new fortress. From here you can launch airstrikes (see!). This tactic is most useful when you are playing against a friend, and absolutely refuse to give up. They'll find it much harder to eliminate you when you're in your own hand-made bomb shelter (literally). NOTE: You can also use girders to trap enemy worms in their own little prisons. Once they are forced to use their blowtorch they will be vulnerable to attack.
PROD:
Now, the weakest weapon in the game. You may have tried to use it and thought, "I must not be doing it right." However, you were. The prod pretty much just pokes the worm next to you, and is useless unless a worm is standing right next to the edge (and then you could use the bazooka anyway).
MINE:
This one is very similar to dynamite. Read that section.
SHEEP:
The craziest weapon available for use, the sheep is a living, breathing explosive. Like something out of a terrorist farmer movie (if they have those) the sheep runs and jumps forward until you detonate it, setting off a large explosion with good splash damage. Keep in mind that it jumps often, and work that into your plan of attack. It can also cross small gaps, unlike many other weapons.
KAMIKAZE:
If your worm is down to his last few points of health, and his assailant stands nearby, there's only one weapon you should even consider: kamikaze. Kamikaze sends your worm catapulting forward until it explodes. This is great for creating bases, as it makes a tunnel and then a circle at the end (see blowtorch and girder). Try to space out you and your target so that you hit them when you explode.
ROPE:
The rope isn't a weapon, but it's still lots of fun. Use the rope to ascend to mountaintops and out of holes. You can also use it to swing around Spiderman style if the battlefield has a ceiling. Keep in mind that you can also use some weapons, such as the grenade and bazooka, while roping.
----------------------------------------------
Well, there are all the tips you need to start mastering every weapon in Worms. Hope you had a fun time with this week's article. In other news, my new column, titled "The Next Big Thing", will be releasing late June, will be on Tuesdays, and is currently scheduled to be monthly, although that might change to bi-weekly, depending on how long the process of writing the article takes me. Hope you're looking forward to it. Oh, and one more thing, POW!
