It all started with Tank Wars. Long ago I recall playing the game on PCs with my friends, trying to blow each other up. A few years later came Worms, a silly and innovative game that not only had silly voices and strange animation but also the ability to move around an environment. Now we have Hogs of War, the next natural extension of the series.

Hogs gives you a fully 3D environment with terrain, buildings, mines, trenches, and more. There are good ways to hide behind hills or trees, or dig in at a pit or trench. Like the Worms series each player has a team of animals armed to the teeth. Your pigs have freedom of movement in any direction, and can make small (if awkward) hops.

All in all this is a very fun game. One of my favorite parts is the advancement possibilities involved (being a role-player at heart). As you complete the array of diverse and interesting missions, you gain promotion points that you can give to your various pigs to improve their abilities and weaponry (did I mention the multiple career paths and promotion level?). This gives good replay value (finishing a scenario better gives more points), and also a feeling of accomplishment and advancement that draws you back to play even more.

Although it makes an excellent solo game, Hogs of War also plays very well with two or more players. You can customize the terrain (generating it randomly with a variety of parameters), and the teams. There are simple "Kill Everbody" battles and also more strategic objectives and maps. I really enjoyed how much I had to think about troop placement and weapon usage in the rich 3D environment while I was playing this game against my friends. Also, it provides a good laugh as you make your pals pigs perish.

Recommended: Yes