Bomberman Blast - WiiWare Review

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Bomberman Blast - WiiWare Review

Game Info
Bomberman Blast

WiiWare | Hudson | 1-8 Players (local multiplayer) / 2-8 Players (online versus) | Out Now | 1,000 Nintendo Points
Controller Compatibility: Wii Remote (sideways), Gamecube Controller (multiplayer only)
Related Game: Bomberman Blitz (Review)
More Related Articles: See bottom of page

Review
14th September 2008; By Billy White
    When it comes to multiplayer games, Bomberman has always been a favourite. Whether playing with seven friends on DS Download Play, or connecting that dusty GameCube controller up to play five-player Bomberman '93 on the Virtual Console. When it comes to single player modes however, the game isn't so hot, so it will come as good news to many, that this WiiWare version is stripped of the usually dull single player mode (which was only included in the Japanese retail version this time) and focuses instead on the battle features.

    For those of you who don't know, Bomberman is a very simple concept. The basic gameplay is that you must defeat opponents playing in the same grid by dropping bombs. Once the bomb has been positioned, it will blow up momentarily after, killing players nearby. The game can get more complex, with power ups often appearing to change the course of the gameplay, by allowing you to perform simple tricks such as dropping several bombs at once, increasing your blast radius or allowing you to kick bombs out of your way. It's the overall simplictity though, that makes Bomberman so addictive and fun when you have the friends around.

    New features in this version include some great interactive levels, such as one where you constantly move at a very fast speed, one where there are loads of items encased in the middle of the screen and one where you can even be abducted by an alien spaceship and then shoot more bombs from overhead. As always though, the usual playing area is available where you navigate your way around a green level, with the only obstacle being the usual brick walls.

    As well as levels, there are also several unique modes readily available as well, with missions including dodging bombs as they fall from the sky and obtaining a crown that makes you the king until you get blown up. These offer variety to the gameplay, and are still great fun, despite being different to the standard game.

    One of the main new features has to be the updated multiplayer. With up to eight players on one console or online (with up to three local friends able to join you in battle), the game is most fun when you're against other people. This is all made even more addictive by the online leaderboard, in which you earn or lose points during online play to decide your final position (think Dr Mario), and the fact that you can always continue the fun when you are dead by throwing bombs from the side of the arena. If one of these bombs manages to kill anybody (despite their short throwing distance), you swap over and take their place in the game.

    In addition to all this, you can play across the ten stages (with two being unlocked very early in the game) as your Mii (which is unlockable after playing all of the stages once), adding a little of your own personality to the game. Plus, you can shoose phrases for when you win or lose a friend battle, and even select an action pose to show off at any point in gameplay. All of the extra features and classic gameplay adds up to a truly memorable WiiWare experience, with our only niggle being that the action can sometimes get too frantic when there are eight players playing at once. The DS version managed to do it, but that was because the arenas were split over two screens. With just the one screen, you can often lose track of what's going on, and then find out you're at the other end of the stage to where you thought you were, trapped between three walls and a bomb. Oops.

    Overall, if you're looking for a top multiplayer and online experience, this is the place to look. Don't expect too much from playing it solo, or you will be disappointed.

27/30 - Excellent

Gameplay 9/10  - A near faultless concept made all the more fun with extra modes and multiplayer
Presentation 9/10 - Usual cartoony fare, with some catchy music and arenas that you aren't likely to get confused with
Enjoyment 5/5 - This is the most enjoyable multiplayer game in existance and will keep you happy even if you lose
Extra Content 4/5 - The extra modes work well, but single player battles won't entice everyone and the text keyboard is a pain to navigate

Equivalent to a score of 90% (percentage score is approximate and based solely on the previously stated rating)

Bomberman Blast

Related Game

Bomberman Blitz

Review by Billy White | How we rate games

Comments

Billy White - 14 Sep 2008 04:14

If you're online and you see Mr T doing the twirl pose during the game, that's me!