Always a series that I've held dear to my heart since I was a kid trying to mow enough lawns to save up for an NES was the Bomberman Series. So, naturally, when I saw that this was available on XBL, I wanted to jump on it immediately. Microsoft has done it justice with a wonderful online experience for seasoned veterans and Bomberman rookies.
Gameplay
For those who don't know the concept of Bomberman, the goal of the game is to walk around an arena that is filled with opponents and bomb your way through obstacles in order to have the chance to bomb your opponents.
There are many different arenas to choose from that will have different things to worry about. The classic arena is no frills attached fun, just a bunch of bricks to bomb through. Some obstacles you'll run into on other arenas will include pitfalls, conveyor belts, and even floors made of ice. You'll have to compensate for each of these obstacles and learn to deal with them as you progress in the game.
The single player mode is fairly straight-forward, with the CPU enemies giving you a fairly strong challenge, although you'll find your enemies sometimes moping around and really not doing anything to attack you. You should cruise through the single player with little problem in order to unlock multiple achievements as well as custom gear for your own personal Bomberman in Live mode.
Speaking of which, the customization is something that absolutely hooks me on this version. You can add plenty of accessories and styles to your Bomberman to make him stand out from opponents over the internet. Of course, you'll have to put in a lot of work both in single mode and multiplayer in order to give yourself maximum customization.
Bomberman is fun even in single player mode, but multiplayer is what you play the game for. The greatness of this is that multiplayer can be up to eight players, all going at it in one explosion filled match. You'll find plenty of crazy power-ups along the way, which can be as small as "Speed Up" icons all the way to the dreaded "Skull" icon.
The more you play multiplayer, the more you'll get hooked. I play multiple matches in one sitting and have yet to have a bad experience. Most people over the chat lines are very laid back and just like having a good time while playing this game, which is a pleasant change from more heated games like Call of Duty or Halo.
Graphics/Sound
Bomberman's cartoony look works very well for your HDTVs. The arenas are nice and sharp while Bomberman characters are life-like and well drawn on the game itself. The music can be a bit annoying at times, but you'll find yourself really not paying attention to it as the course of a match goes on, mainly because you'll be concentrating quite a bit on getting your opponents and not blowing yourself up.
Ratings/Scores
Gameplay
The gameplay is solid, as is the case usually with any version of Bomberman. Single player will get your feet wet, while Multiplayer will hook you and keep you coming back for more.
Score - 8.5/10
Presentation
Menu system is nice and simple when it comes customizing your own match, giving you the options to easily choose what arena you want to fight in as well as picking out custom power ups for each individual match.
Score - 8/10
Graphics/Audio
Bomberman looks good, plain and simple. Even if it is drawn like a cartoon, you won't mind as colors are vibrant and icons are well drawn out. The audio is rather simple, but you probably won't even care as you'll be locked into each match.
Score - 8.5/10
FINAL SCORE - 8.3/10
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Gameplay
For those who don't know the concept of Bomberman, the goal of the game is to walk around an arena that is filled with opponents and bomb your way through obstacles in order to have the chance to bomb your opponents.
There are many different arenas to choose from that will have different things to worry about. The classic arena is no frills attached fun, just a bunch of bricks to bomb through. Some obstacles you'll run into on other arenas will include pitfalls, conveyor belts, and even floors made of ice. You'll have to compensate for each of these obstacles and learn to deal with them as you progress in the game.
The single player mode is fairly straight-forward, with the CPU enemies giving you a fairly strong challenge, although you'll find your enemies sometimes moping around and really not doing anything to attack you. You should cruise through the single player with little problem in order to unlock multiple achievements as well as custom gear for your own personal Bomberman in Live mode.
Speaking of which, the customization is something that absolutely hooks me on this version. You can add plenty of accessories and styles to your Bomberman to make him stand out from opponents over the internet. Of course, you'll have to put in a lot of work both in single mode and multiplayer in order to give yourself maximum customization.
Bomberman is fun even in single player mode, but multiplayer is what you play the game for. The greatness of this is that multiplayer can be up to eight players, all going at it in one explosion filled match. You'll find plenty of crazy power-ups along the way, which can be as small as "Speed Up" icons all the way to the dreaded "Skull" icon.
The more you play multiplayer, the more you'll get hooked. I play multiple matches in one sitting and have yet to have a bad experience. Most people over the chat lines are very laid back and just like having a good time while playing this game, which is a pleasant change from more heated games like Call of Duty or Halo.
Graphics/Sound
Bomberman's cartoony look works very well for your HDTVs. The arenas are nice and sharp while Bomberman characters are life-like and well drawn on the game itself. The music can be a bit annoying at times, but you'll find yourself really not paying attention to it as the course of a match goes on, mainly because you'll be concentrating quite a bit on getting your opponents and not blowing yourself up.
Ratings/Scores
Gameplay
The gameplay is solid, as is the case usually with any version of Bomberman. Single player will get your feet wet, while Multiplayer will hook you and keep you coming back for more.
Score - 8.5/10
Presentation
Menu system is nice and simple when it comes customizing your own match, giving you the options to easily choose what arena you want to fight in as well as picking out custom power ups for each individual match.
Score - 8/10
Graphics/Audio
Bomberman looks good, plain and simple. Even if it is drawn like a cartoon, you won't mind as colors are vibrant and icons are well drawn out. The audio is rather simple, but you probably won't even care as you'll be locked into each match.
Score - 8.5/10
FINAL SCORE - 8.3/10
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