Bomberman (DS) Review

Like Taito's Space Invaders and Namco's Pac-Man, Hudson Soft's Bomberman character has been around for ages, and just like his previously mentioned videogame compatriots, he's appeared on multiple systems in several different forms, but not all of them were created equal. Although the core concept of planting bombs to blast your opponents has remained intact throughout the years, the two most celebrated versions are SNES and Saturn Bomberman for their fantastic multiplayer modes. However, I am happy to report that the latest incarnation of the classic series, Bomberman for the Nintendo DS, deserves to be placed alongside those gems due to its quality gameplay and multiplayer options that won't break anyone's bank account.

Like in most Bomberman games the DS version comes with a single-player component but this one's especially lame, though it's still sort of entertaining. Matching wits with the AI, collecting ridiculous amounts of power-ups, and blasting bricks and bad guys with your explosives can at times be an absolute blast. It's just that it's not particularly challenging. Not only does the computer fail to put up a decent fight, but you get to keep all of your stocked items after you die, so it's pretty easy to beat. In fact, the single-player mode isn't good for multiplayer training. However, it's at the very least a good way to get a grip on the controls and pass some time before someone with a DS comes along.

When that someone comes, Bomberman turns into a wild party game that truly shines on the hardware, especially since up to eight people can play off a single game card, and I'm not talking about some weak mode that's been stripped down and has glitches (like in EA's Goldeneye). All of the boards, game types, and options are available to everyone involved.

Speaking of options, the cup hath runneth over. There are about 30 Battle Stages including Zombie, See-Saw, Tunnels, Tripass, Speedy, Kick-Kick, and Bom-Bom, as well as some that allow you to detonate bombs by yelling into the DS' microphone. Plus, there are numerous options to mess around with such as the number of sets you want to play, the time limit, whether there should be tie breaks, and if you want to use a slot machine to determine which power ups will be available, and to make things interesting the developers decided to spread the playfield across two screens that are connected by these little tunnels. It's a neat feature because you can hop on over to your opponents' side as well as be sneaky and plant bombs inside of the tunnels, creating a fireball that's sure to catch quite a few people off guard.

Just as there are a multitude of different battle stages there are a pretty meaty selection of power ups and assorted items to collect. I'm not going to run through them all, but to give you a taste of the kinds of goodies you'll be able to use, Bomb Up allows you to place two bombs at one time instead of waiting for the first one to explode, Power Bomb increases a bomb's fire power, Power Glove lets you toss bombs, Speed Up gives you a slight movement boost, Glasses allow you to see where a stage's exit is, and Invincible makes you impervious to attacks but only for a limited amount of time.

In addition to the dual screen gameplay, you can activate power-ups by tapping the icons on the touch screen (in the single-player game), and, as I previously mentioned, yell into the DS microphone to detonate bombs. Not incredibly innovative stuff, but this game is too much fun to really worry about that.

Rather than exploit the system's 3D capabilities, Hudson Soft decided to keep things old school and craft a 2D game, and the end result is a 16-bit looking title that features neat explosions and colorful battle stages. However, there is a small bit of 3D in the game, in particular the intro, which is especially cute.

Bomberman's audio is equally appealing, as its high energy tunes blast from the DS' speakers. Other sounds, such as the bomb blasts and the voice that excitedly yells "BOMBERMAN" whenever you access the game are quite charming.

All of these components have been combined to produce a game that exudes fun. Sure, the single player-portion is a little boring, but even that's worth running through at least once. The bottom line is Bomberman for the DS is a highly enjoyable blast fest that makes excellent use of the system hardware, not the touch screen per se, but the wireless function (so sweet), the microphone, and the dual screen gameplay. It'll probably get old fast if you live in the middle of nowhere and/or your friend's don't own DS systems, but if none of that applies to you, this is a must buy.