GENRE
	Action
	DEVELOPER
	Hudson
	PUBLISHER
	Majesco
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONNECTIVITY
	no
	BUY NOW AT

It's really weird, you know, Hudson trying to make a single-player based Bomberman game. Yeah, it has its multiplayer mode (which I'll tackle in the subsequent section), but it's simply weird. Not only that but we get a lot of FMV for this type of game, especially for Bomberman. Is this classic Bomberman, or an imitator? Could it be both? At a pricerange between $15 and $20, it shouldn't matter, because it's still one hell of a game.

visuals

The graphics in this game are vibrant and colorful, much like Generations before it. The only problem, like every platform game before it, is the camera, sometimes, and the animation is plain as a white sackcloth. Let's also mention the characters, and the whole world, are both low-poly. It's still a pretty game, but Dreamcast would have rendered 5 of these games perfectly. Don't expect Zelda: TWW here, expect good ol' Bomberman. Also, the framerate never drops, even when there's constant action being frenzied in multiplayer mode. It's a pretty game, all in all, like I said, don't expect anything special. They fit.

audio

The only major problem with this game is the audio. It sounds like you're playing Mario in the world's final days. It has that weird futuristic kiddy music, and to tell you the truth, it's kind of creepy. The voices also get very, very irritating after a while, and you really can't go anywhere without someone telling you what to do. You'll eventually want to turn the volume off, pop in Jet or A Perfect Circle, or something, and get your rock and roll fix. The audio is what hurts this game mostly.

gameplay

The meat of the game is in the multiplayer mode, but a few snacks are included in the single-player mode.

The Hige Hige are at it again, and this time you fight alongside Max, who has his own set of abilities. The Hige Hige have taken it upon theirselves to highjack the artificial world/spaceship, Dark Star (it has 4 different large areas to explore, by the way), and want to ram it into Planet Bomber.

At times, you'll get all nostalgic from the game's setup and missions. It totally reminded me of Bomberman 64 back late last century, but I'm all grown up now and the game seems a lot greater than it did back then. Maybe I just like blowing up things.

It controls the same as the other games, and you have your different types of bombs. Different bombs do different things. This game also features a type of animal-raising system, with the inclusion of those animals called Charboms. Some give you the ability to hop, swim, and such. You can raise them by feeding them fruit along your way.

The game is kind of plain once this is all explained, but I reckon you'll have to be one to like it. The animal-raising addition will drive you forward into beating the game. And depending on how good you and what tricks you will learn, this game could be the easiest Bomberman yet, thanks to the fluidity of the controls. It's Bomberman, and we haven't even gotten to the mulitiplayer yet.

multiplayer

Grab 3 extra controllers (WHICH YOU SHOULD HAVE ALREADY!!), and three friends, if you have any, take a seat and grab the Dew. You and your pals will be here for a while. This, in my opinion, is what this game was made for, and the story mode was just an extra -- like every Bomberman game before it.

You get different types of games to play, and of course, your standard bomb battle. There are well-kept strategies in each level, especially the mine cart level. The CPU, is, put bluntly, a bitch to play on medium difficulty or higher. It's still really fun, though, as I found myself playing hours without being able to keep track of time. However, this is almost the same Bomberman we played what feels like ages ago.

overall

Overall, I couldn't give this game a lower grade than this, especially at this price. Keep in mind that this game may not be for everyone, since it's rather simple, but at the bargain price, you owe it to yourself for the multiplayer fun. If you haven't ever played a Bomberman game before, add a whole point to the final score and you've got yourself a definite winner. Parents, you should also get this for your kids, but be sure to put multi on easy and sit down and play with them, I'm sure they'd love it.

8.5/10