Bomberman: The Second Attack

This is the third Bomberman game to be released on the Nintendo 64. The game objective, summed up by my sons, is to get all seven elemental stones, and beat the Big Boss Rukifellth on the warship Noah. But Bomberman doesn't have to go it alone this time. He has a new companion, Pommy and two players can take on the roles of Bomberman and Pommy for a cooperative adventure. There is also a four player battle mode as in previous versions.

Underlying the game is a complex story, which the kids enjoy and read as text on the screen. The worlds to be explored include sewer, prison, sky, amusement, water, casino and nature planets, all enslaved by Rukifellth. Each has a Gravity Generator to be destroyed, a boss (Astral Knight) to be beaten, and an elemental stone to be won. The stones give new bomb types, for example electric bombs which are good against mechanical items ... kids seem to enjoy absorbing and recounting the details of which techniques are most successful against the various bosses.

Pommy not only provides a delightful companion (and additional player role) but, like a Pokémon, can be evolved for new abilities. Bomberman helps Pommy to evolve by feeding him meat and vegetables, which he finds by blowing up crates and destroying enemies. Pommy can also eat candy and cake, but they don't help him develop much :-). Pommy has a secondary role to Bomberman, in that he can't fight bosses or destroy the Gravity Generator (the one that makes the Black Hole if you wondered).

In case Bomberman and Pommy can't figure out what to do on their own, Lilith shows up frequently to advise them and give hints. She chats about the story and tells them what's going on. Basic game controls are simple - move using the control stick, plant bombs with the A button and pick them up and charge them using B. The game is accessible to younger kids though they might need help in reading and understanding the storyline.

There are five battle modes, allowing up to four competitive players. They can also play against a machine opponent. Players can collect items to create their own Bomberman (and design his/her appearance) and play against friends. More battle modes are unlocked with success. My kids enjoyed the different levels in this, but preferred the main storyline.

This title has been a big hit with my sons and their friends. They enjoy discovering the story, exploring the worlds, and figuring out how to beat the bosses and evolve Pommy. I encourage them to play cooperatively, so that they work together against the game. Though the title and the main action involve bombs, this game is relatively mild compared to the overt blood and gore in other violent console games. The characters are cute cartoon types and much of the focus is on problem solving, that is in selection of the best techniques to beat level bosses.

In summary, Bomberman: The Second Attack is a lot of fun, the negative is that it's all about setting off bombs, the positives are reading, problem solving and its cooperative play mode.