Bomberman World

A hallmark of a classic game is its very simplicity. You can basically start the game and figure it out within moments without having to read instructions. Bomberman is such a game. It's a game that's been around forever and has been ported to many systems. Yet ,in all its revisions, it still remains being a game about a little dude that drops bombs to blow up little mushrooms and collect crystals. Another thing that makes a game a classic is that it hooks you in right away and becomes addicting. If you say to yourself "I know I can beat this boss! Just one more try!" after you've been trying for hours.... well you're addicted. Bomberman World has just the right level of progressive difficulty that inspires you to go to the next level or beat the end level boss.

The graphics are of Playstation quality and are suited for the game. The two (!) intro animations to the game are excellent (SGI rendered) and are practically 5 minute movies. The only complaint I have is the cutesy voice of the main character which was so annoying that I had to mute it after a while. Other than that, the sound effects and music are just fine (though repetitive). Another small glitch I came across was that the game would reset to the intro if you picked any other world to go to other than the first when starting a new game. I was playing a final version so this error must be in all copies.

On the back cover it states "The Ultimate Party Game!". Due to its multiplayer capabilities (You can play against another player or plug in a multi-tap and go into a 5 player battle mode!), this game lives up to the hype. There are 12 different multiplayer maps with 3 modes of play: single match, tag team, or maniac mode. It's also "Vibration Function Compatible" for those of you with Dual Shock controllers. In multiplayer, there are also up to 7 unique Bombermen to choose from. I actually did not notice any of the characters being very much different than any other one while playing them, though the computer plays them very analytically like a chess player (which usually ends up as a draw when there are only 2 computer opponents left).

Obviously, this game isn't for everyone. But it makes for a fun party game if you have a lot of friends over and a multi-tap. Even if you've finished every level and lost interest in it, the game still holds up as a "keeper" just because of the multiplayer capability.