Introduction

Videogames was once a world ruled by cute and cuddly company mascots, Mario, Sonic, Pac Man... those are just a few. In the shadows of the videogame world there lurked company mascot characters such as Earthworm Jim and Bomberman, who never quite made it into the spotlight. The Nintendo GameCube seems to be the console of choice for videogame mascots and Bomberman is no exception , once again he returns to a Nintendo console to blow stuff up in the Toon-Shaded adventure, Bomberman Generation.

A Space freighter has been attacked, scattering six crystals across not too distant planet (and it’s moon). It is Bomberman’s duty to find and protect these crystals , if they manage to fall into the wrong hands who knows what kind of evil will be unleashed in Bomberman’s universe.

Presentation

If there is one thing that Bomberman Generation does better than any other game out there it’s bringing back that old school feel. The sound, the Toon-Shaded visuals , and the overall gameplay of the title bring back memories of playing games on a Sunday morning ten years ago filled with SNES button mashing.

Load times are practically non-existent , menus are easy to navigate , and the frame rate is a solid 60 fps. Bomberman Generation presents itself in one solid package.

Graphics & Sound

Graphics:

Toon-Shading in this game has been utilized to bring life to Bomberman’s world like never before , with cartoony looking characters and colorful environments the world of Bomberman has never looked better. Though , when compared to a Toon-Shaded showstopper like Nintendo’s own Legend Of Zelda you can’t help but ask for more in Bomberman Generation. Characters and environments in Generation are very low in polygon and the visual effects such as particle are almost non-existent. Bomberman Generation by all means is not a bad looking game , but when compared to other Toon-Shaded GameCube offerings it lacks in many areas.

Sound:

Even the sound in this game feels old school , whether it’s the music or sound effects. The music in Bomberman Generation is bit annoying to listen too after a long period of time but some of them just make you feel so happy that after awhile you might even be whistling a tunes. Sound effects such as yelps, screams , and explosions aren’t anything special but the tiny bit of voice acting isn’t too bad. The happy/cute music and sound effects in this game suit the title perfectly and personally I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Gameplay

Single Player:

Bomberman Generation’s single player game is without a doubt filled with classic old-school gaming elements, whether it be the puzzles, the story , or even the bosses.

When first beggining the single player mode you are given the choice of starting off the adventure in one of the three different areas, one area being the forest, the other water based, and the other in the desert. The easiest area of the three is the forest , I suggest that you start your adventure off there but if at any time you wish to take a break from that area you can always go back and choose another area to explore and complete the other at a different time.

In each area Bomberman can find attributes to enhance his abilities or acquire items such as ice bombs to give him a more advanced offense. Some of the items that can be found in different areas can enhance Bomberman’s speed, increase the fire power of each bomb, and even increase the amount of bombs Bomberman can unleash onscreen at a time, these items are usually found is jars, chests, etc... Aside from Bomberman’s standard fire bomb , there are other types of bombs such as water which can put out fires , and ice which is used to freeze water fountains. These different types of bombs are acquired after playing one of the many different mini-games scattered across the game’s world, when completing these mini games you are given a certain attribute which must be merged with a bomb at a bomb merging station which also just so happens to be scattered in one of the games levels.

Bomberman can also acquire special abilities, such as the ability to bounce off a bomb under him, detonate a bomb right on the spot, or even give Bomberman the ability to control the distance of his bomb kicks or throws. To earn these abilities Bomberman must capture creatures that roam around the world called Charaboms .

The first Charabom you encounter quickly becomes you’re friend and in doing so giving you certain special abilities, but the other Charaboms you encounter must be captured by doing battle Pokemon style. You select the attacks before hand , and they can either be defensive, offensive , or special attacks then watch the fierce battle of two Charabom go at it. To win a battle your Charabom must have more energy than the CPU or the CPU’s health must be depleted. Each Charabom has an attribute color so make sure you make a wise decision of picking the correct Charabom before entering into battle. Charaboms grow stronger when Bomberman picks up food and items for them in each level, later on in the game you will be able to combine Charabom into one which not only makes them more powerful but also gives Bomberman more special abilities.

Bomberman single-player is done very well, even though it is short enough to finish in a rentals time the extremely hard Boss battles should keep you busy for hours, yes hours... The bosses in this game are a pain in the arse, and until you find their weak spot you’ll be lucky if your controller is still in one piece. B-man latest single-player effort is one of his best and most fun.

Multiplayer:

If there’s one thing Bomberman games have always done better than most , it’s multiplayer. Now featuring more modes than ever before the multiplayer mayhem is ready to rock your house and literally destroy it. Dodge falling bombs in Reversi or battle with 3 human or CPU opponents in Standard Battle, it doesn’t matter they’re all a blast. Mulitplayer in this game is fun even if you’re playing only against 3 other CPU opponents, it’s just that damn good. With the GameCube already king of Multiplayer gaming , Bomberman Generation just adds to the growing list of amazing multiplayer titles. B-man fans should know what to expect and B-man newbies ... prepare for the addiction!

Lasting Appeal

The main adventure can be beaten within a rentals time or even less by an skilled gamer , but like every good Bomberman game multiplayer keeps you coming back for more and more and more. If you have some friends to play with then Bomberman Generation should keep you busy for many nights and days.

Conclusion

With a mix of excellent old school gameplay and the insane multiplayer found in previous Bomberman games, Bomberman Generations is quite possibly the best Bomberman game yet. If you’re unfamiliar with the previous games in the series then I suggest a rental first just to stay safe but old school gamers and Bomberman fans should seriously consider picking this one up.