Buckle up, bombardiers, Bomberman is back! Although the one-player game is not as dynamite as it could be, the multiplayer rounds are as fun as they are in the original game.
Bomb Squad
The premise remains the same: Bomberman, kidnapped by various evil bombers, must fight from five planets to regain control of Earth.
Basically, you plant bombs and wait for them to explode. Doesn't sound like too much?
Action Games Arcade Retro. Cult game released in 1997 on Super Nintendo, Super Bomberman 5 is the latest installment of the series and is often considered the best one. Help our little robot bomber to blow his enemies so as to escape from the arena where he is confined.
ProTip: The Roller Skates give your Bomberman limited speed. Don't bomb and run it your Skate power is about to expire.
Well, you also have to avoid enemies, watch out for traps, fend off bosses, and figure out the tricks to open doors in certain rooms. Bomberman is strategy-game playing at its best.
Numerous types of bombs tempt you: Some are remote controlled, spew slime, or pass through obstacles. If you're not comfortable around explosives, play something with less bite, like Mickey Mania. Wuss.
A Rip-Roarin' Time
The graphics are still bastions of Japanese-style cuteness. The land that brought you Hello Kitty gives Bomberman 2 that same kind of wide-eyed kiddy flavor -- but now you can detonate it. The sprites aren't any bigger, but they certainly look sharper. The scrolling play field in one-player games is a nice touch that lends oomph to the action.
- The first boss is a no- brainer. Simply lay bombs in front of him and move from side to side on the lower part of the screen. The boss can't travel downwards.
- Watch out for the second level's furnaces. The screen turns orange, and a scorching line of fire races across the screen. Look at the ground carefully to determine the fire's path.
- After you knock off all the enemies, bomb the bricks to find power-ups. You can take them to the next level.
- If you find a certain type of bomb that you like, slick with it Just blow up the icons of other bombs you find.
The music is a slick hybrid of techno-pop and lounge music. The sound effects could have been a little beefier, and the explosions could certainly have been improved upon. All told, there isn't a lot of improvement between these sounds and the original SNES Super Bomberman's sounds.
You'll find the control tricky if you're a novice. Once you get the hang of it, though, you should have no trouble blasting away opponents. You'll need to read the manual carefully on this game if you're a first-time Bomberman.
- Be careful around the fire pits. They regenerate quickly and could corner you.
- When bombing near Dynamite Sticks, stay away from the fire's path. These Sticks cause a chain-reaction explosion.
Bombs Away
If you're a fan of the first Bomberman, the extra features (new bombs, trickier levels) will blow you away. New players will find the thrill of competition in the multiplayer mode the best the SNES has to offer. But if you're a lone gamer looking for explosive action, this bomb might not go off quite as dramatically.
Overall rating: 7.5