Bomberman 64

"The best Nintendo 64 game, by far! Bomberman makes an explosive debut in 3-D!"

Before I bought my Nintendo 64, I had been impressed by the quality of games that were being planned, games like Mario 64, Mario Kart, Zelda, and so on. But there was one game that truly intrigued me, a game that I imagined would be incredible. The game that caused me to buy the Nintendo 64. That game was Bomberman 64. Though it was still in the works at the time, I thought that it would be awesome that my second favorite game series (behind Mario) would be taken to the Nintendo 64. And I was not one bit disappointed. This game met all of my multiplayer expectations, and far exceeded the expectations I had for Adventure mode. Here is the low-down of all the elements that make Bomberman really amazing in 3-D:

Story (10/10): A really intriguing plot. Planet Bomber is assaulted by a group of space pirates bent on taking over the universe. With a weapon known as the Omni Cube, these pirates were sucking all the energy out of each planet that they visited. The pirates, led by the evil Altair, planned on making Planet Bomber next on their list of destruction. They arrive in their starship and begin blasting the planet to smithereens, while Bomberman looks on and plans what to do. Suddenly, a person by the name of Sirius flies by and offers to help Bomberman defeat the space pirates. So the adventure begins, Bomberman attempts to invade the ship, shut down Black Fortress (Altair’s HQ), recover the Omni Cube, and restore peace to the universe. This plot is good already, but it becomes even better after an unexpected, Sixth Sense type of twist occurs later in the game. Needless to say, it really makes an already good plot spectacular.

Graphics (10/10): Hudson has indeed created some of the most stunning 3-D landscapes on the Nintendo 64. They are vast, detailed, and allow for tons of hidden areas and items! The explosion of the bomb is well animated, and it looks even better when three firepower power ups are collected. The world graphics are simple, yet detailed. Colorful and well animated. The graphics fit the atmosphere of the game perfectly. Each of the space pirates are extremely cool looking, and the huge bosses are a graphical wonder.

Audio (10/10): Absolutely sensational. The sound effects, like any other quality game, fit the mood and moves. The music is also some of the greatest of any 64 game. The Black Fortress music, boss theme, and intro music are legendary. For such an explosive game, it really packs the explosive sound necessary to be a classic.

Controls (10/10): Surprisingly easy to learn. Press A to plant a bomb, and press B while standing next to the bomb to pick it up. Press B again to throw it. Tap A twice to kick a bomb, and R to stop it. Hold B and press A to pick up a bomb without dropping it. From here, if you tap A quickly, you can increase the size of your bomb as well as it’s power. The blast radius greatly increases when it is pumped. The camera angle is easily controlled with the C buttons, and the control stick is very responsive to Bomberman’s every move.

Gameplay (10/10): This is the category that makes most games legendary, and Bomberman 64 is no exception. There are two difficulty modes: normal and hard. The Adventure mode requires so much intellect and intuitive thinking that it really becomes entertaining. It’s the RPGers adventure game. Puzzles in each level can be so tricky, it can take an extremely long time to figure out. There are five world, each with four levels, as well as a secret world for really good players. In each world, the first and third stages are adventure stages where you must solve puzzles and bomb things to advance. The second and fourth stages are boss stages. In the second stage, you will face one of the space pirates, either Artemis, Orion, or Regulus. These battles are very fun; they’re like playing against another human. The boss battles in the fourth stage are very challenging, because you have to figure out where to hit them. In addition to all of this, there are also five Gold Cards in each level. Collecting these can be quite a challenging task, because they are so well hidden. The Adventure mode will keep you playing over and over.

I haven’t even gotten to the Battle mode yet, which is probably the greatest multiplayer experience behind Goldeneye/Perfect Dark. You can either play against the computer or other humans in a total of 10 brilliantly diverse levels. There are also two modes that you can play in multiplayer, every man for himself where you all try to blow each other up, and team mode. Every man for himself is exactly like the battle in previous Bomberman games; each person gets one life and tries to blow the other people up. Many power ups can be collected throughout the level. Team mode is as much fun as the other mode. You and a friend team up against two other players. The goal is to blow up the enemy gem five times, before your gem gets blown up five times. On top of all these things, there are three other interesting features: Sudden Death, Ghost, and Custom Parts. Sudden Death occurs in the final minute of the match. Different things will happen depending on the level; the walls may close in, water may rise, or comets may begin to rain from the sky! This makes for an interesting twist to players. When you are killed, you become a ghost. As a ghost, you can take control of other players to try and kill them. While controlling them, you can plant bombs for them, and do anything else they could normally do. My personal favorite feature is the custom parts feature. You can find custom parts in the Adventure Mode, and then use them to custom build your Bomberman in battle. This makes an already incredibly fun multiplayer mode even more entertaining. Overall, just a magical gameplay experience.

Difficulty (10/10): This game is by far the most difficult game to master out of any game that I have ever played. The puzzles inside each level provide enough of a challenge. But beating the game is not the end of the toughness. There is a secret world in the game that is so challenging, few people have beaten it. That’s still not everything. You also can collect all the Gold Cards and Custom Parts in each level, which is by far the most difficult thing to do. By collecting all the Gold Cards, incredible things will happen. This is still not the end of the difficulty. After you have done all of this in normal mode, then you can go into hard mode and try it. Not only does each enemy take more hits to defeat, Gold Cards and Custom Parts are in new locations, making it more difficult to master. Some of the puzzles may become a little frustrating to the novice player, but overall Bomberman 64 provides for an incredible experience.

Replay Value (10/10): This game can be replayed almost infinitely. The Adventure mode has so many things to accomplish, you could probably play that indefinitely. On top of that, there is the Battle mode, which is exceptionally entertaining especially if you have some friends over. Bomberman 64 is a classic example of what replay should be.

Rent or Buy: This game is a must buy for Bomberman enthusiasts, and a very entertaining game for all others. If you do not own it and are having people over, the multiplayer mode will keep you busy all night long! I definitely suggest that you buy it however.

Overall (10/10): This game is my personal favorite for the Nintendo 64, and is a worthy 3-D counterpart to the original Bomberman series. The graphics and sound are spectacular, and the gameplay is what has always made Bomberman legendary. The difficulty of the game will keep you playing for years, as well as the incredibly fun battle mode. Without a doubt, this game will keep you playing infinitely.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/20/00, Updated 08/20/00