Bomberman 64

"He's small, he's cute, and he blows things up with bombs!"

On the peaceful world of Planet Bomber, the small, cute, big-headed inhabitants have an interesting way of handling problems: they blow things up. I have always been a bomberman fan, and so I just couldn’t pass up his latest offering. Bomberman 64, the introduction of the classic Super Nintendo games into 3-D, pits Bomberman against his toughest challenge yet. The game is challenging and addictive, and from the intriguing adventure mode to the explosive four player battle game, Bomberman 64 has something for everyone. In the Adventure game, you, as White Bomber, are invited to wonder freely through fully rendered three dimensional worlds solving puzzles and destroying enemies. In the completely redesigned multiplayer mode for which Bomberman is famous world wide, you get to blow your friends into oblivion.

GRAPHICS: 7/10
Nothing spectacular, but nothing bad, either. Bomberman looks good in 3-D, and all the enemies look nice too, especially the bosses. The bomb explosions are kind of simple, but they are certainly better than previous games in which the blasts were not round and the color blending needed work. Plus they induce cool effects, like when the enemies catch fire and blow up, or when Bomberman dies and his charred body writhes on the ground. Basically, the graphics are a splendid compliment to the gameplay that will delight and not distract.

SOUND: 7/10
Again, nothing really new or exciting. The music from the original series of games was better, but the new bomberman music is fitting for the game. I found some of it rather annoying, but that’s just me. There is also some use of digitized voice which, although it sounds a little robotic, adds a nice effect. The sound is crisp and clear, and the bomb explosions sound better than ever. The game didn’t work really hard on sound, but it made a decent showing.

CONTROLS: 9/10
The control is really good. You have complete control of bomberman and have a few moves that are simple to learn. Stick to move, A to lay bombs, B to throw bombs. Simple. There are several other innovative things you can do, like using your bombs as staircases and stunning and throwing enemies, but all are elementary in nature. Also the camera is good, as it lets you choose the view. This is such a blessing, cause I’ve played a good many games in which the camera views proved to be my downfall. Most of those were first person shooters, though.

GAMEPLAY: 7/10
This is the first time I’ve included a gameplay category in one of my reviews, simply for the fact that I always seem to cover all of it in other parts. The vast majority of gameplay is derived from the one player adventure mode. Bomberman has to find his way through 20 stages and 5 worlds. In each level he must complete a certain objective, whether it be to beat a boss, collect a gem, or just to get out in one piece! Just getting out can require a good deal of ingenuity, but sometimes executing an escape plan can become quite frustrating.
There are many things to find in these stages, so Bomberman is ever on the lookout for gold cards, costume pieces, and items to boost his abilities. There are five gold cards that you can get per stage, some of which are extremely difficult to find. Puzzles abound, and it’s good that the controls are simple, because you won’t have time to worry about them when you are racking your brain for the solution to all the game’s puzzling spots. If you get all the gold cards, you can...well, far be it from me to spoil the surprise. Also, you can find costume pieces in the stages which you can use to equip your bomber in battle mode. All this is very cool, but sometimes the puzzles can get boring and hard to solve. I’ve got only 2-4 more gold cards to get, but I sort of lost interest because it’s just too darn hard to do! The reward isn’t good enough for me to put myself through all that trouble.

MULTIPLAYER: 8/10
This multiplayer would probably have rated only a 6 in comparison to previous Bomberman outings, but standing on it’s own, 8 is a fair score. It is difficult to imagine any Bomberman game without multiplayer capabilities. I mean, really, that’s the whole point of Bomberman, isn’t it? Any Bomberman lacking multiplayer would have to be terrible ( *cough* stupid Bomberman Hero *cough*), so you naturally expect a Bomberman battle mode to go beyond excellent, right? Well, Bomberman 64 is a worthy follow up to the previous 16-bit masterpieces, a slightly lower caliber though it may be. Four players can battle at once (of course) on one of six original courses. The gameplay has changed greatly, and battle is kind of difficult in 3-D. For instance, gone are the days of trapping your opponent in between blocks. It just doesn’t happen. Plus, all players can throw and kick at the start, there is no way to increase your rather laid back speed, and experienced players can be very hard to nail in this format. A few new features were added, such as ghosts and sudden death, but I usually play without these irritating distractions. Yes, the original battle mode was better, but this one is still fun despite its shortcomings and can provide much entertainment with a few friends.

FUN FACTOR: 7
Would have been higher if not for the great frustrations that so often occur in the Adventure mode.

REPLAY VALUE: 7
You will want to play battle mode again and again, so no problems there, but the Adventure Mode, once finished will likely be intentionally forgotten. Yes, trying to get everything will keep you coming back, at least until you finally fold under the later challenges. Many people probably will never get everything, and will not care very much.

BUY OR RENT?
You will barely scratch the surface of Adventure mode in a few days, as it could easily take 15 hours to beat the game, and 1000 more to finally get all the cards after trying and trying and trying and trying and failing and failing and failing and failing. Of course, you SHOULD rent it for the battle mode and see if you like it. Die hard fans of the previous bomberman format may find it disappointing. However, all in all, the game will provide you with hours of engaging play, and it worth being added to your Nintendo library, considered you don’t pay too much for it. You ought to be able to find the game used for around 15-20 dollars.

AVERAGE SCORE: 7.42857142857 (really!)
MY OPINION: 7
GAMEFAQS SCORE: 7

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 05/29/00, Updated 05/29/00