Bomberman Land

"A party game you won't want to miss!"

Bomberman has come a long way since his debut in the 1980's. He has many things on his resume, such as a sports game, some puzzle and arcade games, a putrid flop on the Xbox 360, and a cameo on a Japan-only fighting game, to name a few. One series is called the "Bomberman Land" series, which is a collection of party games, dating way back in the Playstation days. We Americans never really heard of that series until "Bomberman Land Touch!" for the DS. The latest of the series is "Bomberman Land" for the Wii. I've noticed that there isn't one review for this game here, so I decided to take it upon myself to write the very first (unless somebody beat me to it as I'm writing this) review on this website. How good is the game? Follow me...

Story--8/10

The story begins with Bomberman, named "Cheerful White" here, taking a vacation after repeatedly saving the world from Mujoe and his goons, the Dastardly Bombers, Lord Bagular, and whatever life tosses at the little bomber. His vacation was interrupted when a waitress came and handed White a "bomb pad" and told him that he was invited to Bomberman Land. He eventually learns that some jerk, who looks suspiciously like White, decided to proclaim himself as the "champion" of Bomberman Land and run the place by HIS rules. White, along with his friends Cool Black, Cute Pink, Kid Blue, Bookworm Green, and Giant Gold, goes to Bomberman Land to play the various attractions and ultimately dethrone the "champion." The plot is pretty decent, although there's some dead giveaways. That shouldn't detract from the game though.

Gameplay--10/10

You play the game using the Wii Remote. Nothing more. You run around an overworld and play mini-games in order to get points, depending on the situation, such as playing games in order to buy clothes and Zone Licenses. Unlike the former games, you must work your way through five worlds and among the rankings of that world. If you get up to the top ten, you get promoted to the next world. If you get down to the worst, you get demoted to the previous world. If you're in between, you get held back to that world. Mini-game wise, you get full use of the capabilities of the Wii Remote, twisting, pointing, and shaking though different mini-games. Some are easy, and some are not. If you get sick of playing the main game, you can play the good old multiplayer Bomberman game that everyone loves. The loading is a little bit of a nuisance, though.

Graphics--8/10

The graphics are very good, yet for the Wii, it is rather simple. Bomberman and his friends are done well and still the Bomberman we knowand grew up with. Some of the other people are just plain goofy, with a vampire to a pharaoh. The camera won't always be behind Bomberman's back, so the camera runs smoothly. There's just gobs of cutesyness and a party flair in this game, which feels somewhat like a Mario Party game.

Sound--7/10

The music is atmospheric, nothing fancy. There are some tunes that are appealing and cute. The sounds are very cartoony. When something hits Bomberman, it goes whap! If something hard connects, it goes wham! If a spiked bomb explodes, it goes ker-blam! Not bone-crunching like other games, but hey! It sounds partyish, and that's a good thing!

Conclusion--8/10

This is one of the better party games, but "Rayman Raving Rabbids" this ain't. And what I mean by that is that this game is better. This looks kiddie to some people, but even kiddie games sell well. If you are looking for a good party game, look no further. And with Bomberman starring? What more could you want?

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/20/08

Game Release: Bomberman Land (US, 01/29/08)