Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!

"*screams obscenities* Dang frustrating, but excellent for a road trip."

I feel that this is a game you need to get used to. It takes the traditional (and cool) Bomberman setup, screws around with it a bit, and you get this. Interesting, to say the least. Dang frustrating, but ain't all Bomberman games like that. You'll either love the game (most Bomberman fans will love it), or you will despise it. Play before you buy, unless you're a diehard Bomberman fan.

GRAPHICS (6/10)
What did you think? It's a Game Boy game. Game Boy is not famous for super graphics, though the graphics in this game are okay. The characters are pretty cool (Wario waddles! ^_^), and the blocks are relatively simple. The Game Over graphics are pretty nice. Just don't pay attention.

SOUND (6/10)
I repeat, did you expect Yasunori Mitsuda? This is Game Boy, folks. Very simple music. The sound effects are fairly nice (I repeat, Wario waddles! ^_^), but nothing to ride home about. Just turn it down and put on some good CDs. You'll enjoy it more.

PLAY CONTROL (10/10)
Bomberman has always had beautiful controls, and Wario Blast does not disappoint in this area. The A-button places bombs, holding down the B button lets you run (once you get ''Dashin''), the control pad moves. How simple can you get? You also get some powerups (Kicking bombs, placing bombs on a line, jumping, etc.), but they are definitely no tougher to use. Very simple.

GAME PLAY (9/10)
For the first two rounds, you will probably be extremely bored. Without Dashin, the game play is so simple you will be bored to tears. Once you get Dashin, though, the game gets up many, MANY notches. Moving fast is what it needs. Give it time, and it will get good. The powerups work nicely, but the last level where you need no powerups is the best. Overall, if you pass through the first two boring levels, you will love the game.

CHALLENGE (8/10)
Oh my GOD, this is tough. It's not so tough through the actual premises, which is relatively easy, but rather through the average person's stupidity. You will walk RIGHT into traps like an idiot, many times. And you will scream obscenities like they were normal words. Though it helps the replay value (see below), it's not the nicest feature.

REPLAY VALUE (10/10)
Though the game is the same every time through, the difficulty (see above) will make the game refreshing every time through. Though the frustration is annoying, it is the key to keep you playing. It's not something explainable, playing it again is simply something you do. Also, some passwords help the game immensely. First, there's a bonus level (6565 for Wario, 5656 for Bomberman) that lets you have the basis of level 8-1 (all powerups), with NO bombable blocks annoying you, where your objective is to blow up the opponent as many times as possible. Repetitive, but fun. The second (2264 for Wario, 4622 for Bomberman) lets you go through the game with all powerups. Trust me, you will enjoy it IMMENSELY more with this on, and you'll play them many times over.

OVERALL (8/10)
If you can see through the difficulty, the graphics and the sound, you will see another wonderful Bomberman game with some cool extra features. While it is definitely not for everybody, Bomberman fans and curious people should pick it up and check it out. There is a good chance that you will love it!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/25/01, Updated 03/25/01