Classic NES Series: Bomberman

"An extremely disappointing bait-and-switch"

Let's face it. Bomberman is not a classic in any stretch of the imagination. If anything, the only classic Bomberman game on the NES was Bomberman 2 which had a rudimentary 2 player mode. The first, however, lacks a multiplayer mode, is excruciatingly hard, and has little fun factor. There's a hardcore group of gamers who, despite this, will still play and enjoy this game. Anyone with logic, though, would be wise to steer clear of this sub-par game.

Gameplay
Bomberman hasn't changed much over the years, and the single player mode of this game is virtually identical to pretty much every bomberman game available. Bomberman moves from level to level by destroying all the enemies on a screen, and then finding the exit. This may sound easy on paper, but in reality it is incredibly difficult and only the best of bomberman players could even HOPE to beat this game. It fortunately has a password save system, because previously Bomberman required those insanely long passwords that 8-bit games were known for. Overall, the skill and fun of the single player aspect of Bomberman has been retained. The only problem with this, though, is that it never has been much fun.

Bomberman never was (unless you count the N64 Bomberman Hero) marketed as a single player game, and chances are many of the people who see a row of "NES Classics" would not have played the original Bomberman and would therefore believe that Bomberman has some great multiplayer. It doesn't.

Sound
It's what you would expect from a Bomberman game. Explosion noises, frantic but yet laid back music, and the like. It's not bad.

Replayability
This goes hand-in-hand with the presence (or lack thereof) of a multiplayer mode. The game gets boring in about 5 minutes, and rarely would someone want to play it any more than that. This game hardly fits the definition of "classic" because although it started the series, it was not popular at ALL until the multiplayer sequel came out.

Value
Running at $20, only die-hard collectionists should even bother picking this title up. It is ridiculously expensive for what you get. Bomberman Tournament is only $9.99 MSRP, and the great Bomberman MAX 2 games are near that price as well, all with great multiplayers.

Perhaps TRUE Bomberman fans would find some purchaseable merit to this game, but for everyone else, stay clear.

FINAL SCORE: 4/10

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 06/16/04