Review
Release Date: 06.05.2002
Platform:
GameCubeDeveloper:
Hudson Soft Co., Ltd.Publisher:
Majesco Sales, Inc.Reviewed by
Dan Bailey on 4.23.2003
| Review Rating: 9/10 | User Rating: 8.67/10 |
The Bomberman series has been a fan favorite in the gaming community for several generations. With it's intense and incredibly addictive battle mode fueling the franchise's popularity, the white and pink pyromaniac has appeared on nearly every major platform over the past decade.
For those who are unfamiliar with the Bomberman series and how it plays, I will give a brief summary of the basics of Bomberman battle mode. Bomberman battle mode sets up several characters (or Bombermen) in positions over a small bomberman arena. Armed with a bomb, you can drop to attempt to kill the other bombers or blow open blocks, it's a winner take all death match that pits you against all the other bombermen . The last Bomberman standing wins. What makes this game so fun is the power ups that allow you to do things like kick bombs, throw bombs, drop multiple bombs and more. By collecting more power ups your chances of success increase as you add additional abilities to your bomberman.
The GameCube now has it's first installment of the Bomberman series with Bomberman Generation. The title has five variations of battle mode, the first one is standard battle which plays like most other titles in the series. The second is Coin Battle in which coins are dispersed throughout the stage and the player with the most coins once time expires is the victor. The third is Reversi Battle where you have to capture the most squares of the board with your Bomberman's color achieved by bombing a square in order to win. Next off is Dodge Battle where bombs randomly fall all over the stage, the last Bomberman standing is the winner. Finally there is Revenge Battle in which your Bombermen are on carts off to the side of the arena bombing at the floor, moles pop out and the Bomberman with the most mole kills is the champion.
In addition to the many battle modes, Bomberman Generation also has a single player adventure mode. Adventure mode has Bomberman navigating through a number of worlds and areas in a platform style engine. The adventure mode features an overhead view and allows Bomberman to open up new areas of the level by blowing up stumps, freeing up logs and using your bombs and skills to solve puzzles in order to pass through the stages. The plot of adventure mode is that the villainous Mujoe has released bomb elements onto a planet and Bomberman must retrieve them to prevent Mujoe from harnessing their power.
Bomberman Generation is a sharp and addictive multiplayer title with a solid one player mode to boot. The games characters are all cel-shaded and animate smoothly and seamlessly. The quality of the character animation gives off a stunning effect in both adventure and battle modes.
While the standard battle mode may not have all of the features present in previous versions of Bomberman such as online play, dinosaur eggs, and the ability to have more then 4 players at once; The title does hold its own in terms of stage design, and control and breaks new ground for the series in graphics. For fans of the Bomberman series who own a GameCube, or those who are looking for a fun multiplayer title Bomberman Generation is a can't miss title. While the adventure mode is solid, the heart of the title is in it's addictive and well designed battle modes and this is where Bomberman Generation proves it's value. For players new to the series looking for a great multiplayer title or long time fans, Bomberman Generation will not leave you disappointed.
