Bomberman Live
Posted October 9, 2007
Before Hudson released Bomberman Live on the Xbox 360, I had never played a Bomberman title. I didn’t touch the game back in the days of the original NES and I didn’t own a handheld until the Nintendo DS, hence GBA Bomberman didn’t exist in my world. Additionally, I skipped the dreadful Bomberman Act: Zero released last year by another developer. 
Gameplay
The concept of Bomberman is one of simplicity, blow up the other guy before he blows you up. Bomberman can move via the control stick, toss bombs with the green A button and kick bombs with the blue X button. Up to 4 players populate the screen (8 with bots) and seem to be fenced into an area at the start of a round. Players attempt to bomb their way out of their location and ultimately go after the remaining opposition.
Bomberman Live offers plenty of modes to keep the player busy. I just described Normal mode. Tournament mode is similar, but allows the player to set all their options for a multi-arena match. Paint Bomb and Zombie require Bomberman to paint tiles on the floor of the arena. Zombie gives the player infinite lives, but awards any tiles you have painted to anyone who kills you. Revenge and Super Revenge send the player out to the edges of the map after they die to shoot bomb projectiles at the remaining players on the board. If you hit a player in Super Revenge, you are back into the game. The last mode is called Sudden Death. As the clock rolls down to zero, blocks start falling from the sky and push the player toward the middle of the map.
The game does become much more complex once the power-ups and power-downs come into play. The number of bombs that can be placed, speed of the player, and severity of the bomb explosion can all be throttled up or down depending on the power card picked up. These cards appear once a bomb has destroyed a nearby block. Cards also offer rows of bombs, powerful bombs spreading across the map, remote control bombs, mines, and defensive ways to give rid of a nearby bomb.
With these factors in play, the pace becomes rather frantic during a match. Often times, it’s easier to let the opposing player bomb themselves rather than you doing the deed. The A.I. sadly performs this move far too often which can make single player matches a bit boring. The A.I. will either pin themselves in a corner or walk right into an explosion they just set. Even on hard difficulty, they continue to make bonehead mistakes.
Of course, the true entertainment comes in multiplayer with local friends or over Xbox Live. The most impressive factor I found in online play was the speed at which matches got started and continued. It can almost go too fast, but thankfully the matches only last a couple minutes each. The matches are lag free and player interaction seems higher than other games. It’s also one of the few arcade releases that offers Xbox Live Vision support. You can take a victory shot after the game to gloat about your dominance.
The achievements are divided into 12 tasks for a grand total of 200 gamerscore points. While they lack in challenge, the achievements do require a bit of time to rack up all the points. Players are looking at several hours of gaming before completing the set. The online achievements are fairly creative. My favorite is killing an online player in full cowboy gear. Overall, the achievements are worthy of a regular Xbox 360 player and add more replay value to the single player game.
Graphics
Visually, this is one of the sharpest arcade titles currently available. The large level of detail and varied animations makes you wonder how Hudson was able to fit this title into an arcade release. Players have tons of visual customization options when it comes to little Bomberman. They can dress him up with different hats, pants, shirts, etc. These visual nuances are cute to see up close and add to the colorful aesthetic of the game. The game runs incredibly smoothly without a graphical hitch in sight.
Audio
It’s all about the sound effects in Bomberman Live. Various types of explosions and muted squeaks from Bomberman tickle the ears during a match. The music is light, bouncy, and generally playful as it fits in with the general theme of the title. Overall, it’s a solid auditory experience with no real problems.
Overall
Out of the 48 Live Arcade titles that I digitally own, Bomberman Live tops them all. The sheer level of entertainment and the production value of Bomberman easily trumps anything on Xbox Live Arcade. The excellent single player variety and the addictive qualities of the multiplayer combine to form an enjoyable gaming experience. The game actually feels under-priced at 800 marketplace points and Live users would be wise to snatch it up immediately, as well as the recently released content packs.
Gameplay
The concept of Bomberman is one of simplicity, blow up the other guy before he blows you up. Bomberman can move via the control stick, toss bombs with the green A button and kick bombs with the blue X button. Up to 4 players populate the screen (8 with bots) and seem to be fenced into an area at the start of a round. Players attempt to bomb their way out of their location and ultimately go after the remaining opposition.
Bomberman Live offers plenty of modes to keep the player busy. I just described Normal mode. Tournament mode is similar, but allows the player to set all their options for a multi-arena match. Paint Bomb and Zombie require Bomberman to paint tiles on the floor of the arena. Zombie gives the player infinite lives, but awards any tiles you have painted to anyone who kills you. Revenge and Super Revenge send the player out to the edges of the map after they die to shoot bomb projectiles at the remaining players on the board. If you hit a player in Super Revenge, you are back into the game. The last mode is called Sudden Death. As the clock rolls down to zero, blocks start falling from the sky and push the player toward the middle of the map.
The game does become much more complex once the power-ups and power-downs come into play. The number of bombs that can be placed, speed of the player, and severity of the bomb explosion can all be throttled up or down depending on the power card picked up. These cards appear once a bomb has destroyed a nearby block. Cards also offer rows of bombs, powerful bombs spreading across the map, remote control bombs, mines, and defensive ways to give rid of a nearby bomb.
With these factors in play, the pace becomes rather frantic during a match. Often times, it’s easier to let the opposing player bomb themselves rather than you doing the deed. The A.I. sadly performs this move far too often which can make single player matches a bit boring. The A.I. will either pin themselves in a corner or walk right into an explosion they just set. Even on hard difficulty, they continue to make bonehead mistakes.
Of course, the true entertainment comes in multiplayer with local friends or over Xbox Live. The most impressive factor I found in online play was the speed at which matches got started and continued. It can almost go too fast, but thankfully the matches only last a couple minutes each. The matches are lag free and player interaction seems higher than other games. It’s also one of the few arcade releases that offers Xbox Live Vision support. You can take a victory shot after the game to gloat about your dominance.
The achievements are divided into 12 tasks for a grand total of 200 gamerscore points. While they lack in challenge, the achievements do require a bit of time to rack up all the points. Players are looking at several hours of gaming before completing the set. The online achievements are fairly creative. My favorite is killing an online player in full cowboy gear. Overall, the achievements are worthy of a regular Xbox 360 player and add more replay value to the single player game.
Graphics
Visually, this is one of the sharpest arcade titles currently available. The large level of detail and varied animations makes you wonder how Hudson was able to fit this title into an arcade release. Players have tons of visual customization options when it comes to little Bomberman. They can dress him up with different hats, pants, shirts, etc. These visual nuances are cute to see up close and add to the colorful aesthetic of the game. The game runs incredibly smoothly without a graphical hitch in sight.
Audio
It’s all about the sound effects in Bomberman Live. Various types of explosions and muted squeaks from Bomberman tickle the ears during a match. The music is light, bouncy, and generally playful as it fits in with the general theme of the title. Overall, it’s a solid auditory experience with no real problems.
Overall
Out of the 48 Live Arcade titles that I digitally own, Bomberman Live tops them all. The sheer level of entertainment and the production value of Bomberman easily trumps anything on Xbox Live Arcade. The excellent single player variety and the addictive qualities of the multiplayer combine to form an enjoyable gaming experience. The game actually feels under-priced at 800 marketplace points and Live users would be wise to snatch it up immediately, as well as the recently released content packs.