PAX 2008 Preview
Hudson’s Bomberman franchise has long been
one of the most loved series in gaming. With tons of iterations across several
different systems, it’s tough to find a gamer that hasn’t played a Bomberman
title over the years. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Hudson is
readying another entry to the franchise, as Bomberman Blast is gearing up for
release on Nintendo’s WiiWare platform. For the most part, Bomberman Blast feels
like a game in the series should, with a few hints of Bomberman LIVE and some
unique Wii-only features, as well as some great online play.
Bomberman Blast features ten different maps,
which include a normal sized map and a double sized one.
Bomberman Blast will have a host of new
items and modes. One new item is the Rocket, which will lay waste to a good
portion of the screen, requiring you to shake the Wii remote to keep your
character out of the explosions.
Bomberman Blast will feature some pretty
robust multiplayer features, both online and off. There will be four-player
local multiplayer matches, as well as eight online, four of which can on the
same Wii system. There is also a team mode that features friendly fire, which is
good.
Graphically, the game looks pretty solid for
a WiiWare game. The character models are nicely detailed and stick with the
general theme of the series. All in all, the game looks about on par with
Bomberman LIVE on Xbox LIVE Arcade, and shouldn’t disappoint.
Bomberman Blast is a nice fit for WiiWare,
with great multiplayer features and some nice Wii-specific control elements.
