Bomberman 64
System: Nintendo 64
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Hudson Soft
Released: 1997
Genre: Strategy
Capabilities: Controller Pak Compatible

The Game

The Bomberman series is one of the most famous series of games ever. Bomberman is a little guy in a space suit, and he is on another mission to save a planet from destruction. The Bomberman series is also famous for some of the best Multi Player action, as prime examples in the past such as Super Bomberman 2 for SNES, Mega Bomberman for Genesis, and Saturn Bomberman for Sega Saturn have shown. Since Hudson Soft doesn’t publish games anymore, they got Nintendo themselves to publish this title in North America. Will this Bomberman bring back it’s glory days of the past? Let’s get onto the review and find out.

Graphics

If you guys try out the single player mode first, you’ll be surprised how good it looks. Its completely in 3-D, and boy, does it look gorgeous. Everything is detailed to the extreme here and looks great. The environments look just superb, you can make out all the details like snow, sand, dirt, mud, air, ice, and just about everything else. Heck, I’d go as far to say these visuals look just as great as the ones in Super Mario 64. The characters look just as good, you can make out all the details, and easily separate the Bombermen from the bad guys. The classic bombs and explosions are back in here. The usual horizontal and vertical explosions you’re use to is now replaced with a 3-D, circular, explosion of fire.

The graphics in multi player mode look pretty good as well. You got a new overhead view of the action, though much different then the stuff you are use to. You can now mover around in 3-D, on different stories and drop bombs from above for added fun. The only problems I have with the visuals, is that there isn’t much variation between all the Bombermen, except that they have different colors, and you can only add on the detail by putting items like helmets, rings, armor, and other stuff you win in single player mode. Also the camera is a bit tricky as well in single player mode.

Sound

You got your usual happy-go-round tune for the Bomberman series, and honestly I really hate it, and I think you will too after a while. The sound effects, however, are well done. You got your usual patented explosions, death groans, and splashes, and they all are well done. So a good job in that department.

Game play

Controls are a bit of a mixed bag. You can move around in 3-D, and lay down bombs as usual, but now you also got the option to throw bombs at objects. The controls in multi player are quite good because this is what you do most of the time in a map which doesn’t move at all throughout the battle. : One-player mode looks great, but looks are deceiving, I hate how Bomberman moves extremely slow throughout all the levels, and that the camera is always in so many awkward positions that its hard to even see what you're doing. One moment you're walking, the next moment, you've fallen off a cliff to your doom!

For game modes, we got the standard single player quest mode, that’s usually famous for sucking in previous Bomberman games, and unfortunately because of the crappy camera which causes the controls to screw up pretty bad, the curse continues here. The object in the quest mode is too collect several crystals, and also throughout quest mode, you can also collect hidden items to be used to decorate your Bombermen in multi player mode. This makes the single player sounds great and all, but too bad it disappoints, but thank god the multi player mode saves this game. Up to 4-players can duke it out in a variety of battle arenas in many types of environments like Ice, Snow, desert, and forest. Just like old Bomberman games, you can pick up special power ups that'll let you lay extra bombs, make your explosions even larger, or give you extra life. Too bad the kangaroos aren't in here from previous Bomberman games. Man, do I miss those. Also when you die, you can still play as a ''ghost,'' where if you walk by another bomberman who hasn't died yet you'll temporarily control him and you can make him walk into an explosion. Sometimes, I find this “ghost” thing really annoying, but thankfully it’s only optional.

Replay Value

You can create your own Bombermen with custom parts you win throughout the one-player mode and you can upload those Bombermen into battle mode for use, which makes the game a little more fun to play, but the battle mode itself, is what keeps the game going, and the one-player mode sucks, and if you got nobody to play this game with, then you’re in for a lot of trouble.

In Brief

+: The Graphics are some of the best on the N64, great multi player action

-: Single player mode is really disappointing, Crappy Camera Angles, No Kangaroos!

The Final Ratings Rundown

Graphics: 8.3
Sound: 5.6
Game play: 6.7
Replay Value: 6.1

Overall: 6.6

Rounded to fit GameFAQs Score: 7

Comments

Bomberman 64 is a great party game, but the one-player mode sucks, and if you bought this game and don't have anybody to play it with, don't get this title at all, if it weren't for the battle mode this game probably would've only scored a 4 or 5.