Bomberman Online
System:
Dreamcast
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Hudson Soft
Released: November 2001
Genre: Action/Strategy
Capabilities: VMU, Jump Pack, VGA Cord,
Keyboard, Modem, Online Play
Compatible
Review Written: October 5, 2002
The Game
Just about every major platform has a form of the classic action/strategy game, Bomberman. The Dreamcast got this version during its last months in late 2001. This is the second version of Bomberman to boast online play. It’s also the last American game for Dreamcast to have online play. The other online version was Saturn Bomberman, which was compatible with the ill fated Net Link adaptor. Not many of us remember that feature, but this game focuses on it much more.
Story
Get this; you’re competing in the “Bomb-o-Lympics” for the “sacred gold medal.” There are lots of teams competing in this event that only takes place every four years. Screw teams, you’re Bomberman, and you can take on everybody on your own!
Graphics
Yes, this game is 2D. However, you have that fancy view like in the multip player stages of Bomberman 64. If you played any of the more recent Bomberman titles, then you’re not missing any major changes. Bomberman looks the same way he always did. The explosions still go off in horizontal and vertical lines. You’ll see some nice effects thrown in here and there, like lightning falling down into the maze. I hope you love anime, because lots of clips from the Bomberman television show have been thrown in here. This isn’t the most technically advanced game out there, so don’t expect any slowdown at all. Loading times are fairly fast, and only last a few seconds.
Sound
I know Bomberman is aged towards all groups of people, but why did Hudson give the audio a kiddy makeover? Whenever you click on a game mode to play in, you’ll hear a little girl’s voice proclaiming the mode you just picked. After you hear that annoying voice say “battle mode” over and over, you’ll get ticked off! The background music is just as bad. Music that would be perfect for the next Pokemon movie finds its way into this game. You have to suffer through it in each gaming session! The only thing that sticks out in this area is the classic sound effects for explosions were use to hearing.
Game play
Bomberman Online controls are similar to most of the other games. You bomb your way through a maze, and can collect power ups. They allow you to lay out more bombs, kick them, explode bigger, and much more. You usually start off with four Bombermen in a maze, and the last man standing is the winner. One of my old favorites in the Bomberman series were the kangaroos (or whatever the hell they were intended to be) that debuted in Mega Bomberman for Genesis. I haven’t seen them used in many Bomberman games since, and they aren’t in this one. C’mon Hudson, bring them back!
There are many ways to play this game! Besides the classic single player story mode, and multi player battle modes, there are several other specialty “rules.” These mostly have to do with the “Bomb-O-Lympics” in the game. Some of these options have you collecting panels so you can unlock a gate to enter in to win. You can collect these panels, and use them to edit the look of your Bomberman for future use. There are other wacky modes in here such as Submarine, Panel Paint, and Ring Match. Some of these are pointless, while other I can play for hours. I like the Ring Match the best because it’s me beating the crap out of endless opponents in a small playing block.
As I said before, this is the last American online game for the Dreamcast. It was only released last November, and when I entered the online lobby for my first time, there were already about 20 to 30 people playing. Not too many, but it was enough for me to enjoy a few rounds of classic Bomberman action! I don’t know how Sega does it, but like the rest of their online games, this one runs fairly fast over the 56k modem, with not much lag interfering at all.
Replay Value
Bomberman Online actually has single player mode worth checking out. I spent a bit of time progressing my way through the various events it offered, but lets face it, we all enjoy Bomberman for the multi player! Up to four people can play at home on one Dreamcast, or you can play online for hours on end. This online game seems to always have at least a dozen or so people playing whenever I log in to play, so there’ll usually be a match waiting for you.
In Brief
+: Classic Bomberman action we all know & love, lots of modes to try out, Online play!
-: Not the most advanced graphics out there, what’s up with the kiddy makeover in this edition?
The Final Ratings Rundown
Graphics: 6.8
Sound: 3.7
Game play: 9.3
Replay Value: 8.5
Overall: 7.1
Rounded to fit GameFAQs Score: 7.0
Comments
This is another great addition to the Bomberman series. It has all the classic Bomberman game play that we all love! The multi player is great, and playing online isn’t all that bad either. If you can get past the kiddy presentation for this game, then make sure to add this game to your Dreamcast library.