Xbox Live is a mixed bag sometimes, while we have had some classics, we have also had some duds, however when Bomberman Live hit the service this week I had high hopes that it would be one of those games that instantly entered the classics category, but did it meet my expectations?
The main purpose of Bomberman for those who have never played it, is to blow each other up until only one person is left standing, to get too each other you must blow up the obstacles which are in your path. As you make your way through the obstacles you will receive all manner of power ups including new bombs and fire ups which increase your bombs radius, in fact the amount of different power ups available is incredible and you will need to be careful which ones you use and when as this could be the difference between you winning and losing, you will also need to watch out for the bad power ups and skulls which can have adverse affects on you.
The game features various maps with enough variety in each to distinguish them from the rest, some of the more entertaining features in these maps include trap doors, pits of sinking sand which render you motionless and fire pits, which return you to your starting position minus your power ups, of course the classic map is also included.
To spice things up a little, there are a few game modes to take part in, Paint Bomb for example has the player who paints the most tiles declared the winner, however to add another twist to this revenge mode has been included, this means that once you are killed you can ride around the arena in a cart and throw a bomb at the person who killed you, then there is Zombie mode which is similar except that players are invulnerable meaning that there is no revenge mode and speed will be the winner, however if this is all a bit too much for you the normal game his has also been included, meaning that there should be something for everyone.
While you can have a lot of fun playing against the computer, Xbox Live is where this game becomes an instant classic, playing against up to seven other players, it is crazy fun, you will find that bombs are exploding everywhere and while it wouldn’t seem like it amongst all the chaos, thinking tactically is essential, after all you wouldn’t want to go picking up powers ups that increase your bombs range if you are in it’s path when it detonates.
Bomberman is probably one of the best Xbox Live games to be released on the service, it provides exactly what Xbox Live was designed for, brilliant multiplayer action, sure it may not be a game that has you in awe of it’s graphical prowess but then that’s not what it is all about, here it is about fun and this game has that in abundance.
